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This study establishes an ontology-based framework for rework risk identification (RRI) by integrating heterogeneous data from the information flow of the prefabricated construction (PC) process. The main objective is to enhance the automation level of rework management and reduce the degree of reliance on human factors and manual operations.

The proposed framework comprises four levels aimed at managing dispersed rework risk knowledge and integrating heterogeneous data. The functionalities were realised through an integrated ontology that aligned the rework risk ontology with the PC ontology. The ontologies were developed and edited with Protégé. Ultimately, the potential benefit of the framework was validated through a case study and an expert questionnaire survey.

The framework is proven to effectively manage rework risk knowledge and can identify risk objects, clarify risk factors, determine risk events, and retrieve risk measures, thereby enabling the pre-identification of prefabricated rework risk (PRR) and improving the automation level. This study is meaningful and lays the foundation for the application of other computer methods in rework management research and practice in the future.

This research provides insights into the application of ontology to solve rework risk issues in the PC process and introduces a novel risk management method for future prefabricated project research and practice. The findings have significant theoretical value in terms of enriching the methods of risk assessment and control and the information management system of prefabricated projects.

Amid public acknowledgment of recurring ethical violations in the volatile financial service industry, internal auditing (IA) professionals do not seem to have done enough to perform their professional responsibility as a line of defense for their employing organizations. This chapter explores whether changes in an IA approach can effectively enable IA as a practice to fulfill its governance role in managing “conduct risk,” i.e., any behavior in a firm that could cause problems to consumer protection, market integrity or competition. We examine the ethical implications of the existing compliance-based IA approach and explain its ineffectiveness in auditing conduct risk within a turbulent environment. Using action research, we explain the germane changes necessary to define a new conduct-focused IA approach capable of predicting and preventing ethical wrongdoing. A conduct-focused approach launches auditors into unfamiliar but strategically critical areas to not only identify material risks but also add value to their organizations. The authors further examine how a change in the auditor’s mindset and other factors promote the effectiveness of the new IA approach in a sustainable way. This chapter contributes to the literature by investigating how internal auditors can better fulfill their professional responsibility when adopting a conduct-focused approach.

How can we explain the unresponsiveness of Internal Audit (IA) amid signs that fraud is arising and spreading within an organization? Internal auditors are entrusted with the formal responsibility of sounding the alarm about the risk of fraud and organizational wrongdoing. However, internal auditors failed to respond as the cross-sell fraud at Wells Fargo’s Community Bank (CB) Division unfolded over more than a decade, growing into a massive, full-fledged scandal. We examine IA as a profession and explore how the interpretation of three classic tenets of auditing (scope, compliance and materiality) may enable organizational wrongdoing to fester unattended until it erupts into yet another scandal. We conclude with implications for the socialization and practice of internal auditors, emphasizing the need for reflexivity and moral judgment in the interpretation and application of tenets so deeply ingrained in the IA profession.

The provision of an accessible and inclusive built environment is both a common regulatory requirement for architects and facilities managers, and a critical issue of equitable access for people with disability. Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) is key to ensuring appropriate building accessibility is provided and maintained. Improved Building Information Modelling (BIM) integration with Facilities Management (FM) will enable more effective POE over time. This study aims to define and demonstrate the practicability and utility of a particular configuration of emerging BIM and related digital technologies, applied in the field.

A field study approach is applied to investigate the practicability and utility of the technology configuration and POE procedures. A proposed technology configuration is applied to evaluate 21 accessible bathrooms across three university buildings in Sydney, Australia. First, a checklist of technical functionality for a POE of accessible bathrooms particular to the field study FM context is established. The checklist is based on a review of recent literature, relevant standards, best practice guidelines, expert opinions, and the organisational requirements. Then, a technical and procedural approach to POE and BIM integration with FM is defined and applied in the field. Finally, a quantitative analysis of the results is presented and discussed relative to both the particular and general FM contexts.

The use of low-cost BIM and related technologies can usefully be applied in the field to promote a more progressive integration of BIM with FM and provide enhanced baseline models for ongoing POE. A rudimentary risk assessment of key accessible bathroom features (in the context of this field study) identified that the Toilet: toilet rolls location is unsatisfactory across all bathrooms surveyed and represents an immediate and high-risk failing. Other high-risk issues highlighted in this study included: Approach: access; Entrance: door fittings and security; and Layout: hazards.

This study offers a blue-print for building practitioners to adopt and progressively integrate low-cost BIM and related technologies with extant FM systems. The study also promotes an improved approach to effective POE practice in general, and to the assessment of accessible bathrooms in particular.

Recent reviews highlight key barriers to BIM integration with FM and significant limitations to current POE practice. Proposals for BIM integration with FM tend to focus on the comprehensive use of BIM. This study demonstrates the practicability and utility of a more progressive approach to BIM adoption and integration with FM in general. The study is also novel in that it shows how low-cost BIM and related technologies can be used as a baseline reference for ongoing POE. Building practitioners can adopt and adapt the technology configuration and approach to support a range of POE applications. This field study has identified immediate and high-risk potential failings of the accessible bathrooms provided on one university campus in Sydney, Australia.

The administration of a contract by the architect is necessary to ensure the contract is performed according to the conditions of the contract, compliance with related laws and the practices of the construction industry. With the increasing number of housing projects and the limited number of registered architects in the nation, the architect is unable to be hands-on with every project. Hence, the involvement of graduate architects to reduce the workload in building contract administration (BCA) is required. The purpose of this paper is to develop a BCA framework for graduate architects to enhance their work performance in BCA work and to assist them in moving a step closer to acquiring their professional qualifications.

This study adopted a qualitative method where seven housing projects in Malaysia were selected as case studies to conduct documentation reviews and semistructured interviews. The data collected was analyzed using content analysis to develop the BCA framework. Focus groups were used to validate the framework.

This study summarized there are 5 themes (claims and legal matters management, project management, communication and relationship management, quality assessment and management, and design management) and 11 sub-themes (authority matters, building certification, meetings, coordination checklist, letter-writing, contract documentation, building material, design brief, building sustainability and workmanship quality standard, contractor’s submission and building details) that need to be improved by graduate architects in BCA work.

The contribution of this study to the existing knowledge is the development of a BCA framework that enables graduate architects to get a glimpse of architectural professional practice in reality and better prepare them to confront and resolve problems. Besides, the proposed framework could be incorporated into a pedagogy focusing on methods to support construction contract administrators.

The purpose of this research is to study and analyze the literature that integrates Lean Six Sigma (LSS) approach with blockchain technology in different sectors for improved quality management.

This study presents a scoping review on the application of integrated LSS and blockchain technology in the manufacturing and healthcare sector. Further, the authors examined existing blockchain-based solutions on a variety of dimensions, including application area, technical approach, methodology, application scenario, various blockchain platforms, purpose, and monitoring parameters. The authors study LSS approaches in detail, as well as the key benefits that blockchain technology can enable. Finally, the authors discuss significant research problems to be addressed in order to develop a highly efficient, resilient, and secure quality management framework using blockchain technology.

It has been observed that the adoption of blockchain technology for quality management and assurance is influenced by several factors such as transaction execution speed, throughput, latency. Also, prior blockchain-based solutions have neglected to leverage the benefits of LSS methodologies for effective quality management.

This is the first study to explores the influence of blockchain technology on quality management and assurance in manufacturing and healthcare industry. Furthermore, prior research has not examined how integrating the LSS methodology with blockchain technology can aid in the control of product quality management.

The compliance checking of Building Information Modeling (BIM) models is crucial throughout the lifecycle of construction. The increasing amount and complexity of information carried by BIM models have made compliance checking more challenging, and manual methods are prone to errors. Therefore, this study aims to propose an integrative conceptual framework for automated compliance checking of BIM models, allowing for the identification of errors within BIM models.

This study first analyzed the typical building standards in the field of architecture and fire protection, and then the ontology of these elements is developed. Based on this, a building standard corpus is built, and deep learning models are trained to automatically label the building standard texts. The Neo4j is utilized for knowledge graph construction and storage, and a data extraction method based on the Dynamo is designed to obtain checking data files. After that, a matching algorithm is devised to express the logical rules of knowledge graph triples, resulting in automated compliance checking for BIM models.

Case validation results showed that this theoretical framework can achieve the automatic construction of domain knowledge graphs and automatic checking of BIM model compliance. Compared with traditional methods, this method has a higher degree of automation and portability.

This study introduces knowledge graphs and natural language processing technology into the field of BIM model checking and completes the automated process of constructing domain knowledge graphs and checking BIM model data. The validation of its functionality and usability through two case studies on a self-developed BIM checking platform.

This work aims to propose guidelines for small industrial businesses to take their first steps toward implementing systems, programs and tools (SPTs) for environmental management in a structured way.

The authors conducted case studies in large companies certificated ISO 14001. They ran tests for construct validity, external validity and reliability. Cross-analysis of the information collected led to identifying patterns and strategies adopted by these companies to implement environmental management. Based on the literature on environmental management in small businesses and the author's experience, the practices learned from large companies were adapted to the reality of small ones, thus resulting in the proposed guidelines.

These guidelines enable small companies to develop their environmental management following the logical evolution of SPTs: ISO 14001, green supply chain management (GSCM), cleaner production (CP) and green design (GD). The implementation should happen gradually, through the PDCA cycle, according to three specific levels of environmental evolution.

Since the guidelines focused on small industrial companies, future studies should consider other sectors, such as services, to benefit from the solutions presented. As for the implications, besides improving the small company's performance and enhancing its image, implementing the guidelines creates a green synergy along the supply chain, thus benefiting society beyond the company's borders.

The main theoretical-scientific contribution of this work is to deepen a block of knowledge that articulates environmental management and small businesses, creating a basis for further research and a reference for analyzing and discussing empirical studies in small companies. As an applied-management contribution, the guidelines allow small companies to effectively develop SPTs to move toward environmental sustainability.

The study explores the existing Shariah audit practice of Islamic banks (IBs) in Bangladesh aiming at providing suggestions for improvements on the detected shortfalls in the relevant areas.

This research applied a qualitative method, and data were collected through conducting semi-structured interviews in Bangladesh. A total of 17 interviews were conducted for accomplishing the research objectives.

The study finds that there is no comprehensive Shariah audit manual in the current operation for IBs in Bangladesh, and as such, the requirements of their Shariah compliance remain a big question. Although the Shariah audit is conducted within IBs, and the Shariah audit officers or Shariah officers inspect necessary documents while conducting the Shariah audit, they only cover 10–20% of total investments and transactions. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that the Shariah auditing tasks should broadly cover at least 80% of the investment portfolios, documents and financial contracts and activities.

The findings of this research are expected to significantly contribute to the regulatory authorities concerned in Bangladesh and beyond, which include the suggestions that IBs can adopt to strengthen their Shariah governance system. The study also pinpoints that in the current system, Shariah auditors' roles are somehow limited in examining and checking the investment sides with a minimal portion (10–20%), for which they are unable to perform their responsibilities in a befitting manner to provide assurance services and overall Shariah compliance of IBs activities.

This study explores the current Shariah audit systems and provides recommendations to improve the existing systems which will be beneficial for Islamic banks of Bangladesh.

To the researchers' knowledge, perhaps this is the first research of its kind which seeks to explore the current Shariah audit practice in Bangladesh qualitatively, and it provides some practical suggestions for making the necessary developments of the current audit process of IBs. In addition, there are no empirical studies in the entire Emerald insight publishers and Scopus database regarding Shariah audit practices. The study contributes to the agency, stakeholder and legitimacy theories by exploring the Shariah audit of IBs.