Exploring the implementation of the Last Planner® System through IGLC community: twenty one years of experience

There is robust evidence that the level of implementation of the Last Planner® System (LPS) is increasing geographically and geometrically in construction. The I nternational Group for Lean Construction (IGLC) community has reported this growth at IGLC conferences over this period. However, no study has explored how the LPS and its implementation has developed or improved. This study explored developments in the LPS from the review of IGLC conference papers. Qualitative research design utilising content analysis was adopted for this study comprising 57 IGLC reports on LPS implementation across 16 countries. The study reveals components of LPS implemented, with measuring of PPC, Weekly Work Planning meeting and recording reasons for non-completion the most reported. The study developed a timeline for the LPS development and revealed that some of the papers reviewed have no defined methodology. The study concludes that the LPS has developed in terms of its level of implementation, theory development, and as a vehicle to improve construction management practice across the major continents of the world, with elements that had little presence at the onset now prominent. The study recommends that more attention should be given to the relationship between practical applications and research methods to aid the establishment of sound theory to improve practice

Impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on construction projects

The changing face of construction projects has resulted in a movement towards the use of technology as a primary means of communication. The consequences of this rise in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) is a loss of interpersonal communication skills. A number of resulting issues within the human – electronic and human – human interfaces are identified in an attempt to define the efficiency of communication in projects. The research shows how ICT effects the social environment of construction project teams and the project outcome. The study seeks to confirm the need for further work in order to develop new forms of communication protocols and behaviour. An initial literature review was undertaken to develop a theoretical review of the impacts of ICT on construction project teams. This review identified a number of issues that were then tested in the field through an observation and two verification interviews. The research confirms the existence of tensions and conflicts in the human – electronic and human - human communication interfaces within the studies environment. It is proposed that the increasing use of ICT occur at the expense of soft system communication. The principal impact of this is a form of ‘human distraction’ which adversely affects the performance of project teams. There is limited theory exploring these issues that suggests the problems identified are not well understood and consequently indicates a gap in knowledge

Patients' experiences of seeking help for emotional concerns in primary care: doctor as drug, detective and collaborator

Background NICE guidelines for the management of emotional concerns in primary care emphasise the importance of communication and a trusting relationship, which is difficult to operationalise in practice. Current pressures in the NHS mean that it is important to understand care from a patient perspective. This study aimed to explore patients’ experiences of primary care consultations for emotional concerns and what patients valued when seeking care from their GP. Methods Eighteen adults with experience of consulting a GP for emotional concerns participated in 4 focus groups. Data were analysed thematically. Results (1) Doctor as Drug: Patients’ relationship with their GP was considered therapeutic with continuity particularly valued. (2) Doctor as Detective and Validator: Patients were often puzzled by their symptoms, not recognising their emotional concerns. GPs needed to play the role of detective by exploring not just symptoms, but the person and their life circumstances. GPs were crucial in helping patients understand and validate their emotional concerns. (3) Doctor as Collaborator: Patients prefer a collaborative partnership, but often need to relinquish involvement because they are too unwell, or take a more active role because they feel GPs are ill-equipped or under too much pressure to help. Patients valued: GPs booking their follow up appointments; acknowledgement of stressful life circumstances; not relying solely on medication. Conclusions Seeking help for emotional concerns is challenging due to stigma and unfamiliar symptoms. GPs can support disclosure and understanding of emotional concerns by fully exploring and validating patients’ concerns, taking into account patients’ life contexts. This process of exploration and validation forms the foundation of a curative, trusting GP-patient relationship. A trusting relationship, with an emphasis on empathy and understanding, can make patients more able to share involvement in their care with GPs. This process is cyclical, as patients feel that their GP is caring, interested, and treating them as a person, further strengthening their relationship. NICE guidance should acknowledge the importance of empathy and validation when building an effective GP-patient partnership, and the role this has in supporting patients’ involvement in their care

Barriers and facilitators to GP-patient communication about emotional concerns in UK primary care: a systematic review.

Background In the UK, general practitioners (GPs) are the most commonly used providers of care for emotional concerns. Objective To update and synthesize literature on barriers and facilitators to GP–patient communication about emotional concerns in UK primary care. Design Systematic review and qualitative synthesis. Method We conducted a systematic search on MEDLINE (OvidSP), PsycInfo and EMBASE, supplemented by citation chasing. Eligible papers focused on how GPs and adult patients in the UK communicated about emotional concerns. Results were synthesized using thematic analysis. Results Across 30 studies involving 342 GPs and 720 patients, four themes relating to barriers were: (i) emotional concerns are difficult to disclose; (ii) tension between understanding emotional concerns as a medical condition or arising from social stressors; (iii) unspoken assumptions about agency resulting in too little or too much involvement in decisions and (iv) providing limited care driven by little time. Three facilitative themes were: (v) a human connection improves identification of emotional concerns and is therapeutic; (vi) exploring, explaining and negotiating a shared understanding or guiding patients towards new understandings and (vii) upfront information provision and involvement manages expectations about recovery and improves engagement in treatment. Conclusion The findings suggest that treatment guidelines should acknowledge: the therapeutic value of a positive GP–patient relationship; that diagnosis is a two-way negotiated process rather than an activity strictly in the doctor’s domain of expertise; and the value of exploring and shaping new understandings about patients’ emotional concerns and their management

An Empirical Examination of Compensation of REIT Managers

Principal-agent literature finds that manager and owner incentives can be aligned with performance contingent contracts. We investigate the compensation of Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) industry executives. The competitive nature of mortgage and equity markets, in conjunction with the corporate tax exemption available when REITs distribute most of their earnings as dividends, is likely to influence the compensation of REIT managers. Executive compensation is modeled as a function of revenues and unexpected profit. After transforming the model to reduce collinearity and heteroskedasticity, we find compensation to be generally positively related to revenue. We also find unexpected profit to be generally insignificantly related to compensation, but positively related in those cases where it is significant.

Crafting a rich and personal blending learning environment: an institutional case study from a STEM perspective

Institutional pressures to make optimal use of lecture halls and classrooms can be powerful motivators to identify resources to develop technology enhanced learning approaches to traditional curricula. From the academic’s perspective, engaging students in active learning and reducing the academic workload are important and complementary drivers. This paper presents a case study of a curriculum development exercise undertaken in a STEM subject area at a research-intensive UK university. A multi-skilled team of academics and learning designers have worked collaboratively to build this module which will be realised as a mix of online and face to face activities. Since the module addresses professional issues, a strong emphasis is being placed on establishing authentic learning activities and realistic use of prominent social tools.The learning designers are working for a cross-institutional initiative to support educational innovations; therefore it is important to carefully document the development process and to identify reusable design patterns which can be easily explained to other academics.<br/

Mortgage Lenders' Market Response to a Landmark Regulatory Decision Based on Fair Lending Compliance

Regulation of real estate lending has substantially increased in the past decade. Government efforts to improve compliance with Community Reinvestment Act mandates are evidence of increased emphasis on racial equal opportunity in loan origination. To investigate the impact of these efforts, this paper examines the Federal Reserve Bank rejection of Shawmut National Corporation's application to buy New Dartmouth Bank. Rejection was based on Shawmut's poor compliance with fair-lending guidelines. Testing finds significant negative abnormal stock returns for samples of mortgage lenders on the announcement day of Shawmut's application rejection. In addition, cross-sectional analysis reveals an inverse relationship between national banks' cumulative abnormal returns (CARs) and a measure of fair lending.

Fabrication of X-Graded H13 and Cu Powder Mix Using High Power Pulsed Nd:YAG Laser

The manufacturing of Functionally Graded Material (FGM) parts using Solid Free Form manufacturing technologies has been carried out since early 1980. At present, most of the powder manufacturing techniques are being focused on layering powder with different powder blend compositions with Z gradients (graded in direction of layer build). Although, there are a few researchers working on multi powder feeder and deposition system, the study of laser fusion of the deposited powder (by a powder deposition system) is minimum or not known to date. Consequently, the manufacturing of functionally graded structures is still geometry limited. This work was focused on the manufacturing of X-graded (graded along the powder bed plane) specimens with H13 tool steel and Cu mix. Five bimodal powder blends were used with a multi-container feed hopper to spread powder layers for the selective laser fusion of the powder. The powder was fused using a high power Nd:YAG pulsed laser using a specific scanning strategy to reduce porosity. Specimens were produced with graded Cu within the H13 matrix. The specimens were analysed for dimensional accuracy, microstructure, porosity, cracks and micro hardness of the FGM.Mechanical Engineerin

Post-breeding density and habitat preferences of the Azores Woodpigeon, Columba palumbus azorica: an inter-island comparison.

In this study we present a post-breeding estimate of the density of the Azores Woodpigeon, Columba palumbus azorica (Hartert & Ogilvie-Grant, 1905). During August 2003, seven of the nine islands of the Azores were surveyed using line transects and distance sampling. Distance analysis, stratified by the island of Terceira and the other islands combined, gives density estimates of 14.52 birds/km2 on Terceira and 5.14 birds/km2 on the other six islands. This indicates that woodpigeons are more abundant than previously thought. The woodpigeon in the Azores is likely to have recently gone through a period of growth. However, woodpigeon densities in the Azores are still much lower than those in mainland Europe. Populations in the Azores may now be limited by the availability of breeding habitat and over-winter food supply. The present survey highlights that there are strong differences between woodpigeon abundance on the different islands of the archipelago, notably with densities on the island of Terceira being higher than on any of the other islands surveyed. Analyses of habitat preferences and the availability of different habitat types suggest that inter-island habitat differences could be a major cause of variation in woodpigeon density across the archipelago

Exploring the factors that influence the implementation of the Last Planner® System on joint venture infrastructure projects: a case study approach

There has been an increase in the use of joint venture (JV) especially in the delivery of infrastructure projects. There is also great pressure from the public sector clients for the use of lean techniques such as the Last Planner System (LPS) in the delivery of infrastructure projects in the UK for more certainty in delivery. Previous studies have explored factors that influence LPS implementation under various contracting structures and project types. However, no much study has explored the factors that influence LPS implementation on highways infrastructure project under JV contracting structure. In view of this, the study explored the factors that influence LPS implementation on JV highways infrastructure projects in the UK. Two in-depth JV case study projects on highways infrastructure construction were conducted over a 12 month period. Data was obtained via: document analysis, physical observation and semi-structured interviews. The study reveals that the early inclusion of the LPS practice in the contract and the long term relationship that existed among the supply chains and the main contractors in the JV were among the factors that supported the process. The study established that the JV platform and the LPS implementation synergise each other on the project. Poor promising was identified among the major blockers to LPS implementation on the projects. To overcome this, the study recommends that the five key elements of reliable promising identified should be adopted when implementing LPS on projects