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This paper aims to cover the development of a methodology for hybrid fuzzy Monte Carlo agent-based simulation (FMCABS) and its implementation on a parametric study of construction crew performance.

The developed methodology uses fuzzy logic, Monte Carlo simulation and agent-based modeling to simulate the behavior of construction crews and predict their performance. Both random and subjective uncertainties are considered in model variables.

The developed methodology was implemented on a real case involving the parametric study of construction crew performance to assess its applicability and suitability for this context.

This parametric study demonstrates a practical application for the hybrid FMCABS methodology. Though findings from this study are limited to the context of construction crew motivation and performance, the applicability of the developed methodology extends beyond the construction domain.

This paper will help construction practitioners to predict and improve crew performance by taking into account both random and subjective uncertainties.

This paper will advance construction modeling by allowing for the assessment of social interactions among crews and their effects on crew performance.

The developed hybrid FMCABS methodology represents an original contribution, as it allows agent-based models to simultaneously process all types of variables (i.e. deterministic, random and subjective) in the same simulation experiment while accounting for interactions among different agents. In addition, the developed methodology is implemented in a novel and extensive parametric study of construction crew performance.

Previous studies have highlighted that communication barrier was one of the major safety problems faced by ethnic minority (EM) workers. This study aims to model the predominant safety communication networks of EM crews and explore the relationships among safety communication networks, individual attributes, safety climate, near misses and injuries of EM crews.

Case studies were conducted with EM crews in the Hong Kong construction industry. Demographic attribute, network, safety climate and accidents data were collected through questionnaires and analyzed by a combination of social network analysis (SNA), cross-case comparison and nonparametric tests.

The results revealed that language proficiency, network density and level of reciprocity were contributing factors of distinguishing high and low safety performing EM crews. EM management received more safety information from EM workers than local management. The centrality of EM workers was significantly related to their age, the perceived priority of safety and language ability.

The research findings regarding the impact of safety communication network characteristics on the safety performance of EM crews provides insights to employers on how to cultivate effective safety communication patterns within EM crews that can lead to better safety performance. The connections between personal attributes and their positions in safety communication networks could help the employers identify the EM workers who are positioned on edges of networks and need more attention.

This study contributes to knowledge by enriching the limited research on analyzing safety communication of small construction crews using SNA and expanding the research object to EM construction crews in the literature, who are more vulnerable to construction accidents. This research also extends the existing body of knowledge from studies mainly carried out in Western culture to Eastern culture. Although safety communication has been regarded as important for EM workers, there is a lack of quantitative analysis on this at a crew level. The present study provides empirical research to reveal authentic safety communication networks and their connections with safety performance and personal attributes.

The most important advance in system design is the development of modeling and simulation methods to predict complex performance before prototypes are developed. New systems are developed in a spiraling approach; as more is learned about the system, design changes are proposed and evaluated. This approach allows the engineering team to “spin out” early versions of the system for preliminary evaluation, permitting changes to be made to the system design without incurring unacceptable cost. Because of the complexity of human performance, current modeling techniques provide only a first approximation. However, it has been demonstrated that even simple, inexpensive modeling approaches are useful in uncovering workload and performance problems related to developing systems (Barnes & Beevis, 2003). More important, these models can serve as the basis for operator simulation experiments that verify and also calibrate the original models. Furthermore, early field tests and system of systems demonstrations that can validate these results under actual conditions are becoming an increasingly significant part of the early design process. Fig. 1 illustrates this interdependence indicating a spiraling process throughout the design starting with simple predictive methods and progressing to more expensive validation methods. These iterations should continue until most of the soldier's variance is accounted for, and before any formal soldier testing is conducted. Fig. 1 presents the ideal combination of techniques; not all systems can be evaluated this thoroughly but more cost-effective modeling and simulation tools combined with realistic field exercises should make this approach more the norm as future unmanned systems are developed (Barnes & Beevis, 2003). In the remainder of this chapter, several case studies are presented to illustrate how the techniques in Fig. 1 have been applied in UAV programs.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the evaluation of cabin crew food safety training using the Kirkpatrick model.

Using a snowballing technique, 26 cabin crew, managers, supervisors and trainers participated in in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Summative content analysis was used to evaluate the data.

In total, 26 respondents from 20 international airlines participated in the study. All respondents agreed that evaluating cabin crew food safety/hygiene issues is important in relation to in-flight food handling; for example, “Training evaluation helps in the improvement of the future training”; “We have an end of course feedback form, either done electronically or on paper and that looks at how the delegates felt the training went, if they came away learning something new, if the environment for learning was right, all sorts of things; the questionnaire is quite comprehensive”; and “Every trainee is given a feedback form to complete”. However, significant failures in food safety training and its evaluation were identified.

The evaluation of cabin crew food safety training shows that it is ineffective in some aspects, including learning achieved and behavioural change, and these can directly impact on the implementation of food safety practices. Evaluation failures may be due to the lack of available time in relation to other cabin crew roles. Further research may consider using a larger sample size, evaluating training effectiveness using social cognition models and assessments of airline and cabin crew food safety culture.

This is the first study that evaluates cabin crew food safety training using the Kirkpatrick model. The findings provide an understanding of the current evaluation of cabin crew food safety training and can be used by airlines for improving and developing effective future food safety training programmes. This, in turn, may reduce the risk of passenger and crew foodborne disease.

Several different simulation techniques, such as discrete event simulation (DES), system dynamics (SD) and agent-based modelling (ABM), have been used to model complex construction systems such as construction processes and project management practices; however, these techniques do not take into account the subjective uncertainties that exist in many construction systems. Integrating fuzzy logic with simulation techniques enhances the capabilities of those simulation techniques, and the resultant fuzzy simulation models are then capable of handling subjective uncertainties in complex construction systems. The objectives of this chapter are to show how to integrate fuzzy logic and simulation techniques in construction modelling and to provide methodologies for the development of fuzzy simulation models in construction. In this chapter, an overview of simulation techniques that are used in construction is presented. Next, the advancements that have been made by integrating fuzzy logic and simulation techniques are introduced. Methodologies for developing fuzzy simulation models are then proposed. Finally, the process of selecting a suitable simulation technique for each particular aspect of construction modelling is discussed.

To better understand contributing factors and mediating mechanisms related to team dynamics in isolated, confined, and extreme (ICE) environments.

Literature review.

Our primary focus is on cohesion and adaptation – two critical aspects of team performance in ICE environments that have received increased attention in both the literature and funding initiatives. We begin by describing the conditions that define ICE environments and review relevant individual biological, neuropsychiatric, and environmental factors that interact with team dynamics. We then outline a unifying team cohesion framework for long-duration missions and discuss several environmental, operational, organizational, and psychosocial factors that can impact team dynamics. Finally, we end with a discussion of directions for future research and countermeasure development, emphasizing the importance of temporal dynamics, multidisciplinary integration, and novel conceptual frameworks for the inherently mixed work and social setting of long-duration missions in ICE environments.

A better understanding of team dynamics over time can contribute to success in a variety of organizational settings, including space exploration, defense and security, business, education, athletics, and social relationships.

We promote a multidisciplinary approach to team dynamics in ICE environments that incorporates dynamic biological, behavioral, psychological, and organizational factors over time.

The training of commercial aircrews in team management is now being recognised as a priority. This article reviews one major intervention with Trans Australia Airlines.

The paper aims to convert into useable guidelines, the knowledge related to human factors and tasks' organisation, which are embedded in one of the most exciting maintenance actions that are carried out, the pitstop in Formula 1 races.

The paper opted for a fault tree analysis (FTA) to de-construct all the sub-tasks and their possible deviations from desirable situations and to evaluate the most relevant information needed for carrying out the pitstop operation. Besides, the SHELL model was applied in a second stage to evaluate the interaction between human being and human interfaces with other components of the system. Once this set of information was crystallised, the research translated it into useable guidelines for organising industrial maintenance actions using the same approach and possible reaching the same results.

The results of this study is a structured set of guidelines that encompasses the most paramount aspects that should be considered for setting correct maintenance actions. They represent a “guide” for including the different angles that are included during these operations.

The guidelines are potentially applicable to every maintenance operation. The guidelines should be tested on different working domains to check their applicability besides the racing world.

This study is a reverse engineering work for creating a scheme to include into maintenance operations aspects such as crew athlete-like fitness, training, technology, organisational issues, safety, ergonomics and psychology.

The value of the paper is deconstructing the results of one of the most successful and prepared maintenance action. The paper takes a different approach in proposing how to structure and create maintenance solutions. The difference in approaches between the maintenance during the pitstop of Formula 1 car and industrial applications enhances the gap that needs still to be filled for further improving maintenance actions out of the racing world.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature of Singapore Airline's human resource (HR) management practices that enable the company to deliver consistent service excellence in an efficient manner and achieve sustainable competitive advantage.

The paper presents an in‐depth case study based on primary and secondary data, and especially in‐depth interviews of senior management and senior flight crew.

The study finds that Singapore Airlines' HR practices involve stringent selection and recruitment processes, extensive training and retraining, successful service delivery teams, empowerment of front‐line staff to control service quality, and motivating staff through rewards and recognition.

This research has implications for organisations that aim to deliver consistent service excellence, by outlining HR practices that assist in this goal; and for senior management, particularly highlighting the importance and contribution of HR to competitive advantage, and the importance of strategic alignment between functional strategies and business‐level strategies.

The paper contributes to the understanding of how HR practices contribute to service excellence and competitive advantage, this being a key dimension of strategic alignment.

The authors present a fist attempt to test the mediating role of humor in the relation between unruly passenger behavior and occupational stress in cabin crews.

This study used an experience sampling design to investigate the relationship between a frequent job hassle in air service provision, namely unruly passenger behavior (UPB), and the stress experienced by flight attendants.

The results of multilevel analyses show that UPB is positively related to the use of aggressive humor and negatively related to the use of affiliative humor in cabin crews. Moreover, humor mediates the relationship between unruly passenger behavior and stress. In addition the results show that general self-efficacy as a personal resource buffers the association between passenger misconduct and the use of aggressive humor.

This study is among the first empirical attempts to explore the role of humor as a mediator between uncivil customer behavior and stress in air service employee.