scholarly journals Construction logistics in urban development projects – learning from, or repeating, past mistakes of city logistics?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mats Janné ◽  
Anna Fredriksson
Keyword(s):  
Urban Development ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Just In Time ◽  
City Logistics ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Big Brother ◽  
Logistics Strategy ◽  
Time Period

PurposeThe construction industry is reluctant to utilize construction logistics centres (CLC). To understand why, the purpose of the study is to increase the understanding of drivers and challenges of CLC utilization.Design/methodology/approachAdopting an activity-based cost methodology, nine construction projects' CLC utilization in a Swedish urban development project is analyzed for a time period of three years (2013–2016).FindingsThere is a difference between drivers and challenges for implementing and utilizing CLCs, which are often implemented to reduce third-party disturbances. The drivers to utilize a CLC, however, stem from achieving efficient logistics. The authors identify two different utilization strategies; the CLC is used either for just-in-time (JIT) deliveries or as a consolidation point.Research limitations/implicationsThe study shows that construction logistics is to some extent repeating some mistakes of its big brother, city logistics. The study hypothesizes that there are differences between CLC implementation and utilization drivers and challenges that are often overlooked, which can explain the lack of CLC utilization.Practical implicationsThe study shows that it is crucial for construction projects to develop and formulate a logistics strategy for how to utilize the setup, i.e. deciding whether to use the setup as a consolidation point leading to fewer deliveries and more materials on-site, or as JIT, leading to more deliveries but fewer materials on-site.Social implicationsCLCs can reduce environmental impact and third-party disturbances. However, to make this come true, acceptance among the users is needed. The study provides understanding of drivers and barriers for CLC implementation and utilization that can increase acceptance among users (i.e. construction projects).Originality/valueThe current study is one of the first studies to analyze CLC utilization.

scholarly journals Urban development project goals and the role of professional ignorance: ambiguous policy objectives and their consequences

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Styhre ◽  
Sara Brorström
Keyword(s):  
Urban Development ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Governance System ◽  
First Line ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Governance Systems ◽  
Policy Objectives ◽  
Project Participants

PurposeDrawing on the literature on professional ignorance, here defined in affirmative terms as the capacity to act regardless of the incompleteness of available information in organizations and professional communities, the article reports empirical material from an urban development project wherein policy makers' instructions are vague and, in certain domains, inconsistent with market conditions.Design/methodology/approachUrban development projects regularly include uncertainty and risk taking, and policy makers' stated objectives regarding project goals may be incomplete or merely signal a political ambition. In such situations, first-line project participants need to make decisions as if uncertainties regarding policy objectives are manageable and preferably minimal. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the proposition that professional ignorance is a key mechanism in incomplete or imperfect governance systems.FindingsProject participants actively questioned policy but acted on the instructions just the same, which is indicative of how professional ignorance is supportive of governance system that relies on first-line market actors and agencies to implement also incomplete or vaguely stated policy objectives. Incomplete policies derive from challenges in political deliberation and bargaining processes, uncertainty regarding the future and shifting preferences among policy makers and constituencies more widely. In practice, incomplete policies regularly include issues for first-level actors (e.g. on the urban development project level) to handle and to reconcile in their day-to-day work.Originality/valueOn basis of an empirical study of a major urban development project, the study contributes to a growing literature that recognizes the value of professional ignorance in governance systems and in project management practice. The study invites further scholarly research that takes an affirmative of professional ignorance but without overlooking its risks and potential malfunctions.

Developing a supplier’s third-party relationships and cooperation in project networks

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miia Martinsuo ◽  
Rami Sariola
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Third Parties ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Project Networks ◽  
Structural Engineers ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding on the emergence of mutually beneficial relationships between component suppliers and third parties in projects, and their interaction practices in the project and potential new services. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative, exploratory research strategy is employed in the context of construction projects, with construction component manufacturers as the focal component suppliers. In total 22 interviews were conducted with structural engineers and architects as relevant third parties, to discover the specifics of component suppliers’ third-party relationship development in construction projects. Findings – The results show the crucial role of third parties in the constructor’s and customer’s decision-making process, and various ways for component suppliers to develop the relationship toward the third parties. The results offer important knowledge about the cooperation between construction component suppliers and third parties and means to increase the centrality of component suppliers in the project network. Research limitations/implications – The research was delimited to structural engineers and architects as third parties in construction projects in one country. Further research is encouraged on third-party cooperation in other kinds of project networks, other kinds of third parties, and the various forms of triadic cooperation in project networks. Practical implications – The results encourage component suppliers to take a proactive approach in developing relationships with third parties, when strengthening their network position. The paper introduces practical ways in which component suppliers may take action toward generating powerful main contractor-supplier-third-party triads. Originality/value – Limited research attention has been directed at third parties and triadic cooperation in project networks. This paper offers important knowledge about the relationship between component suppliers and third parties, particularly in terms of third parties’ expectations and practical initiatives to enhance the relationships.

Capital statement analysis as a tool to detect tax evasion

2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. 1097-1110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anuar Nawawi ◽  
Ahmad Saiful Azlin Puteh Salin
Keyword(s):  
Tax Evasion ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Whole Process ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Analysis Technique ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Tax Fraud ◽  
Source Of Information

Purpose The purpose of this study is to determine the suitability of capital statement analysis in assisting tax investigation to combat tax evasion, measured by the time taken in proving the under-declared income by the tax evader. A weakness in the investigation process that may contribute toward the delay of the tax investigation completion was examined. Design/methodology/approach Five investigation cases were randomly selected from the tax investigation organization for detailed and in-depth analysis on the whole process of reconstruction of capital statement analysis. Document analysis technique was used to analyse the data. Findings This study found that the capital statement analysis can be an effective tool in detecting under-reported income and tax evasion. However, the cooperation from the taxpayer is the most important factor, because if taxpayers do not cooperate, the investigation officer needs to find other informant such as third party as a source of information which usually time-consuming. Research limitations/implications This paper selected only a small number of tax fraud cases for examination. Many other cases were not accessible due to confidentiality and considered as high-profile cases. Practical implications The outcome of this paper contributes in the way it can be used and applied by the revenue authority in implementing more practical and effective capital statement analysis technique to deter tax evasion. The investigation activities can be improved so that more cases can be covered in shorter time period. Originality/value The paper is novel and original, as it focuses on the investigation of tax fraud cases’ which is difficult to access and rare in tax literature, particularly in emerging markets. The findings of this study are inferred from direct examination of the actual cases documents that are private and confidential.

Analyzing the impact of financial policies on construction projects performance using system dynamics

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahin Dabirian ◽  
Mostafa Ahmadi ◽  
Soroush Abbaspour
Keyword(s):  
System Dynamics ◽  
Cash Flow ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Flow System ◽  
Project Performance ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Incentive Payment ◽  
Financial Policies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe research aims to analyze the effects of financial policies on a cash flow system to meet project performance goals and improve profitability. The policies are divided into four groups; owner related, bank-related, labor-related and supplier-related policies. This research presents a developed model for planning, forecasting and managing the cash flow in construction projects using system dynamics (SD).Design/methodology/approachA System Dynamics (SD model is developed to evaluate the effect of different financial policies on construction project performance. By identifying the feedback loops in the cash flow system, a dynamic model is developed to forecast, plan and manage different policies, including prepayment, overbilling, loans, incentive payment, delay in payment and equipment lease.FindingsA case study (a construction activity as part of a pharmaceutical factory development project) is used to analyze the cash flow and financing policies. The findings demonstrate the effects of different policies such as incentive payments on project cash flow estimation, which proved to reduce the project duration, improve the profit and increase the financing during the project execution.Originality/valueThe presented model would be a major attempt to estimate precisely the cash flow and the effect of employing different financial policies on project performance. Applying this model, project managers and decision-makers have the opportunity to model different financial policies concerning a variety of limiting variables applicable to each situation. Ultimately, with this, one can make more reasoned decisions and, in effect, optimize the utility of the project.

A multi-year SEM model predicting the impact of behavior attributes on overall patient satisfaction

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (9) ◽  
pp. 2006-2034 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quinton Nottingham ◽  
Dana M. Johnson ◽  
Roberta Russell
Keyword(s):  
Patient Experience ◽  
Latent Variables ◽  
Patient Flow ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Expectations ◽  
Medical Clinics ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Pressure from competition; inflexible third-party reimbursements; greater demand from government, regulatory and certifying agencies; discerning patients; and the quest of healthcare entities for greater profitably place demands and high expectations for service quality impacting overall patient experience. Extending a prior multivariate, single-period model of varied medical practices predicting patient experience to a three-year time period to understand whether there was a change in overall assessment using data analytics. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach SEM was employed on a per year and aggregated, three-year basis to gain insights into qualitative psychometric constructs predicting overall patient experience and strength of the relationships. Findings Statistically significant differences were uncovered between years indicating the strength of the relationships of latent variables on overall performance. Research limitations/implications Study focused on data gathered from a questionnaire mailed to patients who visited various outpatient medical clinics in a rural community with over 4,000 responses during the three-year study period. A higher percentage of female respondents over the age of 45 may limit the generalizability of the findings. Practical implications Practitioners can gain a broader understanding of different factors influencing overall patient experience. Administrative processes associated with the primary care provider are inconsequential. Patients are not as concerned with patient flow as they are with patient safety and health. Originality/value This research informs healthcare quality management of psychometrics and analytics to improve the overall patient experience in outpatient medical clinics.

Third party conflict management of transboundary river disputes

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 402-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elvira Bobekova
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Conflict Management ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Individual Case ◽  
Third Parties ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Security Challenges

Purpose – This paper aims to fill the gaps by conducting the first large n study examining the role of third parties in the emergence of river agreements in Asia and Africa during the time period 1948-2007. There is a growing literature on what explains agreements in river disputes. However, beyond individual case analysis, little systematic study has been done on the role of third parties in settling river disputes through agreement, in particular on the regions that are mostly affected by the global climate change. Design/methodology/approach – Through utilising new data on the role of third parties in river disputes, this study shows that third party involvement in the conflict management of river disputes increases the likelihood of reaching river agreements. Findings – The findings suggest that third parties use both diplomatic and economic means to increase the likelihood of emergence of river agreements, and both strategies are equally important to induce formalised cooperation. Research limitations/implications – Yet the present study covers only two regions, and it does not delve into a discussion of the conditions under which third party interventions are successful. Rather, these are aspects that need to be explored in the future. Practical implications – Given the current uncertainty around security challenges resulting from climate change, and with predictions of future water wars, this research contributes to the understanding how to peacefully manage current and potential conflicts around transboundary waters. Originality/value – This study is the first large n study examining the role of third parties in the emergence of river agreements in Asia and Africa.

Expected maintenance waste reduction benefits after implementation of Just in Time (JIT) philosophy in maintenance (a statistical analysis)

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandeep Phogat ◽  
Anil Kumar Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Data Interpretation ◽  
General Information ◽  
Spare Parts ◽  
Waste Reduction ◽  
Maintenance Cost ◽  
Just In Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Great Saving ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

Purpose The maintenance department of today, like many other departments, is under sustained pressure to slash costs, show outcome and support the assignment of the organization, as it is a commonsensical prospect from the business perspective. The purpose of this paper is to examine expected maintenance waste reduction benefits in the maintenance of organizations after the implementation of just-in-time (JIT) managerial philosophy. For this, a structured questionnaire was designed and sent to the 421 industries in India. Design/methodology/approach The designed questionnaire was divided into two sections A and B to assist data interpretation. The aim of the section A was to build general information of participants, type of organization, number of employees, annual turnover of the organization, etc. Section B was also a structured questionnaire developed based on a five-point Likert scale. The identified critical elements of the JIT were included in the questionnaire to identify the maintenance waste reduction benefits in the maintenance of organizations. Findings On the basis of the 133 responses, hypothesis testing was done with the help of Z-test, and it was found out that in maintenance, we can reduce a large inventory of spare parts and also shorten the excessive maintenance activities due to the implementation of JIT philosophy. All the four wastes: waste of processing; waste of rejects/rework/scrap in case of poor maintenance; waste of the transport of spares, and waste of motion, have approximately equal weightage in their reduction. Waste of waiting for spares got the last rank, which showed that there are little bit chances in the reduction of waiting for spares after the implementation of JIT philosophy in maintenance. Practical implications The implication of the research findings for maintenance of organizations is that if maintenance practitioners implement elements of JIT philosophy in maintenance then there will be a great reduction in the maintenance wastes. Originality/value This paper will be abundantly useful for the maintenance professionals, researchers and others concerned with maintenance to understand the significance of JIT philosophy implementation to get the expected reduction benefits in maintenance wastes of organizations which will be helpful in the great saving of maintenance cost and time side by side great increment in the availability of machines.

scholarly journals Guided pattern mining for API misuse detection by change-based code analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Nielebock ◽  
Robert Heumüller ◽  
Kevin Michael Schott ◽  
Frank Ortmeier
Keyword(s):  
Pattern Mining ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Just In Time ◽  
False Alarms ◽  
Misuse Detection ◽  
Code Search ◽  
Usage Patterns ◽  
Development Processes ◽  
Code Changes ◽  
Api Usage

AbstractLack of experience, inadequate documentation, and sub-optimal API design frequently cause developers to make mistakes when re-using third-party implementations. Such API misuses can result in unintended behavior, performance losses, or software crashes. Therefore, current research aims to automatically detect such misuses by comparing the way a developer used an API to previously inferred patterns of the correct API usage. While research has made significant progress, these techniques have not yet been adopted in practice. In part, this is due to the lack of a process capable of seamlessly integrating with software development processes. Particularly, existing approaches do not consider how to collect relevant source code samples from which to infer patterns. In fact, an inadequate collection can cause API usage pattern miners to infer irrelevant patterns which leads to false alarms instead of finding true API misuses. In this paper, we target this problem (a) by providing a method that increases the likelihood of finding relevant and true-positive patterns concerning a given set of code changes and agnostic to a concrete static, intra-procedural mining technique and (b) by introducing a concept for just-in-time API misuse detection which analyzes changes at the time of commit. Particularly, we introduce different, lightweight code search and filtering strategies and evaluate them on two real-world API misuse datasets to determine their usefulness in finding relevant intra-procedural API usage patterns. Our main results are (1) commit-based search with subsequent filtering effectively decreases the amount of code to be analyzed, (2) in particular method-level filtering is superior to file-level filtering, (3) project-internal and project-external code search find solutions for different types of misuses and thus are complementary, (4) incorporating prior knowledge of the misused API into the search has a negligible effect.

scholarly journals Assessing Architecture-and-Landscape Integration as a Basis for Evaluating the Impact of Construction Projects on the Cultural Landscape of Tourist Seaside Resorts

Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Wojciech Bal ◽  
Magdalena Czalczynska-Podolska
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Cultural Landscape ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Clear Trend ◽  
Original Culture ◽  
Construction Plans ◽  
The Impact

The coastline of Western Pomerania has natural and cultural assets that have promoted the development of tourism, but also require additional measures to ensure the traditional features and characteristics are protected. This is to ensure that new developments conform to a more uniform set of spatial structures which are in line with the original culture. Today, seaside resorts are characterized by a rapid increase in development with a clear trend towards non-physiognomic architectural forms which continually expand and encroach on land closer to the coastline. This results in a blurring of the original concepts that characterized the founding seaside resort. This study evaluates 11 development projects (including a range of hotels, luxury residential buildings and hotel suites) built in 2009–2020 in the coastal area of Western Pomerania. An assessment of architecture-and-landscape integration for each development project was made, using four groups of evaluation criteria: aesthetic, socio-cultural, functional and locational factors. The study methodology included a historical and interpretative study (iconology, iconography, historiography) and an examination of architecture-and-landscape integration using a pre-prepared evaluation form. Each criterion was first assessed using both field surveys and desk research (including the analysis of construction plans and developer materials), and then compared with the original, traditional qualities of the town. This study demonstrates that it is possible to clearly identify the potential negative impact of tourism development on the cultural landscape of seaside resorts, and provides recommendations for future shaping, management and conservation of the landscape.

Labour productivity motivation framework for Iskandar Malaysia

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 293-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chukwuka Christian Ohueri ◽  
Wallace Imoudu Enegbuma ◽  
Ngie Hing Wong ◽  
Kuok King Kuok ◽  
Russell Kenley
Keyword(s):  
Financial Incentives ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Labour Productivity ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Continuous Training ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Importance Index ◽  
Major Factors

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a motivation framework that will enhance labour productivity for Iskandar Malaysia (IM) construction projects. The vision of IM development corridor is to become Southern Peninsular Malaysia’s most developed region by the year 2025. IM cannot realise this foresight without effective labour productivity. Previous studies have reported that the labour productivity of IM construction projects was six times lower than the labour productivity of Singapore construction projects, due to lack of motivation among IM labourers, and a shortage of local skilled labour. Therefore, there is a need to study how to motivate IM construction labourers, so as to increase their productivity. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative research method was used to collect data from IM construction skilled labourers and construction professionals, using two sets of questionnaire. The respondents were selected using a purposive sampling technique. In total, 40 skilled labourers and 50 construction professionals responded to the questionnaire survey, and the data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science software (version 22). Findings The analysis revealed the major factors that motivate labourers participating in IM construction projects. The factors were ranked hierarchically using Relative Importance Index (RII) and the outcome of the ranking indicated that effective management, viable construction practices, financial incentives, continuous training and development, and safe working environment were the most significant motivation strategies that positively influence IM construction labourers. Originality/value The study developed and validated a framework that can be used to boost the morale of IM construction labourers, so that their productivity can be increased. Implementation of the established motivation framework will also lead to career progression of IM construction labourers, based on the training elements in the framework. This career prospect will attract local skilled labourers to participate in IM construction projects.

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