scholarly journals Improving energy performance of Dutch homes: coping with general investment behaviours

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 488-500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nico Nieboer
Keyword(s):  
Asset Management ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Housing Sector ◽  
Investment Planning ◽  
Energy Investment ◽  
Investment Policies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Slow Progress

Purpose Recent findings from a monitor containing around 1.5 million homes in the Dutch non-profit rental sector show that the improvement of the energy performance of the respective homes is mostly carried out in small steps: single measures per dwelling dominate and deep energy renovations are rare. From the way in which housing providers conceive and implement their portfolio and asset management strategies, the purpose of this paper is to explain for the dominance of the small interventions and investigate the argument for a more concentrated allocation of budget resources. Design/methodology/approach In total, 12 housing providers with different energy investment policies were selected and interviewed. Findings Results show that energy investments, as most other investments, must fit in regular investment schemes and have to follow general decision criteria such as the lifespan of the respective building element and the market position of the respective dwelling. As these schemes are limited in budget and time, the room for a more concentrated allocation of budget resources is small. Research limitations/implications The number of organisations interviewed is obviously not statistically representative, but gives a good indication of the investment planning practice in the Dutch non-profit housing sector. Originality/value Much has been written about the (slow) progress of the energy performance in the housing sector, but not about the more structural organisational forces behind this progress.

scholarly journals Asset management using a hybrid backcasting/forecasting approach

Facilities ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (11/12) ◽  
pp. 701-715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith Jones ◽  
Api Desai ◽  
Mark Mulville ◽  
Aled Jones
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Asset Management ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Management Plan ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Alternative Pathways ◽  
Future State ◽  
The Future

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present an alternative approach to facilities and built asset management adaptation planning to climate change based on a hybrid backcasting/forecasting model. Backcasting envisions a future state and examines alternative “pathways of approach” by looking backwards from the future state to the present day. Each pathway is examined in turn to identify interventions required for that pathway to achieve the future state. Each pathway is reviewed using forecasting tools and the most appropriate is selected. This paper describes the application of this approach to the integration of climate change adaptation plans into facilities and built asset management. Design/methodology/approach – The researchers worked with various stakeholders as part of a participatory research team to identify climate change adaptations that may be required to ensure the continued performance of a new educational building over its life cycle. The team identified 2020, 2040 and 2080 year end-goals and assessed alternative pathways of approach. The most appropriate pathways were integrated into the facilities and built asset management plan. Findings – The paper outlines a conceptual framework for formulating long term facilities and built asset management strategies to address adaptation to climate change. Research limitations/implications – The conceptual framework is validated by a single research case study, and further examples are needed to ensure validity of the approach in different facilities management contexts. Originality/value – This is the first paper to explore backcasting principles as part of facilities and built asset management planning.

scholarly journals Volunteer stereotypes, stigma, and relational identity projects

2014 ◽  
Vol 48 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 854-877 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Ho ◽  
Stephanie O’Donohoe
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Qualitative Methods ◽  
Impression Management ◽  
Consumer Culture ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Major Barrier ◽  
Symbolic Consumption ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Individual Interviews

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to seek to enhance the understanding of non-profit marketing and consumer identities by exploring volunteering as a form of symbolic consumption. Specifically, it seeks to examine how young people – both volunteers and non-volunteers – understand and relate to volunteer stereotypes, and how they manage stigma in negotiating their social identities in relation to volunteering. Design/methodology/approach – Grounded in consumer culture theory, the study uses mixed qualitative methods, incorporating focus groups, paired and individual interviews and a projective drawing task. Findings – Five volunteering-related stereotypes were identified: the older charity shop worker, the sweet singleton, the environmental protestor, the ordinary volunteer and the non-volunteer. Participants related to positive and negative attributes of these stereotypes in different ways. This led volunteers and non-volunteers to engage in a range of impression management strategies, some of which bolstered their own identities by stigmatising other groups. Research limitations/implications – The sample was drawn from 39 individuals aged 16-24 years and living in Scotland. Practical implications – Because stereotypes are acknowledged as a major barrier to volunteering, particularly among young people, a greater understanding of how these stereotypes are understood and negotiated can assist non-profit marketers in recruiting and retaining volunteers. Originality/value – This paper draws on theories of consumer culture and stigma to explore volunteering as a form of symbolic consumption, examines volunteering stereotypes among both volunteers and non-volunteers and uses multiple qualitative methods to facilitate articulation of young people’s experiences in this area.

Asset Management of low-zero carbon technology in social housing

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jim Kempton
Keyword(s):  
Asset Management ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Housing Stock ◽  
Housing Sector ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Building Process ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Zero Carbon

Purpose – Households account for 27 per cent of the UK's total CO2 emissions therefore addressing housing energy efficiency has become a priority. Low-zero carbon technologies (LZCTs) for both new-build and the existing housing stock are one mechanism to reduce CO2. A gap in previous research into the subject was identified – the ongoing maintenance or “Asset Management” of LZCTs. This is important, inefficient or ineffective Asset Management may have a negative impact on the sustainability of energy efficient housing stock from a number of perspectives, including physical, social and economic. This paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The research presents a sector based study of the English social housing sector with seven individual organisations (known as “Registered Social Landlords”) represented by senior Asset Management practitioners, providing the units of analysis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to evaluate the past, current and future ability of the sector to successfully maintain LZCTs. The interviews were coded and a theme/sub-theme building process undertaken. Findings – The interview analysis yielded three main themes (Asset Management Planning, Maintenance Skills and Occupier Impacts) and 12 sub-themes. Some of these confirmed findings from the literature review but others had not been previously located including inter-departmental conflicts and occupiers taking responsibility for maintenance. Originality/value – A paucity of previous work specifically relating to Asset Management and LZCTs in the social housing sector was found. The findings should therefore be of interest to a wide range of stakeholders including registered providers, asset managers, surveyors, developers and policy makers.

scholarly journals BIM performance framework for the maintenance and refurbishment of housing stock

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 242-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zaid Alwan
Keyword(s):  
Asset Management ◽  
Housing Stock ◽  
Modern Technology ◽  
Building Performance ◽  
Housing Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Performance Framework ◽  
Road Map ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Systematic Framework

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a systematic framework for maintenance and refurbishment in domestic housing sector for utilising BIM processes, which tackles ageing housing stock and allows for sustainability improvements, and carbon footprinting. Design/methodology/approach – The methods used consisted using modern technology currently used in the built environment sector, and applying them to BIM framework. The BIM implementation covered both technical and social implications, and appraisal of different approaches needed to make the framework effective within the housing sector. Findings – The study revealed that there are many modern approaches for a BIM framework in relation to maintenance and refurbishment, and a possible strategic BM approach largely used in new built sector can be applied to domestic building to achieve effective modern asset management. This makes the housing stock easier to manage as well as addressing vital issues such as carbon footprint, and excessive energy wasted on inefficient buildings envelopes. Research limitations/implications – Further testing and adoption of the approach and model proposed, will result in greater acceptance of BIM for housing management and greater realisation of benefits. Practical implications – A potential model that can be used and applied to domestic housing sector as a result of this research. Originality/value – Demonstration of a road map for BIM applications within the maintenance and refurbishment for housing stock is currently under researched, and the findings aimed to address such a gap. This can in turn shift the focus of BIM towards asset management and building performance rather than just new build.

scholarly journals The initial impacts of Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) in England

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 435-447
Author(s):  
Sarah Louise Sayce ◽  
Syeda Marjia Hossain
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Asset Management ◽  
Minimum Energy ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Carbon Reduction ◽  
Market Values ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe paper investigates the initial impacts on asset management and valuation practice of the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) introduced in England and Wales from April 2018 for new lettings.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reports findings from a small-scale pilot study of valuers, asset managers, lawyers and building consultants. Interviews were conducted over the summer of 2019 and explored the impact on practice and market values and perceived links to the carbon reduction agenda. Data were analysed thematically manually and using NVivo software.FindingsParticipants welcomed MEES but many had doubts about the use of energy performance certificates (EPCs) as the appropriate baseline measure. Compliance was perceived as too easy; further, enforcement is not occurring. Vanguard investors have aligned portfolios for carbon reduction; others have not. Lease practices are changing with landlords seeking greater control over tenant behaviours. Valuers reported that whilst MEES consideration is embedded in due diligence processes, there is limited value impact.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is limited by its small-scale and that the MEES regulations are not yet fully implemented. However, the research provides early findings and lays out recommendations for future research by identifying areas in which the regulations are/are not proving effective to date.Practical implicationsThe findings will inform investors, consultants and policy makers.Social implicationsAchieving energy efficiency in buildings is critical to driving down carbon emission; it also has economic and social benefits through cost savings and reducing fuel poverty.Originality/valueBelieved to be the first post-implementation qualitative study of MEES.

A Decision Support Tool for Wastewater Catchment Management

2007 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
S.E. Walters ◽  
D. Savic ◽  
R.J. Hocking
Keyword(s):  
Decision Support ◽  
Asset Management ◽  
Capital Investment ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Sewage Treatment ◽  
Decision Support Tool ◽  
Catchment Management ◽  
Clean Water ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
South West

The water industry over the years has primarily focussed on upgrading and investing in clean water provision. However, as research into the science and management of clean water services has progressed rapidly, wastewater provision and services has been slower. Focus, though, is now shifting within Industry and Research into wastewater services. The water regulator, Ofwat, for England and Wales demands the Sewerage Undertakers demonstrate efficient management of wastewater systems in order to obtain funding for Capital Investment projects. South West Water, a Water Service Provider and Sewerage Undertaker located in the South West of England, identified a need gap in their asset management strategies for wastewater catchments. This paper will introduce the production of a Decision Support Tool, DST, to help SWW proactively manage their Wastewater Catchments, examining Sewage Treatment Works, Pumping Stations and Networks. The paper will discuss some concepts within the DST, its production, testing and a brief case study. The DST provides a framework for prioritising catchments to optimise investment choices and actions. The Tool ranks catchments utilising Compromise Programming, CP, as well as AHP Pair-wise comparisons for preference weights. The DST incorporates Asset models, a Whole life Costing Module, as well as a Decay and Intervention Module.

Knowledge management strategies for sustaining Lesson Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-178
Author(s):  
Eric C.K. Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Lesson Study ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Relative Effectiveness ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is explore the relative effectiveness of people-based and information technology-based knowledge management (KM) strategies as implemented by principals in Hong Kong schools to facilitate and sustain Lesson Study for teachers’ knowledge sharing and internalization. Design/methodology/approach Data from 184 principals in Hong Kong were collected by a cross-sectional quantitative survey. Confirmatory factor analysis and reliability tests have been used to examine the constructed validity and reliability of the instrument. A structural equation model was applied to confirm the predictive effect of people-based and information technology-based KM strategies on teachers’ knowledge sharing and internalization through Lesson Study. Findings Results show that people-based KM strategy predicts knowledge sharing and internalization by and among teachers. However, while information technology-based knowledge management strategies predict teachers’ knowledge sharing, they do not predict how effectively they internalize knowledge. Practical implications Cultivating communities of practice, professional learning communities and mentoring schemes in schools can nurture a knowledge-sharing culture to facilitate and sustain Lesson Study for teacher learning. Institutionalizing an information technology system can help teachers to retrieve, share and store the school’s explicit knowledge. Originality/value The paper not only suggests school management strategies and practices for school leaders to facilitate and sustain Lesson Study, but also brings a new research dimension, KM, to the research area.

scholarly journals Assessing asset monitoring levels for maintenance operations

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 632-659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah A Alabdulkarim ◽  
Peter Ball ◽  
Ashutosh Tiwari
Keyword(s):  
Asset Management ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Discrete Event ◽  
Dynamic Modelling ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Event Simulation ◽  
Product Service ◽  
Asset Monitoring ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – Asset management has recently gained significance due to emerging business models such as Product Service Systems where the sale of asset use, rather than the sale of the asset itself, is applied. This leaves the responsibility of the maintenance tasks to fall on the shoulders of the manufacturer/supplier to provide high asset availability. The use of asset monitoring assists in providing high availability but the level of monitoring and maintenance needs to be assessed for cost effectiveness. There is a lack of available tools and understanding of their value in assessing monitoring levels. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – This research aims to develop a dynamic modelling approach using Discrete Event Simulation (DES) to assess such maintenance systems in order to provide a better understanding of the behaviour of complex maintenance operations. Interviews were conducted and literature was analysed to gather modelling requirements. Generic models were created, followed by simulation models, to examine how maintenance operation systems behave regarding different levels of asset monitoring. Findings – This research indicates that DES discerns varying levels of complexity of maintenance operations but that more sophisticated asset monitoring levels will not necessarily result in a higher asset performance. The paper shows that it is possible to assess the impact of monitoring levels as well as make other changes to system operation that may be more or less effective. Practical implications – The proposed tool supports the maintenance operations decision makers to select the appropriate asset monitoring level that suits their operational needs. Originality/value – A novel DES approach was developed to assess asset monitoring levels for maintenance operations. In applying this quantitative approach, it was demonstrated that higher asset monitoring levels do not necessarily result in higher asset availability. The work provides a means of evaluating the constraints in the system that an asset is part of rather than focusing on the asset in isolation.

Knowledge needs in the non-profit sector: an evidence-based model of organizational practices

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dinesh Rathi ◽  
Lisa M. Given ◽  
Eric Forcier
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Free Text ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Organizational Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Types Of Knowledge ◽  
Survey Responses

Purpose – This paper aims to present findings from a study of non-profit organizations (NPOs), including a model of knowledge needs that can be applied by practitioners and scholars to further develop the NPO sector. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted with NPOs operating in Canada and Australia. An analysis of survey responses identified the different types of knowledge essential for each organization. Respondents identified the importance of three pre-determined themes (quantitative data) related to knowledge needs, as well as a fourth option, which was a free text box (qualitative data). The quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistical analyses and a grounded theory approach, respectively. Findings – Analysis of the quantitative data indicates that NPOs ' needs are comparable in both countries. Analysis of qualitative data identified five major categories and multiple sub-categories representing the types of knowledge needs of NPOs. Major categories are knowledge about management and organizational practices, knowledge about resources, community knowledge, sectoral knowledge and situated knowledge. The paper discusses the results using semantic proximity and presents an emergent, evidence-based knowledge management (KM)-NPO model. Originality/value – The findings contribute to the growing body of literature in the KM domain, and in the understudied research domain related to the knowledge needs and experiences of NPOs. NPOs will find the identified categories and sub-categories useful to undertake KM initiatives within their individual organizations. The study is also unique, as it includes data from two countries, Canada and Australia.

Innovative management strategies for building and sustaining a digital initiatives department with limited resources

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Collaborative Management ◽  
Strong Line ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Innovative Strategies ◽  
Other Information

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to offer and explore innovative strategies for building and sustaining digital initiatives at information organizations. Although the examples provided are based on case studies at an academic library, the practices are rooted in project management principles and therefore applicable to all library types, museums, archives and other information organizations. The innovative strategies on staffing and funding will be particularly useful to organizations faced with monetary and staffing shortages and highlights collaborative management practices. Design/methodology/approach Concept of strategic and collaborative management practices led by an experienced project manager cross-trained in management, technical and soft skills enables the successful development and sustainability of digital initiatives. A cross-trained librarian’s management practices of leading the Digital Scholarship Initiatives at a particular university will be examined as a case study and aided with literature supporting the need for digital initiatives leaders to have training beyond the credentials of librarian, curator, archivist or historian in the technologically savvy twenty-first century ecology of information centers. Findings The innovative strategies implemented in the case study yielded increases in the number of hours of digital lab usage, digital projects developed, seminars or workshops presented, attendance of library hosted events, number of programs implemented and awareness on campus, all with limited staff and funding. The variety and level of production and marketing is instrumental to the growth and sustainability of digital initiatives. Practical implications The innovative strategies emphasized in this paper use the concept of borrowed or shared time to start staffing needs and is particularly helpful to organizations that do not have a strong line of dedicated staffing or funding to begin building digital initiatives. Offers small ways to start immediately while setting the stage to plan for big ideas for the future. Originality/value This paper suggests a credentialed information expert, such as a librarian, archivist or curator, that is, also cross-trained in project management and technology is the key to not only successfully leading digital initiatives but is instrumental for its sustainability and the marketing, growth and future of digital initiatives.

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