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The purpose of this project was to compare the cost of transportation engineering design services provided by private contractors versus services provided by state transportation agency staff for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LaDOTD). Due to shrinking budgets, staff cuts, and a trend toward privatization, state transportation agencies now outsource the majority of the services they provide. The merits of doing so, however, have been difficult to discern for lack of “apples-to-apples” comparisons. For engineering design services, this problem is particularly acute due to the uniqueness of many projects (e.g., a bridge over the Mississippi river). A simulation approach was used in this study to make “apples-to-apples” comparisons for 39 design projects, 22 in-house projects and 17 consultant projects. For each in-house design project, the cost was estimated had the work been done by a consulting firm. Similarly, for each consultant design project, the cost was estimated had the work been done by in-house staff. The result of the study was that in-house design costs were cheaper by an average of 17 to 19 percent.

This paper examines the managerial skills and role perceptions between the design leader and the client's in‐house professional staff which affect corporate communications. It also examines the consequential factors that influence the time taken to finalise the design for commercial building projects. Whilst all aspects of the design should be discussed to achieve a good product, the time spent on the development of design should not be so long that it affects the overall construction time and the achievement of the client's desired financial objectives. Each specialist in the design team will have something to contribute to the project which may consequently increase the complexity of conventional design development for commercial properties. The research methodology adopted in this study involves in‐depth case studies of two building projects which fundamentally seek to determine the organisational change, leadership and communication factors that influence effective design development of commercial building projects.

This paper explores changes in the attitudes of managers at a state transportation agency towards working with professional service consultants over time. The development of a relational orientation amongst agency managers is explored, i.e. managerial styles recognizing greater interdependence and emphasizing trust, partnership and collaboration over formal procedures and monitoring. Case studies of two points in time (2003 and 2007) are presented using semi-structured interviews and survey data. The evidence demonstrates growing patterns of interdependence and the structural and procedural adaptations made by the agency. Corresponding difference in means tests demonstrate patterns of change in relational orientation over time.

The objective of the research is to identify and analyse the main barriers to new product development within small manufacturing companies.

The study has employed a longitudinal case‐study methodology, which has focused on data gathering from three manufacturing companies that have undertaken new product development activities in‐house. The detailed case‐study material has been derived from project documentation and interviews with personnel at various technical and managerial levels.

Three generic managerial issues that impinge on new product development are identified: the influence of a dominant owner/manager; a focus on time and cost ahead of other key factors; and a failure to understand the importance of product design.

Although the case studies are detailed, only three manufacturing companies are assessed. Future research should expand on the generic issues, increase the number of case‐study companies, and ideally include an assessment of new product development within small companies from outside of the UK.

In order to overcome some of the inevitable managerial limitations within small companies, new product development activities should seek to promote a more systematic approach to design. This may encompass formal design training for senior managers and the implementation of simple design tools, such as product design specifications.

Barriers to and opportunities for new product development within small manufacturing companies are neglected areas in terms of detailed research studies. The issues highlighted in this paper will help to inform managers, practitioners and policy makers who are engaged in enhancing the competitive advantage of “traditional” manufacturing companies.

This study aims to investigate ground-related design deficiencies as potential avenues of avoidable cost overruns, discernible from the geotechnical practices of highway agencies in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.

The study deploys an interpretivist qualitative methodology to provide a detailed descriptive analysis of the design-related geotechnical practices of highway agencies during the pre-contract phase of highway projects. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with in-house professionals, consultants and contractors affiliated with the three highway agencies in the Niger Delta and thematically analysed to identify significant deviations from geotechnical best practices.

The study outcome shows that during the pre-contract phase, a chain of design-related geotechnical shortcomings has plagued highway projects executed in the Niger Delta. This view of practice uncovered in this study demonstrates a culture of significant deviation from best practice recommendations, which could plausibly contribute to the history of significant project cost overruns recorded in the region.

The study qualitatively spotlights gaps in the practice of highway agencies and reinforces the need for a re-orientation of the attitude to risk management, to give geotechnical concerns a priority in the financial management of highway projects executed in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.

This case study aims to explain why one Canadian academic library chose to design and deliver in-house leadership development training for its employees, rather than taking a consortial approach, and seeks to highlight the impact of this decision on the library's organizational culture.

This paper is presented in three parts: the benefits and challenges of in-house, external and consortial training; the impact of an in-house leadership development program at the University Library at the University of Saskatchewan; and considerations when deciding whether to collaborate on the provision of employee training. The author draws upon her own personal experiences as the Director of Human Resources for the library, and presents evidence acquired through surveys, observations, and conversations.

The paper explains how a deliberate decision to provide in-house leadership training had a transformative effect on individual employees and the organization.

When considering collaborating to provide leadership development training, library administrators should ensure the pros and cons of doing so are thoroughly explored; the pressure to collaborate can sometimes lead to participation in activities simply to be seen as a “good library citizen,” and often such activities are not necessarily contributing to the strategic goals of the library. In economically challenging times, library leaders and decision makers will need to be very aware of these implications.

This paper discusses why a library chose an in-house approach to leadership development training rather than a consortial approach. This article has value to library administrators as they consider implementing leadership development training in their libraries.

In recent times, residential districts in modern cities face certain new and undesired problems related to antisocial behaviour by adolescents in its urban public spaces. In this study, we investigate the relationship between the design features of public spaces in residential areas and the problem of vandalism within the districts. This paper examines the current literature reviews on vandalism, the main reasons behind the increase of in the problem, types of vandalism, and a mathematical model for assessing visibility and accessibility in addition to proving the results of a field study conducted in a UAE city. We believe that visibility of vandalism-prone areas through dwelling windows, accessibility of such areas by residents through dwelling entrances, and recognition of ownership of such areas can definitely play a role in mitigating vandalism. Our findings indicated the following: (1) There is a strong relationship between vandalism and visibility through dwelling windows. (2) Residents' accessibility to dwelling entrances and recognition of ownership play an important role in reducing vandalism. (3) In areas where the visibility and accessibility by residents is low, the severity of the problem of vandalism increase if there is an increase in the percentage of adolescent residents. (4) The design characteristics of the housing areas, such as the height of the blocks or the limits of public spaces, do not have any influence on the occurrence of vandalism.

The Department of Architecture at the University of Pretoria is working in the South African housing context while gaining knowledge of such issues worldwide. Various innovations are being carried out in terms of housing design and delivery methods in South Africa. Through a methodical approach to design, it is believed that future architects will be able to answer to contextual needs without compromising the high standard of design expected by the Department.

This paper evaluates an exercise in open building principles, carried out in 2003, with post−graduate architecture and interior architecture students at the University. The focus was the application of open building principles from the urban design level to that of the building and the residential units. It involved the design of social housing and the upgrading of existing workers’ hostels into family units as well as the provision of social amenities. Students were to design various types of housing, showing alternative ways of ‘living’ and study housing in the area. The project involved close interaction with community representatives.

The area of study was located in Soshanguve, a township with predominantly black inhabitants, situated to the northwest of Pretoria. The previous political dispensation designated specific areas on the outskirts of the city as locations for black migrant workers, known as townships. Subsequently these townships have become cities in themselves, housing a large portion of the total population of Pretoria. It is here that there is a need for urban development and social housing.

Soshanguve offered an excellent opportunity for learning and the dissemination of good design principles in housing design. A debate on the relevance of open building to South Africa has been initiated. It is concluded that open building systems are an effective tool to achieve diversity and can accommodate for wider sectors of the population.

A survey of computer use in the British house building industry was conducted by means of a postal questionnaire to 100 house builders followed‐up by in‐depth interviews. The research shows widely variant levels of computer use and expertise in different house building companies amongst both regional developers and the nationwide volume builders. Some housing developers have sophisticated information technology strategies and are well placed to successfully implement advanced techniques whilst many have very little or no computer use for design and visualization and rely more on traditional competitive strategies.

This paper aims to review the application of integrated design strategies in several cases of housing in south-central Chile in search of ways to significantly reduce energy loss and demand.

First, seven main design features of energy-efficient buildings in developed countries were identified. Second, these features were reviewed in two professional case studies from architectural practices and two academic exercises on residential design in south-central Chile. In all cases reviewed, characteristics of integrated design were verified to reductions in energy loss and demand. Finally, the procedure implemented was evaluated through surveys of those practitioners responsible for each experience studied.

This process made it possible to highlight four main features of integrated design, namely, pre-established performance goals, interdisciplinary collaboration, regular broad-ranging meetings and the use of performance assessment tools. With these techniques, reductions of more than 50 per cent in the energy requirements of the housing designs were achieved, while safeguarding the functional, aesthetic and economic aspects of the projects.

However, professionals currently working in this field did express their concern regarding responsibility for the design and the time needed to complete the process.

Furthermore, this experience also identified similar modifications made to the design of the houses, which revealed general possibilities for improving energy performance.

The conclusions obtained have been exposed in conferences and graduate programmes and applied in two real projects for the benefit of society: first, the improvement of building envelopes in social housing in Temuco; and second, CASA+, a modular, prefabricated and energy efficient house prototype.

This paper carried out a novel review of an integrated design process in housing cases of developing countries, and identified the key features, which improve the environmental performance of dwellings.