Dang, C N; Wipulanusat, W; Nuaklong, P and Witchayangkoon, B (2025) Assessing green innovation practices in construction firms: A developing-country perspective. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 32(5), pp. 3104-3131. ISSN 0969-9988
Abstract
Purpose: In developing countries, construction organizations are seeking to effectively implement green innovation strategies. Thus, this study aims to assess the importance of green innovation practices and develop a measurement model for quantifying the green innovation degrees of construction firms. Design/methodology/approach: A mixed-methods research approach is adopted. First, an extensive literature review is performed to identify potential green innovation items, which are then used to design a preliminary questionnaire. Next, expert interviews are conducted to pilot-test this questionnaire. Subsequently, by using a convenience non-probability sampling method, 88 valid responses are collected from construction firms in Vietnam. Then, one-sample and independent-samples t tests are employed to assess the importance of green innovation practices. Fuzzy synthetic evaluation (FSE) is also applied to quantitatively compare such practices. Finally, green innovation level (GIL) is proposed to measure the green innovation indexes and validated by a case study of seven construction firms. Findings: This study identifies 13 green innovation variables, of which several key practices are highlighted for small/medium and large construction firms. The results of FSE analysis indicate that green process innovation is the most vital green category in construction firms, followed by green product and management innovations, respectively. As a quantitative measure, GIL could allow construction firms to frequently evaluate their green innovation indexes, thereby promoting green innovation practices comprehensively. Hence, construction firms would significantly enhance green competitive advantages and increasingly contribute to green and sustainable construction developments. Originality/value: This research is one of the first attempts to integrate various green innovation practices into a comprehensive formulation. The established indexes offer detailed green innovation evaluations, which could be considered as valuable references for construction practitioners. Furthermore, a reliable and practical tool (i.e. GIL) is proposed to measure the GILs of construction firms in developing countries.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction firms; developing countries; fuzzy synthetic evaluation; green; green innovation |
| Index terms: | construction practitioner, construction firm, literature review, fuzzy synthetic evaluation, sustainable construction, interview, developing country, Vietnam, questionnaire, methodology, case study, competitive advantage, construction organization, innovation strategy, sampling, green product, management innovation |
| Subjects: | development economics, sustainable construction, Geography, sustainable design, research methods, decision-making and optimization, market analysis, organization, professional development, management, business, data collection methods, data analysis and analytics |
| Topics: | Geographical Context, Sustainability, International Construction, Business Strategy, Information Management, Research Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here