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The purpose of this study is to determine the barriers and constraints executive decision-makers have to face during the delivery method selection stage of water and wastewater projects using alternative project delivery (APD) methods, e.g. design-build (DB), design-build-operate (DBO) and construction management-at-risk (CMAR).

Structured interviews were conducted with 18 executive decision-makers from public agencies to identify the reasons for transitioning to APD from the design-bid-build (DBB) method. Respondents were also asked about the major obstacles they faced during the decision-making process, as well as key positive and negative factors in using APD methods. The executive decision-makers were also asked about their lessons learned during this process. In addition, this study collected key steps in making APD water and wastewater projects successful. All of the findings from the interview phase were validated by seven public agency executive decision-makers of water and wastewater industries.

One major study finding was that executive decision-makers chose the APD method because it provided cost and schedule benefits and the owner could also choose the designer or builder based on qualifications. The study also found that the main obstacles executive decision-makers faced were: (1) difficulty in implementing APD methods because they do not follow the low-bid process, (2) reluctance to use DB/CMAR because of the status quo and (3) unfamiliarity of city councils/elected commissions with the DB/CMAR process. The validation survey found that most findings from the initial phase of interviews were confirmed by the executives who took part in validation phase.

The major limitation of this research is the small sample size. As the executive decision-makers are very hard to reach for interviews, the authors failed to get interviews from a large number of them, despite repeated efforts made by the authors. Another limitation of this study is that the authors contacted most of the executive decision-makers listed in the WDBC list. These executive decision-makers worked for public agencies and, therefore, the views from private agencies could not be included in this research. The authors understand that the validation of the study findings is very important. However, due to the scope and limited time available for the research, the authors could not validate the findings of this study with other public agencies.

Selecting APD methods instead of DBB methods in water and wastewater projects for public agencies is a crucial issue during the project planning phase. Agencies' executive decision-makers need to understand the advantages and disadvantages of APD methods, along with the transition process in order to smoothly deliver projects. The findings of this study will assist public agency executive decision-makers to mitigate risks, overcome obstacles and become more educated about the APD method process, so that these projects can be successfully delivered within budget and on time.

This paper contributes to the existing body of knowledge by identifying lessons learned related to various APD method issues, which can be utilized by municipal executive decision-makers to successfully complete future APD projects.

This paper aims to understand water and wastewater industry leaders’ perceptions of the current and future role of workplace spirituality, including the challenges and benefits of incorporating workplace spirituality in government utilities.

The Delphi technique was used to gather input and gain consensus from an expert panel of executive level managers.

The panel achieved consensus that workplace spirituality is evident in a higher sense of purpose for those working in the water and wastewater industry which is likely to be the greatest future benefit of workplace spirituality in the industry. Other central themes included making a positive environmental impact, going beyond compliance, collaborating with the community, creating a connection to peers and encouraging organizational belonging. Consensus was also achieved regarding obstacles to workplace spirituality’s future role in the industry, including concerns about terminology and the need for supportive leadership.

The water and wastewater industry face challenges including climate change, rising costs, aging infrastructure, increased regulatory requirements and a rapidly changing workforce. Workplace spirituality seems likely to support the industry in facing these challenges and can be promoted through encouraging a sense of purpose and meaning, collaborating with the community and recruiting individuals with resonant values and sense of calling.

Workplace spirituality has received growing attention in the private sector. However, workplace spirituality research in the public sector is minimal. This expert panel of top leaders from US water and wastewater agencies provide insight into the role of workplace spirituality in the public sector.

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are evolving toward sustainability. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how innovation can develop these mission-based service industries to value-added manufacturing enterprises. Here, innovation is embedded in altering the understanding of stakeholders toward the objectives and managerial systems of these infrastructures.

This study uses multidisciplinary principles in management, economics and engineering to assess the integration of innovation and quality management with different perspectives. It initially compares the conventional and innovative approach for operating WWTPs. Subsequently, it emphasizes the contribution of the tailor-made managerial system of wastewater treatment enterprises through prospective markets, customers’ preferences, probable competitions and shared values.

The tailor-made managerial system for wastewater treatment can add economic values by manufacturing multiple demand products for local markets. Water, green energy, organic fertilizers and raw materials are the main products that can be simultaneously recovered according to the customers’ demand. The Kano model also verifies that the new managerial system has this potential to turn the conventional must-be treatment systems into delightful enterprises. It can provide different stakeholders with shared social and environmental values. Accordingly, locals and customers can be engaged in monitoring the quality of products to consider their feedback for decision making and upgrading. This indirectly defines shared values among operators and society to reinforce localization and ecosystem protection. Additionally, this research reveals that the market of the aforementioned strategic products is promising as a blue ocean for set sail due to the lack of competitors.

This study introduces wastewater treatment as a promising enterprise for integrating innovation and quality management.

Completion of abandoned public facility projects is one of the major concerns of governments struggling with budget issues. Various research studies have shown that this can only be solved with the help of the private sector. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the capacity of the private sector to complete abandoned public facility projects through the study of the Water and Wastewater Company in Iran.

The Delphi survey questionnaires, which were distributed to and responded by a panel of experts – i.e. three groups of employers of the Iranian Water and Wastewater Company, consulting agents and private sector stakeholders engaging with Water and Wastewater Company projects – identified 50 critical factors allowing the private sector to carry out abandoned facility projects. These have been categorized into four components: financial capacities, management competency, knowledge and expertise and resources and facilities. A descriptive survey method was used to determine and prioritize these factors.

The survey findings indicate that knowledge and expertise are the main important clusters of factors influencing the completion of abandoned public facility projects. The value of these results is essential in providing the sound basis for mutual trust between the private sector and the public sector for greater participation, thereby helping to complete abandoned public facility projects.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study attempting to investigate the capacity of the private sector to complete abandoned public facility projects through an empirical analysis of factors influencing their completion.

Econolube and Economist are two products from Chalbar Ltd. Efficiency Products which form an integrated two‐part treatment for both static and moving systems in engineering and commercial application.

This paper aims to provide a better understanding of the innovation challenges firms face when developing and commercialising solutions in the capital goods sector; challenges related to the interdependencies between the supplier/innovator and the customers, as well as the solution’s impact on their competencies and activities.

This paper draws upon the emerging body of literature on solutions and established frameworks within innovation management literature. It explores a real-time longitudinal case study of “Alpha” (an international specialist in centrifugal separation, heat exchange and fluid handling), including an R&D project, the project’s transformation into an internal corporate venture and the years of the venture up until its integration into the corporate.

This paper characterises solutions as involving product and business innovation. By clarifying the differences between how the solution affects the customers and the suppliers, the use of the proposed framework develops a deeper understanding of the obstacles and difficulties involved in solution innovation.

Although some customers were interviewed in this study, a more in-depth study of the customers and the actors within the business network would provide further insight into solution innovations. Merging the two discussions on co-creation and role of users in innovation could provide an avenue for fruitful research within this area.

This paper provides a framework for deconstructing solution innovation, enabling detailed comparison between the innovation’s impact on both suppliers’ and customer’s competencies. Such a tool is helpful for increased understanding of how to facilitate internal and external acceptance for a disruptive and radical business innovation.

This paper links the development and commercialisation of solutions with established innovation frameworks. Understanding solutions as technology-driven business innovations provides a multifaceted and complex perspective on solutions and contributes to better understanding of radical business innovations.

Privatization is a complex issue in many developing countries; therefore, it is vital to examine the obstacles that prevent its proper implementation. The goal of this study is to identify and analyze the barriers to private sector investment in the Water and Sewage Industry (WSI) and to suggest effective ways to attract the private investors to this sector.

The obstacles to private sector investment in the WSI were identified by conducting a desktop literature review and interviewing an expert panel, using the fuzzy Delphi technique. The most important barriers were identified and categorized. A structured survey was then developed and distributed to private sector investment experts. The Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) was applied to further examine the responses and to rank the identified barriers.

The results showed that the greatest barrier to privatization is the weakness of insurance companies in controlling investment risks, and the second greatest barrier is the weakness of the country's capitalist culture. A review of recent success stories revealed that these barriers can be overcome with transparent price policies and increased interaction between the public and private sectors, which motivate private investors to invest in the WSI.

The elicitation of this study can be useful to both private and public sectors for the development of infrastructure projects, particularly for the WSI.

The purpose of this paper is to design a research model and analyze the relationship between open innovation and cleaner production. The paper maps and characterizes the conditions of open innovation against cleaner production in Indonesian batik small and medium enterprise (SME), particularly in Java and Madura. The mapping process is executed by classifying the batik SME into four quadrants. The diagram is a quadrant in which there are four parts to distinguish each of the ability of batik SMEs in understanding and achieving cleaner production through open innovation. This research will obtain a new method or model that can be applied by organizations to achieve cleaner production through an open innovation. The data is obtained from 182 batik SMEs located in Laweyan, Madura and Lasem (in Java Island, Indonesia).

One of the problems in batik SME is the waste management from the dyeing and wax removal process. In the first stages of this research, a number of initial models were elaborated as a reference, then the results of the elaboration became a new research model. The research model that has been produced is then tested using data from respondents. Based on the test results, the model can be stated valid or not. In this study, the model is valid after testing data from 182 respondents, because all outer loading for all indicators is above 0.7. The composite reliability and AVE values of all constructs were above 0.7 and 0.5. Based on the validated research model, the data is statistically processed by using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). By using the SEM method and statistical software SMART PLS 3.0this research can be supported to achieve the research objectives.

Based on data testing and processing, open innovation climate could predict a sustained relationship to open innovation with an accuracy rate of 0.466 and influence rate of 0.427, whereas open innovation could predict a sustained relationship to cleaner production with an accuracy rate of 0.183 and influence rate of 0.324. The relationships between open innovation climate and open innovation; including open innovation toward cleaner production, are statistically significant because all prediction values and accuracy in the model have met the criteria for measurement parameters based on the value of R², p value and T-statistics to be stated as a significant relationship.

This research provides an overview of the influence and importance of open innovation in creating an environmentally friendly production process in the context of cleaner production. Cleaner production on batik SMEs can be achieved through open innovation, both for inbound open innovation and outbound open innovation. Open innovation comprehensively provides support for batik SMEs in achieving cleaner production. Open innovation can be run well and optimally if it gets support from a conducive climate open innovation. Furthermore, the implementation of cleaner production could be a guideline for the owner to minimize the waste from batik SME production, both for natural and synthetic dyes. Some limitations in these study include the absence of influence from the existing stakeholders on batik SMEs on the implementation process of open innovation; the use of the cross-sectional approach that results in the unavailability of further analysis regarding the dynamics or improvements that occur in attaining cleaner production through open innovation; and finally providing no analysis of the differences in characteristics at each location of batik SMEs.

The implementation of cleaner production model is considered as one of the new methods and references in conjunction with reducing the negative impact of waste toward the environment, particularly in the traditional textile industry which is limited in waste management capability.