Search results
1 – 10 of 236Anna Korotysheva and Sergey Zhukov
This study aims to comprehensively address the challenge of delineating traffic scenarios in video footage captured by an embedded camera within an autonomous vehicle.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to comprehensively address the challenge of delineating traffic scenarios in video footage captured by an embedded camera within an autonomous vehicle.
Design/methodology/approach
This methodology involves systematically elucidating the traffic context by leveraging data from the object recognition subsystem embedded in vehicular road infrastructure. A knowledge base containing production rules and logical inference mechanism was developed. These components enable real-time procedures for describing traffic situations.
Findings
The production rule system focuses on semantically modeling entities that are categorized as traffic lights and road signs. The effectiveness of the methodology was tested experimentally using diverse image datasets representing various meteorological conditions. A thorough analysis of the results was conducted, which opens avenues for future research.
Originality/value
Originality lies in the potential integration of the developed methodology into an autonomous vehicle’s control system, working alongside other procedures that analyze the current situation. These applications extend to driver assistance systems, harmonized with augmented reality technology, and enhance human decision-making processes.
Details
Keywords
Xuhui Cong, Liang Wang, Li Ma and M. Skibnewski
This study aims to explore the critical influencing factors that lead to the site selection failure of waste-to-energy (WtE) projects in China under the influence of the “Not In…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the critical influencing factors that lead to the site selection failure of waste-to-energy (WtE) projects in China under the influence of the “Not In My Back Yard” (NIMBY) effect, which can provide references to improve the decision-making process of similar projects in the future.
Design/methodology/approach
The fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method was used to propose an analytical framework for exploring the critical influencing factors affecting the site selection failure of WtE projects. The causal relationship between different influencing factors is finally determined on the basis of the opinions of 12 experts from universities, government departments, consulting units, planning and design units, construction units and WtE enterprises.
Findings
Results showed that six crucial factors resulted in the site selection failure of WtE projects from the NIMBY effect perspective: “Insufficient public participation,” “Near the place of residence,” “Nonstandard government decision-making processes,” “Low information disclosure,” “Destroys the surrounding environment,” and “Imperfect compensation scheme.”
Originality/value
Results can determine the priorities and causal relationships among the various influencing factors. The decision-making optimization suggestions can provide reference for decision- makers, thereby possibly promoting the scientific and standardization of site selection decision process.
Details
Keywords
Martin Loosemore and Benson Teck-Heng Lim
Increasing workforce casualisation, under representation of women and other minority groups, racial discrimination, corruption and poor safety are just some of the documented…
Abstract
Purpose
Increasing workforce casualisation, under representation of women and other minority groups, racial discrimination, corruption and poor safety are just some of the documented examples of intra-organisational injustice in the industry. Typically these issues are problematised separately using different theoretical frameworks, yet at the most fundamental behavioural level they have a common cause which lies in the “unjust” treatment of one person by another. The purpose of this paper is to integrate the conceptual understanding of these hitherto separated but conceptually linked problems.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey 135 consultants, contractors, subcontractors and suppliers from across the Australian construction supply chain.
Findings
Surprisingly despite widespread academic concerns about injustice in the construction industry, there are not significant concerns within the industry community. Contrary to much research about the poor culture of the construction industry, the results indicate that the relatively low levels of perceived injustice are institutional rather than cultural. The research also highlights the plight of middle management, which appear to consistently suffer the highest levels of injustice across all its theoretical categories.
Research limitations/implications
Sample size and Australian focus.
Practical implications
Informs organisational policies to reduce injustice in the construction industry.
Social implications
By reducing injustice, this research will improve the fairness of business practices in the construction industry.
Originality/value
Application of justice theories to conceptualise unfair construction practices.
Details
Keywords
Shakil Ahmed, Iffat Haq and S.M. Asif Anam
Global construction has been affected by COVID-19 unprecedently. The construction sectors in the least developed countries are considered as vulnerable, but the covid made the…
Abstract
Purpose
Global construction has been affected by COVID-19 unprecedently. The construction sectors in the least developed countries are considered as vulnerable, but the covid made the countries experience the worst situation ever. To minimize the losses by effective measures, there needs to assess the COVID-19 impacts on the construction sector. So, the aim of this study is to investigate the most critical impacts of COVID-19 on construction in the least developed countries by considering the case study of Bangladesh.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors adopted multistep research methods, including (1) literature analysis and discussion with experts to establish a comprehensive list of COVID-19 impacts; (2) through a questionnaire survey, data were collected from 217 construction professionals by email, Google Form and Skype for quantifying the significance of covid impacts; (3) reliability of the survey checked by the Cronbach Alpha test; (4) Relative Importance Index (RII) to determine the ranks of the impacts based on their significance; (5) Interpretive Structural Model (ISM) to explore the corelations and the hierarchical structure; and (6) cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification (MICMAC) analysis to classify the COVID-19 impacts.
Findings
The study identified a total of 18 COVID-19 impacts on the construction sector. Among them, the job cuts, schedule delays, project suspension, cost overrun and effects on mental health are more influential and significant than others. Further, this study found that unpaid leave and job cuts are the two most fundamental impacts which influence other succeeding significant impacts. And ultimately all the impacts lead to hampering the national economy and development. Finally, MICMAC analysis suggested that unpaid leave and job cuts should be addressed first to resolve and effects on the national economy and development should be later.
Research limitations/implications
This study does not consider all the COVID-19 impacts due to the relevant context and simplicity of the ISM method. Also, the respondent's attitude might be slightly different during the post-mass vaccination period.
Practical implications
This study will help the company's management, employees and government to develop effective strategies to understand the insight of their interrelations and ultimately overcome the identified covid effects. This will must contribute to the industry, its employees, the government and society by ensuring the national economy and development, construction operations, investment, employment and social security.
Originality/value
This study will contribute to the knowledge body (practitioners and researchers) by providing the list of significant covid impacts and insight into their interrelations for further deep analysis of the pandemic effects. This will also help the authorities and stakeholders in developing policies and strategies to minimize or avoid these effects and avoid future consequences due to any pandemic like covid.
Details
Keywords
Maureen Brookes, Levent Altinay, Xuan Lorna Wang and Ruth Yeung
The purpose of this paper is to examine franchisees’ business start-ups from an entrepreneurial perspective, adopting a process representative of entrepreneurship to examine…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine franchisees’ business start-ups from an entrepreneurial perspective, adopting a process representative of entrepreneurship to examine opportunity identification and evaluation by franchisees and to analyse factors that influence this process.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative study was employed and data collected using semi-structured interviews with a sample of service industry franchisees in Macau.
Findings
The study identifies that social networks play a key role in opportunity identification and that franchisees’ goals influence the criteria used and information search activities undertaken while evaluating franchise opportunities.
Research limitations/implications
The study makes two contributions to franchise literature. It identifies that social networks can serve as substitutes for lack of prior knowledge in franchise opportunity identification. It also identifies the interrelated nature of franchisees’ goals based on the activities and criteria used to evaluate franchise opportunities, and the importance of relational criteria when franchisees lack prior industry knowledge. It therefore also contributes to franchise/entrepreneurship literature by identifying the interrelated nature of the factors contributing to the dynamics of franchise chain growth.
Practical implications
Franchisors should explore how to better use franchisees’ social networks and identify the longer term goals of prospective franchisees to support market penetration and franchise chain growth. Franchisees are advised to use independent information sources to evaluate franchise opportunities using goal-informed objectives and demand and relational criteria.
Originality/value
The study presents a more comprehensive understanding of franchisees’ decision-making process when joining franchise chains by identifying the activities undertaken and criteria used to identify and evaluate franchise opportunities.
Details
Keywords
Levels of selected essential and non‐essential metals (Cd, Cr, Pb, Cu, Fe and Zn) and those of macro‐nutrients (Ca, K, Mg and Na) are estimated in 15 different seasonal fruits…
Abstract
Levels of selected essential and non‐essential metals (Cd, Cr, Pb, Cu, Fe and Zn) and those of macro‐nutrients (Ca, K, Mg and Na) are estimated in 15 different seasonal fruits available in local Pakistan markets. The wet digestion oxidation method was used for the analysis of samples by the flame atomic absorption technique. The results indicated almost 100 percent incidence of occurrence of trace metals and macro‐nutrients in all fruits. The highest concentration was observed for zinc, ranging between 0.13 and 79.9mg/kg, wet weight, respectively for banana and mango. The iron levels ranged from 0.55 to 44.8mg/kg, wet weight, for pomegranate and mango. The concentrations of Cd, Cr, Pb and Cu remained at marginal levels, except for certain fruits where the concentrations were very high. The data are compared with allowed safe limits laid down by WHO.
Christian Henjewele, Ming Sun and Peter Fewings
This paper aims to report findings from a study on factors that made value for money (VFM) in private finance initiative (PFI) projects vulnerable to variations. It seeks to…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to report findings from a study on factors that made value for money (VFM) in private finance initiative (PFI) projects vulnerable to variations. It seeks to identify the top influencing factors, rank them according to the relative strength of influence, and explore their interactivity.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses a documentary review of full business cases of five PFI projects, published reports, and scholarly publications to identify the list of factors; and a questionnaire survey of 44 PFI projects in the UK to establish the ranking of importance.
Findings
The findings reveal that PFI projects are more strongly affected by client‐driven internal factors than external factors. Internal factors, such as design change in the development phase and requests for new works or services in the operational phase were also likely to act independently, while external factors, including conditions for approval, movement in construction costs and change in PFI guidelines, worked interactively.
Practical implications
The research findings add to the knowledge of priority factors that need to be addressed to enhance the achievement of long‐term VFM in PFI projects.
Originality/value
The study is one of the few studies that have investigated VFM of PFI projects from a whole life cycle and dynamic perspective. It reveals not only a list of main influencing factors of project VFM, but also interrelationship between these factors.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this study is to develop a structural model based on total interpretive structural modelling (TISM) approach for analysis of factors influencing sustainable…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to develop a structural model based on total interpretive structural modelling (TISM) approach for analysis of factors influencing sustainable additive manufacturing (AM).
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 20 factors influencing sustainable AM are identified on the basis of literature review. Appropriate inputs from experts are obtained and TISM model is developed. Also, cross-impact Matrix multiplication applied to classification (MICMAC) analysis is carried out to categorize the factors.
Findings
Based on TISM model, “Flexibility in manufacturing”, “Time to develop new product” and “Local availability of technology” are found to be the dominant factors. MICMAC analysis indicates that 10 factors belong to driving and 10 factors belong to dependent category.
Research limitations/implications
In the present study, 20 factors have been considered. In future, additional factors can be considered to deal with technological advancements.
Practical implications
The conduct of the study will enable AM experts to systematically analyze the factors influencing sustainable AM.
Originality/value
The development of structural model for analysis of factors influencing sustainable AM manufacturing is the original contribution of authors.
Details