Despite the potential of digital transformation to enhance resource efficiency and waste reduction, numerous barriers hinder its adoption. This study examines the critical barriers to digital technology adoption for circular economy implementation in the construction industry in developing countries, using Ghana as a case study. A structured quantitative approach was employed, integrating mean score ranking, exploratory factor analysis, and fuzzy synthetic evaluation to assess the severity of identified barriers. Data were collected from construction professionals through structured surveys, and statistical analyses were performed using SPSS, Excel, and RStudio to determine the criticality of the barriers. The fuzzy synthetic evaluation revealed that financial and adoption constraints emerged as the most critical barrier group, followed closely by institutional and knowledge barriers, while technological and market limitations and regulatory and organizational challenges also exhibited significant impediments. In response, this study develops a strategic framework comprising targeted solutions such as financial incentives, capacity building, regulatory reforms, and technological infrastructure development. This framework addresses not only the barriers but also the associated risks, including financial uncertainty, data security threats, and regulatory gaps. This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of digital technology adoption in CE practices and offers practical recommendations for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and academics seeking to foster sustainable construction practices in the construction industry.

Purpose: As construction project designs grow in complexity, the challenges associated with project monitoring also escalate. Therefore, it is recommended that cutting-edge technologies like unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) be incorporated to alleviate some of the issues encountered during the execution of construction projects. This paper examines the utilisation and barriers of UAV applications for health and safety (H&S) management in the construction industry. Design/methodology/approach: Adopting a quantitative method for the study, data were collected from 408 construction professionals in the Ghanaian construction industry (GCI) with a questionnaire using the convenience and snowball sampling techniques. The collected data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings: The study reveals a low level of UAV adoption in the GCI, with most firms not using UAVs for H&S management. Key barriers identified include technical challenges, high costs, lack of training, limited government support and resistance to new technologies. Despite the recognised potential of UAVs in improving construction safety, their adoption remains limited due to these obstacles. Conclusively, this study recommends measures that would propel the espousal of UAVs for H&S management in the construction industry. Originality/value: The results of this research shed light on a relatively unexplored area within the construction sector, particularly in a developing country like Ghana. By providing empirical evidence and insights, the study contributes to the broader understanding of how innovative technologies can be leveraged for H&S management in emerging economies.

Given the construction industry’s significant contribution of approximately 39% of global CO₂ emissions, implementing effective carbon reduction strategies is becoming increasingly critical. In this context, Internet of Things (IoT) technologies present promising solutions for monitoring and reducing emissions. However, there is a lack of comprehensive understanding regarding specific IoT applications, implementation barriers, and opportunities for carbon reduction in construction practices. This study investigates the role of IoT in reducing carbon emissions in the construction industry. Following PRISMA guidelines, this study analyzed bibliometric data from Scopus and Web of Science databases using VOSviewer for science mapping visualization. Content analysis was conducted on 17 carefully selected articles to identify key research topics and applications. The analysis identified four mainstream application areas: (1) IoT-based smart monitoring systems for carbon emissions, (2) energy efficiency and management applications, (3) sustainable construction implementation frameworks, and (4) smart cities and other built environment applications. Key findings highlight growing research interest in IoT applications for sustainable construction, with China, the United States, and the United Kingdom leading collaborative efforts. Despite demonstrated carbon reduction potential, significant implementation barriers exist, including technical limitations, organizational resistance, skill gaps, and economic constraints. Key opportunities include Artificial Intelligence (AI) integration, Building information modeling (BIM)-IoT synergies, energy prosumer models, and standardization frameworks. This study provides the first focused review of IoT applications specifically targeting carbon reduction in construction, highlighting a critical technology-practice gap where organizational factors frequently outweigh technological barriers. A proposed socio-technical integration framework in this study bridges technical and organizational elements to overcome adoption barriers.

The growing emphasis on carbon considerations and the pursuit of net-zero emissions have brought about a paradigm shift in project management. To successfully facilitate the transition towards net-zero emissions, major projects must not only adapt existing systems but also embed carbon targets into their core strategies. While several studies have investigated carbon integration during the procurement phase, limited attention has been given to the construction project manager (PM) perspective. This study aims to bridge this research gap by exploring the challenges and barriers faced by construction PMs when integrating carbon targets and metrics into major Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) projects, as well as evaluating the readiness of project teams to deliver on these. This study deployed a qualitative exploratory research design, where semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 AEC project professionals actively engaged in the planning and execution of major projects in the UK. Thematic analysis of the data revealed a range of challenges and barriers faced by PM teams delivering these projects. The research findings contribute to the field of construction major projects and project management by enhancing the understanding of the challenges faced by PMs when planning and delivering major AEC projects within the context of the net-zero transition. This study uncovers a series of challenges and prevalent practices that have the potential to impede progress towards net zero. A conceptual model is also proposed, offering a synthesis of the different PM perspectives on carbon integration.

Construction firms in emerging markets operate in highly volatile environments that threaten business continuity and sector-wide resilience. This study provides a novel, integrated framework that links multiple strategic survival models to construction business resilience and development in Ghana’s construction industry, with particular emphasis on the evolving role of digitalisation. Four survival models are conceptualised as strategic portfolios: Innovation and Digital Transformation, Diversification and Growth, Lean and Resilience, and Strategic Risk and Partnerships. A quantitative research design was employed, using structured questionnaires administered to 128 construction industry stakeholders. Data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling to assess direct, indirect, and mediating effects among survival models, construction business resilience, and construction business development. All four survival models have significant positive effects on construction business resilience, with Diversification and Growth (β = 0.404) and Innovation and Digital Transformation (β = 0.377) exerting the strongest influence, followed by Strategic Risk and Partnerships (β = 0.265) and Lean and Resilience (β = 0.207). The structural model explains 55.7% of the variance in construction business resilience, while construction business resilience is positively and strongly related to construction business development (β = 0.439), accounting for 19.3% of its variance. The findings show, for the first time in this context, that construction business resilience systematically mediates the relationship between distinct strategic survival portfolios and business growth in an emerging-market construction sector. This study advances the resilience and construction management literature by empirically demonstrating the hierarchical effectiveness of different survival models and by positioning construction business resilience as both a defensive capability and a strategic engine of sustainable development for construction firms in volatile markets. This paper recommends that firms develop composite resilience portfolios that integrate these strategies, while policymakers foster enabling regulations, digitalisation incentives, and joint risk-sharing arrangements that amplify sector-wide resilience. It offers a portfolio-based perspective on how to combine diversification, digital transformation, lean management, and strategic partnerships to build resilient, growth-oriented construction businesses. Convenience sampling and a cross-sectional design in a single national context highlight the need for longitudinal and cross-country research to validate and extend the proposed framework.