Kebir M. Jemal
Doctor of Philosophy candidate
Architecture, Construction, Building Sustainability
Biography
Kebir M. Jemal is a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne. He is the inaugural recipient of the D. E. Napier Scholarship, a merit-based research scholarship in the areas of Quantity Surveying, Construction Economics and Construction Management. Kebir’s research focuses on exploring the business drivers that facilitate the adoption of circular business models, with an emphasis on building service providers. Kebir holds a BSc in Architecture from Addis Ababa University, and a Master of Engineering Management from Nazarbayev University. Prior to joining the University of Melbourne, Kebir worked as a teaching and research fellow at the School of Engineering and Digital Sciences (SEDS) at Nazarbayev University.
Over the past 6 years, Kebir has actively contributed to advancing sustainability in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) sector. Through his academic journey, Kebir has engaged in industry-based research on the critical theme of circular economy within the built environment. This has led to publications in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. By examining the building service sector in his research, Kebir’s PhD currently explores how companies can derive value while promoting environmentally responsible behaviour. Beyond academia, Kebir has advocated for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) through his involvement in AIESEC.
Thesis
Business Drivers for the Adoption of Product Service Systems (PSS) in the Building Services Sector
From residential homes to high-rise commercial skyscrapers, the built environment makes up a large proportion of the urban infrastructure, profoundly impacting our quality of life, resource consumption and environmental sustainability. The construction sector, often characterized by traditional practices and resource-intensive processes, is currently at a critical juncture in its development. In this context, the adoption of circular business models has emerged as a promising avenue for transitioning the construction sector into a more environmentally responsible industry.
In the framework of Circular Economy, the Product Service System (PSS) stands out as one of the circular business models that has the highest potential. However, its application within the built environment has not been extensively studied. Analysis of global companies implementing circular business models reveals that PSS has the lowest rate of adoption at just 7% in the construction sector. This low adoption rate is often attributed to the absence of a clear business logic, which is considered the most critical enabler in the adoption of circular strategies. Essentially, a Product Service System is a business model that involves leasing products instead of transferring ownership across different supply chain stages. The retention of ownership creates a valuable incentive for manufacturers to design and develop products that are cost-effective, environmentally conscious, and easy to disassemble/reuse.
This research aims to construct a business framework for PSS specifically tailored for Building Services using the standard Business Model Generation tool – the Business Model Canvas (BMC) (Osterwalder and Pigneur, 2010). To achieve this objective, my research adopts qualitative methods through semi-structured interviews with key actors involved in the provision of building services including customers, building service providers, and supporting actors. The research employs a Design Science Research (DSR) approach, aimed at developing/building an artifact (construct, model, or framework) that can serve as a solution to a real-life problem. DSR approach has been widely used in the exploration of business model research. Particularly, Hevner’s DSR framework is well suited in this research, considering both the business need and the knowledge gap in building an artifact. The research methodology employs an exploratory approach involving two phases of data collection. Firstly, the business drivers are investigated through qualitative interviews, followed by a validation of the findings through focus groups. These business drivers are mapped using the nine building blocks of the business model canvas framework. The significance of this research is two-fold: firstly, it will contribute to the knowledge base on the emergence of PSS models and secondly, it will provide businesses with a framework to adopt one of the circular business models advancing the Circular Economy – the Product Service System.