Strategic design guidance on tall buildings in the Arab region

Globally, there has been enhanced media -and public interest in tall buildings following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York. In the Arab region, tall buildings have also become an important topic of debate. The Middle East is set to grow significantly over the next two decades. Soaring population and jobs growth will increase demands for the better use of residential and commercial office space. This is a vital issue for the growth in the economy of the region. The number of construction sites for tall buildings in the Arab world is staggering when compared to European developments. A statistical review of tall buildings has shown for example that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by the year 2010 will outnumber UK and Germany together in the number of 30+ floors buildings by reaching (446 UAE) compared to [243 UK(130) + Germany(113)]. Today high buildings are considered flagship developments not only in the Arab World but also worldwide that play an important part in regeneration. Tall buildings are likely to continue to be relevant to the master planning of areas with good public transport access and capacity. A successful tall building must adhere to a set of clear urban design guidelines that affect the following areas: edges, use, public space, urban integration and environmental factors. This paper addresses this issue. The challenge for architects, urban designers, and planners in the Arab world is to provide the right type and quality of new space and new place that won't undermine the question of identity. The paper explores the nature of tall buildings in the Arab region and provides examples of the positive and negative transformation of the urban environments in a number of locales. The paper concludes by drawing some guidelines for future development of tall buildings in the Arab World.

Disorganization theory; explorations in alternative organizational analysis

Contents: Paradigm plurality and its prospects -- Organizational knowledge : production and consumption -- Escaping the confines of organization theory / with Ian Atkin -- Actor-networks and sociological symmetry / with Christine McLean -- Fluidity and identity / with Beverly Metcalfe -- Time and temporality -- Decoration and disorganization / with Stella Minahan -- Governmentality and networks -- Actor-networks, research strategy and organization / with Nick Lee -- Rethinking triangulation -- Critical retrospective research -- Concluding remarks : a future agenda for alternative organization studies.

Caught in the middle : organizational impediments to middle managers' work-life balance

As increased work demands and longer working hours become the reality for many employees, the concept of work-life balance has received increasing attention. This paper presents findings from an exploratory study of Australian middle managers, which investigated the impact of middle managers’ daily organizational experiences on their lives both in and beyond the workplace. We focus on respondents’ reports of the difficulty in achieving work-life balance, specifically, the organizational impediments to creating balance. Three particular areas where these impediments were apparent are: the impact of new technologies; limits to autonomy and control in the middle management role; and difficulties in taking advantage of flexibility initiatives in the workplace. As middle managers are caught in the middle between work and personal life, there is a need for organizations to support middle managers’ efforts to achieve work-life balance if the organization’s long-term goals are to be achieved.

The marketing audit and organizational performance an empirical profiling

This study investigates the use of strategy to address changes in business performance. It suggests the use of the marketing audit as a facility that can assist with the establishment, maintenance, and management of a market orientation strategy. The practice of the marketing audit and its perceived benefits are examined, and their relationships with change in business performance are investigated. The results indicate a positive association between the usage of the marketing audit and increase in market share, and a stronger increase in market share than increase in overall financial performance.

Baseline assessment of organizational capacity for health promotion within regional health authorities in Alberta, Canada

This paper provides a baseline profile of organizational capacity for (heart) health promotion in Alberta's regional health authorities (RHAs); and examines differences in perceived organizational health promotion capacity specific to modifiable risk factors across three levels of staff and across capacity levels. Baseline data were collected from a purposive sample of 144 board members, senior/middle managers and service providers from 17 RHAs participating in a five-year time-series repeated survey design assessing RHA capacity for (heart) health promotion. Results indicate low levels of capacity to take health promotion action on the broader determinants of health and risk conditions like poverty and social support. In contrast, capacity for health promotion action specific to physiological and behavioural risk factors is considerably higher. Organizational "will" to do health promotion is noticeably more present than is both infrastructure and leadership. Both position held within an organization as well as overall level of organizational capacity appear to influence perceptions of organizational capacity. Overall, results suggest that organizational "will", while necessary, is inadequate on its own for health promotion implementation to occur, especially in regard to addressing the broader determinants of health. A combination of low infrastructure and limited leadership may help explain a lack of health promotion action.

Requisite organizational theory : management panacea or a lot of ROT?

This paper sets out to explain and critique the contribution made by Elliott Jaques to organizational and management theory. The attractiveness of the Jaquesian approach to senior managers is considered to be due to its justification for managerial authority, its logical worldview, and its claims of scientific rigour. Ultimately, however, his theoretical framework, today known as requisite organizational theory, despite having been developed from admirable intentions, is deemed to be seriously flawed and potentially dangerous.

A new paradigm for sustainable residential buildings

This paper explores a new paradigm in housing, where dwellings will be pre-fabricated, modular, energy efficient, transportable and use renewable and/or recyclable resources. The paper reviews previous attempts to produce housing, which meets some of the criteria for this new paradigm. Their advantages and disadvantages are discussed. An approach towards a new type of modular prefabricated unit is proposed. A preliminary energy analysis, comparing a present relocatable classroom construction with one upgraded, is provided as an example towards low energy building operation. Finally, conclusions are drawn about the requirements of future housing if we are to progress towards sustainability.

Height and construction costs of residential buildings in Hong Kong and Shanghai

A widely recognised theme of construction economics suggests that the cost of construction per square metre increases as building height rises. However, after many years, research conducted regarding the height and cost issue have established a classic relationship between those two, well known as a U-shaped curve. This paper describes the study of height-cost relationship of high-rise residential buildings in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Initial findings indicated that the curved relationships of height-cost of residential buildings in Shanghai and Hong Kong exhibit different profiles. The differences suggest that, Hong Kong contractors have more expertise in multi-storey and high-rise construction than contractors in Shanghai. The dissimilarities also imply that different sets of criteria should be applied in the judgement of height affects cost in different locations. Many factors could be contributors, such as the history and experience in constructing residential high-rise buildings, location, linkage and relationships to the neighbourhood provinces, design and construction regulations, and government policy on residential construction.

A step toward a common measure of organizational fairness

The paper examines dimensions of organizational justice construct in a public sector context, utilizing an organizational justice measure developed and validated by Colquitt (2001). The present study substantiates the existing claims about the independence of interactional justice and the division of interactional justice into interpersonal and informational justice. The present investigation also contributes to the justice literature by providing evidence of a new factor, which is called procedural voice justice to reflect the possible association with the concept of voice effect. Although voice has been examined extensively in the justice research as an antecedent of procedural justice, little is known about if and how voice might integrate into procedural justice construct. The study proposes that future justice research further investigate dimensionality of organisational justice and aspire to developing a common measure of the justice construct.

Promoting health at work : the relevance of organizational justice

Research focusing on the relationship between organizational justice and health suggests that perceptions of fairness can make significant contributions to employee wellbeing. However studies examining the justice health relationship are only just emerging and there are several areas where further research is required, in particular, the uniqueness of the contributions made by justice and the extent to which the health effects can be explained by linear, non-linear and/or interactional models. The primary aim of the current study was to determine the main, curvilinear and interactive effects of job characteristics and organizational justice perceptions on psychological wellbeing and job satisfaction. Job characteristics were measured using the Demand-Control Support (DCS) model (Karasek & Theorell, 1990), while Colquitt's (2001) four justice dimensions (distributive, procedural, interpersonal and informational) were used to assess organizational justice. Hierarchical regression analyses found that in relation to psychological wellbeing, perceptions of justice did not add to the explanatory power of the DCS model. In contrast, organizational justice did account for unique variance in job satisfaction, the second measure of employee wellbeing. The results supported direct linear relationships between the psychosocial working conditions and the outcome measures. The implications of the results of this study, especially in terms of how working conditions should be managed in order to promote health, are discussed. Notably, the findings from the current study indicate that in addition to traditional job stressors, health promotion strategies should focus on perceptions of organizational justice and their relationships with health.

Promoting employee wellbeing : the relevance of work characteristics and organizational justice

Research focusing on the relationship between organizational justice and health suggests that perceptions of fairness can make significant contributions to employee wellbeing. However, studies examining the justice–health relationship are only just emerging and there are several areas where further research is required, in particular, the uniqueness of the contributions made by justice and the extent to which the health effects can be explained by linear, non-linear and/or interaction models. The primary aim of the current study was to determine the main, curvilinear and interaction effects of work characteristics and organizational justice perceptions on employee wellbeing (as measured by psychological health and job satisfaction). Work characteristics were measured using the demand–control–support (DCS) model (Karasek and Theorell, 1990) and Colquitt's (2001) four justice dimensions (distributive, procedural, interpersonal and informational) assessed organizational justice (Colquitt, 2001). Hierarchical regression analyses found that in relation to psychological health, perceptions of justice added little to the explanatory power of the DCS model. In contrast, organizational justice did account for unique variance in job satisfaction, the second measure of employee wellbeing. The results supported linear relationships between the psychosocial working conditions and the outcome measures. A significant two-way interaction effect (control x support at work) was found for the psychological health outcome and the procedural justice by distributive justice interaction was significant for the job satisfaction outcome. Notably, the findings indicate that in addition to traditional job stressors, health promotion strategies should also address organizational justice.

The business case for incorporating sustainability in office buildings : the adaptive reuse of existing buildings

The effect of climate change and global warming has received increased attention in society with constant reminders about the importance of energy efficiency and sustainability in buildings. Whilst the focus is often placed on smaller items such as plastic bags, air conditioners and motor vehicles, the emphasis has recently shifted to structures in the built environment. Office buildings have been identified as contributing significantly to global warming during their building lifecycle with a substantial contribution to CO2 omissions. In response, building designs and construction techniques have evolved over time to improve energy efficiency and reduce CO2 omissions. Whilst property valuers, managers and analysts must remain up-to-date regarding changes, relatively little research has been conducted about whether and how increased sustainability, such as signified in a Green Star rating affects a property’s highest and best value and long-term lifecycle. This study investigates the degree to which sustainability is understood in the property marketplace, especially in relation to property values with the emphasis placed on a cost- benefit analysis from both an owner’s and tenant’s perspective. Whilst it may be argued that incorporating sustainability into a new office building is cost prohibitive on a financial cost-benefit analysis, often various minor steps can be taken to upgrade the sustainability of an existing building. This project examines recent trends in capital expenditure to increase the sustainability of offices and where Green Star ratings have been applied to establish whether any corresponding increase in value is evident. In order to develop a researchframework, a thorough literature review will be conducted of recent Australian and overseas studies. This will enable links between sustainability and office buildings to be highlighted, and vitally how they affect a property’s value in both the short and long-term.