Influence of social and economic barriers on transformation of sustainable business models in the Dutch construction sector.
Keywords
Loading...
Authors
Issue Date
2024-07-09
Language
en
Document type
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Title
ISSN
Volume
Issue
Startpage
Endpage
DOI
Abstract
Dutch construction businesses are under increasing scrutiny to transform their conventional business models into sustainable business models. However, they face barriers that impede the transformation. As a result, this study examines the social and economic barriers that Dutch construction businesses face when transitioning from conventional business models to sustainable business models, as well as how they influence the transformation. We extracted social and economic barriers from the literature to adequately address this research question. These barriers were tested at two large Dutch construction businesses, BAM and Heijmans. A case study was performed where social and economic barriers were tested through qualitative data collection methods, interviews, documents, and observation. The data revealed several social patterns, such as the presence of subcultures and knowledge-sharing practices as barriers. While economic patterns indicate that focusing on maximizing shareholder value is still a barrier, its influence is declining as Dutch construction businesses increasingly balance societal and economic interests. Moreover, additional barriers were discovered that negatively influence the transformation. These additional barriers are project-based thinking, sustainability communication, and lack of flexibility of large construction businesses. It can be concluded that social barriers significantly hindered the transformation into sustainable business models, more than economic barriers.
Description
Citation
Supervisor
Faculty
Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen