Lovelin Obi

Cost uncertainties are seen as a significant factor challenging the adoption and implementation of offsite construction (OSC) in housing delivery in many countries. Existing cost management frameworks often overlook the life-cycle orientation and front-loaded delivery structure of OSC. This chapter conceptualises a Lifecycle Cost Visibility and Optimisation (LCVO) framework to address this gap by examining the cost structure of OSC projects, including cost factors, categories, drivers and enabling conditions. Through a desk study methodology, it synthesises insights from literature and a comparative cost analysis of two UK-based case studies to conceptualise the framework. The LCVO framework integrates activity-based costing (ABC) and life-cycle costing (LCC) principles to provide a structured lens for understanding how costs arise and how they can be optimised across the entire OSC life cycle. It also incorporates circularity costs, recognising opportunities for value recovery at the end of life. Although conceptual, the LCVO framework provides practitioners and researchers with a tool for enhancing cost transparency, strengthening life cycle decision-making and promoting whole-life value. By extending analysis beyond capital expenditure to include operation, maintenance and disassembly, the framework reframes OSC cost management as a holistic, value-led process aligned with sustainability and circular economy goals.

Past studies of leadership development programmes (LDPs) largely focus on how specific leadership knowledge outcomes can be secured, often treating leadership learning as a linear and environment-independent process. They overlook the longitudinal and situated nature of leadership knowledge construction as participants move through changing organisational, programme, and relational environments. This gap is particularly significant for Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) leaders in higher education institutions (HEIs), whose leadership learning is shaped by how they interpret—and are interpreted by—their environments over time. With a collective autoethnography, this study examines how five BME women working in UK HEIs construct leadership knowledge before, during, and after participating in a BME-specific LDP. Integrating situated learning theory with research on organisational texts, we conceptualise leadership development as an environmentally endogenous, textually mediated process rather than a linear transfer of skills. The analysis reveals a non-linear, U-shaped trajectory of leadership knowledge construction across three environment–individual nexuses: organisational constraints, LDP dissonance, and peer learning; transitions between nexuses are triggered by embedded agency and belonging paradoxes. The study shows how peer learning enables BME leaders to reframe these paradoxes as dilemmas, supporting exploration and exploitation of leadership knowledge and informing the design of inclusive, BME-specific LDPs.

Timor-Leste, Asia’s youngest nation since its independence in 2002, has been making progress in its education sector. However, these gains have not translated into leadership representation as expected, with women remaining significantly underrepresented in senior academic and managerial roles in higher education. While existing studies highlight the potential of intersectional disaggregated data to enhance the visibility of layered inequalities and inform more targeted leadership interventions, its application in Timor-Leste remains at an early stage. This study examines respondents’ perception of barriers and enablers influencing the collection and use of intersectional disaggregated data, and their association with perceived leadership interventions aimed at advancing women in higher education leadership in Timor-Leste. A survey design was employed, with questionnaires administered to purposively selected academic and non-academic staff across selected universities in Timor-Leste. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential techniques, including the Kruskal–Wallis test, and Spearman’s rank correlation (ρ). The findings suggest that respondents perceive key leadership interventions to include women’s leadership development programmes, mentorship, mental health support, and establishment of dedicated equality and diversity units Respondents also identified key enablers and barriers influencing the collection and use of intersectional disaggregated data, including staff training in ethical data practices, the use of mixed-method approaches, and the provision of privacy protections, alongside constraints related to data systems, capacity, and leadership support. Spearman’s analysis showed significant associations between perceived enablers and barriers influencing the collection and use of intersectional disaggregated data and perceived leadership interventions. This study contributes to the gender equity literature by providing empirical insights on perceived institutional conditions, reported barriers, enablers and perceived mechanisms through which intersectional data may inform leadership-related interventions in the context of Timor-Leste’s higher education system.

Purpose: The procurement phase of the construction project lifecycle remains critical for facilitating successful project outcomes, mainly as it concerns sustainability performance. Therefore, integrating circular economy principles into procurement functions (circular procurement-CP) has become imperative. However, the implementation of CP remains under-researched in the context of the construction industry. This study addresses this knowledge gap by identifying and assessing the inhibitors to optimal CP implementation in a developing economy context. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopted a survey strategy wherein quantitative data were collected from a population of a randomly selected sample of construction professionals using questionnaires. The responses were subsequently analysed using descriptive and multivariate statistics. These include mean scores, Kruskal-Wallis H-test (K-W), Student-Newman-Keuls (SNK) post hoc technique, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The CFA was employed to affirm the derived constructs from the EFA. Findings: The study’s results indicate that lack of support from top management, lack of financial resources and perceived high implementation costs ranked as the top three barriers negating effective CP implementation in construction organisations. Furthermore, the barriers were classified into five clusters: inadequacy of government policies and initiatives, stakeholder-related challenges, procurement-related bottlenecks, organisational culture and financial impediments categories, respectively. Practical implications: The study’s results will increase CP implementation awareness among relevant Nigerian construction industry stakeholders. Also, the study outlines best practice guides for stakeholders in the construction delivery value chain to drive sustainable procurement. Originality/value: Besides enabling an elicitation of the critical barriers to CP implementation in the Nigerian construction industry, the study’s results are expected to contribute towards bridging the extant knowledge-practice gap.

Over the past decade, there has been a dramatic increase in the use of various technologies in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction sector. Artificial intelligence has played a significant role throughout the different phases of the design and construction process. A growing body of literature recognizes the importance of artificial neural network applications in numerous areas of the construction industry and the built environment, presenting a need to explore the main research themes, attributes, benefits, and challenges. A three-step extensive research method was utilized by conducting a bibliometric search of English language articles and conducting quantitative and qualitative analyses. The bibliometric analysis aimed to identify the current research directions and gaps forming future research areas. The scientometric analysis of keywords revealed diverse areas within the construction industry linked to ANNs. The qualitative analysis of the selected literature revealed that energy management in buildings and construction cost predictions were the leading research topics in the study area. These findings recommend directions for further research in the field, for example, broadening the application ranges of ANNs in the current Construction 4.0 technologies, such as robotics, 3D printing, digital twins, and VR applications.

Purpose: With increasing demand to enhance collaborative practices in Degree Apprenticeship (DA) programmes like Quantity Surveying Degree Apprenticeships (QSDA), there is a notable lack of models supporting employer engagement, particularly in curriculum design and delivery. This study aims to fill this gap.Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative research approach was employed, utilising semi-structured interviews, focus groups and questionnaires to gather stakeholder perspectives involved in QSDA programmes in England. This process aimed to identify key practice areas, collaboration process and enablers needed to conceptualise a collaborative model for employer engagement in QSDA curriculum design and delivery.Findings: The model highlights four collaborative stages, four practice areas, fourteen focus actions, and twelve enablers essential for provider-employer collaborations in QSDA curriculum design and delivery.Originality/value: This study introduces a novel curriculum design model emphasising the collaboration process and enablers for provider-employer engagement. It offers new insights for QSDA programme curriculum development and is the first to address this area, contributing to the literature on Degree Apprenticeships in built environment education.