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The purpose of this paper is to develop a knowledge-based decision support system for enterprise risk management (KBDSS-ERM) for Chinese construction firms (CCFs) to facilitate their ERM implementation. The specific objectives of the KBDSS-ERM are: first, assess the ERM maturity in a CCF; second, visualize the ERM maturity assessment results; third, provide action plans for improving the ERM implementation along the maturity continuum; and finally, generate a printable ERM maturity assessment report.

Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 was used to develop the KBDSS-ERM. Based on literature review and structured interviews, 191 action plans for improving ERM implementation were identified and included in the knowledge base. A fuzzy ERM maturity model, including 16 maturity criteria and 66 best practices, was embedded into the KBDSS-ERM. A total of ten experts from ten different CCFs, who were not involved in the survey or the development of the action plans, were invited to validate the KBDSS-ERM.

The validation results indicated that the results of the KBDSS-ERM were consistent with the expert judgments, and that the KBDSS-ERM had the accuracy ranging from 92.9 to 83.7 percent in assessing the maturity criteria and the overall ERM maturity of CCFs. In addition, the experts recognized the KBDSS-ERM as being a robust, convenient and useful tool for ERM implementation in CCFs.

First, the maturity criteria and ERM best practices that were identified in this study may not be exhaustive even though close attention was paid in the research methodology adopted to circumvent this risk. Additionally, as the applicability of the best practices and the importance of the maturity criteria were checked in the context of CCFs, one should be cautious when the KBDSS-ERM is being applied in other construction firms outside of the CCFs domain.

Using the KBDSS-ERM, the management can clearly understand its ERM implementation as well as the strengths and weaknesses, and obtain the action plans recommended by the KBDSS-ERM. Thus, with the information from the KBDSS-ERM, the management would make better decisions relating to ERM. In addition, while using the KBDSS-ERM, the staffs need to read the ERM best practices, which allows them to learn the ERM fundamentals and produce practical or innovative ideas relating to ERM. Thus, the KBDSS-ERM would contribute to the organizational learning of companies.

The primary contribution is the provision of 191 specific action plans that could be followed to enhance ERM practice. These action plans are arguably the first to be presented for the construction industry and therefore add to existing knowledge of ERM, now embedded in the KBDSS. In addition, the KBDSS-ERM is also the first computerized ERM tool developed specifically for construction firms. Although the KBDSS-ERM is primarily designed for CCFs, the implications of this study are not limited to CCFs because researchers and practitioners could adopt the research method of this study to develop KBDSSs for other construction firms.

The Veterans Healthcare Administration (VHA) has promoted Specialty Care Neighborhoods (SCN) to enhance the coordination of services between primary and specialty care. Care coordination agreements (CCAs) were included as a critical element in the SCN program. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of these documents in the successful implementation of SCNs.

Content, quality, and perceived usefulness of CCAs from 19 SCN sites were evaluated. CCA content was defined as the presence or absence of eight key components: contact information, process for urgent consults, process for e-consults, content of consults, primary and specialty care responsibilities, expected response time, discharge criteria, and review criteria. CCA quality was based on a qualitative assessment of CCA content; and perceived usefulness was based on a qualitative assessment of interview responses from CCA users. CCA characteristics were compared to SCN implementation levels using descriptive statistics. SCN implementation level was defined and measured by VHA Specialty Care Services.

Participating sites with medium-high or high SCN implementation levels had CCAs with more key components and of higher quality than sites with medium-low to medium SCN implementation levels. Perceived usefulness of CCAs was not associated with implementation level.

Since this study built on a quality improvement effort to facilitate care coordination, a rigorous research approach was not used. Specific CCA components could not be examined nor could specific hypotheses be tested due to the small and diverse sample. Findings presented are only preliminary.

The examination of CCAs suggests that these documents may be helpful to improve communication among primary and specialty care providers by explicitly stating agreed upon processes, mechanisms and criteria for referrals, roles and responsibilities for the co-management of patients, and timelines for review of CCAs.

This small study suggests that high-quality CCAs, which include a number of key components, can facilitate the implementation of coordinated care. Key characteristics of CCAs are identified in this study, including measures of CCA content, quality, and usefulness, which can be used in future efforts to develop and evaluate efforts to improve care coordination.

Building information modeling (BIM) is recognized as one of the technologies to upgrade the informatization level of the architecture engineering and construction (AEC) industry. However, the level of BIM implementation in the construction phase lags behind other phases of the project. Assessing the level of BIM implementation in the construction phase from a system dynamics (SD) perspective can comprehensively understand the interrelationship of factors in the BIM implementation system, thereby developing effective strategies to enhance BIM implementation during the construction phase. This study aims to develop a model to investigate the level of BIM implementation in the construction phase.

An SD model which covered technical subsystem, organizational subsystem, economic subsystem and environmental subsystem was developed based on questionnaire survey data and literature review. Data from China were used for model validation and simulation.

The simulation results highlight that, in China, from 2021 to 2035, the ratio of BIM implementation in the construction phase will rise from 48.8% to 83.8%, BIM model quality will be improved from 27.6% to 77.2%. The values for variables “BIM platform”, “organizational structure of BIM” and “workflow of BIM” at 2035 will reach 65.6%, 72.9% and 72.8%, respectively. And the total benefits will reach 336.5 billion yuan in 2035. Furthermore, the findings reveal five factors to effectively promote the level of BIM implementation in the construction phase, including: policy support, number of BIM standards, owners demand for BIM, investment in BIM and strategic support for BIM.

This study provides beneficial insights to effectively enhance the implementation level of BIM in the construction phase. Meanwhile, the model developed in this study can be used to dynamically and quantitatively assess the changes in the level of BIM implementation caused by a measure.

Sustainable manufacturing is gaining prominence in light of the rising environmental and social concerns worldwide. One major task to enhance manufacturing sustainability is assessment of the current state of sustainability of a manufacturing firm. This paper reviews the existing sustainability assessment approaches applicable for manufacturing firms and observes that most of these approaches are not easy to apply for reasons such as high amount of skill, data and time requirement. Towards bridging this gap, this study proposes a sustainability assessment approach.

The assessment approach proposed in the paper uses a predefined list of potential sustainable manufacturing practices (SMPs) covering the primary and support activity domains of a manufacturing firm's value chain. It proposes a method to assess the extent of implementation of SMPs and identify associated drivers and barriers for each SMP area/category along the value chain of a firm as well as at overall firm level. A case study from textile industry is presented to demonstrate the utility of this approach.

The sustainability assessment approach adopted in this study uses less time and skills as well as ensures comprehensive coverage of SMPs. It provided valuable information to the management of the case company on how sustainable their practices are and why?

The study highlights the importance of sustainability assessment at SMP area/category level as well as explores practice area/category specific drivers and barriers. It provides a useful approach for a quick assessment of the current state of sustainability in manufacturing firms.

This study aims to develop and implement an initial framework for assessing progress in lean implementation within an higher education institution (HEI). It includes developing preliminary findings regarding the impacts of lean implementation in the HEI case organization and comparing outcomes from this assessment to outcomes from other published sources.

Existing literature on lean, particularly in an HEI context, was used to develop a preliminary lean assessment framework for HEIs. Quality and continuous improvement literature were also compared to the proposed assessment framework to further validate the approach. This assessment framework was then utilized to evaluate lean implementation at a large public university (LPU) in the U.S.

The paper presents the framework as well as the major findings from the Large Public University (LPU)’s assessment. The assessment findings are further compared to other HEI quality measures and lean assessments done in other industries. Overall, the findings suggest that the assessment framework provides valuable insight to HEI organizations implementing lean.

The research intends to support lean assessment standardization efforts by proposing a preliminary lean assessment framework for the HEI, grounded in research trends, research findings, identified gaps in the research, and case study outcomes. To the research team's knowledge, this is the first lean assessment framework proposed for HEIs and also contributes to research gaps related to service industry frameworks and those containing both practices and outcomes. The framework can be used by other researchers as a foundation for additional conceptual and empirical developments on the topic and by researchers and practitioners seeking to understand and assess lean implementation progress in the HEI.

Lean Six Sigma (LSS) is a widely accepted business improvement methodology in healthcare, which aims to improve operations and quality and reduce cost, medical errors and waiting time by combing the principles of lean thinking with Six Sigma methodologies. To implement LSS successfully in healthcare organizations it is necessary to know the readiness level before starting the change process. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to assess the readiness level for the implementation of LSS in healthcare using a fuzzy logic approach.

The current study uses a fuzzy logic approach to develop an assessment model for readiness to implement LSS. The conceptual model for readiness is developed with 5 enablers, 16 criteria and 48 attributes identified from the literature review. The current study does the study in a medium-size hospital from India.

The fuzzy readiness for implementation of LSS index (FRLSSI) and fuzzy performance importance index (FPII) are calculated to identify the readiness level for the implementation of LSS in the case hospital. The FRLSSI is computed as average ready with (3.30, 5.06 and 6.83) and the FPII computed helps to identify 15 weaker attributes from 48 attributes.

The current study uses only one hospital for study. In the future, the model can be tested in many hospitals.

The current study would be used by the managers of a healthcare organization to identify the readiness level of their organization to implement LSS. The proposed model is based on the identification of enablers, criteria and attributes to assess the readiness level of a healthcare organization and it helps to improve the readiness level to implement LSS effectively.

The present study contributes to the knowledge of readiness for the implementation of LSS in a healthcare organization. The conceptual model is developed for assessing the readiness level of a healthcare organization and it helps to improve the readiness level for successful implementation of LSS. Weaker attributes are identified and necessary corrective actions should be taken by the management to improve the readiness. The continuation of the assessment readiness model over a period of time would help to improve the readiness level of healthcare for the implementation of LSS.

The aim of this paper is to explore the implementation issues of the Business Excellence Model and the process of self‐assessment, from both management and employee perspectives, in a large government organisation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where the large Government organisation is indicative of the type of large indigenous organisation in the region. The organisation is part of the Dubai Government Excellence Programme (DGEP).

A multi‐level case study approach is used, involving repeated in‐depth interviews with managers (n=12) and a questionnaire with employees (n=96) to explore the implementation issues at all levels.

There was considerable variation in the implementation effectiveness across the different levels within the organisation. The top down approach had a resonance with the Middle East culture at management levels. However, insufficient participation and empowerment of lower level employees, especially amongst non‐indigenous employees, led to a lack of closure on corrective actions emerging from the self‐assessment process. Overall there was an acceptance of the business improvement side of total quality management (TQM) but there was a need for increased cultural acceptance of the people development aspects.

There is a paucity of multi‐level in‐depth studies relating to Business Excellence and self‐assessment in Middle Eastern organisations where a critical cultural perspective is adopted, even though there has been considerable resources expended by Government in initiatives such as the Dubai Government Excellence Programme (DGEP).

The implementation of enterprise content management (ECM) software applications has been a subject of extensive discussion. Although a number of ECM scholars have provided guidance on ECM implementation, there is a gap in how to assess benefits accruing from the implementation. One of the approaches of assessment is the use of maturity models. This paper aims to examine the utility of other ECM maturity model (ECM3) as an assessment tool.

The study was undertaken based on two related research questions, the first explored ECM3 assessment within a South African context and the second explored the utility of other maturity models for ECM implementation and lessons learnt to improve ECM3.

The results show that all the South African institutions assessed using ECM3 had a low level of maturity and there are a number of maturity models comparable to ECM3, and the global survey provides the closest parallel to the survey conducted in South Africa.

The study offers a unique discussion on the possible utility of ECM3 as a maturity model for assessing ECM implementation. This was done by comparing it with maturity models developed or used by records professionals and through assessing the results of two surveys, one conducted amongst South African institutions and another conducted by the Real Story Group.

Assessing the outcome of lean transformation journey has been of interest to both researchers and practitioners. Various qualitative and quantitative assessment methodologies have been proposed in literature to track and measure the degree of leanness attained. The purpose of this paper is to understand the evolution of this leanness assessment literature over different attributes and identify gaps for future research.

A detailed literature review of peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers addressing leanness assessment was performed. Content analysis methodology involving a four-step process suggested by Mayring (2004) was adopted for this study.

The number of studies in literature on leanness assessment is low when compared to that in the area of lean implementation. Assessment methodologies developed are of wide range, varying from simple qualitative checklist to complex quantitative mathematical models. Following the trend of lean implementation literature, lean thinking assessment literature is also getting transformed from process-level monitoring to enterprise-level monitoring. Finally, based on this review, a simplified leanness assessment framework is proposed for future validation.

Only peer-reviewed journals and conference papers were analyzed, while excluding the manuals, reports, and white papers from practice. Clustering of leanness assessment literature revealed that future studies in this domain would fall into two major categories, namely manufacturing leanness assessment and service leanness assessment.

Practitioners can use this review study to choose a suitable methodology for assessing the leanness attained in their organization by controlling for the structural attributes identified.

This is the first paper to review the topic “leanness assessment.” The review analyzes the entire literature available on leanness assessment to summarize its current status and identify potential future directions.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the degree of process approach implementation in the businesses studied and to identify the major motives behind the actions undertaken in the scope of reorientation towards processes.

The paper provides a discussion on the results of empirical research conducted in the year 2015 in 100 companies by means of the CATI system. The research comprised assessment of the process approach implementation in Polish enterprises which had deployed a quality management system (QSM). Specific motives providing grounds for process approach implementation in the organisations examined were also analysed. The results thus obtained were verified with reference to previous studies conducted in the field in question; they were statistically validated and then critically analysed, all in order to draw final conclusions.

It was observed that the evolution of experience of Polish entrepreneurs in the area of process management affects the growing number of organisations evaluating themselves as highly advanced in terms of process approach implementation, and at the same time, the number of companies classified as representing an intermediate level is dropping. Assessment of the extent of advancement of process approach implementation suggests that processes are measured in most businesses studied, but it also implies certain problems with process management. It was established that improvement of business credibility and deployment of the QSM were the most significant reasons motivating companies to implement the process approach.

Individual practical aspects are associated with the barriers identified and the solutions proposed to remove them. Such recommendations may be used by persons responsible for the implementation or improvement of the process approach in an enterprise.

The research addressed in the paper is not the first study of the process approach implementation level in Polish enterprises, but it followed the steps of other authors and the discourse they initiated. The research results provided in the paper are the most recent ones and reflect the latest trends. At the same time, the conclusions drawn may provide grounds for further scientific studies in this field.