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Shakil Ahmed and Md Habibur Rahman Sobuz
Construction management is ameliorated by the lean construction concept in many direct and indirect ways to reduce waste of construction process and improve the value. The purpose…
Abstract
Purpose
Construction management is ameliorated by the lean construction concept in many direct and indirect ways to reduce waste of construction process and improve the value. The purpose of this paper is to identify the challenges of the implementation of lean construction in the Bangladeshi construction industry and to prioritize these factors that constitute these challenges.
Design/methodology/approach
A comprehensive literature review was used for shorting the global challenges of implementing lean construction. Subsequently, these challenges were incorporated into a structured questionnaire for survey. A total of 164 valid responses were collected from Bangladeshi construction practitioners involved in different types of construction organizations. The results were analyzed using the Relative Important Index (RII) and Mann–Whitney U test.
Findings
The findings revealed 41 challenges of lean construction implementation in the Bangladeshi construction industry. The highest ranking challenges are the lack of awareness about lean construction, lack of skills, training and lean techniques, unwillingness to change the existing culture, lack of management commitment, fragmented and cyclic nature of the construction project and unavailing communication between all project participants. The study also discusses some universally applicable solutions to overcome these challenges.
Originality/value
By the findings of this study, the Bangladeshi construction industry could get a new insight into the challenges of implementing lean construction. It could play a very important part in the body of knowledge, as it reveals the challenges of implementing lean construction for the first time with the socio-economic context of Bangladesh. Exploring the findings, the study could help the stakeholders, companies, academician, researchers and government to focus their effort and resources on the significantly appropriate issues. Furthermore, this study may beneficial to those developing countries especially in South Asia, who have shared the same socio-economic status with Bangladesh.
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Abstract
A stochastic process with repulsive correlation is proposed to simulate the nonequilibrium electronic transport through microstructures under finite bias voltage. Since an electron needs to stay a finite time τ0 on a channel state while traversing the constriction structure, within τ0 other electrons can not follow up through the same channel state because of the Pauli exclusion. This quantum effect induces a time correlation and suppresses the shot noise. The Monte Carlo results fairly compare with experimental measurements.
Hui Zhao, Yuanyuan Ge and Weihan Wang
This study aims to improve the offshore wind farm (OWF) site selection evaluation index system and establishes a decision-making model for OWF site selection. It is expected to…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to improve the offshore wind farm (OWF) site selection evaluation index system and establishes a decision-making model for OWF site selection. It is expected to provide helpful references for the progress of offshore wind power.
Design/methodology/approach
Firstly, this paper establishes an evaluation criteria system for OWF site selection, considering six criteria (wind resource, environment, economic, technical, social and risk) and related subcriteria. Then, the Criteria Importance Though Intercrieria Correlation (CRITIC) method is introduced to figure out the weights of evaluation indexes. In addition, the cumulative prospect theory and technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (CPT-TOPSIS) method are employed to construct the OWF site selection decision-making model. Finally, taking the OWF site selection in China as an example, the effectiveness and robustness of the framework are verified by sensitivity analysis and comparative analysis.
Findings
This study establishes the OWF site selection evaluation system and constructs a decision-making model under the spherical fuzzy environment. A case of China is employed to verify the effectiveness and feasibility of the model.
Originality/value
In this paper, a new decision-making model is proposed for the first time, considering the ambiguity and uncertainty of information and the risk attitudes of decision-makers (DMs) in the decision-making process.
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The purpose of this paper is to provide forum for critical discourses in the area of retroduction thinking in the re-orientation of social sciences research at the Bank of Sierra…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide forum for critical discourses in the area of retroduction thinking in the re-orientation of social sciences research at the Bank of Sierra Leone. It is acknowledged that economic research at the bank is more oriented towards the orthodox approach (Keynesian, etc.), while that of the un-orthodox (heterodox) view is being blighted by the need to prove economic theory application without much consideration given to the imperfect market economic conditions faced in the country.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology of the paper is based on critical theoretical literature review of documents and also the assessment of current approach to research practices at the Bank of Sierra Leone.
Findings
There is actually a pool of professionals from different backgrounds, whose passion have been coordinated to embrace the idea of integrating variety of triangulation approaches (methodological, theoretical, data, and investigator) in their pursuit of exploring best practices for policy research at the bank. Research is an ontological journey and the process of its epistemological inquiry requires pool of experts, drawn from wide range of backgrounds (mainstream Social Sciences, Mathematical Science, etc.), whose approaches are pertinent in the pursuit of human discovery, and particularly for policy development, as in the case with the Bank of Sierra Leone. This work has highlighted several salient recommended points for future action in the lead towards energizing research at the bank.
Originality/value
The effort to provide this paper is very original, which is based on the author's experience of working in a research focused environment. This paper will be of value to future pursuance of work in promoting triangulation research at the Bank of Sierra Leone. It is hoped that the outcome of this will spearhead mixture of professional engagement of work activities that is geared towards addressing effective policy formulation at the bank in meeting its key objective (maintaining price stability).
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Godfrey C. Onwubolu and Samson Mhlanga
Reports the development and successful implementation of a computer‐integrated production and operations management system (POM), encompassing schedule activities such as…
Abstract
Reports the development and successful implementation of a computer‐integrated production and operations management system (POM), encompassing schedule activities such as aggregate production plan, master production schedule and material requirements plan, and capacity activities such as financial plan, resource requirements plan, rough‐cut capacity plan and capacity requirements plan, at the planning level. POM’s icon‐menu driven system which associates icons with decision model spreadsheets makes it very user‐friendly, and facilitates the integration of decisions encountered by industrial/ manufacturing engineers and operations managers.
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Oluwatoyin Augustina Matthew, Abiola Ayopo Babajide, Romanus Osabohien, Anthonia Adeniji, Olabanji Olukayode Ewetan, Omobola Adu, Folasade Adegboye, Felicia Omowunmi Olokoyo, Oluwasogo Adediran, Ese Urhie, Oluwatosin Edafe and Osayande Itua
The purpose of this paper is to examine the challenges of accountability and development in Nigeria. In the literature, corruption is seen as an indicator of a lack of political…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the challenges of accountability and development in Nigeria. In the literature, corruption is seen as an indicator of a lack of political accountability in most countries of the world, especially in less developed countries such as Nigeria. The Nigerian Government has taken several actions to address the problems of bad governance and corruption that have impeded economic development, but unfortunately these measures have not yielded the desired results.
Design/methodology/approach
Thus, this study examined accountability and developmental issues in Nigeria using secondary data and then made use of the auto-regressive distributed lag econometric technique to analyze the data.
Findings
The results from the study found that a rise in total government expenditure poses a danger of reducing Nigeria’s economic development in the long run and that control of corruption and political (the institutional variables) has a direct and significant effect on Nigeria’s economic development.
Originality/value
Therefore, upon these findings, this paper recommended that for Nigeria to experience development, corruption should be eliminated, and the Nigerian Government should spend on viable projects and economic activities that will be beneficial to the populace and the society at large and hence bring about economic development. Accountability is the hallmark of a prudent government that ensures efficient management of resources and transparency in the utilization of funds by the government. The absence of accountability mechanism allows corruption to thrive, which hinders the developmental process.
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Yusuf Bala Zaria and Jasman Tuyon
Apart from providing theoretical clarity, the present research aims to validate empirically that the EPU will be adversely affecting these key macroeconomic variables and that…
Abstract
Purpose
Apart from providing theoretical clarity, the present research aims to validate empirically that the EPU will be adversely affecting these key macroeconomic variables and that managing EPU matters for economic policymaking in Nigeria.
Design/methodology/approach
A dynamic autoregressive distributed lag regression model is employed to analyse the relationship from 1990 to 2020. Based on the theory of multiplier effect, the analysis could examine the positive and negative changes in policy uncertainty, as well as the reliability in macroeconomic activities such as unemployment, infrastructure development and foreign direct investment inflows.
Findings
The findings revealed EPU is cointegrated with the key economic variables in focus. Further, the negative impact of EPU on corporate investment in FDI and positive impact of EPU on unemployment confirm for both short and long-run. However, the impact of EPU on government investment in infrastructure development is found to be positive which does not confirm the expected hypothesis.
Practical implications
Dynamic relationship between policy uncertainty and macroeconomic activities in Nigeria seems to exist. Taking risky decisions has impact and causing a high unemployment rate, poor infrastructural development and lower foreign direct investment inflows in the country.
Originality/value
Policy uncertainty in Nigeria is determining. Despite that, very little research found that rising uncertainty issues may significantly affect unemployment, investment in infrastructure and foreign direct investment inflows adversely. Therefore, policy uncertainty is an open space for economic activities to thrive in Nigeria, especially unemployment.
Peer review
The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-08-2022-0555
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This paper aims to argue that Economics is not a neutral science.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to argue that Economics is not a neutral science.
Design/methodology/approach
Post-structuralist perspective of Lyotard (1984), alongside the Pragmatics of Searle (1979) and Travis (1981) are useful for analyzing enunciations in mainstream Economics.
Findings
Economists use illocutionary acts expressed in formal language to achieve perlocutionary effects. Because of the importance attached to objectivity in mainstream Economics, the use of artificial languages is preferred to natural language. However, formal language is preferred regarding its perlocutionary effects on economists' community.
Originality/value
This paper puts together the Continental and the Analytical Philosophy and show, in an original manner, how their intersections and how they can be useful to better understand the epistemology of Economics.
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The term “agent-based modelling” (ABM) is a buzzword which is widely used in the scientific literature even though it refers to a variety of methodologies implemented in different…
Abstract
Purpose
The term “agent-based modelling” (ABM) is a buzzword which is widely used in the scientific literature even though it refers to a variety of methodologies implemented in different disciplinary contexts. The numerous works dealing with ABM require a clarification to better understand the lines of thinking paved by this approach in economics. All modelling tasks are a means and a source of knowledge, and this epistemic function can vary depending on the methodology. this paper is to present four major ways (deductive, abductive, metaphorical and phenomenological) of implementing an agent-based framework to describe economic systems. ABM generates numerous debates in economics and opens the room for epistemological questions about the micro-foundations of macroeconomics; before dealing with this issue, the purpose of this paper is to identify the kind of ABM the author can find in economics.
Design/methodology/approach
The profusion of works dealing with ABM requires a clarification to understand better the lines of thinking paved by this approach in economics. This paper offers a conceptual classification outlining the major trends of ABM in economics.
Findings
There are four categories of ABM in economics.
Originality/value
This paper suggests a methodological categorization of ABM works in economics.
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