A self-assessment tool for knowledge management implementation in the construction industry

Knowledge management (KM) provides a structured process to establish the link between knowledgebased assets within an organisation and its desired business objectives. Although KM issues are becoming increasingly important to the construction industry, there is currently no measurement tool for assessing the implementation of KM programmes. This paper reports on the development of such a tool which can be used as both a means of self-assessment and also for benchmarking purposes. Important practices needed for successful KM implementation were identified from the literature and via a self-administered survey targeting large and medium construction organisations in Hong Kong. Survey findings demonstrate the potential of the proposed self-assessment tool to measure the individual’s perception of the relative importance of KM antecedents and practices, also providing early insight of KM implementation by highlighting the negative gaps between what “is” and “should be” happening, thus identifying areas that need re alignment of KM strategies and tactics. The paper also suggests this tool could be further developed to help organisations to formulate and modify their KM programmes according to their own specific internal business environment, and the nature of their projects.

Have we misinterpreted the study of Hoogerheide et al. (1971)?

In 1971, Rempt et al. reported peripheral refraction patterns (skiagrams) along the horizontal visual field in 442 people. Later in the same year, Hoogerheide et al. used skiagrams in combination with medical records to relate skiagrams in emmetropes and hyperopes to progression of myopia in young adults. The two articles have spurred interest in peripheral refraction in the past decade. We challenge the understanding that their articles provide evidence that the peripheral refraction pattern along the horizontal visual field is predictive of whether or not a person develops myopia. First, although it has been generally assumed that the skiagrams were measured before the changes in refraction were monitored, Hoogerheide et al. did not state that this was the case. Second, if the skiagrams were obtained at an initial examination and given the likely rates of recruitment and successful completion of training, the study must have taken place during a period of 10 to 15 years; it is much more likely that Hoogerheide et al. measured the skiagrams in a shorter period. Third, despite there being many more emmetropes and hyperopes in the Rempt et al. article than there are in the Hoogerheide et al. article, the number of people in two types of “at risk” skiagrams is greater in the latter; this is consistent with the central refraction status being reported from an earlier time by Hoogerheide et al. than by Rempt et al. In summary, we believe that the skiagrams reported by Hoogerheide et al. were taken at a later examination, after myopia did or did not occur, and that the refraction data from the initial examination were retrieved from the medical archives. Thus, this work does not provide evidence that peripheral refraction pattern is indicative of the likely development of myopia.

Identifying an appropriate driving behaviour scale for the occupational driving context : the DBQ vs. the ODBQ

Self reported driving behaviour in the occupational driving context has typically been measured through scales adapted from the general driving population (i.e. the Manchester Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ)). However, research suggests that occupational driving is influenced by unique factors operating within the workplace environment, and thus, a behavioural scale should reflect those behaviours prevalent and unique within the driving context. To overcome this limitation, developed the Occupational Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (ODBQ) which utilises a relevant theoretical model to assess the impact of the broader workplace context on driving behaviour. Although the theoretical argument has been established, research is yet to examine whether the ODBQ or the DBQ is a more sensitive measure of the workplace context. As such, this paper identifies selected organisational factors (i.e. safety climate and role overload) as predictors of the DBQ and the ODBQ and compares the relative predictive value in both models. In undertaking this task, 248 occupational drivers were recruited from a community-oriented nursing population. As predicted, hierarchical regression analyses revealed that the organisational factors accounted for a significantly greater proportion of variance in the ODBQ than the DBQ. These findings offer a number of practical and theoretical applications for occupational driving practice and future research.

Recent advances in catalytic/biocatalytic conversion of greenhouse methane and carbon dioxide to methanol and other oxygenates

Methane gas has been identified as the most destructive greenhouse gas (Liu et al., 2004). It was reported that the global warming potential of methane per molecule relative to CO2 is approximately 23 on a 100-year timescale or 62 over a 20-year period (IPCC, 2001). Methane has high C-H bond energy of about 439 kJ/mol and other higher alkanes (or saturated hydrocarbons) also have a very strong C-C and C-H bonds, thus making their molecules to have no empty orbitals of low energy or filled orbitals of high energy that could readily participate in chemical reactions as is the case with unsaturated hydrocarbons such as olefins and alkynes (Crabtree, 1994; Labinger & Bercaw, 2002)...

Tipping the balance : sclerotinia sclerotiorum secreted oxalic acid suppresses host defenses by manipulating the host redox environment

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a necrotrophic ascomycete fungus with an extremely broad host range. This pathogen produces the non-specific phytotoxin and key pathogenicity factor, oxalic acid (OA). Our recent work indicated that this fungus and more specifically OA, can induce apoptotic-like programmed cell death (PCD) in plant hosts, this induction of PCD and disease requires generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the host, a process triggered by fungal secreted OA. Conversely, during the initial stages of infection, OA also dampens the plant oxidative burst, an early host response generally associated with plant defense. This scenario presents a challenge regarding the mechanistic details of OA function; as OA both suppresses and induces host ROS during the compatible interaction. In the present study we generated transgenic plants expressing a redox-regulated GFP reporter. Results show that initially, Sclerotinia (via OA) generates a reducing environment in host cells that suppress host defense responses including the oxidative burst and callose deposition, akin to compatible biotrophic pathogens. Once infection is established however, this necrotroph induces the generation of plant ROS leading to PCD of host tissue, the result of which is of direct benefit to the pathogen. In contrast, a non-pathogenic OA-deficient mutant failed to alter host redox status. The mutant produced hypersensitive response-like features following host inoculation, including ROS induction, callose formation, restricted growth and cell death. These results indicate active recognition of the mutant and further point to suppression of defenses by the wild type necrotrophic fungus. Chemical reduction of host cells with dithiothreitol (DTT) or potassium oxalate (KOA) restored the ability of this mutant to cause disease. Thus, Sclerotinia uses a novel strategy involving regulation of host redox status to establish infection. These results address a long-standing issue involving the ability of OA to both inhibit and promote ROS to achieve pathogenic success.

A hydrogen/methane sensor based on niobium tungsten oxide nanorods synthesised by hydrothermal method

An investigation on hydrogen and methane sensing performance of hydrothermally formed niobium tungsten oxide nanorods employed in a Schottky diode structure is presented herein. By implementing tungsten into the surface of the niobium lattice, we create Nb5+ and W5+ oxide states and an abundant number of surface traps, which can collect and hold the adsorbate charge to reinforce a greater bending of the energy bands at the metal/oxide interface. We show experimentally, that extremely large voltage shifts can be achieved by these nanorods under exposure to gas at both room and high temperatures and attribute this to the strong accumulation of the dipolar charges at the interface via the surface traps. Thus, our results demonstrate that niobium tungsten oxide nanorods can be implemented for gas sensing applications, showing ultra-high sensitivities.

Sex discrimination and occupational segregation in the Australian labour market

This paper explores the implications of the difference between the occupational distribution for males and females in a joint model determining earnings and occupation. The male/female wage differential is evaluated for a number of broad occupational classifications. This is followed by an evaluation of the role and relative importance of inter-occupational and intra-occupational effects as contributors to the overall male/female wage differential The main conclusion following from the econometric results is that intra-occupational effects dominate Thus, policies which attempt to address the gender wage differential by re-allocation of labour across occupations are unlikely to solve the problem.

Immigrant wage differentials and the role of self-employment in Australia

Immigration has played an important role in the historical development of Australia. Thus, it is no surprise that a large body of empirical work has developed, which focuses upon how migrants fare in the land of opportunity. Much of the literature is comparatively recent, i.e. the last ten years or so, encouraged by the advent of public availability of Australian crosssection micro data. Several different aspects of migrant welfare have been addressed, with major emphasis being placed upon earnings and unemployment experience. For recent examples see Haig (1980), Stromback (1984), Chiswick and Miller (1985), Tran-Nam and Nevile (1988) and Beggs and Chapman (1988). The present paper contributes to the literature by providing additional empirical evidence on the native/migrant earnings differential. The data utilised are from the rather neglected Australian Bureau of Statistics, ABS Special Supplementary Survey No.4. 1982, otherwise known as the Family Survey. The paper also examines the importance of distinguishing between the wage and salary sector and the self-employment sector when discussing native/migrant differentials. Separate earnings equations for the two labour market groups are estimated and the native/migrant earnings differential is broken down by employment status. This is a novel application in the Australian context and provides some insight into the earnings of the selfemployed, a group that despite its size (around 20 per cent of the labour force) is frequently ignored by economic research. Most previous empirical research fails to examine the effect of employment status on earnings. Stromback (1984) includes a dummy variable representing self-employment status in an earnings equation estimated over a pooled sample of paid and self-employed workers. The variable is found to be highly significant, which leads Stromback to question the efficacy of including the self-employed in the estimation sample. The suggestion is that part of self-employed earnings represent a return to non-human capital investment, i.e. investments in machinery, buildings etc, the structural determinants of earnings differ significantly from those for paid employees. Tran-Nam and Nevile (1988) deal with differences between paid employees and the selfemployed by deleting the latter from their sample. However, deleting the self-employed from the estimation sample may lead to bias in the OLS estimation method (see Heckman 1979). The desirable properties of OLS are dependent upon estimation on a random sample. Thus, the 'Ran-Nam and Nevile results are likely to suffer from bias unless individuals are randomly allocated between self-employment and paid employment. The current analysis extends Tran-Nam and Nevile (1988) by explicitly treating the choice of paid employment versus self-employment as being endogenously determined. This allows an explicit test for the appropriateness of deleting self-employed workers from the sample. Earnings equations that are corrected for sample selection are estimated for both natives and migrants in the paid employee sector. The Heckman (1979) two-step estimator is employed. The paper is divided into five major sections. The next section presents the econometric model incorporating the specification of the earnings generating process together with an explicit model determining an individual's employment status. In Section 111 the data are described. Section IV draws together the main econometric results of the paper. First, the probit estimates of the labour market status equation are documented. This is followed by presentation and discussion of the Heckman two-stage estimates of the earnings specification for both native and migrant Australians. Separate earnings equations are estimated for paid employees and the self-employed. Section V documents estimates of the nativelmigrant earnings differential for both categories of employees. To aid comparison with earlier work, the Oaxaca decomposition of the earnings differential for paid-employees is carried out for both the simple OLS regression results as well as the parameter estimates corrected for sample selection effects. These differentials are interpreted and compared with previous Australian findings. A short section concludes the paper.

Which cultural values matter to business process management? Results from a global Delphi study

Purpose – Business process management (BPM) requires a holistic perspective that includes managing the culture of an organization to achieve objectives of efficient and effective business processes. Still, the specifics of a BPM-supportive organizational culture have not been examined so far. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to identify the characteristics of a cultural setting supportive of BPM objectives. Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines the constituent values of a BPM-supportive cultural setting through a global Delphi study with BPM experts from academia and practice and explore these values in a cultural value framework. Findings – The paper empirically identifies and defines four key cultural values supporting BPM, viz., customer orientation, excellence, responsibility, and teamwork. The paper discusses the relationships between these values and identifies a particular challenge in managing these seemingly competing values. Research limitations/implications – The identification and definition of these values represents a first step towards the operationalization (and empirical analysis) of what has been identified as the concept of BPM culture, i.e. a culture supportive of achieving BPM objectives. Practical implications – Identifying these cultural values provides the basis for developing an instrument that can measure how far an existing cultural context is supportive of BPM. This, in turn, is fundamental for identifying measures towards achieving a BPM culture as a necessary, yet not sufficient means to obtain BPM success. Originality/value – The paper examines which cultural values create an environment receptive for BPM and, thus, specifies the important theoretical construct BPM culture. In addition, the paper raises awareness for realizing these values in a BPM context.

Rod and cone pathway signaling and interaction under mesopic illumination

This study investigates the time-course and post-receptoral pathway signaling of photoreceptor interactions when the rod (R) and three cone (L, M, S) photoreceptor classes contribute to mesopic vision. A four-primary photostimulator independently controls photoreceptor activity in human observers. The first experiment defines the temporal adaptation response of receptoral (L-, S-cone, rod) and post-receptoral (LMS, LMSR,+L-M) signaling and interactions. Here we show that nonopponent cone-cone interactions (L-cone, LMS, LMSR) have monophasic temporal response patterns whereas opponent signals (+L-M, S-cone) show biphasic response patterns with slower recovery. By comparison, rod-cone interactions with nonopponent signals have faster adaptation responses and reduced sensitivity loss whereas opponent rod-cone interactions are small or absent. Additionally, the rod-rod interaction differs from these interaction types and acts to increase rod sensitivity due to temporal summation but with a slower time course. The second experiment shows that the temporal profile of the rod signal alters the relative rod contributions to the three primary post-receptoral pathways. We demonstrate that rod signals generate luminance (þLþM) signals mediated via the MC pathway with all rod temporal profiles and chromatic signals (L/LþM, S/LþM) in both the PC and KC pathways with durations .75 ms. Thus, we propose that the change in relative weighting of rod signals within the post-receptoral pathways contributes to the sensitivity and temporal response of rod and cone pathway signaling and interactions.

Implementing green business processes : the importance of functional affordances of information systems

An environmentally sustainable and thus green business process is one that delivers organizational value whilst also exerting a minimal impact on the natural environment. Recent works from the field of Information Systems (IS) have argued that information systems can contribute to the design and implementation of sustainable business processes. While prior research has investigated how information systems can be used in order to support sustainable business practices, there is still a void as to the actual changes that business processes have to undergo in order to become environmentally sustainable, and the specific role that information systems play in enabling this change. In this paper, we provide a conceptualization of environmentally sustainable business processes, and discuss the role of functional affordances of information systems in enabling both incremental and radical changes in order to make processes environmentally sustainable. Our conceptualization is based on (a) a fundamental definition of the concept of environmental sustainability, grounded in two basic components:the environmental source and sink functions of any project or activity, and (b) the concept of functional affordances, which describe the potential uses originating in the material properties of information systems in relation to their use context. In order to illustrate the application of our framework and provide a first evaluation, we analyse two examples from prior research where information systems impacted on the sustainability of business processes.

Delphi study for improving sustainable construction project management in universities

As sustainability becomes an important principle guiding various human activities around the globe, the higher education sector is being asked to take an active part in educating and promoting sustainability due to its moral responsibility, social obligation and its own needs to adapt to new circumstances. There is a global trend of higher education institutions embarking on responses to the sustainability challenge. On-campus building performance is one of the most important indicators for “sustainable universities”, because buildings carry substantially environmental burden such as considerable consumption of raw materials and energy as well as huge amount of waste generation and greenhouse gas emission. Plus, much research proves that building performance can impact on students and staff’s awareness about and behaviours related to sustainability. The past studies rarely discussed about sustainable construction projects in universities’ unique context. Universities are labeled with distinct characteristics such as complex governance, multiple cultures and juggling missions and so on. It is necessary and meaningful to examine the project management system in terms of universities’ organizational environment. Thus, this research project applies Delphi study to identify primary barriers to green technology application in on-campus buildings, critical factors for sustainable project success, key actions in project phases and strategies for project improvement. Through three rounds of questionnaires among panel experts, the authors obtain a profound understanding of project delivery system in universities. The research results are expected to provide sustainability practitioners with holistic understanding and generic information about sustainable construction project performance on campus as an assistance tool.

Conceptual modeling - an epistemological foundation

The success of contemporary organizations depends on their ability to make appropriate decisions. Making appropriate decisions is inevitably bound to the availability and provision of relevant information. Information systems should be able to provide information in an efficient way. Thus, within information systems development a detailed analysis of information supply and information demands has to prevail. Based on Syperski’s information set and subset-model we will give an epistemological foundation of information modeling in general and show, why conceptual modeling in particular is capable of specifying effective and efficient information systems. Furthermore, we derive conceptual modeling requirements based on our findings. A short example illustrates the usefulness of a conceptual data modeling technique for the specification of information systems.

Rebuilding housing after a disaster : factors for failure

Unlike most normal construction projects, post-disaster housing projects are diverse in nature, have unique socio-cultural and economical requirements, and are extremely dynamic and thus necessitate a meaningful and dynamic response. Post-disaster reconstruction practices that lack a strategy compatible with the severity of disaster, community culture, socio-economic requirements, environmental condition, government legislations, and technical and technological situations, often fail to operate and respond effectively to the needs of the wider affected population. Factors that frequently pose real threats to the eventual success of reconstruction projects are rarely given appropriate consideration when designing such projects. Research into past reconstruction practices has shown that ignoring these factors altogether or failing to give them meaningful consideration can affect housing reconstruction projects. In other words, they either miss their targets altogether or undergo serious modifications after their occupancy, subsequently resulting in an overall loss of project resources. This article touches upon the common factors that negatively impact the outcome of such projects.

An epistemological foundation of conceptual modeling

In a business environment, making the right decisions is vital for the success of a company. Making right decisions is inevitably bound to the availability and provision of relevant information. Information systems are supposed to be able to provide this information in an efficient way. Thus, within information systems development a detailed analysis of information supply and information demands has to prevail. Based on Szyperski’s information set and subset-model we will give an epistemological foundation of information modeling in general and show, why conceptual modeling in particular is capable of developing effective and efficient information systems. Furthermore, we derive conceptual modeling requirements based on our findings.