Social sustainability in action: An explorative study of practices in construction project management

The significance of recognizing social sustainability practices for the successful management of projects is increasingly acknowledged. However, to what extent these practices are actually implemented within project management has not been sufficiently addressed in the literature. To address this ga...

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Main Authors: Hamdi Bashir, Rana Musa, Hassan Ahmed Al Zarooni, Udechukwu Ojiako, Salah Haridy, Mohammad Shamsuzzaman
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-12-01
Series:Project Leadership and Society
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666721524000334
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author Hamdi Bashir
Rana Musa
Hassan Ahmed Al Zarooni
Udechukwu Ojiako
Salah Haridy
Mohammad Shamsuzzaman
author_facet Hamdi Bashir
Rana Musa
Hassan Ahmed Al Zarooni
Udechukwu Ojiako
Salah Haridy
Mohammad Shamsuzzaman
author_sort Hamdi Bashir
collection DOAJ
description The significance of recognizing social sustainability practices for the successful management of projects is increasingly acknowledged. However, to what extent these practices are actually implemented within project management has not been sufficiently addressed in the literature. To address this gap, an empirical study was conducted to investigate the usage of social sustainability practices and explore any disparities in their implementation between domestic and international construction firms in the United Arab Emirates. This study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining interviews and a structured questionnaire. Through the interviews, 32 social sustainability practices were identified. Subsequently, a questionnaire was used to collect data from project managers representing 259 firms. The analysis revealed several key findings: 1) social sustainability practices are adopted at varying rates; 2) twelve practices, primarily concerning fundamental human rights and labor ethics, are uniformly employed by both domestic and international firms; and 3) international firms are more likely than their domestic counterparts to regularly implement the other 20 social sustainability practices. These findings develop new knowledge on the implementation of social sustainability practices and advance the understanding of how firm origin influences the adoption of these practices. Additionally, the findings and their implications provide valuable guidance for policymakers and project leaders looking to incorporate social sustainability practices into their operational strategies.
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spelling doaj-art-e85748f71d0f4dc58715780271ed37982025-08-20T01:56:39ZengElsevierProject Leadership and Society2666-72152024-12-01510014810.1016/j.plas.2024.100148Social sustainability in action: An explorative study of practices in construction project managementHamdi Bashir0Rana Musa1Hassan Ahmed Al Zarooni2Udechukwu Ojiako3Salah Haridy4Mohammad Shamsuzzaman5College of Engineering, University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; Corresponding author.Plan Analytics, United KingdomSharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority, United Arab EmiratesDesign, Manufacturing & Engineering Management, University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom; Centre for Systems Studies, University of Hull, United Kingdom; Johannesburg Business School, University of Johannesburg, South AfricaCollege of Engineering, University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; Benha Faculty of Engineering, Benha University, EgyptCollege of Engineering, University of Sharjah, United Arab EmiratesThe significance of recognizing social sustainability practices for the successful management of projects is increasingly acknowledged. However, to what extent these practices are actually implemented within project management has not been sufficiently addressed in the literature. To address this gap, an empirical study was conducted to investigate the usage of social sustainability practices and explore any disparities in their implementation between domestic and international construction firms in the United Arab Emirates. This study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining interviews and a structured questionnaire. Through the interviews, 32 social sustainability practices were identified. Subsequently, a questionnaire was used to collect data from project managers representing 259 firms. The analysis revealed several key findings: 1) social sustainability practices are adopted at varying rates; 2) twelve practices, primarily concerning fundamental human rights and labor ethics, are uniformly employed by both domestic and international firms; and 3) international firms are more likely than their domestic counterparts to regularly implement the other 20 social sustainability practices. These findings develop new knowledge on the implementation of social sustainability practices and advance the understanding of how firm origin influences the adoption of these practices. Additionally, the findings and their implications provide valuable guidance for policymakers and project leaders looking to incorporate social sustainability practices into their operational strategies.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666721524000334Social sustainabilityConstruction projectsUsagePractices
spellingShingle Hamdi Bashir
Rana Musa
Hassan Ahmed Al Zarooni
Udechukwu Ojiako
Salah Haridy
Mohammad Shamsuzzaman
Social sustainability in action: An explorative study of practices in construction project management
Project Leadership and Society
Social sustainability
Construction projects
Usage
Practices
title Social sustainability in action: An explorative study of practices in construction project management
title_full Social sustainability in action: An explorative study of practices in construction project management
title_fullStr Social sustainability in action: An explorative study of practices in construction project management
title_full_unstemmed Social sustainability in action: An explorative study of practices in construction project management
title_short Social sustainability in action: An explorative study of practices in construction project management
title_sort social sustainability in action an explorative study of practices in construction project management
topic Social sustainability
Construction projects
Usage
Practices
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666721524000334
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