46,340 research outputs found
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Why project size matters for contract choice in software development outsourcing
The contractual mechanism of software development outsourcing, typically either fixed-price (FP) or time-and-materials (T&M), determines the nature of incentives, risk sharing, and coordination between client and vendor. While software engineering considers project size as crucial for project planning and success, neither economic nor organizational theory considers size per se among the determinants of contract choice. In this paper, we address the gap between the centrality of project size in the software engineering literature and the attention it receives in software contracting research by modeling and testing the association between project size and contract choice. Existing empirical evidence indicates that FP contracts are appropriate for small development efforts whereas T&M contracts are suitable for larger projects, based on the reasoning that cost and schedule are difficult to estimate in larger projects. This prediction that size is directly associated with contract choice is the basis upon which two models are developed. The first model draws on the contracting efficiency approach to hypothesize that the effect of project size on contract choice is mediated by project detail. The second model draws on the contingency approach to software development risk management to hypothesize that the effect of project size on contract choice is moderated by project detail and vendor familiarity. We test these models using a large portfolio of software development contracts entered into by a leading European bank, and the results confirm that both mediation and moderation are at play
Supporting the management of electronic engineering design teams through a dynamic contingency approach
The contribution to knowledge presented in this thesis is the dynamic contingency
approach, supported through software, which supports the management of the early,
conceptual stages of electronic engineering team design. 1he term contingency
pertains to the design environment being in a contingent state, that is "dependent on
uncertain issues" (Hayward & Sparkes, 1991). These issues are typically dynamic,
that is ''pertaining to forces not in equilibrium, forces that produce motion" (Hayward
& Sparkes, 1991).
The concept for the dynamic contingency approach was developed through a soft
systems analysis. This analysis drew upon an ethnographic study conducted in
parallel with the present work by another researcher. Both the present work and the
ethnographic study were carried out within a multidisciplinary research team in
collaboration with an industrial partner (company A). This thesis discusses the
evolution of this multidisciplinary research method, including the development of a
software prototype (EDAPT), which enabled the requirements for the dynamic
contingency approach to be established. Through this research method key issues
were identified which affect the ability of design managers, and to a lesser extent
design engineers, to adequately perceive the current situation of a design project; and
to determine appropriate corrective responses to potential problem situations. The
work indicates that this is particularly true when under pressure in such a complex,
interdependent and dynamic environment. This thesis illustrates how the environment
of design can be dependent upon these key issues which are often uncertain, that is,
the environment is in a contingent state. Furthermore, the thesis depicts the dynamic
nature of these issues.
The dynamic contingency approach was developed in response to these issues in
partnership with the industrial collaborator. The approach synthesises a variety of
such issues to support the coordination of interdependencies, provide a view of the
current project situation, alert stakeholders to potential problem situations, and present
possible responses to potential problem situations. In short, what has been achieved is
a design management worldview with sufficient detail to help people expect and
anticipate what might happen, and how others may behave in a team design
environment, together with the foundations for a system which enables and supports
this perspective. In essence the approach provides a way of conceptualising the
design environment which should enable improvements in the management of design
teams at the early, conceptual stages of electronic engineering design projects
Responsibility modelling for civil emergency planning
This paper presents a new approach to analysing and understanding civil emergency planning based on the notion of responsibility modelling combined with HAZOPS-style analysis of information requirements. Our goal is to represent complex contingency plans so that they can be more readily understood, so that inconsistencies can be highlighted and vulnerabilities discovered. In this paper, we outline the framework for contingency planning in the United Kingdom and introduce the notion of responsibility models as a means of representing the key features of contingency plans. Using a case study of a flooding emergency, we illustrate our approach to responsibility modelling and suggest how it adds value to current textual contingency plans
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What drives contract design in strategic alliances? Taking stock and how to proceed
We collect and assess prior empirical evidence on contract design in alliances that has been published since Parkhe’s (1993) seminal study on inter-firm contracts. We elaborate on the effects of transaction-related factors, experience gained from prior relationships, and deliberate learning efforts on contracts. Our paper offers three contributions. First, we systematically review the existing literature on alliance contracts and summarize our findings. Second, while prior research has traditionally focused on contractual complexity, we place the content of contracts center stage and identify three contractual functions. While existing studies on contractual functions predominantly refer to safeguarding as a response to appropriation concerns, we also consider coordination and contingency adaptability as outcomes of adaptation concerns. Third, we disentangle the differential influences of previous experiences on distinct contractual functions and show that experience gained from prior relationships has different effects on safeguarding and contingency adaptability than on coordination. Overall, we add to the systematization of the current debate on alliance contract design and trace promising avenues for future research on the impact of transaction- and experience-related factors on the complexity and content of alliance contracts
Requirements for building information modeling based lean production management systems for construction
Smooth flow of production in construction is hampered by disparity between individual trade teams' goals and the goals of stable production flow for the project as a whole. This is exacerbated by the difficulty of visualizing the flow of work in a construction project. While the addresses some of the issues in Building information modeling provides a powerful platform for visualizing work flow in control systems that also enable pull flow and deeper collaboration between teams on and off site. The requirements for implementation of a BIM-enabled pull flow construction management software system based on the Last
Planner System™, called ‘KanBIM’, have been specified, and a set of functional mock-ups of the proposed system has been implemented and evaluated in a series of three focus group workshops. The requirements cover the areas of maintenance of work flow stability, enabling negotiation and commitment between teams, lean production planning with sophisticated pull flow control, and effective communication and visualization of flow. The evaluation results show that the system holds the potential to improve work flow and reduce waste by providing both process and product visualization at the work face
MONALISA 2.0 and the sea traffic management - a concept creating the need for new maritime information standards and software solutions
Postprint (published version
To Greener Pastures: An Action Research Study on the Environmental Sustainability of Humanitarian Supply Chains
Purpose: While humanitarian supply chains (HSCs) inherently contribute to social sustainability by alleviating the suffering of afflicted communities, their unintended adverse environmental impact has been overlooked hitherto. This paper draws upon contingency theory to synthesize green practices for HSCs, identify the contingency factors that impact on greening HSCs and explore how focal humanitarian organizations (HOs) can cope with such contingency factors. Design/methodology/approach: Deploying an action research methodology, two-and-a-half cycles of collaboration between researchers and a United Nations agency were completed. The first half-cycle developed a deductive greening framework, synthesizing extant green practices from the literature. In the second and third cycles, green practices were adopted/customized/developed reflecting organizational and contextual contingency factors. Action steps were implemented in the HSC for prophylactics, involving an operational mix of disaster relief and development programs. Findings: First, the study presents a greening framework that synthesizes extant green practices in a suitable form for HOs. Second, it identifies the contingency factors associated with greening HSCs regarding funding environment, stakeholders, field of activity and organizational management. Third, it outlines the mechanisms for coping with the contingency factors identified, inter alia, improving the visibility of headquarters over field operations, promoting collaboration and resource sharing with other HOs as well as among different implementing partners in each country, and working with suppliers for greener packaging. The study advances a set of actionable propositions for greening HSCs. Practical implications: Using an action research methodology, the study makes strong practical contributions. Humanitarian practitioners can adopt the greening framework and the lessons learnt from the implementation cycles presented in this study. Originality/value: This is one of the first empirical studies to integrate environmental sustainability and HSCs using an action research methodology
Cloud-Based Collaborative 3D Modeling to Train Engineers for the Industry 4.0
In the present study, Autodesk Fusion 360 software (which includes the A360 environment) is used to train engineering students for the demands of the industry 4.0. Fusion 360 is a tool that unifies product lifecycle management (PLM) applications and 3D-modeling software (PDLM—product design and life management). The main objective of the research is to deepen the students’ perception of the use of a PDLM application and its dependence on three categorical variables: PLM previous knowledge, individual practices and collaborative engineering perception. Therefore, a collaborative graphic simulation of an engineering project is proposed in the engineering graphics subject at the University of La Laguna with 65 engineering undergraduate students. A scale to measure the perception of the use of PDLM is designed, applied and validated. Subsequently, descriptive analyses, contingency graphical analyses and non-parametric analysis of variance are performed. The results indicate a high overall reception of this type of experience and that it helps them understand how professionals work in collaborative environments. It is concluded that it is possible to respond to the demand of the industry needs in future engineers through training programs of collaborative 3D modeling environments
Distributed Contingency Analysis over Wide Area Network among Dispatch Centers
Traditionally, a regional dispatch center uses the equivalent method to deal
with external grids, which fails to reflect the interactions among regions.
This paper proposes a distributed N-1 contingency analysis (DCA) solution,
where dispatch centers join a coordinated computation using their private data
and computing resources. A distributed screening method is presented to
determine the Critical Contingency Set (DCCS) in DCA. Then, the distributed
power flow is formulated as a set of boundary equations, which is solved by a
Jacobi-Free Newton-GMRES (JFNG) method. During solving the distributed power
flow, only boundary conditions are exchanged. Acceleration techniques are also
introduced, including reusing preconditioners and optimal resource scheduling
during parallel processing of multiple contingencies. The proposed method is
implemented on a real EMS platform, where tests using the Southwest Regional
Grid of China are carried out to validate its feasibility.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, 2017 IEEE PES General Meetin
Deriving Information Requirements from Responsibility Models
This paper describes research in understanding the requirements for complex information systems that are constructed from one or more generic COTS systems. We argue that, in these cases, behavioural requirements are largely defined by the underlying system and that the goal of the requirements engineering process is to understand the information requirements of system stakeholders. We discuss this notion of information requirements and propose that an understanding of how a socio-technical system is structured in terms of responsibilities is an effective way of discovering this type of requirement. We introduce the idea of responsibility modelling and show, using an example drawn from the domain of emergency planning, how a responsibility model can be used to derive information requirements for a system that coordinates the multiple agencies dealing with an emergency
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