scholarly journals SIMILARITY ASSESSMENT OF COUNTRIES TO FACILITATE LEARNING FROM INTERNATIONAL CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Beste Ozyurt ◽  
Gozde Bilgin ◽  
Irem Dikmen ◽  
M. Talat Birgonul
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Political Condition ◽  
Similarity Assessment ◽  
International Construction ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Financial Condition ◽  
Governance Systems ◽  
Construction Experience ◽  
The Right

Companies’ ability to learn from projects is a source of competitive advantage in project-based industries. Learning from experiences in international markets is particularly important for global contractors so that the right bidding strategy can be developed, effective project governance systems can be established, and similar mistakes are not repeated. In this study, we assert that countries can be clustered according to their similarity so that experiences gained in these markets can be transferred and adapted to forthcoming projects. Thus, similarity factors to be used for clustering of countries can be identified, and a methodology can be developed to store, retrieve and reuse country-related information in international construction projects. In this paper, we report the factors identified for similarity assessment of countries to be used to facilitate learning from projects. As a result of literature review, interviews with experts and an online questionnaire administered to company professionals who have international construction experience, 12 factors have been identified for clustering of countries. As a result of ranking analysis; factors of “development level of and culture in the construction industry”, “political condition of the country” and “financial condition of the country” are obtained as the most important factors. The identified factors will be explained and how the clustering of countries can help companies to extract valuable information from previous experiences will be discussed.

scholarly journals APPLICATION OF METADATA MODELING TO DISPUTE REVIEW REPORT MANAGEMENT

2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 491-498
Author(s):  
Yimin Zhu ◽  
Mehmet Emre Bayraktar ◽  
Shu-Ching Chen
Keyword(s):  
Information Management ◽  
Information Search ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Portable Document Format ◽  
Heterogeneous Data ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Management Processes ◽  
Florida Department ◽  
Efficiency And Effectiveness

Disagreements in construction projects often result in litigation that is both time‐consuming and expensive. A dispute review board (DRB) provides a valuable and proven alternative method of dispute resolution. Currently, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) stores DRB reports in portable document format (PDF) with limited search capability. Improving information retrieval of DRB documents and providing a certain level of integration of DRB reports with relevant but heterogeneous data and documents is the key to enhancing the current FDOT DRB system. This paper presents a web‐based data management framework to improve information management processes of the FDOT DRB system by providing key features such as metadata generation, an integrated review process, a simple issue description, member information management, and versatile information search. The new system not only allows DRB members and FDOT construction engineers to store and retrieve DRB reports but also provides more functionality to process those re‐ports. New functionalities include a structured search based on the metadata of DRB reports, an unstructured search using advanced computer technology, and the integration of DRB reports with other related information for analysis. This type of functionality improves the efficiency and effectiveness of the DRB system. Santrauka Del nesutarimu vykdant statybos projektus dažnai kyla teisminiu ginču, kurie yra brangūs ir trunka ilgai. Vertingas ir praktikoje prigijes alternatyvus ginču sprendimo metodas yra ginču nagrinejimo taryba (GNT). Šiuo metu Floridos transporto departamentas (FTD) yra sukaupes GNT ataskaitas PDF formatu su ribota paieškos galimybe. GNT dokumentu informacijos paieška ir tinkamo lygio GNT ataskaitu integravimas su reikalingais, bet heterogeniniais duomenimis yra esmine prielaida tobulinti dabartine FTD GNT sistema. Straipsnyje pristatoma internetine duomenu valdymo sistema, skirta patobulinti FTD GNT valdymo procesa remiantis šiomis esminemis savybemis: metaduomenu generavimo, integruoto peržiūros proceso, paprasto ginčo aprašymo, dalyvio informacijos valdymo, visapusiškos informacijos paieškos. Naujoji sistema ne tik leidžia FTD BNT nariams saugoti bei rasti GNT ataskaitas, bet ir sudaro galimybes funkcionaliau jas apdoroti. Naujos sistemos funkcijos apima struktūrizuota paieška GNT ataskaitu metaduomenu pagrindu, restruktūri‐zuota paieška naudojant pažangias kompiuteriu technologijas ir GNT ataskaitu integravima su kita susijusia analizuojama informacija. Šios funkcines savybes pagerina GNT sistemos efektyvuma.

FAKTOR PENANGULANGAN TERJADINYA WASTE PADA PROYEK KONSTRUKSI DI SURABAYA

EXTRAPOLASI ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Michella Beatrix ◽  
Nurul Rochmah ◽  
Gede Sarya ◽  
Pebru Dwijayanto
Keyword(s):  
Waste Management ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Scale Construction ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Construction Costs ◽  
Warehouse Storage ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Material Requirements

AbstractLarge and small scale construction projects have waste that cannot be predicted in advance, even the amount cannot be predicted directly, whether it is in large or small amounts. The existence of waste can have a significant impact that can affect construction costs. Waste can have both negative and positive impacts. Good waste management will have a positive impact on the company in terms of cost, even time, and quality, but if the waste that occurs cannot be handled or managed properly it will harm the company in terms of cost, time, and even in terms of quality. In this case, the party that always gets the impact of the waste is the contractor.This study focuses on mitigating the occurrence of waste that is how to minimize it. Thisstudy uses the distribution of questionnaires to the contractor in Surabaya. The results of this study are 5 item indicators on how to minimize the highest ranking. The 5 items are Updating material requirements, Mixing, transporting, and placing concrete at the right time, Increasing the competence and expertise of labor, Provision of good and adequate material/warehouse storage facilities, and accurate material measurement.  Abstrak Proyek konstruksi dalam skala besar maupun kecil, memiliki waste yang tidak dapat diprediksi sebelumnya, bahkan jumlahnya pun tidak dapat diprediksi secara langsung, apakah itu dalam jumlah besar ataupun jumlah yang kecil. Adanya waste dapat memberikan dampak yang signifikan yang dapat mempengaruhi biaya konstruksi. Pada dasarnya waste dapat memberikan dampak negatif maupun positif. Pengelolaan waste yang baik akan memberikan dampak positif bagi perusahaan dalam segi biaya, bahkan waktu dan mutu, namun apabila waste yang terjadi tidak dapat diatasi atau dikelola dengan baik maka akan memberikan dampak negatif bagi perusahaan dalam segi biaya, waktu bahkan dalam hal mutu. Dalam hal ini pihak yang selalu mendapatkan dampak dari adanya waste adalah pihak kontraktorPenelitian ini memfokuskan pada faktor penanggulangan terjadinya waste yaitu cara meminimalisirnya. Penelitian ini menggunakan penyebaran kuisioner kepada pihak kontraktor di Surabaya. Hasil dari penelitian ini adalah 5 item indicator cara meminimalisir yang memiliki ranking tertinggi. 5 item tersebut adalah Updating kebutuhan material, Mencampur, mengangkut dan menempatkan beton pada waktu yang tepat, Meningkatkan kompetensi dan keahlian tenaga kerja, Penyediaan fasilitas penyimpanan material/gudang yang baik dan memadai, dan Pengukuran bahan yang akurat.

Journal selection behavior among early-career academicians in Iran: how they choose the most appropriate journal for their publications

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amrollah Shamsi ◽  
Brady D_ Lund ◽  
Shohreh SeyyedHosseini ◽  
Reza BasirianJahromi
Keyword(s):  
Early Career ◽  
Medical Sciences ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Scholarly Journals ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Promotion ◽  
Promotion Policies ◽  
Medical Researchers ◽  
Selection Behavior ◽  
The Right

Purpose Journals are the essential tools of researchers, especially academicians, to present their scientific findings. So, choosing the right journal helps not only science development but also their academic promotion. The purpose of this study is to examine the factors that Iranian medical researchers consider when selecting scholarly journals in which to submit their work. Design/methodology/approach A self-administered online questionnaire was emailed in May 2021, with 101 responses received. The sample included all the faculty members with the role of “lecturer” in Iranian medical universities and who have 1–5 articles in the Scopus database as early-career Iranian medical researchers. The questionnaire consisted of 36 items, divided into five sections: basic information, attitudes and beliefs, ways to choose a journal, problems and familiarity with the components of scientometrics/validity metrics related to journals. Findings The findings indicate that these researchers value the expertise of experienced researchers and professionals, like librarians, when selecting publication venues. They often use journal indexes to guide journal selection. They also consider factors like the length of typical peer review and the complexity of submission guidelines when making decisions. Research limitations/implications The study of one country, though detecting requirements of journal selection behavior, cannot be generalized to the entire region. Practical implications The current study has academic implications as far as decisions on journal selection are concerned. University policymakers in Iran may consider re-examining their emphasis on academicians’ promotion policies at Iranian universities of medical sciences. Originality/value These findings may support the work of early-career researchers and those individuals (e.g., librarians) that serve them, as well as publishers and editors of scholarly journals.

Underlying factors for successful project management to construct sustainable built assets

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marios Stanitsas ◽  
Konstantinos Kirytopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Sustainability Indicators ◽  
The Body ◽  
Senior Management ◽  
Sustainable Construction ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theoretical Contribution ◽  
Sustainable Economic Growth

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the underlying factors that give rise to the set of sustainability indicators which are used for the implementation of sustainable construction projects and eventually the production of sustainable built assets.Design/methodology/approachTo accomplish the purpose of this research, an online questionnaire survey was administered to a sample of 200 experts. By employing the statistical method of exploratory factor analysis (EFA), five distinct dimensions (factors) of stakeholders' attitudes were revealed.FindingsThe findings indicate that the sustainability indicators are based on five underlying factors, namely (1) sustainable competitiveness; (2) stakeholder engagement; (3) sustainable economic growth; (4) social sustainability; and (5) resource conservation and environmental policy.Research limitations/implicationsMore studies would be welcome to verify the underlying factors revealed in this paper.Practical implicationsThe knowledge of the underlying factors enables senior management to maintain a balance of choices during the project management (PM) phase in order to implement and deliver sustainable construction projects. Furthermore, the findings deepen the understanding toward sustainable PM practices by providing insights on its core attributes.Originality/valueAs a theoretical contribution to knowledge, this study enhances the body of knowledge by revealing the underlying factors that give rise to the predefined set of the 82 sustainability indicators which are used to enable sustainable construction projects. In practice, the findings aid senior management in adopting strategies that enhance the delivery of sustainable construction projects.

scholarly journals High School Students Struggle to Find School-related Information on the Web

2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 52
Author(s):  
Cari Merkley
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
School Students ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Academic Information ◽  
E Mail ◽  
The Web

A Review of: Shenton, Andrew K. “The Information-Seeking Problems of English High Schoolers Responding to Academic Information Need.” Library Review 57.4 (2008): 276-88. Objective – To investigate the information-seeking behaviour of high school students looking to meet school-related information needs. Design – Online questionnaire. Setting – A comprehensive, publically-funded high school in north-east England. Subjects – Seventy-seven high school students between the ages of 13 and 18 who responded to an online questionnaire that was distributed to the 900-1000 students enrolled at the institution. Methods – An invitation to participate in an online questionnaire was sent to all students at the high school in October, 2006, via e-mail. The total number of invitations sent was not indicated, although it is noted that current enrolment at the school is approximately 900-1000 students across years 9 to 13. In the e-mail, students were provided with a link to a questionnaire posted on the school’s intranet. The questionnaire consisted of six multiple-choice and three open-ended questions. Qualitative data gathered through an open-ended question about problems encountered when seeking information for school was manually coded, and forms the focus of this article. Main Results – Seventy-seven online questionnaires were completed by students between 31 October and 27 November 2006, when analysis of the data began. Of the 77 respondents, only 35 provided data on problems encountered when seeking information for their assignments. Most of the respondents in this group were in years nine, ten and eleven (ages 13-16), with only two in year 12 (16-17) and four in year 13 (17-18). Over half (19/35) of respondents were female. Forty remaining respondents either stated that they experienced no problems in finding the information they needed for school or did not answer the relevant question on the questionnaire. Two participants indicated that they did not have the information they needed to complete their schoolwork because they did not look for it. Over 20 distinct information-seeking problems were identified through inductive analysis of the qualitative data provided by 35 participants. Difficulties encountered in the search for information largely fell into four major categories: problems determining an appropriate search strategy; barriers posed by limited school resources or Internet filtering software; “process frustrations” (280) stemming from the perceived inadequacies of search engines, poorly designed Web sites, and missing or broken Web links; and, “shortcomings in the retrieved information” (281) in terms of relevance and accuracy. In addition, a small number of students either indicated that they had difficulty applying the information they found to the problem that prompted the search, or were concerned about copyright restrictions on how they could use the information. All but two of the problems reported by students related to information-seeking on the Web. The Web was the most popular source of information for students, with 71 out of 77 respondents listing it as one of the sources or the only source they consulted for school. Conclusion – The results suggest a need for information literacy instruction among high school students, with a particular focus on effective use of the Web. The author suggests that some of the students’ frustrations may have been due to an “over-reliance” on Web resources, and could have been avoided if they were educated in the use of additional types of tools (286). This reliance on Web search engines proved problematic when Web filters impeded the students’ academic research. Some of the problems reported by students in 2006 in the search for academic information were similar to those recounted by students in 1999-2000 for the author’s earlier fieldwork in the same geographic area, including concerns about the accuracy or lack of detail of some Web sources, difficulties identifying effective search terms, and barriers posed by Internet filters. Additional research is needed to determine whether students experience the same difficulties when searching for information to meet personal needs and interests as they do when they are searching for information at the behest of a teacher.

scholarly journals FUZZY MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION MAKING MODEL FOR SUBCONTRACTOR SELECTION IN INTERNATIONAL CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 210-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serdar ULUBEYLI ◽  
Aynur KAZAZ
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Decision Criterion ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Human Judgment ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
International Construction ◽  
Weak Points ◽  
Initial Idea ◽  
Decision Making Model ◽  
Selection Of

A general contractor’s ability to select proper subcontractors in foreign projects is a key competitive advantage. Toward this aim, a subcontractor selection model (CoSMo) was developed in this study. As a computational approach, the fuzzy sets method was employed because it can model human judgment by means of linguistic values, combining qualitative and quantitative decision criteria into an aggregate measure. Although the algorithm may be complex for easy acceptance by industrial practitioners, this disadvantage was minimized through a computer-supported system. In order to gain a better understanding of the current practice of CoSMo, a real world construction project was conducted. As a result, it was observed that CoSMo has high practical application and can be used as an advisory system by satisfying principal contractor’s requirements to reduce the risk involved in the selection of a subcontractor. Moreover, it gives an initial idea of how subcontractors perform on each decision criterion and allows the main contractor to understand the picture on the strong and weak points of each bidder and thereby to take conscious decisions.

Access and Logistics Challenges in Mountain Terrain Pipeline Projects

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark McDougall ◽  
Ken Williamson
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Large Diameter ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Additional Time ◽  
Oil And Gas Production ◽  
Road Design ◽  
Regulatory Constraints ◽  
The Right

Oil and gas production in Canada’s west has led to the need for a significant increase in pipeline capacity to reach export markets. Current proposals from major oil and gas transportation companies include numerous large diameter pipelines across the Rocky Mountains to port locations on the coast of British Columbia (BC), Canada. The large scale of these projects and the rugged terrain they cross lead to numerous challenges not typically faced with conventional cross-country pipelines across the plains. The logistics and access challenges faced by these mountain pipeline projects require significant pre-planning and assessment, to determine the timing, cost, regulatory and environmental impacts. The logistics of pipeline construction projects mainly encompasses the transportation of pipe and pipeline materials, construction equipment and supplies, and personnel from point of manufacture or point of supply to the right-of-way (ROW) or construction area. These logistics movement revolve around the available types of access routes and seasonal constraints. Pipeline contractors and logistics companies have vast experience in moving this type of large equipment, however regulatory constraints and environmental restrictions in some locations will lead to significant pre-planning, permitting and additional time and cost for material movement. In addition, seasonal constraints limit available transportation windows. The types of access vary greatly in mountain pipeline projects. In BC, the majority of off-highway roads and bridges were originally constructed for the forestry industry, which transports logs downhill whereas the pipeline industry transports large equipment and pipeline materials in both directions and specifically hauls pipe uphill. The capacity, current state and location of these off-highway roads must be assessed very early in the process to determine viability and/or potential options for construction access. Regulatory requirements, environmental restrictions, season of use restrictions and road design must all be considered when examining the use of or upgrade of existing access roads and bridges. These same restrictions are even more critical to the construction of new access roads and bridges. The logistics and access challenges facing the construction of large diameter mountain pipelines in Western Canada can be managed with proper and timely planning. The cost of the logistics and access required for construction of these proposed pipeline projects will typically be greater than for traditional pipelines, but the key constraint is the considerable time requirement to construct the required new access and pre-position the appropriate material to meet the construction schedule. The entire project team, including design engineers, construction and logistics planners, and material suppliers must be involved in the planning stages to ensure a cohesive strategy and schedule. This paper will present the typical challenges faced in access and logistics for large diameter mountain pipelines, and a process for developing a comprehensive plan for their execution.

scholarly journals SUBCONTRACTOR SELECTION USING THE INTEGRATION OF THE AHP AND PROMRTHEE METHODS

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 1042-1054 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gul POLAT
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Selection Problem ◽  
Preference Ranking ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Building Projects ◽  
Bid Price ◽  
Perform Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Complete Ranking ◽  
The Right

On many construction projects, especially building projects, 80–90% of the tasks are performed by subcontractors. Since the success of the project highly depends on the performances of the subcontractors, selecting the right subcontractor for the right job is critical. Main contractors generally tend to select the subcontractors that offer the lowest bid price. However, working with unqualified and insufficiently financed subcontractors may result in inefficiencies and failures. Thus, a combination of several compromising and conflicting criteria underpinning financial capacity and competencies of the subcontractors should be considered during the subcontractor selection process. This paper proposes an integrated decision approach, which employs analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluations (PROMETHEE) together, for the subcontractor selection problem. In the proposed approach, AHP is used to analyze the structure of the subcontractor selection problem and to determine the weights of the criteria, and PROMETHEE is employed to obtain complete ranking and perform sensitivity analysis by changing the weights of criteria. The proposed approach is applied to a problem of selecting the most appropriate subcontractor to be worked with in an international construction project. Company management found the proposed decision approach satisfactory and implementable in future subcontractor selection problems.

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