The impact of an urban facilities management summer school on the participants

Facilities ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dave Collins ◽  
Coline Senior ◽  
Mina Jowkar ◽  
Alenka Temeljotov Salaj ◽  
Agnar Johansen
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Summer School ◽  
International Student ◽  
Educational Programs ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Facilities Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how an Urban Facilities Management (Urban FM) focused summer school in Norway in 2019 impacted knowledge creation, as well as the host and foreign educators, along with the international student participants. Design/methodology/approach This paper’s data collection is formed as a “post-event study” using interviews and a quantitative survey from both the students and educators to look at the impact of the summer school on the student and the associated educational programs. Findings The outcomes of this study indicate that the impact on educators and their educational programs was substantial with regard to their teaching experiences. The study confirmed that foreign experience allowed not just for greater potential for cross institution cooperation for the future but also allowed for the usage of the summer school case studies in host and guest educational programs. For the students, the added value was in the international experience primarily and a chance to study on a case study project. The study was also successful in the dissemination of Urban FM knowledge. Originality/value This paper also offers added theoretical value in the development of a model in future projects on how to capitalize on the potential impact of the summer school on educators and students. The possibilities for increased dissemination and knowledge creation in Urban FM is also significant.

Factors influencing knowledge creation and innovation in an organisation

2005 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mireille Merx‐Chermin ◽  
Wim J. Nijhof
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Learning To Learn ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Organisation ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the factors that influence the innovative power of organisations. The concept of innovation and innovative power was examined by analysing the relationship between the construct of the learning organisation, knowledge organisation and innovative organisation, and has resulted in an innovation process model. This model consists of three processes: knowledge creation, innovation and learning to learn. The factors that might influence this cycle are: added value for stakeholders, leadership, climate, structure and strategic alignment.Design/methodology/approachThis is an exploratory study that was conducted at Océ Technologies in The Netherlands.The case study consisted of a qualitative and a quantitative stage and comprised a selection of two innovation projects separated in time. The purpose of the first phase was to collect information about the innovation spiral, through interviews with members of three divisions in each innovation process. After this, a survey was designed and sent to all employees and managers of the three divisions involved in the two innovation cases.FindingsOn the basis of a data analysis, factors explaining variance in terms of innovation, learning and knowledge creation were identified. If innovation is discontinuous, the innovation spiral is not valid; if innovation has a strength in critical reflection on cases from the past to mould the future, the model has some explanatory power.Research limitations/implicationsUsing a survey technique to retrieve data from a current innovation experiment has a set of possible risks like maturation, forgetting, selection and a different context. Reflection and reconstruction, however, are the only possible means to achieve this. A case study does not guarantee generalisation of results.Originality/valueBy studying the model and the factors that can influence them, organisations understand that it is necessary to integrate their initiatives in organisational learning, knowledge creation and innovation for the benefit of the organisation, to find a better way to adjust to discontinuous change and finally gain innovative power.

Identifying the success factors of Communities of Practice (CoPs)

VINE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 198-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peyman Akhavan ◽  
Babaeianpour Marzieh ◽  
Masoumeh Mirjafari
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Organizational Support ◽  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Educational Organizations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Traditional Structures ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – This paper aims to identify the success factors of communities of practice (CoPs) that will improve knowledge creation (KC) in educational organizations. Today, educational organizations are faced with constant changes in their environment. These changes have forced organizations to view their human capital as knowledge capital to survive and thrive. CoPs can be one of the most important factors to achieve these goals, and it should be considered by educational organizations. Design/methodology/approach – The present paper tries to identify the success factors of CoPs and examine the impact of the success factors of CoPs in KC. The research method is descriptive. The population of the research consists of students of Payame Noor University as a case study. A questionnaire based on experts’ opinion was designed and more than 35 articles were reviewed. Factor analysis was used to categorize and examine the correlation between success factors of CoPs and KC and, finally, the regression equation based on correlation’ result was formed. Findings – The results showed six success factors: “organization”, “optimizing interactions”, “infrastructure”, “supporting tools”, “strategy and goals” and “organizational support”. These factors reflect the effective factors in educational organizations attempting to progress in KC should focus. Among these success factors, “strategy and goals” and “organization” have the highest effect on CoPs in this case. Research limitations/implications – The paper discusses how the success factors of CoPs improve KC in universities as educational organization and how an organization will benefit from these factors. It can help the development of guidelines for educational organizations to increase their community knowledge information. They can also apply the findings of this research to promote the scientific level of their related organizations through reinforcement of CoP practices. In this paper, the authors faced some problems to collect expert’s opinion and also gather the questionnaires. Originality/value – This paper may have great value to researchers, as well as practitioners involved in knowledge-creation programs in organizations about CoPs and the knowledge-creation field. This research can establish guidelines for Payame Noor University Tehran-North as a case study using the right policies and make changes to the traditional structures of the university, improve and develop the knowledge-creation process and the formation of CoPs. This study can guide managers and, especially, the university managers to provide suitable base to shape COPs, help them emerge and enhance them effectively.

The development of cultural heritage in Gozo, and its potential as a tourism niche

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 184-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Borg
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
State Institutions ◽  
Tourism Sector ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a case study on the development of the cultural heritage sector on the island of Gozo in the Maltese archipelago. The studying of these relationships is very important to maximise the impact of the cultural heritage sector on tourism. The importance of the development of cultural tourism as a specific niche has been consistently recognised (Boissevain, 1994; Ministry for Tourism and Culture, 2007; Ministry for Tourism Culture and the Environment, 2016; Ministry for Tourism, 2014). Design/methodology/approach A case study methodology is adopted. The findings have been sourced mainly through secondary data such as official publications and materials available publicly, and through the author’s in-depth knowledge of the socio-cultural context of Gozo. Findings The paper’s main outcome is that the success of the cultural heritage sector in Gozo can be attributed to the close collaboration that exists between the Ministry for Gozo (responsible for Gozitan affairs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). While a culture of mistrust towards state institutions is generally prevalent among Gozitans (Azzopardi, 2015), the level of collaboration between the Ministry for Gozo and NGOs, may tend to show that Gozitans are more keen to trust state institutions run by the same Gozitans. Originality/value This paper analyses the underlying relationships in the cultural heritage sector on the island of Gozo. This is very important to continue building up on this niche as an added value to the tourism sector in Gozo.

scholarly journals Students’ Perceptions of Gained and Lost Value: a Case Study of a Summer School That Had to Suddenly Move Online

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alvaro Pina Stranger ◽  
German Varas ◽  
Gaëlle Mobuchon
Keyword(s):  
Online Teaching ◽  
Summer School ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Managerial Decisions ◽  
Social Events ◽  
Summer Schools ◽  
Technical Solutions ◽  
The Impact

In 2020, the early Covid-19 lockdown and social distancing induced the abrupt migration of traditionally presential learning activities to online domains. This “new normal” environment affected management not only of training courses, but also educational events whose main added value consisted in providing students with an interactive experience onsite, as it is the case of inter-institutional summer schools. The following research corresponds to a case study in which our organization, a French university, had to reformulate, in less than three months, one of its traditional summer schools while trying to keep the original goals. We aimed at identifying the impact of four managerial decisions by analyzing, through qualitative and quantitative surveys, students’ perception of gained or lost value regarding four topics: a) online teaching, b) pre-recorded busines cases providers, c) online social events, and d) technical solutions. With an emphasis in both didactics (i.e., knowledge) and pedagogics (i.e., learning experience), the analysis of perceived value allowed as to learn about students’ assessment position, which revealed two main issues at stake: belonging, in relation to students’ identity and academic background, and performing, related to students’ expectations.

The dilemma of domestic suppliers on the periphery of the automotive industry global value chain

Kybernetes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesús F. Lampón ◽  
Marta Rodríguez De la Fuente ◽  
José Antonio Fraiz-Brea
Keyword(s):  
Automotive Industry ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Global Value Chain ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Industry Value Chain ◽  
Global Presence ◽  
The Impact

PurposeUnder the global value chain (GVC) approach, this paper aims to analyze how domestic suppliers on the periphery of the automotive industry are affected by their relationship with foreign multinationals.Design/methodology/approachA case study with primary data collected from foreign multinationals operating in the Mexican automotive industry was used to analyze their relationship with domestic suppliers.FindingsThe evolution of the suppliers has been characterized by improved quality and added value in their products and more asset-intensive, efficient processes. This evolution has been driven by improvement in production capabilities and investment in new equipment by domestic suppliers and facilitated by knowledge transfer from foreign multinationals. However, it has not involved the acquisition of innovation capabilities or the internationalization of production activities. This has limited their position on the first levels of the value chain and their global presence, which are essential aspects when climbing the industry value chain to lead some activities at a global level. At the same time, most of these suppliers have become strategic and have a greater dependence on foreign multinationals. This poses a dilemma for domestic firms, as the relationship with these multinationals becomes more intense and dependent and at the same time reduces the possibility of leading activities in the value chain.Originality/valueThe paper analyzes the impact on domestic suppliers of their relationships with foreign multinationals, integrating traditional product, process and functional upgrading and new elements, in particular, participation in the GVC and dependence on multinationals.

Teaching companies how to be entrepreneurial: cultural change at all levels

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence Murray Gillin ◽  
Rebecca Gagliardi ◽  
Laura Hougaz ◽  
David Knowles ◽  
Michael Langhammer
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Change ◽  
Entrepreneurship Education ◽  
Management Style ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activity ◽  
Longitudinal Case Study ◽  
Content Type ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This case study aims to show how a strategic intervention, using an in-house delivered university entrepreneurship education program, cultivates an entrepreneurial mindset and effective innovation culture amongst company staff. The intervention produces a measured change in staff decision making style from analytical to a more intuitive style. Also assessed is the resulting management-style change to the firm’s internal environment, strategic motivation and performance. Design/methodology/approach Through a qualitative longitudinal study of Partners and staff in the firm, the authors measure the impact of the selection, integration and performance of in-house entrepreneurship education on firm culture. Findings The authors identify organisation factors that inhibit staff entrepreneurial behaviour and by integrating an in-house education intervention, demonstrate unambiguously the resultant effective culture and entrepreneurial mindset. Research limitations/implications Generalising results from this single longitudinal case study requires caution. The positive outcome from the in-house education concept can be considered for further evaluation within other organisations. Practical implications Using an entrepreneurial health-audit to assess in-firm cultural behaviour enables management to identify factors fostering/inhibiting entrepreneurial activity and devise interventions to cultivate a firm-wide entrepreneurial mindset. Originality/value In-house education is not a new concept, but a targeted focus on entrepreneurship applied strategically to a committed firm shows outstanding results. The added-value is in the demonstrated enhancement to effective innovation outcomes.

Using big data to improve the performance management: a case study from the UAE FM industry

Facilities ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (13/14) ◽  
pp. 746-765 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahmoud Mawed ◽  
Assem Al-Hajj
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Facilities Management ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Computer Aided ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to explore how big data analytics (BDA) collected and stored through specific data software [Construction Operations Building Information Exchange [COBie], integrated workplace management systems [IWMS], computer aided facilities management (CAFM), etc.] can play an essential role in improving the performance management system in the facility management (FM) industry. It defines the big data components and explores the benefit of BDA in any business through an extensive literature review and a pilot case study in the UAE. Design/methodology/approach The research was carried out based on a qualitative approach. It attempts to identify through a case study how the data collected and the technologies that go along with will increase the functionality and the efficiency of the FM services. The research studies the implementation of a big FM organization, hereafter referred as “M” of software that exports the data collected from COBie and the computer aided facilities management (CAFM) system and shapes them into input to improve the performance of the FM service providers. The study includes two components in anticipation of providing a complete picture: first, five semi-structured interviews with industry experts and company employees representing the hierarchy of the staff, i.e. top, middle and operational levels; one director, two managers and two operational-level employees were interviewed to determine the current situation of the company in terms of BDA; and second, detailed documents and archives records review for the data collected on a randomly chosen sample of facilities for the period 2013-2015. The interviews were designed to achieve two specific objectives. Primarily, they were aimed at collecting empirical evidence on the existing status of big data within the UAE FM context and at investigating the importance of the data collected for performance measurement in the industry as supported in the literature. Second, these interviews sought to identify any critical issues that need to be addressed within the data collection process when devising the big data platform for FM. Findings The paper seeks to provide a guideline to the service providers in the FM market to understand the importance of big data to be shared from the design and construction to the operational phase as it improves their operational performance. Originality/value This paper studies the impact of big data on the FM performance management, a very recent topic where only few researches were conducted earlier.

Client use of blockchain technology: exploring its (potential) impact on financial statement audits of Australian accounting firms

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Cadiz Dyball ◽  
Ravi Seethamraju
Keyword(s):  
Financial Statement ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Accounting Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Second Tier ◽  
Nuanced Understanding ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe paper reports on a study that investigated the (potential) impact of client use of blockchain technology on financial statement audits of Australian accounting firms.Design/methodology/approachData were primarily collected from semi-structured interviews with a range of stakeholders including audit partners from first- and second-tier accounting firms in Australia. The interviews focused on the perceived (potential) impact of blockchain on the stages of obtain (retain) engagement, engagement planning, risk assessment, audit evidence and reporting of financial statement audits of clients that use blockchain technology. Perceptions of changes to financial statement audits were interpreted using the logics of professionalism and commercialism.FindingsAustralian accounting firms have either obtained or considered engagements with clients with a cryptocurrency business or that use a blockchain platform although they are a small group. There is a view that blockchain technology is distinctive and therefore poses risks not encountered before in audit engagements. These risks would most likely shift how firms plan, design audit methodologies and execute financial statement audits. The study showed that the logics of professionalism and commercialism are not conflicting but instead complementary. They present both opportunities and challenges for firms to apply and develop audit expertise in an emerging area in audit.Research limitations/implicationsBeing an exploratory study, the findings are tentative. A case study of an audit engagement with a cryptocurrency business will add to a nuanced understanding of the challenges posed to financial statement audits by blockchain technology.Originality/valueThis study is novel because of its focus on the impact of an evolving technology on the stages of financial statement audits.

Fourth industrialization-oriented offsite construction: case study of an application to an irregular commercial building

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (9) ◽  
pp. 2271-2286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sungkon Moon ◽  
Namhyuk Ham ◽  
Sungjin Kim ◽  
Lei Hou ◽  
Ju-Hyung Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autonomous System ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
System Development ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Commercial Building ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
The Impact ◽  
And Robotics

PurposeThis study, a research project, aims to examine the distinct characteristics of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), with a focus on construction. Following this examination, the paper presents a field study to evaluate the impact of the 4IR on the construction process.Design/methodology/approachThe first half of this project is dedicated to defining the 4IR by reviewing existing literature. The other half of the project presents a case study to demonstrate the concept of the 4IR and measure the effect of its application. To validate the defined concept of the 4IR, the study focuses on the following: autonomous system for producing drawings and robotics in construction.FindingsThe intensive literature review revealed three unequivocal features of the 4IR: defined tasks, undefined tasks and improvement possibilities. The following case study showed that the incorporation of the three 4IR features resulted in improved productivity and efficiency during the construction of the podium for the Lotte World Tower. For example, the macro-based autonomous system achieved 5.52 shop drawings per hour, highlighting the potential impact of independent, autonomous machinery.Originality/valueThe originality of this project stems from its attempt to quantify the effectiveness of applying autonomous technologies to a practical project. While previous works in this field have focused on system development and improvement, this paper presents an autonomous system at work in an actual project, in which junior engineers were able to be entirely replaced. The system was successful in independently creating numerous required shop drawings. The value of this analysis is to generate scientific evidence to evaluate the efficacy of the adoption of 4IR-oriented technologies.

scholarly journals Professional artefacts: embodying ideas in work-based learning

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Nottingham ◽  
Adesola Akinleye
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Student Work ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Arts Curriculum ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present and examine the addition of a “professional artefact” to the course requirements for the BA Honours Professional Practice (BAPP) (Arts) programme at Middlesex University. Design/methodology/approach – This paper takes a case study approach using reflection, indicative theories and consideration of student work to evaluate the introduction of the “professional artefact” into the BAPP (Arts) curriculum. Following pragmatist and phenomenological descriptions of the lived experience as embodied (Dewey et al., 1989; Merleau-Ponty, 2002) and using learning models based on experience in the workplace (Boud and Garrick, 1999), the paper's methodology takes the work-based principle of “experience as knowledge” to examine the impact of the professional artefact on students learning. Findings – The professional artefact has proven to be a useful way for the learners on the course to reflect on the purpose of their own study and the ways in which work-based learning can be incorporated into their practice through embodied “ideas”. Practical implications – The paper suggests that the inclusion of a professional artefact to the curriculum provides a flexible means for bridging academic and workplace learning. The inclusion of the professional artefact could be recommended as a strategy for other work-based learning programmes. Originality/value – The added value for professional practice is that the professional artefact provides a flexible and creative means of communication for emerging and establishing workplace professionals.

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