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Article
Publication date: 1 March 2005

Rose Goodier

Aims to describe the development of the LAMDA service, from its inception as an eLib project in 1995 to its current status as a commercial service.

626

Abstract

Purpose

Aims to describe the development of the LAMDA service, from its inception as an eLib project in 1995 to its current status as a commercial service.

Design/methodology/approach

Descriptions of the staff structure, turnaround times, equipment and software and the LAMDA Union list are all included.

Findings

Attention is drawn to LAMDA's influence on subsequent projects such as Docusend and SUNCAT.

Originality/value

The article concludes that the steep rise in electronic journal subscriptions in academic libraries has been a major factor in reducing the number of LAMDA transactions made in recent years.

Details

Interlending & Document Supply, vol. 33 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-1615

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 20 November 2007

Rose Goodier

61

Abstract

Details

Interlending & Document Supply, vol. 35 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-1615

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2004

Rose Goodier and Elaine Dean

The article looks at a number of possible reasons for the current downturn in the volume of interlibrary loan (ILL) and document supply (DS) requests in the UK higher education…

1319

Abstract

The article looks at a number of possible reasons for the current downturn in the volume of interlibrary loan (ILL) and document supply (DS) requests in the UK higher education (HE) sector. Figures quantifying the demand for these services are examined at the outset by means of a short survey that was circulated to ten HE institutions. The impact of electronic journals on ILL and DS services is scrutinised and proven to be a significant factor. The bibliographic searching behaviour of university researchers is investigated by means of a short questionnaire, and the results of the survey are evaluated. The recent rise in the number of postgraduate students in UK universities is confirmed. The topics of library budgets and the impact of end‐user services are also examined. The article concludes that it is the increase in the number of electronic journal subscriptions that has had the most significant impact on the recent decrease in demand for ILL and DS services in UK academic libraries.

Details

Interlending & Document Supply, vol. 32 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-1615

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 1 March 2005

216

Abstract

Details

Interlending & Document Supply, vol. 33 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-1615

Article
Publication date: 20 April 2022

Michael McCarney, Chris Ian Goodier and Alistair Gibb

This paper aims to identify and discuss how process and people factors influence the successful implementation of organisational interface management in offsite bathroom…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to identify and discuss how process and people factors influence the successful implementation of organisational interface management in offsite bathroom construction.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review identified 16 process and people factors. A mixed method approach was used to analyse data from eight offsite bathroom case study projects. A ranking approach determined the main process and people factors, consequently analysed using (Minitab) Frequency analysis, the Wilcoxon Signed Rank test and thematic analysis to establish the contributing sub-factors and their inter-relationships, to each other and to the literature. These factors and sub-factors formed the final conceptual model, bringing together interface management and offsite bathroom construction.

Findings

The nine factors instrumental to the conceptual model include six process factors: procurement, design management, supply chain management, health and safety, tolerance and quality and three people factors: communication, client/design team and project manager, reflecting the construction industry focus on hard processes over soft. The role of the project manager and communication, however, are the main factors which contribute to overall project success. Direct management of the offsite works by the contractor’s project manager is also highly significant.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations include the (UK) geographical focus of the research and the focus on bathroom pods in buildings.

Social implications

The research recognises three people (social) factors: communication, client/design team and project manager, with the first and third being the main factors which contribute to overall project success.

Originality/value

Originality stems from the focus on organisational interface management and how this relates to offsite bathroom construction (a practice gaining considerable momentum in industry) and the resultant model. Being grounded on more than one body of academic literature as well as 8 case studies and 82 industry interviews, there is value to both researchers and construction industry practitioners alike.

Details

Construction Innovation , vol. 23 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1471-4175

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Reference Reviews, vol. 13 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0950-4125

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 June 2021

Kofi Agyekum, Chris Goodier and James Anthony Oppon

The majority of the literature on green buildings in Ghana focuses on environmental benefits, innovative designs, construction technologies and project management techniques…

1667

Abstract

Purpose

The majority of the literature on green buildings in Ghana focuses on environmental benefits, innovative designs, construction technologies and project management techniques. However, little is known about how such facilities are financed. This issue creates potential knowledge gaps, one of which this study aims to address. This study examines the key drivers for green building project financing in Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses an explanatory sequential design with an initial quantitative instrument phase, followed by a qualitative data collection phase. An extensive critical comparative review of the literature resulted in the identification of eight potential drivers. One hundred and twenty-seven questionnaire responses based upon these drivers from the Ghanaian construction industry were received. Data were coded with SPSS v22, analysed descriptively (mean, standard deviation and standard error) and via inferential analysis (One Way ANOVA and One-Sample t-Test). These data were then validated through semi-structured interviews with ten industry professionals within the Ghana Green Building Council. Data obtained from the semi-structured validation interviews were analysed through the side-by-side comparison of the qualitative data with the quantitative data.

Findings

Though all eight drivers are important, the five key drivers for the Ghanian construction industry were identified as, in order of importance, “high return on investment”, “emerging business opportunity”, “ethical investment”, “conservation of resources” and “mandatory regulations, standards, and policies”. The interviewees agreed to and confirmed the importance of these identified drivers for green building project financing from validating the survey's key findings.

Research limitations/implications

Key limitations of this study are the restrictions regarding the geographical location of the collected data (i.e. Kumasi and Accra); timing of the study and sample size (i.e. the COVID-19 pandemic making it difficult to obtain adequate data).

Practical implications

Though this study was conducted in Ghana, its implications could be useful to researchers, policymakers, stakeholders and practitioners in wider sub-Saharan Africa. For instance, financial institutions can invest in green buildings to expand their green construction and mortgage finance products to build higher value and lower risk portfolios. The findings from this study can provide investors with the enhanced certainty needed to help guide and inform their investment decisions, i.e. what to invest in, and when, by how much and how a scheme being “green” may influence their rate of return. Also, for building developers, it will give them a clearer understanding of the business case for green buildings and how to differentiate themselves in the market to grow their businesses.

Originality/value

This study's findings provide insights into an under-investigated topic in Ghana and offer new and additional information and insights to the current state-of-the-art on the factors that drive green building project financing.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 29 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 March 2019

Suryani Ahmad, Robby Soetanto and Chris Goodier

This study applied the lean approach to the reinforcement work process in the component production of industrialised building system precast concrete construction (IBSPCC). The…

Abstract

Purpose

This study applied the lean approach to the reinforcement work process in the component production of industrialised building system precast concrete construction (IBSPCC). The purpose of this paper is to identify and eliminate non-value added (NVA) activities to enhance the efficiency of the production process.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected via a case study of six-storey precast concrete building. A mapping of the reinforcement work process was conducted based on observations using time study technique and time-lapsed video, complemented by semi-structured interviews.

Findings

Through this application, several NVA activities, such as unnecessary inventory, excessive movement and coordination issues, were identified. Production performance could be enhanced by implementing Just-in-Time, Kanban, and layout improvements, which would address NVA activities.

Research limitations/implications

Due to the complexity of the construction process, only specific process elements were observed. To map the complete process, comprehensive observation must be conducted from beginning to end, which, though worthwhile, would be very time and resource intensive.

Originality/value

This paper focusses on strategies for improving the efficiency of the IBSPCC production process in Malaysian construction by developing a conceptual framework of the lean approach for the reinforcement work process. Certain aspects in the process such as layout and inventory need to be redesigned and simplified by minimising NVA activities.

Article
Publication date: 7 January 2019

Ryan Armstrong

The strategy map represents a major contribution to the theory and practice of performance management. However, it has failed to realize its full potential due to a lack of…

1630

Abstract

Purpose

The strategy map represents a major contribution to the theory and practice of performance management. However, it has failed to realize its full potential due to a lack of theoretical and conceptual development. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to revisit the theories of strategy maps to better understand how and in what circumstances they benefit performance management.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employs realist synthesis, a method of systematic literature review. A theory on how strategy maps work is extracted from performance management literature, which are subsequently evaluated through a critical examination of empirical studies.

Findings

A theory of how strategy maps are meant work is presented in relation to the generic performance management stages of problem structuring, development and use, where they can serve as a tool for discovery and by stimulating social interactions. Based on the findings, 12 propositions are offered related to the effective use of strategy maps within a performance management framework.

Research limitations/implications

The introduction of the strategy map to performance management represented a breakthrough in how organizational performance could be understood and communicated. This study goes a step further by considering how they work and in what circumstances. In so doing, the study aims to open the way for new and more effective applications of strategy maps within the changing performance management context.

Practical implications

This study provides practitioners with actionable propositions which can help in effectively using strategy maps.

Originality/value

Distinguishing the aims and mechanisms of the strategy map along performance management systems has the potential to greatly increase their effectiveness in practice as a powerful, but underutilized tool. This paper also demonstrates how realist synthesis, currently an uncommon method in management studies, facilitated the creation of a new perspective of strategy maps to fit specifically within performance management.

Details

International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, vol. 68 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0401

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 October 2014

Chris I. Goodier and Ksenia Chmutina

This paper aims to demonstrate the complex inter-relationship of non-technical barriers involved in the implementation of decentralised energy (DE) projects. To meet its ambitious…

2780

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to demonstrate the complex inter-relationship of non-technical barriers involved in the implementation of decentralised energy (DE) projects. To meet its ambitious 2050 target of 80 per cent carbon emission reduction, the UK needs to increase dramatically the wider uptake of DE systems. Many examples exist internationally of DE systems leading to enhanced carbon emissions reductions, including systems based not only on technological but also on more innovative policy, financial and social-economic approaches.

Design/methodology/approach

Following semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders and thematic analysis with NVivo8, four exemplar international DE case studies have been investigated.

Findings

The main non-technical barriers were not necessarily financial, as is often believed; governance barriers, such as out-of-date regulations or unreliable partners, can also play a critical role in a project’s success or failure. Social barriers such as public apathy and misinformation often affect a project’s operation. It is further hypothesised that non-technical barriers are often shaped by personal and/or organisational values related to consumption, abundance, trust and control. Finally, recommendations are provided on overcoming these barriers with regards replicating similar DE projects in the UK context.

Originality/value

A systematic perspective is presented, which takes into account the possible interactions between the various barriers and demonstrates that to remove some of these barriers, it is important to understand and account for their varied and interconnected nature.

Details

International Journal of Energy Sector Management, vol. 8 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6220

Keywords

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