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1 – 10 of 865The administration of a contract by the architect is necessary to ensure the contract is performed according to the conditions of the contract, compliance with related laws and…
Abstract
Purpose
The administration of a contract by the architect is necessary to ensure the contract is performed according to the conditions of the contract, compliance with related laws and the practices of the construction industry. With the increasing number of housing projects and the limited number of registered architects in the nation, the architect is unable to be hands-on with every project. Hence, the involvement of graduate architects to reduce the workload in building contract administration (BCA) is required. The purpose of this paper is to develop a BCA framework for graduate architects to enhance their work performance in BCA work and to assist them in moving a step closer to acquiring their professional qualifications.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted a qualitative method where seven housing projects in Malaysia were selected as case studies to conduct documentation reviews and semistructured interviews. The data collected was analyzed using content analysis to develop the BCA framework. Focus groups were used to validate the framework.
Findings
This study summarized there are 5 themes (claims and legal matters management, project management, communication and relationship management, quality assessment and management, and design management) and 11 sub-themes (authority matters, building certification, meetings, coordination checklist, letter-writing, contract documentation, building material, design brief, building sustainability and workmanship quality standard, contractor’s submission and building details) that need to be improved by graduate architects in BCA work.
Originality/value
The contribution of this study to the existing knowledge is the development of a BCA framework that enables graduate architects to get a glimpse of architectural professional practice in reality and better prepare them to confront and resolve problems. Besides, the proposed framework could be incorporated into a pedagogy focusing on methods to support construction contract administrators.
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Graduate architect plays an important role in contract implementation management when handling building construction projects. Graduate architects had been authorized to manage…
Abstract
Purpose
Graduate architect plays an important role in contract implementation management when handling building construction projects. Graduate architects had been authorized to manage the projects in construction industry due to limited architects in the country. The capability of graduate architect when manage project is critical in reducing performance barriers encountered. The aim of this paper is to identify critical factors that affect graduate architect's performance during project implementation.
Design/methodology/approach
An explorative study was undertaken to provide an insight into actual experiences of graduate architects in contract implementation management. The data were collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews providing case studies on contract implementation management on housing projects in Malaysia and observation of the actual on-going projects.
Findings
The five most crucial factors affected graduate architects' performance related to lack of training in project documentation, failed to obtain professional and peer support in quality and assessment, isolate in role during project coordination, lack of education support in design process and unaware of legal aspects which delayed response to contractor.
Research limitations/implications
This research focuses only on seven housing projects and semi-structured interviews with twenty graduate architects who in charge of those projects. As such, the resulting factors that affect graduate architect's performance are limited and are constrained only to the construction industry in Malaysia.
Practical implications
This research examined the factors affecting graduate architect's performance which is a timely study, as the increasing number of population and developments will provide ample opportunities for them to perform.
Originality/value
The outcome of the study is expected to facilitate graduate architects to devise proactive risk mitigation measures to reduce impact of these factors and improve project delivery.
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Suhair Alkilani and Martin Loosemore
This research uses contingency theory and Venkatraman’s concept of moderating fit to explore how key project stakeholders (clients, consultants and suppliers) influence project…
Abstract
Purpose
This research uses contingency theory and Venkatraman’s concept of moderating fit to explore how key project stakeholders (clients, consultants and suppliers) influence project performance from the perspective of small and medium contractors in the Jordanian construction industry.
Design/methodology/approach
An anonymous structured survey was performed comprising 200 key informants including senior project managers, construction managers, engineers and general managers working for small- and medium-sized contractors in the Jordanian construction industry. The Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyse the data.
Findings
The results of this study show that consultant-related factors (quality of documentation produced, ability to communicate and technical competencies) are perceived to have the most significant direct effect on project performance, followed by client-related factors (payment promptness, decision certainty and documentation control) and supplier-related factors (supplier performance, defects control and logistics management).
Originality/value
The results contribute new theoretical, empirical and practical insights to existing construction project performance research by highlighting the key performance factors which need to be managed for each stakeholder group to ensure effective project performance from a small- and medium-sized contractor perspective.
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Heritage buildings are a witness to previous civilizations and constitute important elements in transmitting cultural identity through generations. In 1938, Alexandria University…
Abstract
Purpose
Heritage buildings are a witness to previous civilizations and constitute important elements in transmitting cultural identity through generations. In 1938, Alexandria University was established; it was called the University of Farouk at the time. In 1952, the university was named “Alexandria University,” and since then, it has witnessed growth and expansion in several fields. The research aims to preserve the heritage of this academic institution. It seeks to document this wealth of buildings that tell the story of the second-earliest university in Egypt.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-method approach was employed. A descriptive method was used to narrate the history of the university and the importance of its buildings. Within the quantitative approach, a questionnaire was chosen as the survey instrument for collecting the data within the research case study. The aim was to determine the awareness of students, staff and employees of the heritage importance of their faculty. Within the qualitative approach, several interviews were conducted with employees in the engineering departments of the university administrative building at Chatby and some of the selected faculties. The aim was to determine the methods used for the conservation of these buildings.
Findings
Alexandria University has a heritage value not only in its great history but also through its heritage buildings. Raising the awarness of the university's affiliates of this heritage will lead to enhance the feelings of loyalty and belongings to the university. Therefore, preserving this heritage and properly managing it is crucial.
Originality/value
Universities have to recognize that their built heritage constitutes a unique expression that can create a distinctive sense of place. University heritage is crucial in defining and interpreting the university cultural identity. The institution must identify resources that will help build a new public image and contribute to develop a successful brand. Campus appearance is an important factor that has a significant impact on student feelings of loyalty and belonging.
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Marina Salse, Javier Guallar-Delgado, Núria Jornet-Benito, Maria Pilar Mateo Bretos and Josep Oriol Silvestre-Canut
The purpose of this study is to determine which metadata schemas are used in the museums and university collections of the main universities in Spain and other European countries…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to determine which metadata schemas are used in the museums and university collections of the main universities in Spain and other European countries. Although libraries and archives are also university memory institutions (according to a Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums perspective), their collections are not included in this study because their metadata systems are highly standardized and their inclusion would, therefore, skew our understanding of the diverse realities that the study aims to capture.
Design/methodology/approach
The analysis has three components. The first is a bibliographic review based on Web of Science. The second is a direct survey of the individuals responsible for university collections to understand their internal work and documentation systems. Finally, the results obtained are complemented by an analysis of collective university heritage portals in Europe.
Findings
The results of this study confirmed the hypothesis that isolation and a lack of resources are still major issues in many cases. Increasing digitalization and the desire to participate in content aggregation systems are forcing change, although the responsibility for that change at universities is still vague.
Originality/value
Universities, particularly those with a long history, have an important heritage whose parts are often scattered or hidden. Although many contemporary academic publications have focused on the dissemination of university collections, this study focuses on the representation of information based on the conviction that good metadata are essential for dissemination.
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Mukaram Ali Khan, Jeetesh Kumar, Muhammad Haroon Shoukat and Kareem M. Selem
This paper aims to explore the role of perceived organizational injustice (POI) leading to workplace conflict in determining organizational performance (OP) among healthcare…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the role of perceived organizational injustice (POI) leading to workplace conflict in determining organizational performance (OP) among healthcare employees. This paper also examines the serial mediating effects of moral disengagement (MD) and knowledge hiding (KH).
Design/methodology/approach
In all, 244 public and private hospital employees in Pakistan provided the data set.
Findings
According to partial least squares-structural equation modeling findings, the negative association between POI and OP was serially mediated by KH and MD. The recovery process underlying the linkage between POI and OP is tested and highlighted in this paper as a first step in unraveling it.
Research limitations/implications
The findings highlight the significance of taking moral and KH models into account when attempting to understand the moral cognitive processes that employees go through when they see injustice. Organizations should guarantee the equitable distribution of incentives and resources, as distributive and procedural justices are concerned with organizations.
Originality/value
By directing actions meant to prevent MD and KH, the findings may potentially inspire new, more focused treatments to safeguard patient safety and avoid losses in the healthcare industry. One way to reduce unethical conduct and MD is to have people declare or agree to a code of ethics.
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Shu Fan, Shengyi Yao and Dan Wu
Culture is considered a critical aspect of social media usage. The purpose of this paper is to explore how cultures and languages influence multilingual users' cross-cultural…
Abstract
Purpose
Culture is considered a critical aspect of social media usage. The purpose of this paper is to explore how cultures and languages influence multilingual users' cross-cultural information sharing patterns.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a crowdsourcing survey with Amazon Mechanical Turk to collect qualitative and quantitative data from 355 multilingual users who utilize two or more languages daily. A mixed-method approach combined statistical, and cluster analysis with thematic analysis was employed to analyze information sharing patterns among multilingual users in the Chinese cultural context.
Findings
It was found that most multilingual users surveyed preferred to share in their first and second language mainly because that is what others around them speak or use. Multilingual users have more diverse sharing characteristics and are more actively engaged in social media. The results also provide insights into what incentives make multilingual users engage in social media to share information related to Chinese culture with the MOA model. Finally, the ten motivation factors include learning, entertainment, empathy, personal gain, social engagement, altruism, self-expression, information, trust and sharing culture. One opportunity factor is identified, which is convenience. Three ability factors are recognized consist of self-efficacy, habit and personality.
Originality/value
The findings are conducive to promoting the active participation of multilingual users in online communities, increasing global resource sharing and information flow and promoting the consumption of digital cultural content.
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Vasja Roblek, Vlado Dimovski, Kristjan Jovanov Oblak, Maja Meško and Judita Peterlin
This study aims to apply the Delphi method to explore the possibilities for implementing agility management concepts in Slovenian health-care organisations.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to apply the Delphi method to explore the possibilities for implementing agility management concepts in Slovenian health-care organisations.
Design/methodology/approach
The research is based on a qualitative Delphi study encompassing 15 employees in different Slovenian health-care organisations.
Findings
Slovenian health-care organisations need to be more agile currently. For this reason, it is necessary to begin with organisational changes and organisational learning concepts to educate employees about the meaning and content of agile processes. It is essential to ensure that accepting employee mistakes and offering help to employees becomes normal practice, and it is necessary to ensure the greater trust of the management towards the employees.
Originality/value
The research empowers health-care professionals with new management and leadership concepts, such as agile management, sustainable leadership and leadership development methods in health care.
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Tsegaye Ebabey and Tesfaye Zeleke Italemahu
This study aims to document the hypogea churches in Lay Gayint Woreda, South Gondar, to provide information for future tourism development practices and serve as insurance against…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to document the hypogea churches in Lay Gayint Woreda, South Gondar, to provide information for future tourism development practices and serve as insurance against loss of value due to unmanaged deteriorative factors.
Design/methodology/approach
The study followed a descriptive research design with qualitative research approach. Data were collected through field observations, interviews and written sources examination.
Findings
The study explored the lesser-known hypogea churches, which have significant tourist attraction values, including environmental, historical and architectural significance. However, the use of these potential cultural resources for tourism development is not yet attempted, and their conservation status is found to be critical. This documentation work is significant both for the sake of future tourism development plans and as insurance against looming cultural losses.
Research limitations/implications
This study did not record the ancient treasures of the churches because of the current political instabilities that hindered the access of data. However, it has implication for the need of an extensive documentation activity to trace the cultural resources in the remote areas of the country for future tourism development and conservation practices.
Originality/value
This paper documented the remote hypogea churches not only for the purpose of future tourism development plan but also as an insurance of their values against unmanaged destructive factors.
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Jones Nyame Aboagye, Ernest Kissi, Alex Acheampong and Edward Badu
This research aims to evaluate the status of project management best practices in the road infrastructure sector of Ghana through the inquiry of project managers’ competency.
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims to evaluate the status of project management best practices in the road infrastructure sector of Ghana through the inquiry of project managers’ competency.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a thorough literature review on competency and project management best practices, a criterion for measuring best practices based on the competencies was identified. Using closed-ended questionnaires as a survey instrument, data was collected and analyzed using a one-sample t-test, Kendall’s concordance coefficient and simple regression.
Findings
The key finding reveals that in achieving project management best practices for the Ghanaian road infrastructure projects, project managers should straighten and strengthen their capability in terms of skills, personal characteristics and knowledge as ranked. An appropriate blend of these characteristics would be a necessary requirement for project managers. Through this, project managers and project-based road infrastructure organizations will be able to win the confidence of their stakeholders and attain improvements in cost-effectiveness, quality and time management.
Research limitations/implications
This study provides project managers in the road infrastructure sector with relevant information on which criteria and variables are critical and are frequently required to manage such projects. This will be helpful for training programs and professional development of project managers in the road infrastructure sector.
Originality/value
The study provides a new direction and focuses for project managers in the road infrastructure industry toward best project management practices in developing countries. It also complements existing studies in this area which deepen the understanding of the subject area.
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