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Analyzing the role of social value in megaprojects: toward a new performance framework
Abstract
Purpose
Megaprojects stimulate and challenge public opinion across countries, generating extensive reactions from citizens. Given their ability to attract public attention, they may also influence public participation in collective choices and political decision-making. These issues are relevant for evaluating projects, but are unfortunately rarely discussed in the managerial literature. This study aims to open up a debate on social issues and how they could be taken into account within management studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This study carried out a systematic review of the literature on the social impact of megaprojects to identify different research areas related to the evaluation of megaprojects from a social perspective.
Findings
This study identified three different research areas related to the evaluation of megaprojects from a social perspective: the role of power and social issues; infrastructure and social space; and stakeholder engagement and endorsement.
Originality/value
This paper underlines the need to go beyond current understanding of the social impacts of megaprojects and calls for a more interdisciplinary research agenda.
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Project management research has evolved over the past five decades and is now a mature disciplinary field investigating phenomena of interest to academics, practitioners and policymakers. Studies of projects and project management practices are theoretically rich and scientifically rigorous. They are practically relevant and impactful when addressing the pursuit of operational, tactical and strategic advancements in the world of organisations. We want to broaden the conversation between project management scholars and other scholars from cognate disciplines, particularly business and management, in a true scholarship of integration and cross‐fertilisation. This Manifesto invites the latter scholars to join efforts providing a foundation for further creative, theoretical and empirical contributions, including but not limited to tackling grand challenges such as climate change, pandemics, and global poverty. To this end, we identify five theses: Projects are often ‘agents of change’ and hence fundamental to driving the innovation and change required to tackle grand challenges.
Much project management research leverages and challenges theories across disciplines, including business, organisation and management studies, contributing to developing new theories, including those specific to projects and temporary organisations.
‘Projects’ are useful units of analysis, project management research is ideal for scientific cross‐fertilisation and project management scholars welcome academics from other communities to engage in fruitful conversations.
As in many other fields of knowledge, the project management research community embraces diversity, welcoming researchers of different genders and various scientific and social backgrounds.
Historically rooted in ‘problem‐solving’ and normative studies, project management research has become open to interpretative and emancipatory research, providing opportunities for other business, management and organisational scholars to advance their knowledge communities.
This commentary presents reflections and insights about the role and the legitimacy of academics applying interventionist research to deal with wicked and complex societal problems. It discusses the ethical and moral dilemmas about the role and position of researchers when they are asked to observe, analyse and study conflictual social phenomena in which they are immersed. Starting from a research project in Italy on socio-economic impact evaluation of megaprojects, this commentary wants to bring to the academic community several open questions arising from issues that all of us scholars have to face. First, the applied case, i.e. the Turin-Lyon high-speed railway, and the challenge associated with the research project – developing a socio-economic impact protocol– are described. Second, the implications for researchers, and their legitimacy, are discussed. Third, the three pillars of the strategy adopted for this research intervention are detailed: interparadigmatic research, a critically performative aim, and a commitment to emancipation through a politics of small wins. Finally, in the conclusion, several questions about the boundaries of research, the risk of selfishness, or the quest for objectivity, are reported to open up the debate on the interventionist role of research, its risk and legitimacy, within wicked and conflicting social phenomena.
Megaproject-induced displacement of populations will now occur more frequently due to massive infrastructure investment in the post-COVID-19 era. The participatory process for megaprojects starts with those in the vicinity; local communities who are directly involved. However, few studies have attempted to map the global knowledge of local community participation in the planning stage of megaprojects. A systematic literature review of public participation in the context of megaproject-induced displacement was conducted to determine these features, and to provide local community insights which are useful for managing social issues around megaprojects and the effects of participation. A total of 32 journal publications were analyzed from the Web of Science (WoS) database, drawing from an initial group of 456 based on citations from 2012 to 2022 to identify the evolution of knowledge trends. It was found that the nonfulfillment participatory process always fails to recognize groups of residents and assess the impacts of megaproject-induced displacement caused to local communities. This lack of recognition at the governmental level contributes to conflict; placing the local community at risk of uncertain megaproject environments. Broader public participation involves local communities, who be harmed by the development strategies of megaprojects, catalyzing their willingness to participate and encourage greater inclusiveness in their interactions, as well as balancing the megaproject’s economic, ecologic, and social interests. The study results demonstrate a consensus was reached, and the effects of megaproject-induced displacement can be mediated.
The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project was signed between China and Pakistan in the year 2013. This mega project connects the two countries to enhance their economic ties and give them access to international markets. The initial investment for the project was $46 billion with a tentative duration of fifteen years. Being an extensive project in terms of cost and duration, many factors and risks affect its performance. This study aims to investigate the effects of political (PR), social safety (SR), and legal risks (LR) on the project performance (PP) of the CPEC. It further investigates the significance of the host country's attitude towards foreigners (HCA). A research framework consisting of PR, SR, and LR as independent variables, PP as the dependent variable, and HCA as moderator is formulated and tested in the current study. In this quantitative study, the Likert scale is used to measure the impact of the assessed risks. A questionnaire survey is used as a data collection tool to collect data and test the research framework and associated hypotheses. The partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is used to perform the empirical test for validation of the study, with a dataset of 99 responses. The empirical investigation finds a negative relationship between PR, SR, LR, and PP. It is concluded that PR, SR, and LR negatively influence the PP of CPEC. Furthermore, HCA negatively moderates the PR, LR, and PP of CPEC. In contrast, the value of SR and PP is positive in the presence of the positive HCA.
Social responsibility plays an important role in the sustainable development of major municipal road infrastructure. In this study, a major municipal road infrastructure social responsibility (MMRISR) evaluation indicator system is developed for the comprehensive evaluation of social responsibility. Questionnaires and expert interviews were used to screen the initial indicators of the proposed system. Then, 24 indicators were selected from four dimensions to establish an MMRISR evaluation indicator system. The fuzzy analytic hierarchy process was employed to calculate the weights of each indicator. Finally, the Zhengzhou 107 Auxiliary Road Project was adopted as a case study to test the reliability of the proposed evaluation system. The contribution of this study lies in the provision of a novel indicator system for the social responsibility evaluation of major municipal road infrastructures, thus improving the science of project establishment and decision-making. The proposed social responsibility system can provide an efficient decision-making tool for social responsibility governance, fundamentally promoting the sustainable development of major municipal road infrastructures and the achievement of certain sustainable development goals.
Social Impact Assessment (SIA) facilitates sustainable and equitable consideration of social issues in transport infrastructure planning. However, SIA practitioners face significant constraints in practice. Good SIA is effective in contributing to institutional mechanisms for holding political, bureaucratic and commercial processes accountable for social outcomes. This paper aims to better understand constraints to the assessment and management of social impacts. Drawing on interviews with expert infrastructure professionals involved in projects in Sydney (Australia), Amsterdam (The Netherlands), and internationally, this paper highlights weaknesses in the implementation of SIA, technical engineering-, time- and cost-focused project management practices, and poorly regulated, politically-driven urban governance and planning processes as key constraints. The findings suggest that overcoming those constraints cannot be the sole responsibility of EIA and SIA practitioners and there is more to be considered than practice alone. Instead, this requires an integrated approach across multi-level governance scales and the lifecycle of projects. This paper concludes that for good practice SIA to be realised as intended, systemic adjustments are needed in the planning of urban transport infrastructure, to address constraints and ensure that social impacts are considered in strategic stages and prioritised equally against other project and urban planning issues in decision-making.
The paper assesses social impacts of a mega-dam project (Merowe Dam in Sudan) as perceived by host and affected communities (i.e., upstream, downstream, and relocated residents), which is not commonly seen in the literature. Primary survey and interviews were conducted with 300 residents, government officials, the Dam Implementation Unit (DIU), NGOs and other key informants. Five inter-related areas of impact were scrutinized: (a) displacement of communities; (b) resettlement of displaced communities in a new location; (c) technological factors; (d) social mobility factors; and (e) economic and political institutions. Results show that Merowe Dam exerted positive as well as adverse social impacts on local communities. Increase in home sizes, opportunities for children’s schooling and quality of life improvement ranked as the top three positive impacts with residents located downstream scoring relatively higher than relocated and upstream residents. Relocated residents also showed positive attitudes towards the provision of essential services (schools, health facilities, availability of running water, electricity, marketplace, etc.), thereby enabling them to enjoy and flourish in their social lives. The adverse impacts are centered on intangible factors, such as, sentimental effects closely related to their feelings, loss of history, memories, nostalgia about the old place, and grievances regarding compensation packages and its management. Therefore, it is important to recognize the need for long-term monitoring of the resettlement process and provide emotional support to those displaced and resettled. Furthermore, there is also a need to address the livelihood requirements of local communities in the affected region.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss contemporary knowledge relevant to the application of performance measurement (PMe) in the concept of OPM and to compare findings from a literature review with solutions recommended for utilization by managers from general contractors operating in Poland. There are few studies related to the mentioned topic, much fewer describing the geographical area of Eastern Europe.
Design/methodology/approach
Triangulation of research methods was selected. First literature review, next desk research and finally descriptive statistical analysis and interview were conducted. The research methods were applied in three steps whose beginnings overlapped and the mid-term findings from one study complemented others.
Findings
PMe should be focused on management and governance issues. Its evaluation is related to various organizational levels (permanent organization, portfolio, program, project, construction site and supply chain), most of them are under valuated by practitioners. The conducted study pointed out that there are numerous supporting tools and measures applicable in organizational project management (OPM). The managers recommend combining various tools in one comprehensive OPM system, to limit multiple manual incorporations of the same data to the various databases. The managers call to increase the practical usefulness of researchers’ proposals, to educate the construction managers in the application of complex performance systems and to promote portfolio thinking.
Originality/value
The comparison of performance measurement solutions proposed by academia with experience collected from Polish construction managers could support the better application of theoretical ideas in practice.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is often portrayed as a policy measure that can mitigate the environmental influence of corporate and government projects through objective, systematic, and value-free assessment. Simultaneously, however, research has also shown that the larger political context in which the EIA is embedded is crucial in determining its influence on decision-making. Moreover, particularly in the case of mega-projects, vested economic interests, rent-seeking, and politics may provide them with a momentum in which the EIA risks becoming a mere formality. To substantiate this point, the article examines the EIA of what is reportedly Asia’s largest dam outside China: the Bakun Hydro-electric Project (BHP) in Malaysia. The study is based on mixed methods, particularly, qualitative research (semi-structured interviews, participatory observation, and archival study) coupled to a survey conducted in 10 resource-poor, indigenous communities in the resettlement area. It is found that close to 90% of the respondents are dissatisfied with their participation in the EIA, while another 80% stated that the authorities had conducted the EIA without complying to the procedures. The findings do not only shed light on the manner in which the EIA was used to legitimize a project that should ultimately have been halted, but are also testimony to the way that the BHP has disenfranchised the rights of indigenous people to meaningfully participate in the EIA.
This paper investigates how social outcomes from urban transport projects typically play out by reflecting on multi-scale spatial changes induced by projects over time, and the extent to which such changes meet varied interests in project outcomes. We use a multi-methods case study approach using two exemplars, a metro project in London and Seoul, which established extensive public transport networks to support urban growth. Our study highlighted that urban transport network expansion does not always enhance life opportunities for all due to intermediate and cumulative impacts of spatial changes induced by projects. Immediate benefits such as enhanced accessibility were often undermined by long-term consequences of incremental spatial changes at local scales. This study also indicated that differential patterns of spatial changes around nodes between centre and periphery could be attributed to multiple negative impacts on people living in the most deprived areas. To enhance social outcomes, we suggest an integrated approach to urban transport and spatial development that focuses on scale and temporal dimensions of spatial transformation enacted by projects. In conclusion, achieving sustainable and equitable effects from urban transport infrastructure requires careful examination of broader societal consequences of long-term spatial changes and locational contexts, especially function and socio-economic conditions.
Socio-spatial concerns are gaining increasing attention in the design of interventions for urban mobility. This is especially true in contexts traditionally characterized by structural inequality and high levels of poverty, in which transport can be a decisive contributor to development thanks to its contribution to a higher social inclusion. Amongst them, Latin America has emerged as a significant laboratory for urban and transport policy due not only to its socioeconomic conditions but also to the implementation of different mobility strategies based on the construction of traditional and innovative infrastructures such as subways and bus rapid transit (BRT) systems. These two transport systems can be complementary or alternative to each other: this depends not only on their transport capacity, their economic sustainability, and to their levels of public acceptability but also on social, political, and spatial features of the setting they serve. This paper intends to discuss the socio-spatial consequences that interventions based on different transport systems can generate, examining them in the city of Quito, Ecuador. The discussion is based on the implementation of the existing BRT network and of a subway line under construction. Reconstructing two contrasting transport policies developed in the city in the last 25 years, this paper proposes an overview of the socio-spatial concerns that influenced and were influenced by urban mobility planning in Quito. To do so, this paper reviews and compares the socio-spatial concerns related to BRT and subway corridors, considering their accessibility, the wider urban transformations they promote, their economic sustainability, and the overall public acceptability, estimating to what extent these have influenced the decision to implement a certain transport policy.
Influence plays a key role in reaching consensus among multiple actors involved in project-based decision-making processes. While prior literature devotes considerable attention to describing influence, little attention has been paid to influence at the individual level of the strategic project manager within the context of megaprojects. This research intended to fill this knowledge gap by identifying and describing the influence strategies that a strategic project manager applies when implementing innovation strategies on megaprojects. A qualitative case study was used to examine the complex social processes involved in a major UK capital investment programme. The findings underline a critical subset of influence strategies, notably higher-management support, inspirational appeal and bargaining. The study proposes a utilitarian structure of social power comprising selective, supportive and executory power bases.
Social impact assessment (SIA) is a field of research and practice that addresses everything associated with managing social issues throughout the project lifecycle (pre-conception to post-closure). SIA has transformed from a regulatory tool to being the process of managing a project’s social issues used by developers, financiers, affected communities and environmental licencing agencies. SIA considers: benefit sharing, boom-and-bust cycles, community development, community engagement, community resilience, cultural heritage, due diligence, empowerment, gender issues, grievance redress mechanisms, human rights, Impacts and Benefits Agreements, Indigenous peoples, in-migration (influx, honeypot), livelihood restoration, local content, local procurement, project induced displacement and resettlement, psycho-social impacts, social closure, social function, Social Impact Management Plans, social inclusion, social investment, social licence to operate, social performance, stakeholder engagement, vulnerable groups, and traditional issues such as identifying social impacts and designing mitigation. SIA has learnt much over 50 years, however complex issues remain including involuntary resettlement, restoring livelihoods, place attachment, sense of place, maintaining intangible cultural heritage, and finding replacement land. Corruption, rent seeking, elite capture, speculation and opportunist behaviour are also problematic.
This study offers a detailed analysis of an under‐researched social problem of in‐situ marginalisation and its causes by drawing on the concept of state entrepreneurialism. Our empirical data stem from the Lingang mega project in Shanghai and one of its neighbourhoods named Neighbourhood No.57 where we find that the residents have not been relocated but are instead suffering from declining public services and environmental quality from surrounding industrial developments. The root cause of this problem is the municipal government’s prioritisation of its strategic objectives of economic development over the livelihood of local residents. The strategic vision of the municipality has led to mass relocation in its early phases of development but in its later stages leaves many residents waiting for relocation whilst being gradually surrounded by industrial developments. Despite continued residential complaints and petitions, in‐situ marginalisation is not resolved due to the institutional arrangement of Lingang, which has centralised planning and financing powers to newly created project‐oriented state organisation. Social responsibilities have been relegated to lower‐tiered governments in Lingang which have neither planning power nor the financial resources to resolve the problems of residents. By examining the case of Lingang, this paper provides a different analytical framework for explaining the social problems emerging from China’s mega urban developments. 本文运用 “国家企业家主义” (state entrepreneurialism) 的概念分析 “就地边缘化” (in‐situ marginalisation) 的社会问题 。 案例来自于上海临港新城内的某社区 。该社区的居民没有因为重大项目而动迁，但面临公共设施不足，受到由周边工业开发所引起的环境污染问题的影响。就地边缘化问题是由于市政府着重于经济发展战略。为达成战略目标，开发项目的管理制度将经济发展和规划权利转移到侧重负责开发的管委会和国企开发公司，而将社会管理下放给缺乏经济能力的镇政府。由于这样侧重于经济的战略开发和相应的管理模式，这些与重大项目关系不大的社区居民就出现了就地边缘化。通过此案例，本文提供了一个与西方理论不同的框架来诠释中国重大项目开发所导致的社会问题。
This paper organizes and synthesizes different extant research streams through a systematic literature review to identify connections and major assumptions on the influence of stakeholders in major Public Infrastructure and Construction projects (PIC), at the local community level. Findings suggest that research on stakeholder management has focused strongly on those stakeholders able to control project resources, whilst the effect on the legitimate 'secondary stakeholders', such as the local community, remains widely unexplored. Due to the unavoidable impact of major PIC on both people and places, it is suggested that seeking local community opinions in the initiation phase of the project and monitoring the megaproject impact at the local level can help to improve project performance. The output provides scholars and practitioners with future research directions and practical implications for an inclusive stakeholder management approach in construction megaprojects.
Megaprojects are large, they are constantly growing ever larger, and more and more are being built in what has been called the biggest investment boom in history. This chapter serves as an introduction to megaprojects, and to The Oxford Handbook of Megaproject Management. First, megaprojects are defined and the size of the global megaprojects business is estimated. Second, drivers of the megaproject boom are identified, including monumentalism and the technological sublime. Third, ten things you must know about megaprojects are detailed, from their tendency to suffer from uniqueness bias to their overexposure to black-swan events. Fourth, the "iron law of megaprojects" is identified as a main challenge to megaproject management: "Over budget, over time, under benefits, over and over again." Finally, the main structure of the Handbook is set out as covering the what, the why, and the how of megaproject management, in terms of the challenges, causes, and cures that students of megaprojects must decipher to better understand and better manage megaprojects.
Although it remains one of the most significant challenges in recent years, companies are beginning to integrate the ideas of sustainability into organized projects such as marketing, corporate communications, and annual reports. In this case, sustainability remains an important influence on the initiation of project management. Sustainability Integration for Effective Project Management provides a comprehensive understanding of the most important issues, concepts, trends, methodologies, and good practices in sustainability to project management. The research and concepts discussed in this publication are developed by professionals and academics aiming to provide the latest knowledge related to sustainability principles for prospective professionals, academics, and researchers in this area of expertise.
Purpose
– This paper aims to review Program and Project evaluation Models. The assessment of the Evaluation Model (metaevaluation) is a critical step in Evaluation, as it is at the basis of a successful Program/Project evaluation. A wide and effective review of EMs is a basic, as well as fundamental, support in meta-evaluation that affects positively the overall evaluation efficacy and efficiency. Despite a large number of reviews of EMs and a numerous population of EMs, developed in heterogeneous projects and programs settings, the literature lacks comprehensive collections and reviews of EMs that this paper addresses to provide a basis for the assessment of EMs.
Design/methodology/approach
– Through a systematic literature review carried out via the Internet, and querying search engines, several models addressing program or project evaluation have been identified and analyzed. Following a process of normalization of the results gathered, they have been analyzed and compared according to key descriptive issues. They have been, at the end, summarized and rationalized in a comprehensive frame.
Findings
– In recent years, evaluation studies have focused on the explanation of the mechanisms that underlie the transformation of projects’ and programs’ outputs into socio-economic effects, arguing that making them explicit allows to understand why a project or program is successful, as well as evaluating its extent. To assess and explain program’s and project’s effects, a basic, although fundamental, role in evaluation is played by the EM. A wide and heterogeneous set of 57 EMs has been identified, defined and framed in typologies, according to a systematic review research.
Originality/value
– The approach to the review of EMs and the definition of a boundary of interest for management and economic researchers and practitioners represent an original issue of this paper.
In the economic evaluation of megaprojects it is very important to take into account many aspects. Usually the most important aspect is connected with investment and operation costs and their possible overflows and the fulfillment of time period intended for the project. But it is necessary also to monitor impacts of the projects on their surroundings. The HDM-4 model developed by University of Birmingham takes into account impact of transport infrastructure projects in the form of changes in the time consumption, changes in operation costs for vehicles, social costs connected with car accidents and newly impacts on environment. But it is possible to calculate also with other impacts, e. g. impact on economy of related areas, barrier effect caused by highways and motorways, sprawling connected with better availability of urban area, etc. The main objective of the paper is to discuss, which of possible social-economic impacts could be taken in evaluation of particular megaprojects into account and which it is useful or not useful to begin to project into economic evaluation. Very important it is also to discuss the available or new methodology of the projection of specific impacts into the project evaluation.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze how various approaches to stakeholder management, as well as sustainable development principles, are included in internationally‐used project management standards; and to consider the demands these approaches and principles place on project stakeholder management.
Design/methodology/approach
An analytical framework was developed based on stakeholder theory within general management, as well as on sustainability research. Desk research was carried out by applying the analytical framework to three project management standards: ICB, PMBOK and PRINCE2.
Findings
The research findings suggest that stakeholder issues are treated superficially in the project management standards, while putting stakeholder management in the context of sustainable development would ask for a paradigm shift in the underpinning values. The current project stakeholder practices represent mainly a management‐of‐stakeholders approach, i.e. making stakeholders comply to project needs, whereas a management‐for‐stakeholders approach may be beneficial.
Research limitations/implications
As the analysis is based on document studies of bodies of knowledge, the authors cannot be sure to what extent the standards represent real‐life practices. However, the standards are developed by practitioners agreeing on common practices. Further, they are used to certify project managers worldwide. Therefore, the authors find it safe to claim that the findings are relevant when discussing project management practices.
Originality/value
The value of this paper lies in the enrichment of the understanding of project stakeholder management by applying concepts from general stakeholder theory and sustainable development research.
This paper takes stock of megaproject management, an emerging and hugely costly field of study, by first answering the question of how large megaprojects are by measuring them in the units of mega, giga, and tera, and concluding with how we are presently entering a new “tera era” of trillion-dollar projects. Second, total global megaproject spending is assessed, at US9 trillion annually, or 8% of the total global gross domestic product (GDP), which denotes the biggest investment boom in human history. Third, four “sublimes”—political, technological, economic, and aesthetic—are identified and used to explain the increased size and frequency of megaprojects. Fourth, the “iron law of megaprojects” is laid out and documented: Over budget, over time, over and over again. Moreover, the “break–fix model” of megaproject management is introduced as an explanation of the iron law. Fifth, Albert O. Hirschman's theory of the “Hiding Hand” is revisited and critiqued as unfounded and corrupting for megaproject thinking in both the academy and policy. Sixth, it is shown how megaprojects are systematically subject to “survival of the unfittest,” which explains why the worst projects get built rather than the best. Finally, it is argued that the conventional way of managing megaprojects has reached a “tension point,” in which tradition is being challenged and reform is emerging.
The sustainable development of the hydropower megaproject (HM) is one of the critical components of sustainable water resources management. Hence, an accurate assessment of the impacts of social-economic-ecological losses (SEEL) on the sustainability of the HM system is of utmost importance. This study proposes an emergy-based sustainability evaluation model incorporating the social-economic-ecological losses (ESM-SEEL), which integrated the inputs and outputs during HM's construction and operation into an emergy calculation account. The Three Gorges Project (TGP) on the Yangtze River is selected as a case study to comprehensively evaluate the HM's sustainability from 1993 to 2020. Subsequently, the emergy-based indicators of TGP are compared with several hydropower projects in China and worldwide to analyze the multi-impacts of hydropower development. The results showed that the river chemical potential (2.35 E+24sej) and the emergy losses (L) (1.39 E+24sej) are the primary emergy inflow sections (U) of the TGP system, accounting for 51.1% and 30.4% of the U, respectively. The flood control function of the TGP produced tremendous socio-economic benefits (1.24 E+24sej), accounting for 37.8% of the total emergy yield. The resettlement and compensation, water pollution during operation, fish biodiversity loss, and sediment deposition are the main L of the TGP, accounting for 77.8%, 8.4%, 5.6%, and 2.6%, respectively. Based on the enhanced emergy-based indicators, the assessment reveals that the sustainability level of the TGP falls in the middle range compared to other hydropower projects. Thus, along with maximizing the benefits of the HM system, it is necessary to minimize the SEEL of the HM system, which is a critical approach to promote the coordinated development of the hydropower and ecological environment in the Yangtze River basin. This study helps to understand the complex relationship between human and water systems and provides a novel framework that can be used as an evaluation index and insights for hydropower sustainability assessment.
Purpose
Transport megaprojects often struggle to offer social value (SV) that meets local communities' needs. This problem is embedded in how local communities' views are captured and incorporated into SV plans through local community engagement (LCE). By problematising the literature, this article aims to identify LCE issues and their impacts on SV plans at the front-end of transport megaprojects.
Design/methodology/approach
The theoretical lens of the study is the practice theory developed by Schatzki (2016, 2005). The authors conceptualised LCE as a practice and conducted 32 semi-structured interviews with UK practitioners. The authors collected data in three steps from three types of practitioners involved in LCE practice and SV planning: project managers, LCE experts and SV experts.
Findings
The authors identified 18 LCE issues with thematic analysis and clustered them into five themes. These issues impact LCE with five mechanisms. Findings show that a weak link between LCE and SV plans due to the issues reduces LCE to a tick-box exercise and presents a distorted view of local communities. This reduces SV plans to the bare minimum for project approval instead of offering relevant SV to local communities. Addressing the issues goes beyond changing the approach of project teams to engagement (from instrumental to normative) and requires changing the practices.
Originality/value
For the first time, the study uses practice theory to conceptualise LCE as a practice, following the notion of project as practice. The study problematises the literature to address the under-represented link between LCE and SV plans.
The new stakeholder theory (NST) grapples with two canonical questions: Which stakeholders are enfranchised in organizations? How is the value created through stakeholder collaboration distributed and experienced by stakeholders? This paper first describes how the NST builds on original stakeholder theory to ask these two specific questions. The defining features of the NST are (i) a broad range of dependent variables, (ii) descriptiveness, (iii) formalized analysis, (iv) boundaries on stakeholder enfranchisement, and (v) analytic links to other established theories. The paper then assesses the assumptions and implications of this theory for understanding organizational purpose. A primary idea is that the NST conceptualizes purpose as originating in the goals, needs, and interests of stakeholders as complex, nuanced actors. Under the NST, the organization is conceived of as a tool—a functionalized construction—through which enfranchised stakeholders pursue a shared purpose that leads to experiences of stakeholder value in terms that are defined by the relevant stakeholders themselves. The survival and profitability of an organization depends on its effectiveness and efficiency as a tool for accomplishing mutual stakeholder aims, which are what define organizational purpose.
Funding: Funded by Social Sciences and Research Council of Canada.
Purpose
The purpose of the study is to provide insights into the process of decision making. Indian Railways as an organization has to use the available resources based on thorough analysis and proper application of available evaluation methodologies.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses an integrated group discussion – analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to prioritize capital-intensive Indian Railways projects.
Findings
Through an email-based survey, six important criteria for ranking upcoming domestic freight corridors were selected, and weights for these criteria were calculated through AHP. The sensitivity analysis of the decision model suggests that the results of this study are significant, reliable and robust.
Originality/value
This study lays a foundation for the decision-makers of Indian Railways to consider a scientific approach while finalizing the big investment projects. This paper provides essential insights on prioritizing capital-intensive transport projects and is readily applicable to any case study.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate and discuss stakeholder issues faced by renewable energy megaprojects and in particular solar and wind power projects and their relevance to socioeconomic evaluation of megaprojects.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses secondary data collected from the recent literature published on stakeholder issues face by mega solar and wind power energy generation projects around the world. The issues are then analysed across specific challenges in five continents where these projects are being developed. The paper then focuses on the literature on energy justice to elaborate the type of issues being faced by renewable energy megaprojects contributing to the achievement of UN Sustainable Goal 7 and their impact on vulnerable communities where these projects are situated.
Findings
Renewable energy megaprojects are rarely discussed in the project management literature on megaprojects despite their size and importance in delivering sustainable development goals. While these projects provide social benefits they also create issues of justice due to their impact of vulnerable populations living is locations where these projects are situated. The justice issues faced include procedural justice, distributive justice, recognition inequalities. The type of justice issues was found to vary intensity in the developed, emerging and developing economies. It was found that nonprofit organisations are embarking on strategies to alleviate energy justice issues in innovative ways. It was also found that, in some instances, smaller local projects developed with community participation could actually contribute more equitable to the UN sustainable development goals avoiding the justice issues posed by mega renewable energy projects.
Research limitations/implications
The research uses secondary data due to which it is difficult to present a more comprehensive picture of stakeholder issues involving renewable energy megaprojects. The justice issues revealed through thesis paper with renewable energy megaprojects are also present in conventional megaprojects which have not been discussed in the project management literature. Post-COVID-19 these justice issues are likely to become mor prevalent due to the pandemic's impact on vulnerable population exacerbating the issues and increasing their severity on these populations. Therefore it is becoming even more critical to take these into account while developing renewable energy megaprojects.
Practical implications
Proper identification and response to energy justice issues can help in alleviating stakeholder issues in renewable energy megaprojects.
Social implications
Contributes to the equitable achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7.
Originality/value
This paper addresses a gap in the project management literature on the exploration of stakeholder issues on renewable energy megaprojects. It also brings out the importance of justice issues which can assist in expanding stakeholders issues faced by megaprojects as these issues have not received sufficient attention in the past in the project management literature.
Purpose
Megaprojects have a long-lasting impact on all three dimensions of sustainability-social, environmental and economic. The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has further heightened the importance of sustainability due to its disastrous consequences on the global economy and business activities. This study aims to explore the interactions and interventions of various actors in the megaproject field to institutionalise sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
The current study adopted the organisational field approach as the theoretical lens to understand the decision-making process amongst multiple actors with conflicting interests that come together to play an active role in addressing a common interest of sustainability in megaprojects. A single case study has been undertaken using an Indian metro rail megaproject with multiple sources of data (interviews, documents, media reports).
Findings
This study showed that the institutionalisation of sustainability is dependent on interactions of various organisations and influences from institutions. Various institutional measures organised within the field to enhance sustainability practices before and during the COVID-19 pandemic are captured. Four institutional logics (instrumental, intrinsic, equivocal and political) that emerged from the case study are discussed. Finally, while not exhaustive, this study proposed recommendations that can help refine sustainability actions considering COVID-19 implications on megaprojects.
Research limitations/implications
This study's findings emerged from a single case study. The developed conceptual framework can help further research with multiple cases of megaprojects in various fields or countries.
Originality/value
This study would be novel in advancing the organisational field approach in megaproject sustainability.
The upgrade of existing refining facilities has great importance to produce high-quality petroleum products that meet the future diversified market requirements. In the existing literature, many papers have dealt with impact analysis of projects. However, studies assessing local, regional and national impacts of oil and gas megaproejcts are missing. In this study, a systematic Input-Output methodology is developed to set out the socio-economic contribution of oil and gas megaprojects. This methodology shows how clean energy megaprojects can contribute to Gross Domestic Product and employment. The central concept of the Input-Output analysis is to link the output value of one industry to the products and services it buys as inputs from other industries. These links are interpreted as relationships resulting in Input-Output tables. Using different multipliers, the Input-Output model is used to calculate the economy's overall effects of megaprojects. As a case study, we analyze the impacts of two megaprojects, the Clean Fuels Project and the Al-Zour Refinery Project, on the economy and the society of the State of Kuwait. The proposed methodology estimates the direct impact carried out by companies that are part of the oil and gas sector, the indirect impact of other Kuwait-based businesses in the supply chain, and the induced impact resulting from household spending of labor income. The obtained results indicate significant positive impacts on Gross Domestic Product and employment during the operation and the construction phases.
Conflicts around transport mega-projects, driven by social and environmental impacts, are increasingly prevalent around the world. While environmental impacts have received significant attention, less is known about how the intangible social impacts of these projects stimulate conflict. Assessment of these impacts is crucial; however, the process is often influenced by the underlying power relationships within neoliberal governance. This paper analyses the discursive context of state-community conflicts in transport mega-projects and explores how power dynamics shape the perceptions of both the intensity and extent of its social impacts. Drawing on a case study of the WestConnex project, a controversial motorway development in Sydney, the paper analyses government policy documents and online community submissions to explore the conflicts around the project. Through critical discourse analysis, the paper provides insights into the nature of power relationships that limit the scope of impact assessment and underpin conflicts.
In a context of growing freedom in the movement of capital and constant technological advances, energy projects abound in which companies deploy the largest and most efficient technologies to produce electricity. Despite the increased efficiency with respect to labour needs, old and new technologies both require large numbers of workers during the construction period, leading to a situation of potential social and demographic change to nearby communities, which are often located in remote areas and with a low capacity to accommodate waves of rapid population growth. Advances in energy boomtown studies provide a theoretically sophisticated framework for understanding the potential impact of these projects, particularly in terms of drastic population growth and subsequent damage to the social fabric. In this article, I study the social impact of the most prominent energy development of this type in contemporary Spain, the As Pontes fossil fuelled power plant. While data analysis shows mixed evidence of increases in crime, social tensions between different intra-class and inter-class groups extend beyond manufacturing and remain after the production period. More consistent, however, is the evidence of significant increases in social illnesses such as suicides among the young during the closure period. I apply Ruddell and Ray’s framework of the boomtown life-course and develop it further by linking it to social capital and rural gentrification theories to improve understanding of the case of As Pontes, while advocating greater attention to the social dimensions of energy megaprojects and the need of innovative strategies of governance.
Objective:
The objective of this paper is to outline the updated methodological approach for conducting a JBI mixed methods systematic review with a focus on data synthesis, specifically, methods related to how data are combined and the overall integration of the quantitative and qualitative evidence.
Introduction:
Mixed methods systematic reviews provide a more complete basis for complex decision-making than that currently offered by single method reviews, thereby maximizing their usefulness to clinical and policy decision-makers. Although mixed methods systematic reviews are gaining traction, guidance regarding the methodology of combining quantitative and qualitative data is limited. In 2014, the JBI Mixed Methods Review Methodology Group developed guidance for mixed methods systematic reviews; however, since the introduction of this guidance, there have been significant developments in mixed methods synthesis. As such, the methodology group recognized the need to revise the guidance to align it with the current state of knowledge on evidence synthesis methodology.
Methods:
Between 2015 and 2019, the JBI Mixed Methods Review Methodology Group undertook an extensive review of the literature, held annual face-to-face meetings (which were supplemented by teleconferences and regular email correspondence), sought advice from experts in the field, and presented at scientific conferences. This process led to the development of guidance in the form of a chapter in the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis, the official guidance for conducting JBI systematic reviews. In 2019, the guidance was ratified by the JBI International Scientific Committee.
Results:
The updated JBI methodological guidance for conducting a mixed methods systematic review recommends that reviewers take a convergent approach to synthesis and integration whereby the specific method utilized is dependent on the nature/type of questions that are posed in the systematic review. The JBI guidance is primarily based on Hong et al. and Sandelowski's typology on mixed methods systematic reviews. If the review question can be addressed by both quantitative and qualitative research designs, the convergent integrated approach should be followed, which involves data transformation and allows reviewers to combine quantitative and qualitative data. If the focus of the review is on different aspects or dimensions of a particular phenomenon of interest, the convergent segregated approach is undertaken, which involves independent synthesis of quantitative and qualitative data leading to the generation of quantitative and qualitative evidence, which are then integrated together.
Conclusions:
The updated guidance on JBI mixed methods systematic reviews provides foundational work to a rapidly evolving methodology and aligns with other seminal work undertaken in the field of mixed methods synthesis. Limitations to the current guidance are acknowledged, and a series of methodological projects identified by the JBI Mixed Methods Review Methodology Group to further refine the methodology are proposed. Mixed methods reviews offer an innovative framework for generating unique insights related to the complexities associated with health care quality and safety.
We have developed and validated a scale for measuring employees’ perception on the sustainability of the organisations.
Six factors for organisational sustainability are explored and as follows: environment management, employee-related sustainability, public related sustainability, financial sustainability, pollution control measures and governance sustainability.
While hydropower projects have been seen as a sort of panacea for clean energy production in an increasingly environmentally-sensitive time, allowing for continued development, dam projects have nevertheless been a source of significant negative social and environmental impacts. The topic of hydropower projects, associated political-administrative processes, and the outcomes of these projects with regard to poverty reduction remain understudied. This paper reviews hydropower projects and impacts on poverty and environmental quality in the case of Laos, querying intent and realization of goals. The research questions asked in this paper are: How have hydropower projects in Laos affected the nation’s economic prospects? Has promised poverty reduction, particularly among the nation’s rural poor, been seen as a result of infrastructure projects? The paper begins with a view of Laos in terms of development and priorities. A section on infrastructure development, in light of poverty reduction, follows. Next, hydropower projects and implications for forest management are discussed. It is suggested that the connection between electricity provision and poverty reduction in rural areas is unclear; further, the benefit of mega-scale energy projects is limited to increases in energy export, with direct benefits being seen primarily by officials and elites.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze three characteristics of strategic alliances in Italy to estimate their influence on financial performance. The authors test how alliance complexity, strategic planning and accounting control influence revenue growth, asset growth and EBITDA margin.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses contractual and financial data to test hypothesized relationships in structural equation modelling (SEM) using partial least squares (PLSs).
Findings
This paper highlights that the extent of strategic planning positively influences the growth in assets but not in revenue or EBITDA margin. In addition, the findings of this paper support the idea that the complexity in the alliance is significantly related to the quantity of accounting controls within alliance.
Originality/value
This paper improves existing research on the subject, as it contributes to open the black box of alliances’ internal operations by examining the details of 50 Italian contracts to create a multidimensional profile of each alliance.
Objective:
The objective of this paper is to outline the updated methodological approach for conducting a JBI MMSR with a focus on data synthesis, specifically, methods related to how data are combined and the overall integration of the quantitative and qualitative evidence.
Introduction:
Mixed methods systematic reviews (MMSRs) provide a more complete basis for complex decision making than that currently offered by single method reviews, thereby maximizing their usefulness to clinical and policy decision makers. Although MMSRs are gaining traction, guidance regarding the methodology of combining quantitative and qualitative data is limited. In 2014, the JBI Mixed Methods Review Methodology Group developed guidance for MMSRs; however, since the introduction of this guidance, there have been significant developments in mixed methods synthesis. As such, the methodology group recognized the need to revise the guidance to align it with the current state of knowledge on evidence synthesis methodology
Methods:
Between 2015 and 2019, the JBI Mixed Methods Review Methodology Group undertook an extensive review of the literature, held annual face-to-face meetings (which were supplemented by teleconferences and regular email correspondence), sought advice from experts in the field and presented at scientific conferences. This process led to the development of guidance in the form of a chapter included in the JBI Reviewer's Manual, the official guidance for conducting JBI systematic reviews. In 2019, the guidance was ratified by the JBI International Scientific Committee.
Results:
The updated JBI methodological guidance for conducting an MMSR recommends that reviewers take a convergent approach to synthesis and integration whereby the specific method utilized is dependent on the nature/type of question(s) that is (are) posed in the systematic review. The JBI guidance is primarily based on Hong et al. and Sandelowski's typology on MMSRs. If the review question can be addressed by both quantitative and qualitative research designs, the convergent integrated approach should be followed, which involves data transformation and allows reviewers to combine quantitative and qualitative data. If the focus of the review is on different aspects or dimensions of a particular phenomenon of interest, the convergent segregated approach is undertaken, which involves independent synthesis of quantitative and qualitative data leading to the generation of quantitative and qualitative evidence, which are then integrated together.
Conclusions:
The updated guidance on JBI MMSRs provides foundational work to a rapidly evolving methodology and aligns with other seminal work undertaken in the field of mixed methods synthesis. Limitations to the current guidance are acknowledged, and a series of methodological projects identified by the JBI Mixed Methodology Group to further refine the methodology are proposed. Mixed methods review offers an innovative framework for generating unique insights related to the complexities associated with healthcare quality and safety.
Characterized by strategic importance, dynamic complexity, adaptability and extensive impacts, megaprojects are inherently vulnerable to crises. To identify the antecedents of megaproject crises in China, this paper investigates crisis critical factors (CCFs) and the relationships between those factors and practitioners' current perceptions of crisis management. Seven CCFs were identified from the results of a survey: inadequate disclosure of information, economic conflicts, deficient regulatory mechanisms, irresponsible and unqualified key stakeholders, imperfect risk management, incompetent leadership, and defective overall design. The survey results also indicate that practitioners currently lack a full understanding of megaproject crises; moreover, crisis critical factors related to regulatory mechanisms and leadership competence are beyond the control of the project team. Four strategies for future crisis management in megaprojects are proposed: build a crisis management system, raise awareness of megaproject social responsibility, strengthen stakeholder management in the context of crises, and implement mandatory third-party evaluation.
At the end of their lifecycle, several large infrastructure will have to be dismantled, presenting unfamiliar challenges. Therefore, project management will need to focus extensively on the delivery of successful decommissioning projects to meet stakeholders’ expectations and funding constraints. While there is an extensive literature that investigates the techno-economic aspects of decommissioning, social aspects remains remarkably under-investigated. Even if stakeholder communication, involvement and engagement are widely believed to be key enablers for the success of a project, often the needs and preferences of local communities are neglected and a participatory-based form of dialogue averted. Consequently, decommissioning projects fail to meet their intended objectives. Focusing on the nuclear decommissioning industry, this paper addresses the literature gap concerning social responsibility. A deductive method to formulate and validate theories regarding the social challenges for decommissioning is developed through a review and analysis of salient case studies.
There are an increasing number of published single-method systematic reviews that focus on different types of evidence related to a particular topic. As policy makers and practitioners seek clear directions for decision-making from systematic reviews, it is likely that it will be increasingly difficult for them to identify 'what to do' if they are required to find and understand a plethora of syntheses related to a particular topic.Mixed-methods systematic reviews are designed to address this issue and have the potential to produce systematic reviews of direct relevance to policy makers and practitioners.On the basis of the recommendations of the Joanna Briggs Institute International Mixed Methods Reviews Methodology Group in 2012, the Institute adopted a segregated approach to mixed-methods synthesis as described by Sandelowski et al., which consists of separate syntheses of each component method of the review. Joanna Briggs Institute's mixed-methods synthesis of the findings of the separate syntheses uses a Bayesian approach to translate the findings of the initial quantitative synthesis into qualitative themes and pooling these with the findings of the initial qualitative synthesis.
The working hypothesis of this study revolves around the lack of integration of sustainability and project management. Organisations, nowadays are increasingly keen on to include sustainability in their business. Project management can help make this process a success but little guidance is available on how to apply sustainability to specific projects. This work has analysed connections between the two disciplines by means of a comprehensive literature review covering more than 100 references. Sustainability has become a very important step, particularly in terms of environmental aspects. However, slightly less progress has been made socially. In any case, the ideal characteristics for a project and its management might be considered sustainable have still not been specified to this day. The main scientific contribution of this article is a new conceptual framework helping project managers deal with sustainable projects. This framework is based on the supposition that project products designed using sustainability criteria, sustainable project processes, organisations committed to sustainability that carry out projects, and project managers trained in sustainability are all necessary elements, although, maybe not enough, to attain sustainable projects. In addition, the article suggests a future research agenda that might specify how project management can help incorporate sustainability into organisations and their projects.
The complex and uncertain nature of mega construction projects (MCP) require an effective stakeholder management (SM) approach to accommodate conflicting stakeholder interests. Previous reviews regarding SM in construction sector are generic as their attentions have been placed on relatively small scale projects. A systematic review on SM studies in relation to MCP seems to be lacking. This paper analyzes the latest research development of this domain by reviewing selected articles published from 1997 to 2014. Four major research topics are identified: “stakeholder interests and influences”, “stakeholder management process”, “stakeholder analysis methods” and “stakeholder engagement”. This study reveals that SM approaches in MCP are subject to national context of the project, indicating a need to identify the impact of national culture on this discipline. Moreover, traditional stakeholder analysis techniques are widely adopted in MCP notwithstanding their weaknesses; therefore a social network approach for managing stakeholder interrelationships in these projects is needed.
Purpose
– The aim of this paper is to investigate the management dimensions and factors of social enterprise, in order to identify valuable management innovation challenges. Given the deep social changes occurring, and strong public spending reviews, social enterprises are called to a shift from a traditional management model based on solidarity to a business oriented one.
Design/methodology/approach
– The research is based on a survey administered to 344 enterprises, based in five regions of south Italy, with a response of 67 social enterprises. After a first round of six open interviews administered to social entrepreneurs, a closed questionnaire was designed and administered through web survey tools to the 344.
Findings
– The paper investigates social enterprises, with particular regard to the social cooperatives, identifying and assessing the management dimensions and factors constituting their management model. The analysis reveals and addresses management challenges helpful in driving a competitive growth of social enterprises.
Originality/value
– The paper explores a sector slightly investigated by management literature, and usually focused by the social literature. Collective interest, social value, mutualism, solidarity appear to be gaps in today's management models, contributing to financial crisis, employment crisis, social emergencies. Social enterprise may represent a new management model, revealing dimensions and factors of interest for a new business management, until it is supported with a more business management oriented model.
This is a theoretical paper using the Web of Science search engine and Bibexcel analysis functions to determine key literature related to ‘project success’. The paper firstly provides background to the development of project success since the 1970s. Then, an inductive thematic analysis investigates which factors stakeholders, involved in projects, perceived as key to project success.It provides a better understanding of project success and identifies perceptions by senior management, project core team and project recipient stakeholder groups. The main issue highlighted by the research was that, for some groups, there were no common success factors. This suggests a lack of agreement in perceptions of project success factors between these three groups, highlighting discontinuity between them and provides a case for empirical research into multiple stakeholder groups' perceptions of project success. The approach selected employed a combination of a systematic integrative literature review, coding framework and thematic analysis.
Social impact assessment (SIA) is now conceived as being the process of managing the social issues of development. There is consensus on what ‘good’ SIA practice is – it is participatory; it supports affected peoples, proponents and regulatory agencies; it increases understanding of change and capacities to respond to change; it seeks to avoid and mitigate negative impacts and to enhance positive benefits across the life cycle of developments; and it emphasizes enhancing the lives of vulnerable and disadvantaged people. We analyse the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing SIA. We assert that the SIA community needs to revisit core concepts, such as culture, community, power, human rights, gender, justice, place, resilience and sustainable livelihoods. It is incumbent on SIA practitioners to educate proponents, regulators and colleagues about these concepts, and to embed them into practice norms. Stronger engagement with the emerging trends of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC); human rights impact assessment; social performance standards; supply chain management; governance; local content and economic development will improve the relevance and demonstrable value of SIA to all stakeholders.