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Al-Khomairi, Abdulrahman, BongSeog Jung, and Ibrahim Elsebaie. "Lifecycle cost optimization of pipeline projects." Journal of Water Supply: Research and Technology-Aqua 69, no. 7 (October 5, 2020): 656–67. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2020.147.
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Abstract Lifecycle cost optimization for a pipeline network with medium-sized pipes is performed considering steady and unsteady flow conditions. Genetic algorithms are used to generate a wide range of hydraulically acceptable solutions and search for the most economical solutions. The impact of each cost component on the total cost is determined in this study. The decision variables include the pipe diameter, pipe material, pipe pressure rating, surge tank size and operational and maintenance costs over the project service life. A real-case project is presented to crosscheck the suggested procedure. Significant cost variations are observed, even between equally acceptable designs. Furthermore, the operational cost has a deterministic effect on the parameters of the optimum solution. Compared to conventional design wisdom that focuses on reducing the pipe diameter as much as possible to reduce the project cost, this approach demonstrates that significant savings in pipeline project costs can be achieved by carefully investigating all possible design alternatives under steady and unsteady flow conditions.
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Ajayi, Saheed O., Lukumon O. Oyedele, and Jamiu A. Dauda. "Dynamic relationship between embodied and operational impacts of buildings." World Journal of Science, Technology and Sustainable Development 16, no. 2 (April 1, 2019): 70–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/wjstsd-05-2018-0048.
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Purpose Buildings and their construction activities consume a significant proportion of mineral resources excavated from nature and contribute a large percentage of CO2 in the atmosphere. As a way of improving the sustainability of building construction and operation, various sustainable design appraisal standards have been developed across nations. Albeit criticism of the appraisal standards, evidence shows that increasing sustainability of the built environment has been engendered by such appraisal tools as Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), Code for Sustainable Homes (CfSH), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficacy, among others. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of the appraisal standards in engendering whole lifecycle environmental sustainability of the built environment. Design/methodology/approach In order to evaluate the adequacy of sustainability scores assigned to various lifecycle stages of buildings in the appraisal standards, four case studies of a block of classroom were modelled. Using Revit as a modelling platform, stage by stage lifecycle environmental impacts of the building were simulated through Green Building Studio and ATHENA Impact estimator. The resulting environmental impacts were then compared against the assessment score associated with each stage of building lifecycle in BREAAM and CfSH. Findings Results show that albeit the consensus that the appraisal standards engender sustainability practices in the AEC industry, total scores assigned to impacts at each stage of building lifecycle is disproportionate to the simulated whole-life environmental impacts associated with the stages in some instances. Originality/value As the study reveals both strengths and weaknesses in the existing sustainability appraisal standards, measures through which they can be tailored to resource efficiency and lifecycle environmental sustainability of the built environment are suggested.
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Vuorinen, Lauri, and Miia Maarit Martinsuo. "Lifecycle view of managing different changes in projects." International Journal of Managing Projects in Business 12, no. 1 (March 4, 2019): 120–43. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijmpb-11-2017-0135.
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Purpose A project contractor can promote the success of a delivery project by planning the project well and following a project management methodology (PMM). However, various changes typically take place, requiring changes to the project plan and actions that deviate from the firm’s established PMM. The purpose of this paper is to explore different types of changes and change management activities over the lifecycle of delivery projects. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative single case study design was used. In total, 17 semi-structured interviews were carried out during a delivery project in a medium-sized engineering company that delivers complex systems to industrial customers. Findings Both plan-related changes and deviations from the PMM were mapped throughout the project lifecycle. Various internal and external sources of change were identified. An illustrative example of the interconnectedness of the changes reveals the potential escalation of changes over the project lifecycle. Managers and project personnel engage in different change management activities and improvisation to create alternative paths, re-plan, catch up, and optimize project performance after changes. Research limitations/implications The empirical study is limited to a single case study setting and a single industry. The findings draw attention to the interconnectedness and potential escalation effect of changes over the lifecycle of the project, and the need for integrated change management and improvisation actions. Practical implications Efficient change management and improvisation at the early phase of a delivery project can potentially mitigate negative change incidents in later project phases. Changes are not only the project manager’s concern; project personnel’s skilled change responses are also helpful. The findings emphasize the importance of the project customer as a source of changes in delivery projects, meaning that customer relationship management throughout the project lifecycle is needed for successful change management. Originality/value The study offers increased understanding of changes and change management throughout the project lifecycle. The results show evidence of plan-related and methodology-related changes and their interconnections, thereby proposing a lifecycle view of integrated change management and improvisation in projects.
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Smyth, Hedley, Aaron M. Anvuur, and Illona Kusuma. "Integrated solutions for total asset management through “RIVANS”." Built Environment Project and Asset Management 7, no. 1 (February 6, 2017): 5–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/bepam-07-2015-0034.
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Purpose Examine the extent of integration in delivering value from design and construction (DC) activities for total asset management (TAM) and operations post-completion. DC and operations and management (OM) are both addressed. The problem owners are those in roles and organisations responsible for integrating DC with OM. The purpose of this paper is to show the extent of integration between actors along the project lifecycle. Relationally integrated value networks (RIVANS) provide the conceptual lens for the analysis. Design/methodology/approach A mixed method approach was used. A questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews were employed. Findings There is a lack of engagement between DC and OM. The trend is moving counter to integration. BIM is not found to be a technical solution. Research limitations/implications The mixed method helps extend the RIVANS perspective. Further research to understand and support integration is needed, especially qualitative research to provide greater granular understanding. Practical implications The identified trend away from integration poses management challenges in delivery and for sustainability in use. Supply chains engage specialists, yet internal and inter-organisational collaboration require management attention to value creation. This includes the DC-OM interface. Both sides can benefit from increased engagement. Social implications Infrastructure and property provision will continue to fall short of user and environmental functionality without improved integration. Originality/value A contribution to the project and asset management interface is made, showing low integration, disengaged asset management. BIM is unable to plug the gaps. The RIVANS analytical lens provides a perspective for improvement.
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Rezgui, Yacine, Thomas Beach, and Omer Rana. "A GOVERNANCE APPROACH FOR BIM MANAGEMENT ACROSS LIFECYCLE AND SUPPLY CHAINS USING MIXED-MODES OF INFORMATION DELIVERY." Journal of Civil Engineering and Management 19, no. 2 (April 18, 2013): 239–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.3846/13923730.2012.760480.
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Built environment data is of varying nature embedding various forms of sensitivities with potential legal, contractual, intellectual property, and security implications. The paper presents a governance approach for managing multi-actor, multi-discipline, and total lifecycle data, informed by a wide industry consultation conducted in the UK between March and September 2011. The study identifies a number of barriers in engaging with Building Information Modelling (BIM) efforts with a view of facilitating collaboration around a common and integrated project specification. A governance model is proposed that addresses the identified adoption blockers underpinned by a “mixed approach”, that factors in various modes of information delivery, ranging from paper-based documents to object-based information conveyed by IFC (Industry Foundation Classes). A demonstrator system is developed and used to validate our BIM governance concepts. Our governance model is discussed in the context of the recent UK government BIM industry consultation document supported by a research and development (R&D) roadmap taking into account current industry structure and its various levels of stakeholders’ maturity, capability and readiness.
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Egilmez, M. Mert, Jong Min Park, Alparslan Emrah Bayrak, Bogdan I. Epureanu, and Panos Y. Papalambros. "Adaptability of modular vehicle fleets to changing supply route characteristics." Journal of Defense Modeling and Simulation: Applications, Methodology, Technology 17, no. 4 (September 10, 2019): 327–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1548512919874127.
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Modularity in vehicle systems can reduce total lifecycle cost and improve adaptability for ground military fleets. This paper quantifies the adaptability of vehicle fleets to changes in supply route characteristics defined by route distance, threat level, and damage probability. Each characteristic is discretized into three levels, and the adaptability analysis is performed over 27 scenarios with significantly different characteristics. Fleet adaptability is measured in terms of two fleet-level metrics, namely the total fleet mass (which is correlated to the total cost) and the personnel requirements. Results show that modularity improves adaptability in terms of total fleet mass compared with a conventional approach, while providing a comparable adaptability in terms of personnel requirements. A sensitivity analysis is also performed on module characteristics of the modular fleet. This analysis shows that changes in relatively small parts of the system can change the values of performance metrics substantially.
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Rohman, Mohammad Arif, Hemanta Doloi, and Christopher Andrew Heywood. "Success criteria of toll road projects from a community societal perspective." Built Environment Project and Asset Management 7, no. 1 (February 6, 2017): 32–44. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/bepam-12-2015-0073.
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Purpose While the success of the toll road projects procured through public private partnerships (PPPs) routes are widely confined to the cost, time and quality performance in the delivery context, considerable evidence suggests that such success criteria are not sufficient when the toll road projects are assessed in relation to meeting the long-run community expectations. The purpose of this paper is to examine the key factors associated with the success of the toll road projects from a societal perspective in Indonesia. Design/methodology/approach Based on the input from 12 experts and a rigorous literature review, a questionnaire survey was designed and a total of 206 respondents from three broad stakeholders’ groups, namely, government, private and end-users’ communities were surveyed to measure the performance of eight toll road projects. The data were primarily analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and reliability test using SPSS Software. Findings Four significant factors associated with the project social benefit were established as a measure of the overall success criteria in toll road projects. It is expected these can be used as guidance to deliver project social benefit to the community in the overall project lifecycle. Research limitations/implications This research contributes to the incorporation of social project benefit attributes to the the toll road projects’ success criteria in overall project lifecycle. Practical implications This study can be used as guidance for the overall stakeholders, such as the government and the project manager to address the current social problems and better navigate the project direction in order to achieve the overall toll road project success in the overall project lifecycles. Social implications The research highlights how the Indonesian government’s program of developing toll road projects using the PPP procurement routes can be supported for complete social inclusivity by considering the social dimension to achieve long-term success. Originality/value Identification of the key project social factors based on the data set with a wide representation of the stakeholders has made the research original and unique.
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Gangurde, Sanjaykumar R., and Milind M. Akarte. "Segmentation based product design using preferred features." Benchmarking: An International Journal 22, no. 6 (August 3, 2015): 1096–114. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/bij-11-2014-0104.
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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a systematic methodology for segmenting customers based on the preferred product features, its cost and worth, so as to facilitate the designer to develop a product that will simultaneously minimize product cost and maximize customer satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach – Post hoc – non-overlapping – non-hierarchical approach has been used for segmentation based on preferred product features by the customers. Allocation of product features to a particular segment is carried out by considering feature cost and customer worth for that feature. Automobile car has been selected as an example to demonstrate the methodology, where features data were collected from dealers and customer worth data were obtained by random generation method. Findings – Methodology facilitates creation of n number of homogeneous segments from a heterogeneous customer group based on the cost and worth of product features. Total product cost decreases though product variety increased due to segmentation. Originality/value – The proposed approach will help designers in segmenting (grouping) heterogeneous customers based on the preferred product features so that a most compatible (matching) product configuration for each segment, especially during product consolidation stage (beginning of the maturity phase of product lifecycle) can be developed to achieve maximum customer satisfaction.
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KUMAR, VIJAY, SUNIL KUMAR KHATRI, HITESH DUA, MANISHA SHARMA, and PARIDHI MATHUR. "AN ASSESSMENT OF TESTING COST WITH EFFORT-DEPENDENT FDP AND FCP UNDER LEARNING EFFECT: A GENETIC ALGORITHM APPROACH." International Journal of Reliability, Quality and Safety Engineering 21, no. 06 (December 2014): 1450027. http://dx.doi.org/10.1142/s0218539314500272.
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Software testing involves verification and validation of the software to meet the requirements elucidated by customers in the earlier phases and to subsequently increase software reliability. Around half of the resources, such as manpower and CPU time are consumed and a major portion of the total cost of developing the software is incurred in testing phase, making it the most crucial and time-consuming phase of a software development lifecycle (SDLC). Also the fault detection process (FDP) and fault correction process (FCP) are the important processes in SDLC. A number of software reliability growth models (SRGM) have been proposed in the last four decades to capture the time lag between detected and corrected faults. But most of the models are discussed under static environment. The purpose of this paper is to allocate the resources in an optimal manner to minimize the cost during testing phase using FDP and FCP under dynamic environment. An elaborate optimization policy based on optimal control theory for resource allocation with the objective to minimize the cost is proposed. Further, genetic algorithm is applied to obtain the optimum value of detection and correction efforts which minimizes the cost. Numerical example is given in support of the above theoretical result. The experimental results help the project manager to identify the contribution of model parameters and their weight.
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Egilmez, Gokhan, N. Muhammad Aslaam Mohamed Abdul Ghani, and Ridvan Gedik. "Layer analysis of CO2 sources in the US economic supply chains: an input output LCA study." Industrial Management & Data Systems 117, no. 10 (December 4, 2017): 2171–93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/imds-11-2016-0473.
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Purpose Carbon footprint assessment requires a holistic approach, where all possible lifecycle stages of products from raw material extraction to the end of life are considered. The purpose of this paper is to develop an analytical sustainability assessment framework to assess the carbon footprint of US economic supply chains from two perspectives: supply chain layers (tiers) and carbon footprint sources. Design/methodology/approach The methodology consists of two phases. In the first phase, the data were collected from EORA input output and environmental impact assessment database. In the second phase, 48 input-output-based lifecycle assessment models were developed (seven CO2 sources and total CO2 impact, and six supply chain tiers). In the third phase, the results are analyzed by using data visualization, data analytics, and statistical approaches in order to identify the heavy carbon emitter industries and their percentage shares in the supply chains by each layer and the CO2 source. Findings Vast majority of carbon footprint was found to be attributed to the power generation, petroleum refineries, used and secondhand goods, natural gas distribution, scrap, and truck transportation. These industries dominated the entire supply chain structure and found to be the top drivers in all six layers. Practical implications This study decomposes the sources of the total carbon footprint of US economic supply chains into six layers and assesses the percentage contribution of each sector in each layer. Thus, it paves the way for quantifying the carbon footprint of each layer in today’s complex supply chain structure and highlights the importance of handling CO2 source in each layer separately while maintaining a holistic focus on the overall carbon footprint impacts in the big picture. In practice, one size fits all type of policy making may not be as effective as it could be expected. Originality/value This paper provides a two-dimensional viewpoint for tracing/analyzing carbon footprint across a national economy. In the first dimension, the national economic system is divided into six layers. In the second dimension, carbon footprint analysis is performed considering specific CO2 sources, including energy production, solvent, cement and minerals, agricultural burning, natural decay, and waste. Thus, this paper contributes to the state-of-art sustainability assessment by providing a comprehensive overview of CO2 sources in the US economic supply chains.
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Douglas, Jackie, David Muturi, Alexander Douglas, and Jacqueline Ochieng. "The role of organisational climate in readiness for change to Lean Six Sigma." TQM Journal 29, no. 5 (October 9, 2017): 666–76. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/tqm-04-2017-0046.
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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of organisational climate in readiness for change (RFC) with particular focus on Lean Six Sigma (LSS) and to develop and operationalise an instrument to measure organisational climate to determine the organisational readiness of the Kenya Institute of Management (KIM) to progress to the next stage of the LSS implementation lifecycle. Design/methodology/approach A case study outlining the KIM journey to LSS is described. A quantitative survey was developed based on the ten organisational climate dimensions discovered by Ekvall (1983) and redefined by Lauer (1994). This was then used to measure the climate of the case study organisation. Data were analysed to determine individual perceptions of the climate dimensions within KIM. The average score for each dimension was used to determine overall organisational performance and hence RFC. Findings The generally positive scores across each dimension of the survey indicate that the KIM climate is ready for the next stage of its LSS implementation lifecycle although there may be some isolated pockets (individuals or groups) of resistance to change. However, the range of scores on each dimension indicates that there is disagreement within the survey group about the overall organisational climate. Research limitations/implications The response rate to the climate survey questionnaire was only two-thirds of the total staff at KIM Headquarters and approximately one-fifth of all staff. The views of non-respondents are therefore not known and this may bias the results. Practical implications Since climate influences RFC it is essential that an organisation can measure it to ensure its environment is conducive to the implementation of change generally and LSS particularly. The developed questionnaire is easy to use, easy to analyse and easy to interpret making it an ideal climate measurement instrument. Originality/value Previous papers on LSS concentrate on organisational culture rather that climate as a success factor for LSS implementation. This paper addresses that omission.
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Flucker, Sophia, Robert Tozer, and Beth Whitehead. "Data centre sustainability – Beyond energy efficiency." Building Services Engineering Research and Technology 39, no. 2 (January 12, 2018): 173–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0143624417753022.
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Data centres are large energy consumers, which have become more energy efficient in recent years due to increased awareness of opportunities, increasing energy costs and corporate social responsibility pressures. A lifecycle assessment approach identifies two other significant areas of impact: the embodied impact of IT equipment and mechanical and electrical plant, and the electricity source used in operational and embodied processes. Many data centre operators publicise their energy efficiency, some also report on their carbon footprint. However, there is a need for simple tools in order to help operators better understand and quantify the embodied impact and inform green procurement. Focussing purely on energy efficiency may cause a burden shift, e.g. by replacing equipment with more efficient equipment but increasing the embodied impact. The total environmental impact could remain the same/increase, but with the perception of a ‘greener’ data centre. Although currently there is limited data available for data centre life cycle assessments and the process is resource intensive, research has identified which factors significantly impact a facility’s environmental impact. This knowledge should be used in the design process and throughout the data centre lifecycle to minimise data centre environmental impact. Practical application: As the data centre industry continues to grow and its sustainability receives closer scrutiny, it is important to increase awareness of where its highest environment impacts lie and analyse the factors which influence this. This can help inform policy and decision-making to support the design and operation of data centres which are truly more sustainable. It is important that this research is not just theoretical but can translate into practical actions which can be implemented in a cost-effective manner for the benefit of everyone. The current focus in industry has been energy consumption and energy efficiency; many practices which were considered innovative a few years ago have now become standard best practice. It is time to examine which other areas should be prioritised for improvement.
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Arsalis, Alexandros, and George E. Georghiou. "Thermoeconomic Optimization of a Hybrid Photovoltaic-Solid Oxide Fuel Cell System for Decentralized Application." Applied Sciences 9, no. 24 (December 12, 2019): 5450. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/app9245450.
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A small-scale, decentralized hybrid system is proposed for autonomous operation in a commercial building (small hotel). The study attempts to provide a potential solution, which will be attractive both in terms of efficiency and economics. The proposed configuration consists of the photovoltaic (PV) and solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) subsystems. The fuel cell subsystem is fueled with natural gas. The SOFC stack model is validated using literature data. A thermoeconomic optimization strategy, based on a genetic algorithm approach, is applied to the developed model to minimize the system lifecycle cost (LCC). Four decision variables are identified and chosen for the thermoeconomic optimization: temperature at anode inlet, temperature at cathode inlet, temperature at combustor exit, and steam-to-carbon ratio. The total capacity at design conditions is 70 and 137.5 kWe, for the PV and SOFC subsystems, respectively. After the application of the optimization process, the LCC is reduced from 1,203,266 to 1,049,984 USD. This improvement is due to the reduction of fuel consumed by the system, which also results in an increase of the average net electrical efficiency from 29.2 to 35.4%. The thermoeconomic optimization of the system increases its future viability and energy market penetration potential.
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Gaidajis, Georgios, and Ilias Kakanis. "Life Cycle Assessment of Nitrate and Compound Fertilizers Production—A Case Study." Sustainability 13, no. 1 (December 25, 2020): 148. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13010148.
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The production and utilization of fertilizers are processes with known and noteworthy environmental impacts. Direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and a high contribution to water eutrophication due to the nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) derivatives are some of the most crucial impacts derived from the overall life cycle of fertilizer use. The life cycle assessment (LCA) has been reliable and analytical tool for the identification, quantification, and evaluation of potential environmental impacts of fertilizers related to the products, production processes, or activities throughout their lifecycle. In this paper, a gate-to-gate LCA approach was applied in order to identify and evaluate the impacts derived from the production processes of nitrate and compound fertilizers the production industry in Northeastern Greece. The results from this study prove that compound fertilizers have a greater impact compared with nitrate fertilizers, contributing up to 70% of the total production impacts. Furthermore, climate change, freshwater eutrophication, and fossil fuel depletion were identified as the most crucial impact categories. Finally, a comparison with relevant LCA studies was conducted, in order to identify the possibility of a consistency pattern of the fertilizer production impacts in general.
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Ongel, Aybike, Erik Loewer, Felix Roemer, Ganesh Sethuraman, Fengqi Chang, and Markus Lienkamp. "Economic Assessment of Autonomous Electric Microtransit Vehicles." Sustainability 11, no. 3 (January 26, 2019): 648. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su11030648.
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There is rapidly growing interest in autonomous electric vehicles due to their potential in improving safety, accessibility, and environmental outcomes. However, their market penetration rate is dependent on costs. Use of autonomous electric vehicles for shared-use mobility may improve their cost competitiveness. So far, most of the research has focused on the cost impact of autonomy on taxis and ridesourcing services. Singapore is planning for island-wide deployment of autonomous vehicles for both scheduled and on-demand services as part of their transit system in the year 2030. TUMCREATE developed an autonomous electric vehicle concept, a microtransit vehicle with 30-passenger capacity, which can complement the existing bus transit system. This study aims to determine the cost of autonomous electric microtransit vehicles and compare them to those of buses. A total cost of ownership (TCO) approach was used to compare the lifecycle costs. It was shown that although the acquisition costs of autonomous electric vehicles are higher than those of their conventional counterparts, they can reduce the TCO per passenger-km up to 75% and 60% compared to their conventional counterparts and buses, respectively.
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Chountalas, Panos T., and Athanasios G. Lagodimos. "Paradigms in business process management specifications: a critical overview." Business Process Management Journal 25, no. 5 (September 2, 2019): 1040–69. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/bpmj-01-2018-0023.
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Purpose Despite its popularity, business process management (BPM) is not unequivocally defined, but obtains different forms with varying specifications. This paper presents a critical overview of BPM, as it appears within four dominant management paradigms: total quality management, standardized management systems, business process reengineering and Six Sigma. The purpose of this paper is to explore BPM specifications and compare the BPM implementation potential under each paradigm. Design/methodology/approach This is based on the analysis of a large number of highly cited scholarly publications. In order to identify the nature of BPM within each paradigm, a common framework for comparison is first established and then, for each paradigm, BPM is analyzed according to the main parameters of this framework. Findings Many differences among various BPM forms are paradigm driven. So, the approach adopted by each paradigm (i.e. individual-process or systemic approach) affects the scope and role of BPM. The principles of each paradigm directly affect the attributes assigned to BPM. Despite of important differences, the structure of BPM within all paradigms conforms to the stages of the classical BPM lifecycle. However, each paradigm assigns different weights to each stage and also displays different levels of BPM implementability. Originality/value The paper presents a first systematic comparison of BPM specifications for the dominant management paradigms primarily deployed. It thus explains why many attributes originating from the paradigms have crept into the general BPM specifications. This work can be considered as a step toward defining the core attributes of a paradigm-independent BPM model, thus enhancing its application scope as an invaluable management tool.
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Bizri, Rima. "Succession in the family business: drivers and pathways." International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research 22, no. 1 (March 7, 2016): 133–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijebr-01-2015-0020.
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Purpose – The succession process represents one of the most critical events in the family business lifecycle. The purpose of this paper is to explore this process while focussing first on the drivers behind the choice of successor and, second, on the impact of this choice on the entrepreneurial behavior of the siblings. Design/methodology/approach – The qualitative approach was used in which multiple case analyses were performed. A total of 12 cases were purposively selected from the Lebanese private sector, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with the successors and the founders when available. The interview data were transcribed and a coding scheme was created to generate relevant categories. Those categories were named and later re-assessed by an external researcher to ensure inter-rater reliability. Findings – The three dimensions of social capital were found to have a profound influence on the succession decision with much focus on familial stewardship as an emerging cognitive driving force. When “familial stewardship” is shared by incumbent and sibling, it strengthens the latter’s chances of being chosen as successor. Further, a succession pathways model was introduced that depicts the siblings’ behavior following the succession decision which seems to often trigger further entrepreneurship. Originality/value – This study is distinct as it introduces a new cognitive construct that helps rationalize the successor-selection decision in a Middle Eastern context. It also goes beyond the succession event to depict potential entrepreneurial behavior triggered by succession.
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Santos, Ana Laura R., Linda S. G. L. Wauben, Richard Goossens, and Han Brezet. "Systemic barriers and enablers in humanitarian technology transfer." Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management 6, no. 1 (April 4, 2016): 46–71. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/jhlscm-12-2014-0038.
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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to collect information about barriers and enablers experienced by international experts when transferring medical equipment to countries affected by humanitarian emergencies and to discuss the suitability of the principles of “openness”, “interconnections” and “non-linearity” of systems to understand the nature of the barriers and enablers as described by the international experts. Design/methodology/approach – In this study, six semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts from humanitarian organizations. The interviews were based on a simplified model of the transfer of medical equipment adapted from supply chain literature. The model ensured that all the process steps undertaken by humanitarian organizations were considered. Afterwards, the interviews were transcribed and structurally analysed to derive barriers and enablers. Finally, the results were described in light of three theoretical principles of systems thinking. Findings – In total, 14 types of barriers and 12 types of enablers were uncovered that illustrate the complexity of transferring medical equipment in humanitarian emergencies. The paper concludes with a proposal for future research to investigate if, and how, an approach guided by systems thinking could help to create a designated space for the formulation of original, synergetic solutions that address the identified barriers. Originality/value – This study is the first to explore the specific logistic challenges implicit in the transfer of medical equipment in humanitarian emergencies with a lifecycle perspective. Furthermore, the concept of systems thinking is rather novel in the field of transfer of medical technology.
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Zheng, Shanshan, Raquel Loreto, Philip Smith, Andrew Patterson, David Hughes, and Liande Wang. "Specialist and Generalist Fungal Parasites Induce Distinct Biochemical Changes in the Mandible Muscles of Their Host." International Journal of Molecular Sciences 20, no. 18 (September 17, 2019): 4589. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms20184589.
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Some parasites have evolved the ability to adaptively manipulate host behavior. One notable example is the fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis sensu lato, which has evolved the ability to alter the behavior of ants in ways that enable fungal transmission and lifecycle completion. Because host mandibles are affected by the fungi, we focused on understanding changes in the metabolites of muscles during behavioral modification. We used High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass/Mass (HPLC-MS/MS) to detect the metabolite difference between controls and O. unilateralis-infected ants. There was a significant difference between the global metabolome of O. unilateralis-infected ants and healthy ants, while there was no significant difference between the Beauveria bassiana treatment ants group compared to the healthy ants. A total of 31 and 16 of metabolites were putatively identified from comparisons of healthy ants with O. unilateralis-infected ants and comparisons of B. bassiana with O. unilateralis-infected samples, respectively. This result indicates that the concentrations of sugars, purines, ergothioneine, and hypoxanthine were significantly increased in O. unilateralis-infected ants in comparison to healthy ants and B. bassiana-infected ants. This study provides a comprehensive metabolic approach for understanding the interactions, at the level of host muscles, between healthy ants and fungal parasites.
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Bosch, Arnold, Leentje Volker, and Alexander Koutamanis. "BIM in the operations stage: bottlenecks and implications for owners." Built Environment Project and Asset Management 5, no. 3 (July 6, 2015): 331–43. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/bepam-03-2014-0017.
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Purpose – The use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in the Netherlands is increasing. Studies show that BIM is mainly used in the lifecycle stages of initiation, development and realisation. Owners and operators are presumably yet to discover the added value of BIM for maintenance and information management within their organisations. The purpose of this paper is to investigate information management during the operations stage from the viewpoint of owners and determines the added value of BIM within this growing field of construction. Design/methodology/approach – This research is based on a literature review, explorative interviews and process modelling. In total, 21 semi-structured interviews were conducted among public real estate and infrastructure owners and operators, software companies, service providers and contractors. Findings – This paper provides empirical insights into the sources of inefficiency and ineffectiveness in the activities of Dutch semi-public and public clients. It finds that the current added value of BIM in the operations stage is marginal. The main reasons for this are a lack of alignment between the supply of and demand for information and the context-dependent role of information. Practical implications – The authors propose a structured approach that supports client organisations in establishing greater alignment between the supply of and demand for information, and a less context-dependent role for information during the operations stage. Originality/value – In contrast to previous studies, this paper offers a new perspective on BIM in the operations stage, a growing field of interest in practice and science.
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Baronin, Sergey, and Kirill Kulakov. "Development of life cycle valuation with priority of national projects and energy efficiency." E3S Web of Conferences 217 (2020): 07006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202021707006.
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The paper studies changes in methodology for appraisal activity that pursues effective management of sustainable and breakthrough growth in economy and social sector through ensuring priorities of the National projects and resource efficiency when evaluating cost of life cycles as a result of value-centered management. Gravity to tackle economic problems of need to kick-start innovative high-tech investment cycles for the development of industries, enterprises and investment projects, built upon updated methodological framework for appraisal activity, defines the relevance of this study. In addition, a model to formalize processes of appraisal and management of costs and expenses in economic systems on the basis of life cycles of goods, products and services is proposed to be used as a bedrock of appraising concept. The goal of the study is to develop a set of sound methodological solutions for design of concepts of value appraisal of life cycles in appraisal activity in Russia. It should be done to make its reformation sufficient for cost management of sustainable and breakthrough growth of the country in social and economic fields through effective implementation of the National projects and resource efficiency. The objects of this study are processes of theoretical elaborations and concept-based approaches to the modeling of methodological grounds for value appraisal and management of life cycles of goods within the implementation of national projects by minimizing the cost of their cycles, lifecycle contract, total expenditures and ownership cost of life cycles based on the energy efficient and high-technology products. The applied methods dwell on a comprehensive approach which comprises analysis and synthesis, logical analysis, expert-based approach, methods of economic and mathematical modeling and forecasting.
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Maragathavalli, Mrs P., and S. Kanmani. "Test Suite Minimization using Hybrid Algorithm for GA generated Test Cases." INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPUTERS & TECHNOLOGY 6, no. 1 (May 30, 2013): 279–86. http://dx.doi.org/10.24297/ijct.v6i1.4450.
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Software testing and retesting occurs continuously during the software development lifecycle to detect errors as early as possible. As the software evolves the size of test suites also grows. When the no of test cases generated are more, obviously size of the test suite will also be more. So the testing time is to be minimized by reducing the execution time of the algorithm used for test data generation and also by introducing minimization procedure for test suite reduction. Due to limited resources and timing constraints for testing, test suite minimization techniques are needed to eliminate redundant test cases as possible. By considering multiple objectives rather than the coverage alone, the test cases are being generated which satisfies the testing requirements. Most of the existing techniques are code-based. In this article we present an approach by modifying an existing heuristic for test suite minimization. Genetic algorithm has been used for random test data generation and the output of GA is given to the minimization procedure for reducing the total no of generated test cases, collectively named as Hybrid Algorithm (HA). The results are satisfactory and show significant improvements in reducing test suite size with minimum execution time. Experiments have been done for simple to medium complexity java programs taken from SIR and execution time is reduced to 5,685ms for a test set. The results are compared with existing method Mutant Gene Algorithm and size of test suite is minimized upto 13.6% using Hybrid Algorithm.
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Kiamili, Christina, Alexander Hollberg, and Guillaume Habert. "Detailed Assessment of Embodied Carbon of HVAC Systems for a New Office Building Based on BIM." Sustainability 12, no. 8 (April 21, 2020): 3372. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12083372.
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The global shift towards embodied carbon reduction in the building sector has indicated the need for a detailed analysis of environmental impacts across the whole lifecycle of buildings. The environmental impact of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems has rarely been studied in detail. Most of the published studies are based on assumptions and rule of thumb techniques. In this study, the requirements and methods to perform a detailed life cycle assessment (LCA) for HVAC systems based on building information modelling (BIM) are assessed and framed for the first time. The approach of linking external product data information to objects using visual programming language (VPL) is tested, and its benefits over the existing workflows are presented. The detailed BIM model of a newly built office building in Switzerland is used as a case study. In addition, detailed project documentation is used to ensure the plausibility of the calculated impact. The LCA results show that the embodied impact of the HVAC systems is three times higher than the targets provided by the Swiss Energy Efficiency Path (SIA 2040). Furthermore, it is shown that the embodied impact of HVAC systems lies in the range of 15–36% of the total embodied impact of office buildings. Nevertheless, further research and similar case studies are needed to provide a robust picture of the embodied environmental impact of HVAC systems. The results could contribute to setting stricter targets in line with the vision of decarbonization of the building sector.
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Mattern, Eleanor, Wei Jeng, Daqing He, Liz Lyon, and Aaron Brenner. "Using participatory design and visual narrative inquiry to investigate researchers’ data challenges and recommendations for library research data services." Program: electronic library and information systems 49, no. 4 (September 1, 2015): 408–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/prog-01-2015-0012.
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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on an information gathering study on users’ research data-related challenges and proposals for library research data services (RDS). This study probes how early career researchers visually conceptualize the research process in their disciplines, their self-reported research data challenges, and their recommendations for library RDS. Design/methodology/approach – Two focus group sessions were undertaken with a total of eight early career researchers. Adopting the visual narrative inquiry method, the participants were asked to sketch the general research process in their domain. The individuals’ illustrations of the research process were then used as the basis for reflecting on their data-related needs and potential RDS that would assist them during the research process. Findings – Participants presented a research process that was more personal and, in most cases, more imperfect than the research lifecycle models that academic libraries are increasingly using for RDS development and communication. The authors present their data-related challenges, which included data access barriers, low knowledge of best practices for research data management, the need for a deeper understanding of post-publication impact, and inconsistent awareness of existing library and institution RDS. The authors outline RDS recommendations that participants proposed, which included a web-based tools, customized training sessions, and “distilled” guides to research data best practices. Practical implications – The study flagged users’ gaps in understandings of existing library and institutional RDS, suggesting that there may be an opportunity to engage users in the design of communications plans for services. The findings from this user study will inform the development of RDS at the institution. Originality/value – This paper puts forth a methodological approach that academic libraries can adapt for understanding users’ needs and user-generated design solutions.
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Li, Hong Xian, Zhiliang Ma, Hexu Liu, Jun Wang, Mohamed Al-Hussein, and Anthony Mills. "Exploring and verifying BIM-based energy simulation for building operations." Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management 27, no. 8 (June 25, 2020): 1679–702. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ecam-06-2019-0314.
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PurposeThe operational phase of a building's lifecycle is receiving increasing attention, as it consumes an enormous amount of energy and results in tremendous detrimental impacts on the environment. While energy simulation can be applied as a tool to evaluate the energy performance of a building in operation, the emergence of Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology is expected to facilitate the evaluation process with predefined and enriched building information. However, such an approach has been confronted by the challenge of interoperability issues among the related application software, including the BIM tools and energy simulation tools, and the results of simulation have been seldom verified due to the unavailability of corresponding experimental data. This study aims to explore the interoperability between the commonly used energy simulation and BIM tools and verifies the simulation approach by undertaking a case study.Design/methodology/approachWith Autodesk Revit and EnergyPlus selected as the commonly used BIM and energy simulation tools, respectively, a valid technical framework of transferring building information between two tools is proposed, and the interoperability issues that occur during the data transfer are studied. The proposed framework is then employed to simulate the energy consumption of a single-family house, and sensitivity analysis and analysis on such parameters as schedule are conducted for building operations to showcase its applicability.FindingsThe simulation results are compared with monitored data and the results from another simulation tool, HOT2000; the comparison reveals that EnergyPlus and HOT2000 predict the total energy consumption with a difference from the monitoring data of 8.0 and 7.1%, respectively.Practical implicationsThis research shows how to efficiently use BIM to support building energy simulation. Relevant stakeholders can learn from this research to avoid data loss during BIM model transformation.Originality/valueThis research explores the application of BIM for building energy simulation, compares the simulation results among different tools and validates simulation results using monitored data.
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Lo, Nathan C., David Gurarie, Nara Yoon, Jean T. Coulibaly, Eran Bendavid, Jason R. Andrews, and Charles H. King. "Impact and cost-effectiveness of snail control to achieve disease control targets for schistosomiasis." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115, no. 4 (January 4, 2018): E584—E591. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1708729114.
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Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease that affects over 240 million people globally. To improve population-level disease control, there is growing interest in adding chemical-based snail control interventions to interrupt the lifecycle of Schistosoma in its snail host to reduce parasite transmission. However, this approach is not widely implemented, and given environmental concerns, the optimal conditions for when snail control is appropriate are unclear. We assessed the potential impact and cost-effectiveness of various snail control strategies. We extended previously published dynamic, age-structured transmission and cost-effectiveness models to simulate mass drug administration (MDA) and focal snail control interventions against Schistosoma haematobium across a range of low-prevalence (5–20%) and high-prevalence (25–50%) rural Kenyan communities. We simulated strategies over a 10-year period of MDA targeting school children or entire communities, snail control, and combined strategies. We measured incremental cost-effectiveness in 2016 US dollars per disability-adjusted life year and defined a strategy as optimally cost-effective when maximizing health gains (averted disability-adjusted life years) with an incremental cost-effectiveness below a Kenya-specific economic threshold. In both low- and high-prevalence settings, community-wide MDA with additional snail control reduced total disability by an additional 40% compared with school-based MDA alone. The optimally cost-effective scenario included the addition of snail control to MDA in over 95% of simulations. These results support inclusion of snail control in global guidelines and national schistosomiasis control strategies for optimal disease control, especially in settings with high prevalence, “hot spots” of transmission, and noncompliance to MDA.
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Sesagiri Raamkumar, Aravind, Schubert Foo, and Natalie Pang. "User evaluation of a task for shortlisting papers from researcher’s reading list for citing in manuscripts." Aslib Journal of Information Management 69, no. 6 (November 20, 2017): 740–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ajim-01-2017-0020.
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Purpose Although many interventional approaches have been proposed to address the apparent gap between novices and experts for literature review (LR) search tasks, there have been very few approaches proposed for manuscript preparation (MP) related tasks. The purpose of this paper is to describe a task and an incumbent technique for shortlisting important and unique papers from the reading list (RL) of researchers, meant for citation in a manuscript. Design/methodology/approach A user evaluation study was conducted on the prototype system which was built for supporting the shortlisting papers (SP) task along with two other LR search tasks. A total of 119 researchers who had experience in authoring research papers participated in this study. An online questionnaire was provided to the participants for evaluating the task. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed on the collected evaluation data. Findings Graduate research students prefer this task more than research and academic staff. The evaluation measures relevance, usefulness and certainty were identified as predictors for the output quality measure “good list”. The shortlisting feature and information cues were the preferred aspects while limited data set and rote steps in the study were ascertained as critical aspects from the qualitative feedback of the participants. Originality/value Findings point out that researchers are clearly interested in this novel task of SP from the final RL prepared during LR. This has implications for digital library, academic databases and reference management software where this task can be included to benefit researchers at the manuscript preparatory stage of the research lifecycle.
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Novak, David C., James L. Sullivan, Jeremy Reed, Mladen Gagulic, and Nick Van Den Berg. "Performance-related specification and payment modifiers in highway construction projects." International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management 35, no. 10 (November 29, 2018): 2348–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijqrm-03-2018-0061.
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Purpose The ability to measure and assess “quality” is essential in building and maintaining a safe and effective transportation system. Attaining acceptable quality outcomes in transportation projects has been a reoccurring problem at both the federal and state levels, at least partially, as a result of poorly developed, inefficient or nonexistent quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) processes. The purpose of this paper is to develop and implement a new QA/QC process that focuses on a novel double-bounded performance-related specification (PRS) and corresponding pay factor policy that includes both lower and upper quality acceptance and payment reward boundaries for bridge concrete. Design/methodology/approach The authors use historical data to design different payment scenarios illustrating likely industry responses to the new PRS, and select the single scenario that best balances risk between the agency and industry. The authors then convert that payment scenario to a pay factor schedule using a search heuristic and determine statistical compliance with the PRS using percent-within-limits (PWL). Findings The methodology offers an innovative approach for developing an initial set of pay factors when lifecycle cost data are lacking and the PRS are new or modified. An important finding is that, with a double-bounded PRS, it is not possible to represent pay factors using the simplified table PWL currently employed in practice because each PWL value occupies two separate positions in the payment structure – one above the design target and one below it. Therefore, a more detailed set of pay factors must be employed which explicitly specify the mean sample value and the design target. The approach is demonstrated in practice for the Agency of Transportation in state of Vermont. Research limitations/implications The authors demonstrate a novel approach for developing a double-bounded PRS and introduce a payment incentive/disincentive policy with the goal of improving total product quality. The new pay factor policy includes both a payment penalty below the contracted price for failing to meet a specified performance criterion as well as a payment premium above the contracted price that increases as the sample product specification approaches an “ideal” design value. The PRS includes both an upper and lower acceptance boundary for the finished product as opposed to only a lower tail acceptance boundary, which is the traditional approach. Practical implications The authors illustrate a research collaboration between academia and a state agency that highlights the role academic research can play in advancing quality management practices. The study involves the use of actual product performance data and is operational as opposed to conceptual in nature. Finally, the authors offer important practical insights and guidance by demonstrating how a new PRS and pay factor policy can be developed without the use of site-specific historical lifecycle cost (LCC) data that include detailed manufacturing, producing and placement cost data, as data related to product performance over time. This is an important contribution, as the development and implementation of pay factor policies typically involve the use of historical LCC data. However, in many cases, these data are not available or may be incomplete. Social implications With the new PRS and pay factor schedule, the Agency expects shrinkage and cracking on bridge decks to decrease along with overall maintenance and rehabilitation costs. A major focus the new PRS is to actively involve industry partners in quality improvement efforts. Originality/value The authors focus on a major modification to an existing QA/QC process that involves the development of a new PRS and an associated pay factor policy undertaken by the Vermont Agency of Transportation. The authors use empirical data to develop a novel double bounded PRS and payment schedule for concrete and offer unique operational/practical insight and guidance by demonstrating how a new PRS and pay factor policy can be developed without the use of site-specific historical LCC. Typically, PRS for in-place concrete have only a lower tail acceptance boundary.
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Berlinguer, Fiammetta, Fahad Ahmed, Claudia Tamponi, Silvia Carta, Antonio Scala, Maria Grazia Cappai, and Antonio Varcasia. "Help from the sky: Can vultures contribute to Cystic Echinococcosis control in endemic areas?" PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 15, no. 7 (July 15, 2021): e0009615. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0009615.
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Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is endemic in Sardinia and constitutes a serious public health concern due to high prevalence in livestock and humans. Despite sustained efforts, control of the disease had been unsuccessful in the region. Problematic carcass disposal due to soaring incineration costs and free access of dogs to infected carrion are dominant factors, fueling endemicity among other. As sole obligate scavenger, griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) are uniquely specialized to eliminate carcasses swiftly and efficiently, saving on unnecessary environmental and economic costs for carrion disposal. However, following drastic population declines across Europe, griffon vultures practically went extinct in Italy. A conservation expansion program in Sardinia successfully reinforced the last remaining Italian vulture population by mitigating the main threats to its survival; food shortage. Through the establishment of supplementary feeding stations, permanent supply of livestock cadavers was provided. In this research, the management and conservation implications on the controlled disposal of carcass disposal through vulture feeding stations on the control of CE in Sardinia were assessed. During the course of the project, vultures scavenged a total of 81,361 kg of biomass, saving €90,041 in incineration costs and € 1,054 in CO2 emission. Through extrapolation of these results, a total of 5,304 kg of suspected CE infected sheep carcasses (65.3%) was calculated to have been disposed by griffons, considerably reducing the CE risk and burden in Sardinia. A quantification of the amount of biomass that could be eliminated by griffon in a succeeding conservation project was also made. These calculations implied that 162,722 kg of biomass, including 10,608 kg of infected biomass from sheep, would be consumed over a period of 5 years, further lowering the CE burden in Sardinia. Our results, driven under one health approach, emphasize the crucial and direct role of griffons in breaking the lifecycle of CE as well as their indirect role in rendering multiple ecosystem and economic services through the elimination of carcasses. Please view a video Abstract here: https://youtu.be/Tm820nPq5KE.
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Kanagarajoo, Muralitheran V., Richard Fulford, and Craig Standing. "The contribution of social media to project management." International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management 69, no. 4 (May 23, 2019): 834–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijppm-09-2018-0316.
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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine the social media (SM) tools that are the most prevalent for project management activities, ascertain the areas of project management that are most benefited by SM, elucidate enablers and inhibitors to adoption of SM and identify the implications for virtual teams. Design/methodology/approach A Delphi study was used to explore why and how SM is being utilized in projects. In total, 32 participants contributed to three rounds of Delphi study, comprising two rounds of questionnaire followed by confirmatory interviews. The vulnerabilities and difficulties associated with the use of SM were examined by qualitative interviews. Findings Information sharing SM tools, such as YouTube, Dropbox, SlideShare, flickr, CrowdStorm and Instagram, are the most advantageous to project management. However, the tools utilized differ at different stages of the project lifecycle. The major benefit of SM is that it enables project teams to communicate efficiently and positively affects virtual team dynamics. Adoption can be inhibited by the absence of infrastructure in rural areas and differing preferences for SM tools in global regions. There is also a perceived lack of maturity of policies and procedures to govern SM adoption and use. Research limitations/implications The research was conducted based on the Project Management Body of Knowledge version 5 project management processes. Practical implications The findings will enable practitioners to select SM tools that are suitable for project activities and forewarn about potential shortfalls. The findings also facilitate a qualitative analysis of SM attributes and their effect on project management. Social implications Project practitioners can use the findings to adopt SM for their project management. Originality/value This study extends the literature concerning the use of SM for project management, provides a foundation for future research and may present as a useful guide for the adoption of relevant SM tools.
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Amasiatu, Chioma Vivian, and Mahmood Hussain Shah. "The management of first party fraud in e-tailing: a qualitative study." International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management 47, no. 4 (April 8, 2019): 433–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijrdm-07-2017-0142.
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Purpose First-party fraud in which retail consumers commit fraud against retailers is a growing problem. However, to date studies on retail crime have focused almost entirely on fraudulent consumer behaviours in physical stores. With the growth of e-commerce, the losses to retailers from this fraud are growing so there is strong need to research this problem from multiple perspectives. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted three case studies and a total of 24 semi-structured interviews with retail managers, and evaluated their existing prevention-related documentation. Fraud management lifecycle theory was used to organise and discuss the findings. Findings The authors found that many retailers are treating this problem as just a cost of doing business online and have no detailed plans for dealing with this problem or any reporting to law enforcement agencies. However, they have begun working with delivery companies for delivery accuracy. Use of convenience stores as collection points is also showing early improvements. Research limitations/implications The small number of cases and interviews used is a limitation of this study. However, the authors believe that the findings are useful for advancing knowledge in this emerging research area. Practical implications This study provides insight into existing management practices in this domain, and makes recommendations on how to improve the management of first-party fraud. The study also makes a case for increased managerial interest and involvement in reducing first-party fraud. The study also helps bridge a glaring gap in existing literature and provides useful leads for further research. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the existing practices employed to manage first-party fraud in e-retail.
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Zhao, Jie, Khee Poh Lam, Tajin Biswas, and Haopeng Wang. "An online platform to automate LEED energy performance evaluation and submission process." Construction Innovation 15, no. 3 (July 13, 2015): 313–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ci-04-2014-0020.
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Purpose – This study aims to develop a web-based tool – LEED Energy Performance Online Submission Tool (LEPOST) to reduce the submission cost of the leadership in energy and environmental design (LEED) application process and facilitate green building design. Lifecycle cost reduction is a major driver for designing green buildings. LEED rating system has been well recognised and widely used in the green building industry. However, certification cost incurred in time and money is often a deterrent for some projects. Design/methodology/approach – LEPOST automatically maps EnergyPlus and eQUEST energy simulation results to the LEED energy performance requirement submission templates using an extensible markup language (XML) data structure. It incorporates the Energy Star Target Finder online engine and current utility data to calculate points required to assess LEED Energy and Atmosphere Prerequisite 2 and Credit 1 automatically. Findings – A comparative case study is conducted using an office building project. The study results show that the tool can reduce the amount of time for the LEED energy performance evaluation and submission process from more than 6 hours to 2 minutes. The total number of manual data entries is reduced from 442 to 20. Research limitations/implications – Future work includes the update to support LEED V4, the development of a parametric design function that can help design teams perform design alternatives to evaluate energy performance with minimum effort, and the integration with the LEED Online system. Practical implications – The use of the tool by the building industry may decrease the cost of LEED certification for building owners, developers and design teams by simplifying the submission process. Originality/value – The overall development framework of LEPOST contributes to the knowledge of the data interoperability in the building sector by demonstrating a viable solution to extract and map digital model information for achieving code and standard compliance purposes.
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Kassem, Mohamad, Graham Kelly, Nashwan Dawood, Michael Serginson, and Steve Lockley. "BIM in facilities management applications: a case study of a large university complex." Built Environment Project and Asset Management 5, no. 3 (July 6, 2015): 261–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/bepam-02-2014-0011.
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Purpose – Building information modelling (BIM) in facilities management (FM) applications is an emerging area of research based on the theoretical proposition that BIM information, generated and captured during the lifecycle of a facility, can improve its management. Using this proposition as a starting point, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the value of BIM and the challenges affecting its adoption in FM applications. Design/methodology/approach – Two inter-related research methods are utilised. The literature is utilised to identify the application areas, value and challenges of BIM in FM. Due to the lack of case studies identified in the literature review, and to provide empirical evidence of the value and challenges of BIM in FM, a case study of Northumbria University’s city campus, is used to empirically explore the value and challenges of BIM in FM. Findings – The results demonstrated that BIM value in FM stems from improvement to current manual processes of information handover; improvement to the accuracy of FM data, improvement to the accessibility of FM data and efficiency increase in work order execution. The main challenges were the lack of methodologies that demonstrate the tangible benefits of BIM in FM, the limited knowledge of implementation requirement including BIM for FM modelling requirements, the interoperability between BIM and FM technologies, the presence of disparate operational systems managing the same building and finally, the shortage of BIM skills in the FM industry. Originality/value – There is lack of real-life cases on BIM in FM especially for existing assets despite new constructions representing only 1-2 per cent of the total building stock in a typical year. The originality of this paper stems from both adding a real-life case study of BIM in FM and providing empirical evidence of both the value and challenges of BIM in FM applications.
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Schuh, Günther, Kai Korthals, and Jens Arnoscht. "Contribution of Body Lightweight Design to the Environmental Impact of Electric Vehicles." Advanced Materials Research 907 (April 2014): 329–47. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.907.329.
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In today's society the continuously increasing consumption of raw materials and the associated impacts on the ecosystem tend to be a frequently discussed topic. Especially automobile companies are faced to develop new driving concepts due to the emerging energy turnaround. Usually the components of the conventional drive are replaced by an electric engine including the required energy storage. Without structural changes regarding the chassis this procedure causes an increase in the vehicle ́s weight (Conversion Design). Therefore a new approach is to integrate the battery as a load-bearing member in the vehicle structure and additionally use a weight-optimized multi-material design of the body (Purpose Design). By savings of 25% of the weight of a compact-class vehicle body, a resource-saving and energy-efficient design of the entire vehicle can be achieved. Certainly the innovative multi-material construction contributes significantly to reduce the total energy consumption of the vehicle during the use phase. Based on a Lifecycle-Assessment (LCA) the environmental sustainability of the Purpose Design will be evaluated and compared to the approach of the Conversion Design. In addition to the weight savings of the multi-material body secondary weight reductions regarding the energy storage will be taken into account. The aim is to assess the ecological advantages of the lightweight solution throughout the entire product life cycle comprising the extraction of raw materials, production of the components, use of the product and end of life including the recycling of components. However, these investigations will be carried out for the modified chassis and the lightweight constructed multi-material body. Hence, the processes of the individual life cycle phases will be collected, inventorial analysis carried out and impact assessments performed. According to the LCA it will be tested, if the additional expenses in raw material extraction, production and recycling of the lightweight body justify the expected ecological advantage in the use phase. A final overall analysis will provide information on the actual efficiency and sustainability of the Purpose Design. Due to the parallel creation of the LCA data during the development process the LCA results furthermore serve to detect and monitor significant shortcomings on component and assembly level.
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Mock, Brant, and James T. O’Connor. "Owner and contractor solution strategies for industrial commissioning." Construction Innovation 19, no. 2 (April 17, 2019): 256–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ci-09-2018-0079.
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Purpose The purpose of this study is to discover which solution strategies to common industrial commissioning and startup (CSU) problems (Hot Spots) owner and contractor organizations identify as most effective and to identify which strategies are identified by one or both organization types. Design/methodology/approach Ratings for the relative value provided by strategies, and the effort required to implement strategies were solicited from CSU industry experts employed by owner or contractor organizations via a survey. Quantitative modelling using the Possible, Implement, Challenge, Kill (PICK) chart method distinguished high-value, low-effort strategies from other strategies. Findings Owners and contractors identify distinct sets of CSU solution strategies as high value and low effort, with some overlap. Of 178 total strategies, 40 (22.5 per cent) were identified by owners and 34 (19.1 per cent) by contractors, with 19 (10.7 per cent) of those strategies in common. Strategies with the greatest differences in opinions between owners and contractors are also identified. Research limitations/implications Research findings are limited to industrial-type, operational systems-intensive facilities. Similarities may exist with other systems-intensive project types, such as some commercial or infrastructure projects. The survey sample size is relatively small (n = 35), but close to that of other CSU-related surveys. The majority of survey participants were based in North America at the time of participation. Further, the number of contractor and owner participants differed slightly. Practical implications CSU managers and personnel should consider using high-value, low-effort strategies before resorting to other less effective strategies, as applicable on their projects. Depending on which organization is executing CSU, or if both organization types share CSU responsibilities, different solution strategies may be most effective. Originality/value Differences in owner and contractor perspectives and opinions have been noted in other aspects of the project lifecycle but never for CSU solution strategies. Use of the strategies identified will support more effective CSU execution.
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McDonald, Sharyn. "Social responsibility clusters arising from social partnerships." Social Responsibility Journal 10, no. 2 (May 27, 2014): 331–47. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/srj-12-2012-0152.
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Purpose – This paper aims to identify models of best practice and examines the manner in which such social partnerships attract new partners and scale-up their solutions. Social responsibility initiatives that incorporate multiple sectors have the capacity to challenge unsustainable practice and pave the way for model solutions towards the societal problems we face globally. Design/methodology/approach – Comparisons of three Australian case studies were analysed. These cases were purposefully selected as they all represented relationships that demonstrated social partnerships characteristics, and they had all attracted acclaim by their peers. They differed in terms of their societal problems and relationship duration. Semi-structured interviews were held with managers and employees from each social partnership, where they discussed all aspects of the partnership lifecycle from pre-collaborative conditions through to outcomes. In total, 50 semi-structured interviews were held with members of the private, nonprofit and public sectors. Findings – Social partnerships pool skills, knowledge and finance across sectors, concentrating on specific societal issues of mutual concern. Resultant successful initiatives act as catalysts in soliciting further support. Three primary pathways exist for successful social partnerships that wish to evolve: expansion, replication and refinement. Focused attention and resources, through the formation of social responsibility clusters, can lead to sustainable solutions. Practical implications – There are many organisations wishing to move on from philanthropic exchange towards more meaningful integrated relationships. This paper highlights the value of both within sector and cross-sector collaboration to achieve organisational outcomes. It provides some insight into the entry points for both nonprofit organisations as well as small- to medium-sized private sector organisations that would otherwise consider social investment in large-scale societal problems beyond their reach. Originality/value – Social partnerships within the Australian context are under-represented; this paper addresses this by examining three best practice exemplars. The rationale for incorporating new partners and sharing success is discussed and supported by a model of social responsibility cluster formation.
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Kho, Steven, Labibah Qotrunnada, Leo Leonardo, Benediktus Andries, Putu A. I. Wardani, Aurelie Fricot, Benoit Henry, et al. "Evaluation of splenic accumulation and colocalization of immature reticulocytes and Plasmodium vivax in asymptomatic malaria: A prospective human splenectomy study." PLOS Medicine 18, no. 5 (May 26, 2021): e1003632. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003632.
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Background A very large biomass of intact asexual-stage malaria parasites accumulates in the spleen of asymptomatic human individuals infected with Plasmodium vivax. The mechanisms underlying this intense tropism are not clear. We hypothesised that immature reticulocytes, in which P. vivax develops, may display high densities in the spleen, thereby providing a niche for parasite survival. Methods and findings We examined spleen tissue in 22 mostly untreated individuals naturally exposed to P. vivax and Plasmodium falciparum undergoing splenectomy for any clinical indication in malaria-endemic Papua, Indonesia (2015 to 2017). Infection, parasite and immature reticulocyte density, and splenic distribution were analysed by optical microscopy, flow cytometry, and molecular assays. Nine non-endemic control spleens from individuals undergoing spleno-pancreatectomy in France (2017 to 2020) were also examined for reticulocyte densities. There were no exclusion criteria or sample size considerations in both patient cohorts for this demanding approach. In Indonesia, 95.5% (21/22) of splenectomy patients had asymptomatic splenic Plasmodium infection (7 P. vivax, 13 P. falciparum, and 1 mixed infection). Significant splenic accumulation of immature CD71 intermediate- and high-expressing reticulocytes was seen, with concentrations 11 times greater than in peripheral blood. Accordingly, in France, reticulocyte concentrations in the splenic effluent were higher than in peripheral blood. Greater rigidity of reticulocytes in splenic than in peripheral blood, and their higher densities in splenic cords both suggest a mechanical retention process. Asexual-stage P. vivax-infected erythrocytes of all developmental stages accumulated in the spleen, with non-phagocytosed parasite densities 3,590 times (IQR: 2,600 to 4,130) higher than in circulating blood, and median total splenic parasite loads 81 (IQR: 14 to 205) times greater, accounting for 98.7% (IQR: 95.1% to 98.9%) of the estimated total-body P. vivax biomass. More reticulocytes were in contact with sinus lumen endothelial cells in P. vivax- than in P. falciparum-infected spleens. Histological analyses revealed 96% of P. vivax rings/trophozoites and 46% of schizonts colocalised with 92% of immature reticulocytes in the cords and sinus lumens of the red pulp. Larger splenic cohort studies and similar investigations in untreated symptomatic malaria are warranted. Conclusions Immature CD71+ reticulocytes and splenic P. vivax-infected erythrocytes of all asexual stages accumulate in the same splenic compartments, suggesting the existence of a cryptic endosplenic lifecycle in chronic P. vivax infection. Findings provide insight into P. vivax-specific adaptions that have evolved to maximise survival and replication in the spleen.
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Wang, Yuning, and Xiaohua Jin. "Determine the optimal capital structure of BOT projects using interval numbers with Tianjin Binhai New District Metro Z4 line in China as an example." Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management 26, no. 7 (August 19, 2019): 1348–66. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ecam-07-2018-0259.
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Purpose Various factors may influence project finance when a multi-sourced debt financing strategy is used for financing capital investments, in general, and public infrastructure investments, in particular. Traditional indicators lack comprehensive consideration of the influences of many internal and external factors, such as investment structure, financing mode and credit guarantee structure, which exist in the financing decision making of BOT projects. An effective approach is, thus, desired. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach This paper develops a financial model that uses an interval number to represent the uncertain factors and, subsequently, conducts a standardization of the interval number. Decision makers determine the weight of each objective through the analytic hierarchy process. Through the optimization procedure, project investors and sponsors are provided with a strategy regarding the optimal amount of debt to be raised and the insight on the risk level based on the net present value, as well as the probability of bankruptcy for each different period of debt service. Findings By using an example infrastructure project in China and based on the comprehensive evaluation, comparison and ranking of the capital structures of urban public infrastructure projects using the interval number method, the final ranking can help investors to choose the optimal capital structure for investment. The calculation using the interval number method shows that X2 is the optimal capital structure plan for the BOT project of the first stage of Tianjin Binhai Rail Transit Z4 line. Therefore, investors should give priority to selecting a capital contribution ratio of 45 per cent for this investment. Research limitations/implications In this paper, some parameters, such as depreciation life, construction period and concession period, are assumed to be deterministic parameters, although the interval number model has been introduced to analyze the uncertainty indicators, such as total investment and passenger flow, of BOT rail transport projects. Therefore, more of the above deterministic parameters can be taken as uncertainty parameters in future research so that calculation results fit actual projects more closely. Originality/value This model can be used to make the optimal investment decision for a project by determining the impact of uncertainty factors on the profitability of the project in its lifecycle during the project financial feasibility analysis. Project sponsors can determine the optimal capital structure of a project through an analysis of the irregular fluctuation of the unpredictable factors in project construction such as construction investment, operating cost and passenger flow. The model can also be used to examine the effects of different capital investment ratios on indicators so that appropriate measures can be taken to reduce risks and maximize profit.
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Orji, Ifeyinwa, and Sun Wei. "A detailed calculation model for costing of green manufacturing." Industrial Management & Data Systems 116, no. 1 (February 1, 2016): 65–86. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/imds-04-2015-0140.
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Purpose – Manufacturing firms are expected to implement green manufacturing and increase product complexity at a competitive price. However, a major problem for engineering managers is to ascertain the costs of embarking on green manufacturing. Thus, a planning and control methodology for costing of green manufacturing at the early design stage is important for engineering managers. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – This paper integrates “green manufacturing,” concepts of industrial dynamics, and product lifecycle aiming at developing a methodology for cost calculation. The methodology comprises of a process-based cost model and a systems dynamics (SD) model. The process-based cost model focusses mainly on carbon emission costs and energy-saving activities. Important metrics usually ignored in traditional static modeling were incorporated using SD model. Findings – Equipment costs and carbon emission costs are major components of costs in manufacturing. The total life cycle cost of product in green manufacturing is lower than that of same product in conventional manufacturing. Research limitations/implications – The specific results of this study are limited to the case company, but can hopefully contribute to further research on ascertaining cost of implementing “green issues” in manufacturing. The proposed cost calculation model can be efficiently applied in any manufacturing firm on the basis of accessibility of real cost data. This necessitates a comprehensive cost database. At the development of the model and database management system, time and cost resources could be demanding, but once installed, use of the model becomes less demanding. Practical implications – The cost model provides cost justifications of implementing green manufacturing. The reality is that green manufacturing will see its development peak with cost justifications. The results of the application show that the proposed detailed cost model can be effective in ascertaining costs of implementing green manufacturing. Manufacturing firms are recommended to adopt energy-saving activities based on the proposed detailed cost calculation model. Originality/value – The main contributions of the study includes: first, to help engineering managers more accurately understand how to allocate resources for energy-saving activities through appropriate cost drivers. Second, to simulate with SD the dynamic behavior of few important metrics, often ignored in traditional mathematical modeling. The detailed model provides a pre-manufacturing decision-making tool which will assist management in implementing green manufacturing by incorporating a life cycle assessment measurement into manufacturing cost management.
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Li, Hong-Nan, Xiao-Wei Zheng, and Chao Li. "Copula-Based Approach to Construct a Joint Probabilistic Model of Earthquakes and Strong Winds." International Journal of Structural Stability and Dynamics 19, no. 04 (April 2019): 1950046. http://dx.doi.org/10.1142/s0219455419500469.
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Current structural design codes usually treat multiple hazards separately, and probabilistic backbones are rare for extreme hazard combinations, e.g., earthquake and strong wind, which may cause unforeseen damage to engineering structures exposed to multiple extreme hazards during their lifecycles. This study presents an innovative copula-based approach to construct the joint cumulative distribution function (JCDF) of the peak ground acceleration (PGA) and strong wind speed ([Formula: see text]). Six commonly used Archimedean copulas are applied to bond the JCDF with the corresponding marginal cumulative distribution functions (MCDFs) of PGA and [Formula: see text]. A total of 76 low-probability-high-consequence extreme events with a simultaneously occurring earthquake and strong wind are abstracted from data recorded from 1971–2017 in Dali Prefecture, China. The statistical analysis results show that the Frechet and truncated Weibull distributions are the optimal expressions for the marginal distributions of PGA and [Formula: see text], respectively, while the Joe Archimedean copula can yield good JCDF estimation. Monte Carlo simulation is employed to establish a target dependent multihazard database that can be used for the performance-based design of engineering structures against multiple natural hazards. A high-rise building is used to study the performance under the multihazard of an earthquake and strong wind. The results show that the maximum inter-story drift ratio of the building under multiple hazards increases by 14.4–21.3% compared with the structural response induced by an earthquake alone.
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Geekiyanage, Devindi, and Thanuja Ramachandra. "Nexus between running costs and building characteristics of commercial buildings: hedonic regression modelling." Built Environment Project and Asset Management 10, no. 3 (June 16, 2020): 389–406. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/bepam-12-2018-0156.
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PurposeTraditionally, early-stage investment decisions on buildings purely based initial capital costs and simply ignored running costs and total lifecycle cost. This was basically due to the absence of estimating models that yield running costs at the early design stage. Often, when the design of a building, which is responsible for 10–15% of its total cost, is completed, 80% of the total cost is committed. This study aims to develop a building characteristic-based model, which is an early-stage determinant of running costs of buildings, to predict the running costs of commercial buildings.Design/methodology/approachA desk study was carried out to collect running costs data and building characteristics of 35 commercial buildings in Sri Lanka. A Pareto analysis, bivariate correlation analysis and hedonic regression modelling were performed on collected data.FindingsAccording to Pareto analysis, utilities, services, admin work and cleaning are four main cost constituents, responsible for 80% of running costs, which can be represented by highly correlated building characteristics of building height, number of floors and size. Approximately 94% of the variance in annual running costs/sq. m is expressed by variables of number of floors, net floor area and working hours/day together with a mean prediction accuracy of 2.89%.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has utilised a sample of 35 commercial buildings due to non-availability and difficulty in accessing running cost data.Originality/valueEarly-stage supportive running costs estimation model proposed by the study would enable construction professionals to benchmark the running costs and thereby optimise the building design. The developed hedonic model illustrated the variance of running costs concerning the changes in characteristics of a building.
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Elsebaie, Ibrahim H., and Abdulrahman Al-Khomairi. "Optimization of pipeline lifecycle cost using alternatives with different life spans." Water Supply, September 16, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/ws.2021.305.
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Abstract This paper suggests a pipeline project optimization approach that compares alternatives with different life spans. The average inflation rate is used to project the future maintenance, operation and replacement costs. The average interest rate is used to express all the costs in Equivalent Real Annual Cost (ERAC), which is the correct cost form to compare alternatives with different life spans. The pipe diameter, material, pressure rating, surge tank size, and inlet/outlet resistances are the decision variables. A software was compiled with a commercial pipeline software to generate all the possible design alternatives based on the decision variables. Pipe initial cost as well as operation and maintenance costs are computed for each design alternative. The alternative with the least ERAC value is the optimum one. It was found that the approach can lead to substantial savings in pipelines projects cost. For pipes 800 mm in diameter or larger, and when selecting the optimum diameter, savings are between 23 and 27% in the total project cost. When imposing certain pipe material savings in overall cost will be 8.5, 16.3 and 31.3% for ductile iron, GRP and mild steel pipe material, respectively.
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Hamida, Mohammad B., and Mohammad A. Hassanain. "A framework model for AEC/FM knowledge in adaptive reuse projects." Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology ahead-of-print, ahead-of-print (June 10, 2021). http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/jedt-05-2020-0203.
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Purpose This paper aims to present a generic lifecycle framework model for guiding architects, engineers, contractors and facilities managers (AEC/FM) practitioners on the effective implementation of adaptive reuse projects. Design/methodology/approach A mixed approach of qualitative and quantitative techniques was followed in the development of the framework model. A literature review was conducted to comprehend the processes involved in adaptive reuse projects. In total, 90 AEC/FM practitioners were surveyed to identify the current practices in these projects. A generic framework model was then developed to standardize the processes involved, using integration definition for function modeling process modeling methodology. Face-to-face interviews with a targeted group of 30 AEC/FM practitioners were conducted, to validate the developed framework model, by assessing the importance and the frequency of implementing each function in the developed framework model. Findings The framework model consisted of four sequential processes, namely, assess the feasibility of the adaptive reuse project, design the adaptive reuse project, construct the adaptive reuse project and operate and maintain the adaptive reuse project. The validation confirmed the importance of all the framework functions and the frequency of their implementation. Originality/value This research contributes to the literature and the AEC/FM professions, through developing a lifecycle and knowledge-oriented framework model for building adaptive reuse. The framework presents clear documentation of adaptive reuse processes. Thus, it holds the potential of endeavoring on adaptive reuse projects to be more efficient.
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Bilge, Eymen Cagatay, and Hakan Yaman. "Information management roles in real estate development lifecycle: literature review on BIM and IPD framework." Construction Innovation ahead-of-print, ahead-of-print (February 4, 2021). http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ci-04-2019-0036.
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Purpose Integrated project delivery (IPD) and building information modeling (BIM) has begun to be used in real estate development projects over the past decade to improve collaboration, communication and efficiency. However, the use of BIM and IPD in projects does not always imply that the information is well used and managed. This study aims to explain how information management should be carried out in BIM and IPD projects, what activities should be managed by the information manager and which stakeholder should play this role and why? Design/methodology/approach This study provides a framework on the subject by conducting a comprehensive systematic review in the field of real estate development, BIM, IPD and information management. In this context, the Web of Science and Scopus databases have been systematically reviewed, n = 45 out of a total of n = 1,356 articles and additionally, the BIM documents and standards prepared by public institutions and organizations and industry reports have been examined in detail. Findings The framework for information management roles was established by reviewing the literature. According to this framework, information management activities of information managers are listed in the table that covers all phases of real estate development. The owner should undertake this role as it is the entity that oversees the built asset from planning to the management of that facility. Originality/value In terms of acquiring information management roles, there is no research on BIM and IPD projects and who will take over this role. This study desired to close this gap in the literature.
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"Validating the Measuring Instrument for Motivation Factors towards Visiting Spa and Wellness Tourism Destinations in Kuala Lumpur." International Journal of Innovative Technology and Exploring Engineering 8, no. 9S (August 23, 2019): 1106–8. http://dx.doi.org/10.35940/ijitee.i1175.0789s19.
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Visiting Spa and wellness tourism destinations is a new social trend among wellness tourist around Malaysia as this industry is still at a growth stage in the product lifecycle. However, limited interest has been paid on the study of domestic tourist motivation to visit the spa and wellness tourism destination. Thus, by applying the quantitative approach, the purpose of this pilot study is to assess the validity and reliability of the instrument used in measuring the motivation factors towards visiting spa and wellness tourism destinations in Kuala Lumpur. A total of 150-sample data were analysed using the statistical software IBM SPSS version 23. Before that, content and face validity, reliability and data normality were examined based on expert assessment. The result of the pilot study indicated that the measuring instruments used in this study are reliable, and the data is proved of rational normality. The findings of this study provided overall support for the proposed measuring instrument for further research.
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Arromba, Iara Franchi, Philip Stafford Martin, Robert Cooper Ordoñez, Rosley Anholon, Izabela Simon Rampasso, Luis Antonio Santa-Eulalia, Vitor William Batista Martins, and Osvaldo Luiz Gonçalves Quelhas. "Industry 4.0 in the product development process: benefits, difficulties and its impact in marketing strategies and operations." Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing ahead-of-print, ahead-of-print (September 24, 2020). http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/jbim-01-2020-0014.
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Purpose Product development process (PDP) in the context of Industry 4.0 may present several marketing implications. To understand these implications, the purpose of this study is to identify the benefits and difficulties of Industry 4.0 related to the PDP and its impact in marketing strategies and operations. Design/methodology/approach The methodology used to perform this research was a systematic literature review. For this, five steps were followed, namely, research question formulation; studies location; studies selection and evaluation; analysis and synthesis; and reporting and use research results. Findings The systematic literature review considering PDP in Industry 4.0 context resulted in 28 benefits and 14 difficulties, in a total of 53 articles. From the analysis of these benefits and difficulties, several implications for marketing were identified, namely, better understand customer preferences; greater agility in marketing decision-making; better align marketing, product development and operations processes issues; better understand product/service lifecycle; analyze possibilities of new ways of distribution and communication channels; better define the value of products and services and location requirements. Originality/value The findings presented here can be used both by market professionals, interested in the subject and by researchers for future studies. The better understanding of PDP in the context of Industry 4.0 can enhance marketing strategies for market professionals and provide insights for researchers. No similar studies were found in the literature.
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Loro Lewai Nejib, Adil, Hesham Abel-khalek, and Yasser Mohamed El-fahham. "CORRELATION BETWEEN VALUE ENGINEERING AND SUSTAINABILITY IN CONSTRUCTION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES." Proceedings of International Structural Engineering and Construction 8, no. 1 (July 2021). http://dx.doi.org/10.14455/isec.2021.8(1).oth-03.
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Value engineering (VE) is a practical approach for economic saving and enhancing quality, thereby increasing sustainability in the construction industry. This study presents a latent correlation between VE and sustainability in the construction industry. Such correlation is an adapted method from the current VE process that analyzes the effects of sustainability factors on alternative local building materials cost/performance through its lifecycle stages. The model enables the study team to apply the methodology during the briefing process and change their thoughts from the only cost to value. The paper also suggests three stages for applying a correlation study within the early stages of a project. The study modified each stage by considering the sustainability factors. The methodology was synthesized based on a review of previous studies reinforced by an electronic survey. This paper presents the model’s application in an apartment project’s case study. This case study presents the methodology and calculations of the correlation study. The results show that the estimated savings of the alternatives reach approximately 20% of the original material’s cost; hence, considerable savings in the total project cost reach up to 12.3% and delivered sustainability. The interests of VE and sustainability show a positive correlation; hence, integrating the two should add value to construction projects. This study contributes to the industry that is equivalent to the current VE process.
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Abdul-Hussein, Ayah, Ayesha Kareem, Shrankhala Tewari, Julie Bergeron, Laurent Briollais, John R. G. Challis, Sandra T. Davidge, et al. "Early life risk and resiliency factors and their influences on developmental outcomes and disease pathways: a rapid evidence review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses." Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, August 4, 2020, 1–16. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s2040174420000689.
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Abstract The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) framework aims to understand how environmental exposures in early life shape lifecycle health. Our understanding and the ability to prevent poor health outcomes and enrich for resiliency remain limited, in part, because exposure–outcome relationships are complex and poorly defined. We, therefore, aimed to determine the major DOHaD risk and resilience factors. A systematic approach with a 3-level screening process was used to conduct our Rapid Evidence Review following the established guidelines. Scientific databases using DOHaD-related keywords were searched to capture articles between January 1, 2009 and April 19, 2019. A final total of 56 systematic reviews/meta-analyses were obtained. Studies were categorized into domains based on primary exposures and outcomes investigated. Primary summary statistics and extracted data from the studies are presented in Graphical Overview for Evidence Reviews diagrams. There was substantial heterogeneity within and between studies. While global trends showed an increase in DOHaD publications over the last decade, the majority of data reported were from high-income countries. Articles were categorized under six exposure domains: Early Life Nutrition, Maternal/Paternal Health, Maternal/Paternal Psychological Exposure, Toxicants/Environment, Social Determinants, and Others. Studies examining social determinants of health and paternal influences were underrepresented. Only 23% of the articles explored resiliency factors. We synthesized major evidence on relationships between early life exposures and developmental and health outcomes, identifying risk and resiliency factors that influence later life health. Our findings provide insight into important trends and gaps in knowledge within many exposures and outcome domains.
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Marzouk, Mohamed, and Mohamed Moustafa Ashmawy. "Assessment of highways concrete and asphalt pavements using superiority inferiority ranking technique." Construction Innovation ahead-of-print, ahead-of-print (December 31, 2020). http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ci-10-2019-0107.
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Purpose Highways are one of the most critical infrastructure projects with strategic impact on the countries’ development. Asphalt has been historically the main pavement material used in all highway projects, especially in Egypt. However, with the booming in concrete technology in the past two decades, concrete has become a strong rival to asphalt, especially in highway applications. Several factors impact the decision-making criteria for any highway, which differ according to the priorities and requirements of each decision-maker and the nature of the project. Design/methodology/approach This research focuses on studying and analyzing the different factors that impact the decision for selecting the material type for highways in Egypt’s pavement construction industry. The outputs of the analysis are then incorporated into a multi-decision-making tool to assess the optimum solution as per the priorities of the decision-maker. A holistic framework is developed to compare asphalt and concrete pavements solutions considering; initial cost, maintenance cost on the life cycle, construction duration, embodied energy and fuel consumption. The data collection on local highways was performed through interviewing and surveying experts in the consulting, contracting and building materials fields (total of 15 respondents). Findings A multi-decision-making tool developed using the superiority and inferiority ranking method for selecting the best alternate. To illustrate the practicality of the proposed framework, a case study for assessment and validation has been done on Sokhna–Quarries highway in Egypt. The framework results reveal that despite a lower initial cost and faster construction of asphalt, concrete pavement is more cost-efficient on the lifecycle time. The multi-decision-making model indicates that concrete is a better alternate for highway applications given the cost, time and energy factors considered. Originality/value The proposed model takes into consideration the important parameters in selecting the type of pavement to be constructed considering two alternates asphalt and concrete.
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Khare, Peeyush, and Drew R. Gentner. "Considering the future of anthropogenic gas-phase organic compound emissions and the increasing influence of non-combustion sources on urban air quality." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions, August 23, 2017, 1–69. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-2017-761.
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Decades of policy in developed regions has successfully reduced total anthropogenic emissions of gas-phase organic compounds, especially volatile organic compounds (VOCs), with an intentional, sustained focus on motor vehicles and other combustion-related sources. We examine potential secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and ozone formation in our case study megacity (Los Angeles), and demonstrate that non-combustion-related sources now contribute a major fraction of SOA and ozone precursors. Thus, they warrant greater attention beyond indoor environments to resolve large uncertainties in their emissions, oxidation chemistry, and outdoor air quality impacts in cities worldwide. We constrain the magnitude and chemical composition of emissions via several bottom-up approaches using: chemical analyses of products, emissions inventory assessments, theoretical calculations of emission timescales, and a survey of consumer product material safety datasheets. We demonstrate that the chemical composition of emissions from consumer products, and commercial/industrial products, processes, and materials is diverse across and within product/material-types with a wide range of SOA and ozone formation potentials that rivals other prominent sources, such as motor vehicles. With emission timescales from minutes to years, emission rates and source profiles need to be included, updated, and/or validated in emissions inventories, with expected regional/national variability. In particular, intermediate-volatility and semivolatile organic compounds (IVOCs and SVOCs) are key precursors to SOA but are excluded or poorly represented in emissions inventories, and exempt from emissions targets. We present an expanded framework for classifying VOC, IVOC, and SVOC emissions from this diverse array of sources that emphasizes a lifecycle approach over longer timescales and three emission pathways that extend beyond the short-term evaporation of VOCs: (1) solvent evaporation, (2) solute off-gassing, and (3) volatilization of degradation by-products. Furthermore, we find that ambient SOA formed from these non-combustion-related emissions could be misattributed to fossil fuel combustion due to the isotopic signature of their petroleum-based feedstocks.