Digitalization Network in Construction Material Business Operation: Application of Actor Network Theory

Abstract

The building and construction industry is one that has a lot of potential and is consistently meeting a high level of consumer demand. The development and construction of new homes and buildings occurs on a daily basis. This demonstrates that businesses involved in the construction industry need to be prepared to deliver the materials in order to satisfy the demands. Businesses operating in this sector are required to have access to cutting-edge technology that is based on digital platforms so that they may provide adequate and effective product delivery services. In order for the process to be able to create a better path for corporate operations, the system, software, and application that is employed needs to be easily taught, adaptable, and useable. However, there is a dearth of research that focuses on the extent to which businesses operating in this sector can accept and make use of technological advancements. Actor Network Theory (ANT), which is used to establish links between actors throughout the process, is being applied here in order to investigate this occurrence. In the context of this investigation, the application of theory investigates and establishes the nature of the interaction between human and non-human agents. This research makes use of a qualitative methodology, and the researcher takes an ethnographic case study approach to completing their work. The researcher spent close to six months working in the construction material distribution industry, during which time he made observations regarding the procedures and networks that connect one actor to another. The data from the observations are organized into themes, and those themes are provided in this paper. This research makes a contribution to the application of ANT in the business of managing the delivery of construction materials. According to the findings of the study, digital learning is absolutely necessary to help the personnel in this company deal with the daily operations of the firm. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.