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. 2022 Apr 27;19(9):5326.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19095326.

Modeling COVID-19 Impacts and Response Strategies in the Construction Industry: PLS-SEM Approach

Afiqah R Radzi  1 , Rahimi A Rahman  2   3 , Saud Almutairi  4
Affiliations

Modeling COVID-19 Impacts and Response Strategies in the Construction Industry: PLS-SEM Approach

Afiqah R Radzi et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Policymakers are developing response strategies to reduce the impacts of COVID-19. However, developing response strategies without considering their relationships with the impacts of COVID-19 is ineffective. This study aims to model the causal relationships between COVID-19 impacts and response strategies in the construction industry, using Malaysia as a case study. To achieve this, a systematic literature review and semi-structured interviews with forty industry professionals were conducted, yielding 12 impacts and 22 response strategies. The impacts and strategies were inserted into a survey, and 107 valid responses were received. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to group the impacts and strategies. Then, partial least-squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to identify the causal relationship between the impacts and strategies. The EFA results indicate that the underlying impacts are project- or material-related, and the underlying strategies are market stability and financial aid, supply chain and project support, and information and legislation. The PLS-SEM results indicate that supply chain and project support are required to address material-related impacts, and market stability and financial aid are required to address project-related impacts. This is the first paper that models the relationships between COVID-19 impacts and response strategies in the construction industry.

Keywords: COVID-19; construction industry; pandemic impact; pandemic response; strategic planning.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study framework.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Respondent profile.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Measurement model.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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