A model and simulation study of developers’ multicontract incentives for contractors’ green technology innovation decisions considering marketing efforts and innovation capability

To promote low-carbon development of the construction industry and popularize green buildings (GBs), considering the influence of marketing efforts and innovation capability on GB market demand, this paper constructs multiple incentive decision models based on contract theory, analyzes developers’ decision-making behaviors for incentivizing contractors’ green technology innovation (GTI) under different incentive decision models; and explores the impacts of greenness preference and service quality preference on contract prices, sales prices, innovation levels and marketing effort levels. In addition, the impacts of marketing effort cost coefficient and innovation capability on innovation levels, marketing effort levels and developers’ profits are simulated through parameter assignment and computer software. The results show that greenness preference and service quality preference have positive impacts on developers’ and contractors’ decisions and profits; under the decision model based on innovation level, the developers maximize profits, but the developers’ marketing effort levels and contractors’ innovation levels are lower at this time; under the decision model based on cost-sharing, the contractors have the highest innovation levels and achieve optimal profits, while the innovation capability can promote innovative activities. The results of the study have guiding significance for enhancing the levels of GTI and promoting the development of GBs.