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1 – 10 of 57Ying Nan Yang and Mohan M. Kumaraswamy
This paper aims to present approaches towards improving some specific infrastructure maintenance principles, strategies, models and practices, based on a recent study of bridge…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present approaches towards improving some specific infrastructure maintenance principles, strategies, models and practices, based on a recent study of bridge management systems in Hong Kong. A specific goal is to develop better informed and more systematic approaches to condition assessment, deterioration forecasting, and maintenance decision making over the life‐cycle of the built asset.
Design/methodology/approach
Improved performance prediction and decision‐making approaches are developed and presented based on a research exercise to formulate a maintenance management framework for concrete bridge elements in Hong Kong. This includes for example, the presentation of decision‐making approaches for optimizing inspection intervals on bridge expansion joints.
Findings
The findings show that judicious integration is needed in incorporating valuable elements of, and lessons learned from, previous practice with proposed new strategies/ principles, models and practices for specific scenarios.
Practical implications
Based on the findings, practitioners' understandings can be deepened as regards the barriers to improving condition assessment, deterioration forecasting, and maintenance decision making over the life‐cycle of the built asset. Furthermore, the results also provide useful information for developing strategies and practices to improve currently used infrastructure management systems.
Originality/value
Major obstacles are overcome in developing better informed and more systematic approaches as above, and in extending current knowledge on condition assessment, performance prediction and decision‐making models by utilizing more pertinent data and addressing some barriers in practical implementation.
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The purpose of this paper is to establish a conceptual framework to assist decision makers in identifying an appropriate decision-supporting method (DSM) to evaluate…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to establish a conceptual framework to assist decision makers in identifying an appropriate decision-supporting method (DSM) to evaluate public-private partnership (PPP) contract types in a disciplined and systematic manner.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review was conducted to compare and analyse DSMs in construction procurement processes, and explore the benefits and limitations of using DSMs. A conceptual framework is then developed to accommodate client characteristics when selecting DSM in a PPP context. An example was obtained to illustrate the implementation of the proposed framework.
Findings
DSMs employed in the procurement method selection are identified by using a systemic literature review. The benefits and limitations of each DSM are established and comparisons of DSMs are provided to fit the client characteristics and a conceptual framework is developed to assist decision makers in choosing DSM for contract selection.
Originality/value
This paper demonstrates a link between DSMs and PPP contracts which adds value at the stage of PPP contract evaluation. Also, the proposed framework sheds some light on an important aspect of the public sector to consider the improvement of current policies (PPP framework/guideline).
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The purpose of this paper is to determine the value of I‐Ching (also called Book of Changes), the ancient Chinese book of wisdom, which has been used for thousands of years to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine the value of I‐Ching (also called Book of Changes), the ancient Chinese book of wisdom, which has been used for thousands of years to help people make decisions in daily life. Recently, eastern and western scholars have begun discussing how to apply the wisdom of I‐Ching to the field of business administration, particularly decision‐making practices.
Design/methodology/approach
A content analysis method was adopted to uncover possible modern management decision‐making constructs. The single words approach did not find frequently appearing words that integrated decision‐making constructs in the context of I‐Ching. Further uncovering I‐Ching's administrative decision‐making approach, the managerial decision‐making model of I‐Ching is explained, including the premises, the decision contingencies, and the decision process.
Findings
By using an academic comparative analysis method, as it applies to managerial decision making, I‐Ching's early management decision‐making model is subsequently compared with western management decision models, which include rational decision making, bounded‐rationality decision making, intuitive decision making, implicit favorite decision making, and garbage‐can decision making.
Research limitations/implications
The majority of scholars that study I‐Ching focus on “practice divination” research, paying attention to the interpretation or critique of the text only. Unfortunately, related literature based upon a social science research foundation is limited.
Originality/value
The value of I‐Ching was determined to lie in allowing flexibility in the decision‐making process.
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Man has been seeking an ideal existence for a very long time. In this existence, justice, love, and peace are no longer words, but actual experiences. How ever, with the American…
Abstract
Man has been seeking an ideal existence for a very long time. In this existence, justice, love, and peace are no longer words, but actual experiences. How ever, with the American preemptive invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq and the subsequent prisoner abuse, such an existence seems to be farther and farther away from reality. The purpose of this work is to stop this dangerous trend by promoting justice, love, and peace through a change of the paradigm that is inconsistent with justice, love, and peace. The strong paradigm that created the strong nation like the U.S. and the strong man like George W. Bush have been the culprit, rather than the contributor, of the above three universal ideals. Thus, rather than justice, love, and peace, the strong paradigm resulted in in justice, hatred, and violence. In order to remove these three and related evils, what the world needs in the beginning of the third millenium is the weak paradigm. Through the acceptance of the latter paradigm, the golden mean or middle paradigm can be formulated, which is a synergy of the weak and the strong paradigm. In order to understand properly the meaning of these paradigms, however, some digression appears necessary.
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Nan Zhao, Fei J. Ying and John Tookey
In the construction sector, the knowledge-based process outgrows its emphasis on technological aspects. Yet, there is a lack of applied studies showing how a procurement system…
Abstract
Purpose
In the construction sector, the knowledge-based process outgrows its emphasis on technological aspects. Yet, there is a lack of applied studies showing how a procurement system (PS) could be selected in the digital age. In particular, there is a radical need to establish an innovative process to visualise novel PS decision. Therefore, this paper aims to present a knowledge visualised framework for aiding construction PS decision-making.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper describes the construction of process innovation. The framework (process) is supported by four influential decision supporting methods (mean utility values, analytic hierarchy process, fuzzy set theory and Delphi method) and computer programming (Matlab).
Findings
There are four stages of this framework: (1) uniform rating for decision alternatives; (2) group decision for determining the decision attribute; (3) determining the final choice; (4) reporting the cognitive computing process. Supported by individual and groups decision dynamics, this framework emphasises how the dashboard aided innovative approach enables the induction of understanding, cognitive computing for decision-making and how the information would precisely be represented, which are vital requirements of modern construction.
Originality/value
The contribution of this paper presents two leverage points that support the modern PS decision. Firstly, this paper provides a holistic view of the decision supporting methods on the basis of how a suitable PS would be systematically sought. Based on the existing studies, this paper upgrades into a visualised knowledge decision supporting process. It helps the participants understand and improve their cognitive learning. Secondly, this framework allows the participants to have a view of the individual and group decisions. It sheds light on the development of the collaborative decision-making process.
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Lihua Yang, G. Zhiyong Lan and Shuang He
This study aims to investigate scholars’ roles in resolving environmental community conflict, as environmental community conflict is becoming an increasingly serious problem in…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate scholars’ roles in resolving environmental community conflict, as environmental community conflict is becoming an increasingly serious problem in contemporary China, and it explored the underlying factors and mechanisms that influence successful conflict resolution.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a combination of three types of sources – interviews, participant observation and existing literature, the study compared and contrasted 35 cases through a two-stage study project with 25 environmental community conflict cases in the first stage and ten non-environmental cases in the second.
Findings
Results indicate that scholars serve seven roles in community conflict resolution: identification persons for potential sources of community conflict and supporters for the people who evaluate conflict problems before attempting to solve them; advisers for conflict protagonists; leaders of many knowledge-related activities; organizers of entrepreneurial activities for other community members; information brokers between community members and other stakeholders; representatives of the government, firms, community members and other stakeholders; and self-interested participants. While scholars’ participation is important for resolving community conflict, their actions are often not effective. Successful community conflict resolution involving scholars must satisfy eight underlying factors: local scholars’ sustained participation; high capacity; improvement on the organizational level of community members; emphasis on high efficiency knowledge and information transmission; effective finding and use of the community’s social capital; continual optimization on their action strategies; obtainability of some benefits; and non-local scholars’ sustained external support through social capital. The more closely these rules are followed, the more successful scholars’ participation in community conflict resolution will be.
Originality/value
The findings have practical implications for improving the effectiveness of scholars’ participation in community conflict resolution in contemporary China and even in other countries.
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The purpose of this study is to explore how nationalistic appeals may affect consumers’ perception and purchasing of targeted brands. Qualitative historical data from old China…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore how nationalistic appeals may affect consumers’ perception and purchasing of targeted brands. Qualitative historical data from old China (1900–1949) reveal that social movement groups can adopt nationalistic appeals assisted by meaning framing – defined as a creative interpretation of symbols, designs, behaviors, social events and cultural identities to serve social and political goals – to shape consumers’ attitudes toward foreign brands. After examining the mechanisms and processes underlying consumer boycotts from 1900 to 1949, the responsive strategies of affected foreign companies are illustrated.
Design/methodology/approach
Critical historical research method is applied to historical data and historical “traces” from China’s corporate documents, memoirs, posters, advertisements, newspapers and secondhand sources documenting Chinese boycotts from 1900 to 1949.
Findings
Consumers may pursue interests beyond economic interests. Nationalistic appeals can mobilize consumer boycotts against foreign brands that were perceived to support or relate to targeted countries. Political framing of certain events shapes consumers’ perceptions and concomitant brand choices.
Research limitations/implications
Although differences between historical and current contexts may require tailoring past marketing strategies to current conditions, past strategies can inform current and future strategies.
Practical implications
Strategies adopted by foreign companies in old China (1900–1949) can help contemporary companies design effective marketing strategies for a hostile marketplace infused with nationalistic appeals and competing interests.
Social implications
Although local companies can adopt economic or political nationalism to realize their economic goals, it represents a double-edged sword that can harm national brands.
Originality/value
A historical analysis of nationalistic business appeals in pre-1949 China can inform the counterstrategies modern companies adopt to overcome consumer boycotts.
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Ying‐Nan Chen, Li‐Ming Tseng and Yi‐Ming Chen
Presents a framework for deciding on a good execution strategy for a given program based on the available data and task parallelism in the program on PC laboratory clusters…
Abstract
Presents a framework for deciding on a good execution strategy for a given program based on the available data and task parallelism in the program on PC laboratory clusters. Proposes a virtual cluster scheduling scheme to take account of the relationships between tasks for task parallelism, and also processor speed, processor load and network environment to balance load for data parallelism in a PC cluster environment. The approach is very effective in terms of the overall execution time, and demonstrates the feasibility of automatic cluster assignment, processor set selection and data partition functions for data and task parallel programs.
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Ying-Wei Shih, Ya-Ling Wu, Yi-Shun Wang and Chiung-Liang Chen
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the post-adoption stage of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony diffusion, examining usage behavior based on Shih and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the post-adoption stage of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony diffusion, examining usage behavior based on Shih and Venkatesh’s use-diffusion (UD) model.
Design/methodology/approach
The research model incorporates technology sophistication, complementary technologies, personal innovativeness, self-efficacy, trust propensity, media exposure, subjective norms, and word-of-mouth (WOM) referrals as UD determinants; rate of use and variety of use as usage variables; intense use, specialized use, nonspecialized use, and limited use as UD patterns; and satisfaction and intention to use future-related technologies as UD outcomes. Data used to test the research model were collected using a web-based online questionnaire form; 360 valid responses were obtained. Partial least squares, multinomial logistic regression, and analysis of variance were used to analyze data.
Findings
The results reveal that variety of use, self-efficacy, propensity to trust, media exposure, subjective norms, and WOM referrals increase rate of use, while complementary technologies, personal innovativeness, self-efficacy, media exposure, and subjective norms widen variety of use; variety of use is essential in predicting UD outcomes; when choosing limited use as the reference category, more than half of the UD determinants are capable of predicting UD patterns; and generally, intense users are more satisfied with VoIP telephony, while limited users have less intention to use future-related technologies.
Originality/value
The present study focuses on the post-adoption stage, thereby extending the frontiers of research on the diffusion of VoIP telephony. Academics can obtain some evidence of the explanatory power of the UD model in the context of VoIP telephony use, and practitioners can obtain fresh insights into the dynamics of VoIP telephony usage behavior.
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Ying Liu, Chenggang Wang, Zeng Tang and Zhibiao Nan
The purpose of this paper is to examine the impacts of farmland renting-in on planted grain acreage.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the impacts of farmland renting-in on planted grain acreage.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey data of five counties were analyzed with the two-stage ordinary least squares model.
Findings
Households renting-in land trended to plant more maize, and the more land was rented by a household the more maize was planted, while wheat acreage showed non-response to farmland renting-in.
Practical implications
Overall, the analysis suggests that policy makers should be prepared for different changing trends of grain crop acreage across the nation as farmland transfer continues. Future research should pay attention to the effect of farmland transfer on agricultural productivity and rural household income growth.
Originality/value
As the Chinese Government is promoting larger-scale and more mechanized farms as a way of protecting grain security, it is important to understand whether farmland renting-in will reduce planted grain acreage. This study provides empirical evidence showing the answer to that question may differ across different regions and depend on the particular grain crop in question.
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