Strategic e-business framework: a holistic approach for organisations in the construction industry

Abstract

Strategic consideration and actions are crucial for organisations in the construction industry to implement e-business successfully and have continuous improvement. However, only focusing on one concept is not sufficient for construction companies to formulate their e-business strategy because of the fragmented needs and requirements within the organisations. To address the industry’s specific needs and requirements, an ebusiness strategy should include multiple elements rather than one element, and collaboration of partners should lie at the heart of the e-business strategy. Also, the strategic approaches currently available for ebusiness implementation are mainly ‘reactive’ and lack a long-term consideration or vision. To improve ebusiness implementation, it is important for organisations in the industry to create a positive organisational culture and consider both the emergent and long-term needs across organisation boundaries. This paper presents a Strategic e-Business Framework for organisations in the construction industry. The Framework provides a holistic approach for e-business strategy formulation and implementation. Organisations in the industry can work out a comprehension business solution for their e-business implementation using the Framework. The recommendations are also presented to illustrate how the Framework can benefit organisations in the construction industry potentially.