scholarly journals Subcontracting Strategy in Industrial Projects: Evidence from Saudi Arabia

Author(s):  
A. A. Ganiyu

Subcontracting is widely employed in the construction industry owing to the variation of methods, materials, magnitude, and function of the infrastructures. However, the rapport between parties in construction are mostly adversarial and plagued with hitches, which negatively impact construction productivity. This research investigates the problems associated with subcontracting strategies of contractors in industrial projects in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia via questionnaire survey. The questionnaire contains a list of thirty-three likely problems affecting subcontracting strategy of contractors organised under the three categories of planning, awarding, and contracting issues. The respondents matched the likely problems with the project value drivers (quality, cost, and time) with which they impact, and rated the magnitude of the problems on project performance. The survey identified incompatibility of the subcontractor/supplier’s time schedule with the project’s time schedule as the topmost problem related to planning issues. Unethical practices is ranked highest among problems related to awarding issues, while incompatibility of subcontracts’ terms and conditions with the main contract’s terms and conditions is rated top among the topmost problems related to contracting issues. The findings revealed that the three problem categories have negative impacts on all the project value drivers in different combinations and are almost equally significant in the view of contractors while making subcontracting decisions. Contractors are therefore advised to critically evaluate the schedule, cost, and quality performance of industrial projects during the planning, awarding, and contracting phase of subcontracting in industrial projects.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Ahmad Algassim ◽  
Akhmad Saufi ◽  
Diswandi Diswandi ◽  
Noel Scott

Purpose Al-Juhfa is a small village located near Rabigh City, between Makkah and Madinah, Saudi Arabia, with significant archaeological and religious resources. The purpose of this paper is to examine residents’ attitudes toward tourism development at Al-Juhfa. Design/methodology/approach The qualitative study uses purposive interviewing to recruit informants. Data was collected using semi-structured interview and open-ended questions. Eight semi-structured interviews were made and a list of open-ended questions was distributed to 134 informants. All data were analysed and no new codes were found after the answer of the first 49 informants analysed. Findings The results show that residents’ attitudes toward tourism development in general were positive with residents expecting to receive economic, social and environmental benefits. Residents were aware of potential positive and negative impacts of tourism development and appeared to balance these in developing their attitudes. Tourism was seen to empower residents and the religiosity of the community influenced their perception of tourism development. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by supporting the use of social exchange theory in this context and by recommending the inclusion of religiosity in further studies.


2009 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-186
Author(s):  
Margaret Rose

Technologies that enable the targeted manipulation of the genome have created new opportunities to study the role and interplay of specific genes in both the regulation and function of physiological and behavioural processes and in the development of pathological conditions. Despite the potential benefits, there are ethical issues in relation to the application of these technologies, some of which relate to the impact on the welfare of the animals involved. Matters of concern include the methods involved in the derivation and production of genetically-modified (GM) animals and resulting phenotypes, where animal welfare is compromised. In the case of the latter, this may be the predicted consequence of the genetic modification, but the occurrence of unforeseen animal welfare complications is a major challenge in the management of GM animals. There has been a rapid escalation in the development of new GM lines, most of them involving mice. Databases of available lines have been developed by national and international consortia, and researchers have developed standard protocols to describe the phenotype of a new line; increasingly, such data are entered into these databases. The inclusion of animal welfare assessments with these data would provide a powerful and sophisticated tool to promote refinement. The scope, level and frequency of monitoring would facilitate the identification of unpredicted effects and the management of humane endpoints, and would identify opportunities to manage the animals so as to ameliorate negative impacts. Furthermore, by highlighting the subtleties of gene–environment interactions, such data have wider implications in achieving the goals of refinement.


Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Jacobus (Koos) Frederick van Staden

Analytical chemistry is experiencing dramatic, turbulent change beyond laboratory and laboratory management control. Technological innovations, staffing demographics, new business models, automation, industry consolidation, society, regulatory expectations, and other factors are transforming nearly every aspect of analytical chemistry. This course takes a strategic view of the laboratory system in the context of current quality management philosophies to determine options for achieving best practices. Experiences will be shared to provide insight into the obstacles and expected outcomes for the various approaches. Furthermore, this course includes the mission and function of the analytical enterprise, along with ways to improve the quality, performance, and evaluation of the laboratory for excellent benchmarking in giant industries.


Author(s):  
Tássia Farssura Lima Da Silva ◽  
Aline Valverde Arrotéia ◽  
Silvio Burrattino Melhado

Studies on developments in the Brazilian civil construction report there is still a disconnection between the design phase and implementation in addition to a lack of management and coordination of effective design. This frequent dissociation compresses time and cost of project development that usually can be understood as an isolated instrument. In this context, academic education significantly influences the practices exercised by professionals in the labor market and the fragmented form of education currently adopted does not provide a collaborative environment, affecting the integration of the various agents involved in the development of the project and during the execution of the building. Thus, the main objective of this study is to evaluate the influence of vocational training in project management activities by applying a case study of a large project. As a result, it has been found that the company studied could better manage and coordinate the design process. Similarly, it could reduce project costs and project development time if it had applied effective risk management to avoid negative impacts and losses. The study results indicate that management concepts provide important inputs to professional training of construction agents.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Wang ◽  
Xiaoqian Xie ◽  
Kang Xie ◽  
Qingsong Liu ◽  
Yi Li ◽  
...  

Chitin is found in the exoskeleton and peritrophic matrix of arthropods, but recent studies have also identified chitin in the spinning duct of silk-spinning arthropods. Here, we report the presence and function of chitin and cuticle proteins ASSCP1 and ASSCP2 in the spinning duct of silkworms. We show that chitin and these proteins are co-located in the cuticular layer of the spinning duct. Ultrastructural analysis indicates that the cuticular layer has a multilayer structure by layered stacking of the chitin laminae. After knocking down ASSCP1 and ASSCP2, the fine structure of this layer was disrupted, which had negative impacts on the mechanical properties of silk. This work clarifies the function of chitin in the spinning duct of silk-spinning arthropods. Chitin and cuticle proteins are the main components of the hard and rigid cuticular layer, providing the shearing stress during silk fibrillogenesis and regulating the final mechanical properties of silk.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andree Kurniawan

Introduction: Sarcopenia in cancer patients, especially in advanced stage, recently known as an emerging problem. Firstly, sarcopenia is found in elderly patients. The diagnosis of sarcopenia needs evaluation of muscle composition and function and physical activity. Sarcopenia will give negative impacts such as increased mortality, chemo-toxicity, and decreased quality of life. Here, we review the current evidence describing the definition, impact, risk factors, mechanisms, diagnosis and treatment of sarcopenia in cancer patients.Method: We identified 48 studies and/or review articles evaluating sarcopenia in cancer patients by searching PubMed and EMBASE databases. Results: Sarcopenia is reported across all stages and types of cancers. There is a new definition of sarcopenia that is reported in 2019 paper. The risk factors or causes of sarcopenia in cancer are complex depending on the clinical settings of each patient. SARC-F questionnaire can be used to screen cancer patients in clinical settings. The diagnostic evaluation and cut-off measurement of sarcopenia especially in cancer varied across studies. The loss of muscle mass that happens during chemotherapy will make a poor prognosis. Sarcopenia can worsen chemotherapy toxicity. Combination exercise with adequate dietary supplementation, adequate energy, and protein are important in the management of sarcopenia in cancer patients.Conclusions: Patients with cancer belong to a population at risk of developing sarcopenia before and after chemotherapy. Sarcopenia diagnosis needs the evaluation of muscle mass and muscle strength or physical performance. Physical activity exercise is the best strategy to reduce sarcopenia in cancer patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 21-34
Author(s):  
Anthony Perl ◽  
Taotao Deng ◽  
Leandro Correa ◽  
Dandan Wang ◽  
Yulin Yan

Advances in transport technology have been shown to play a vital role in urban development over millennia. From the engineering and pavement innovations of the Roman road network to the aerospace breakthroughs that enabled jet aircraft, cities have been reshaped by the mobility changes resulting from new designs for moving people and goods. This article explores the urbanization impacts of High-Speed Rail’s introduction in China, which has built the world’s largest High-Speed Rail network in record time. Since High-Speed Rail was launched in Japan in 1964, this technology has worked to reshape intercity travel as a revolutionary transportation alternative. High-Speed Rail has developed steadily across Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland during the 1970s and 1980s. It expanded to Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Sweden in the 1990s. In the 21st century, China began developing High-Speed Rail on an unprecedented scale, and now has a national network that is longer than the totality of the rest of the world’s High-Speed Rail operations combined. China’s High-Speed Rail operation is exerting a transformative influence on urban form and function. This article synthesizes secondary research results to analyse the impacts of HSR on urbanization. These effects include population redistribution, urban spatial expansion and industrial development. We offer a typol-ogy that considers the urban effects of High-Speed Rail at three spatial levels: the station area, the urban jurisdiction, and the regional agglomeration. When organized through our typology, research findings demonstrate that High-Speed Rail influences urban population size, urban spatial layout and industrial development by changing the acces-sibility of cities. We highlight the processes by which High-Speed Rail ultimately affects the urbanization process for people, land use, and industrial development. However, High-Speed Rail’s impacts on urbanization are not always positive. While leveraging the development opportunity enabled by High-Speed Rail, governments around the world should also avoid potential negative impacts by drawing lessons from the experience of High-Speed Rail’s rapid de-ployment in China.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10(6)) ◽  
pp. 1916-1931
Author(s):  
Takalani Ramukumba

Natural areas, when protected, conserve the natural environment and function as social spaces in which tourism brings increased income, employment, and financial support for conservation. The inclusion of local community members in the planning and management of protected areas has been on the rise since the early 1900s. Tourism has been advocated as a strategy that can help in achieving economic development, especially in rural areas. However, governance issues and potential negative impacts of tourism development have been under inspection. Conservation efforts in Southern Africa especially in the late 1800s and early 1900s had negative impacts on the local communities since this led to many communities being displaced or having limited access to these protected areas. This has seen the need for ways and efforts to get local community members' despondency and attitudes towards protected areas change such that in the 20th century, there were efforts to use conservation models that included community members in the decision-making and benefit-sharing process to garner their support for protected areas. This paper reviews literature on environmental governance, land restitution in protected areas, tourism in protected areas, co-management, and the importance of community participation. These concepts are reviewed using Manyeleti Game Reserve as a case study.


Author(s):  
Solmaz Amooshahi ◽  
Sharareh Pourebrahim ◽  
Farhad Nejadkoorki

Due to the significant importance of petrochemical industry for Iran’s national economy and the environmental impacts such as wastewater, pollutant emissions, and hazardous wastes, the present study aimed to assess the construction and operation in two phases. Some relevant criteria were distinguished and weighted using Shannon’s entropy, as the objective weighting measures used to measure uncertainty, occurrence probability, severity, and vulnerability, and expert knowledge. The PROMETHEE technique was used due to the presence of large volumes of quantitative and qualitative data and its capability to evaluate the impacts. The steps included forming the evaluation matrix, determining the preference functions and function calculations. The relative desirability of each alternative was measured by calculating the net outranking flows. Finally, the activities were ranked. Based on the results, the main environmental negative impacts are the loss of vegetation cover and land use change, soil erosion and water and air pollution due to activities such as land cleanly shaven, establishment and operation of fuel tanks and drainage changes.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document