Human resource performance measurement framework for construction projects and companies

U ovom radu prikazan je novi pristup za mjerenje učinka zaposlenih u građevinskim tvrtkama. Dvije različite metode su predložene. Za zaposlene koji su izravno angažirani na projektima, učinak se mjeri pomoću različitih "Key Performance Indicators" na četiri različite razine organizacije. Za zaposlenike koji ne sudjeluju izravno na projektu, učinak se mjeri pomoću "Responsibility Assignment Matrix" koja je kvantificirana pomoću "Quality Function Deployment" metodologije. U oba slučaja dobivaju se bezdimenzijske ocjene za zaposlenike, koje se mogu koristiti kao alat za učinkovito upravljanje ljudskim resursima. Sustav je dizajniran za građevinske projekte i tvrtke, ali se može primijeniti i u drugim gospodarskim granama.A new approach for measuring the performance of employees in construction companies is presented. Two different methods are proposed. For employees directly engaged on a project, performance is measured by using different Key Performance Indicators on four different organisation levels. For employees not directly engaged on a project, performance is measured by using Responsibility Assignment Matrices that are quantified using the Quality Function Deployment methodology. In both cases the system returns non-dimensional evaluations for employees, which can be used as a management tool for efficient human resource management. The presented framework is designed for civil construction projects and companies but it is applicable to any industry

Uso de criterios múltiples para introducir y clasificar los criterios de diseño de recompensa en proyectos de construcción

The objective of this study was to The Use of Multi-Criteria Decision Making to Introduce and Rank of Design Criteria of Reward in Construction Projects. In this research, the design criteria of rewards in construction projects are ranked. In the present study, in order to identify and rank the criteria of employee reward allocation the methods of Demetel and expansion of the performance of fuzzy quality in two steps were used. the results showed that the professional ethics is the most important criterion for reward allocation to the employees in the construction projects. Results show that considering the work environment of construction projects, maintaining discipline and having organizational commitment and helping others is very important. Also, having the spirit of teamwork and cooperation with others is very important for working in such environments. One of the notable points in the findings of this study is the less attention paid by construction managers to the use of labor quantity measurement indicators as a criterion for reward allocation and more attention to quality criteria such as professional ethics, creativity, etc., which shows the difference between the nature of the work and the end product of this industry with manufacturing industries such as parts manufacturing.El objetivo de este estudio fue el uso de la toma de decisiones de criterios múltiples para introducir y clasificar los criterios de diseño de recompensa en proyectos de construcción. En esta investigación se clasifican los criterios de diseño de recompensas en proyectos de construcción. En el presente estudio, para identificar y clasificar los criterios de asignación de recompensas a los empleados se utilizaron los métodos de Demetel y la expansión del desempeño de calidad difusa en dos pasos. Los resultados mostraron que la ética profesional es el criterio más importante para la asignación de recompensas a los empleados en los proyectos de construcción. Los resultados muestran que considerar el clima laboral de los proyectos de construcción, mantener la disciplina y tener compromiso organizacional y ayudar a los demás es muy importante. Además, tener el espíritu de trabajo en equipo y cooperación con los demás es muy importante para trabajar en estos entornos. Uno de los puntos destacables en los hallazgos de este estudio es la menor atención prestada por los gerentes de obra al uso de indicadores de medición de cantidad de mano de obra como criterio para la asignación de recompensas y mayor atención a criterios de calidad como la ética profesional, la creatividad, etc., que muestra la diferencia entre la naturaleza del trabajo y el producto final de esta industria con industrias manufactureras como la fabricación de piezas

A framework for managing global risk factors affecting construction cost performance

Poor cost performance of construction projects has been a major concern for both contractors and clients. The effective management of risk is thus critical to the success of any construction project and the importance of risk management has grown as projects have become more complex and competition has increased. Contractors have traditionally used financial mark-ups to cover the risk associated with construction projects but as competition increases and margins have become tighter they can no longer rely on this strategy and must improve their ability to manage risk. Furthermore, the construction industry has witnessed significant changes particularly in procurement methods with clients allocating greater risks to contractors. Evidence shows that there is a gap between existing risk management techniques and tools, mainly built on normative statistical decision theory, and their practical application by construction contractors. The main reason behind the lack of use is that risk decision making within construction organisations is heavily based upon experience, intuition and judgement and not on mathematical models. This thesis presents a model for managing global risk factors affecting construction cost performance of construction projects. The model has been developed using behavioural decision approach, fuzzy logic technology, and Artificial Intelligence technology. The methodology adopted to conduct the research involved a thorough literature survey on risk management, informal and formal discussions with construction practitioners to assess the extent of the problem, a questionnaire survey to evaluate the importance of global risk factors and, finally, repertory grid interviews aimed at eliciting relevant knowledge. There are several approaches to categorising risks permeating construction projects. This research groups risks into three main categories, namely organisation-specific, global and Acts of God. It focuses on global risk factors because they are ill-defined, less understood by contractors and difficult to model, assess and manage although they have huge impact on cost performance. Generally, contractors, especially in developing countries, have insufficient experience and knowledge to manage them effectively. The research identified the following groups of global risk factors as having significant impact on cost performance: estimator related, project related, fraudulent practices related, competition related, construction related, economy related and political related factors. The model was tested for validity through a panel of validators (experts) and crosssectional cases studies, and the general conclusion was that it could provide valuable assistance in the management of global risk factors since it is effective, efficient, flexible and user-friendly. The findings stress the need to depart from traditional approaches and to explore new directions in order to equip contractors with effective risk management tools

Evolving to Digital and Programmable Value Based Economy: General Prospect and Specific Applications over Sustainability

[eng] In the fields of economics, business and management, how could Digital Transformation (DT) advance value creation and reliably encourage value capture, exchange and distribution? This thesis aim to fill that gap with a novel framework to support policy-makers, countries, cities and businesses address the potential value that can be generated and captured by digitalization combining DT and Internet of Value theoretical perspectives and practical applications of them over concrete issues such as sustainability in cities, as an example. For this, it is proposed to make new contributions related to DT and Internet of Value in two main aspects: to explore DT countries’ mindsets when it relates to their value progress through Digital Ecosystems and to advance with the potential digital value applications through Programmable Economy advantages when it focus on concrete aspect such as sustainability in cities. Both perspectives, although it will be applied on different dimensions and on different purposes, have in common that they are focus on digital and programable value based economy and management and want to explore the best way to maximize and capture the DT potential in terms of value for organizations and society. Thus, first, it will be analysed the importance of knowing clearly the digital ecosystem in which the agents are operating in order to reinforce the value creation by promoting the inclusivity and connectivity of the endpoints involved in it. Secondly, it will be analysed how the digital value can be captured, exchanged and redistributed in a complex issues such as sustainability by deploying concrete digital applications that include human reinforcement aspects to, finally, closing the circle combining both perspectives in a single framework. To achieve these objectives in this thesis, own models are proposed, inspired by other theoretical models already contrasted, and some proven methodologies are used related to Conditional Probability, Forgotten Effects and Fuzzy Sets. As a main conclusion, Digital Transformation has the potential to generate immense value for economy and society. Although currently the capture of the vast majority of it is not guaranteed and its distribution between agents is no clear, new formulas are being explored supported by the Internet of Value. This thesis defends that if agents want to advance value creation and encourage value capture, they should consider to make their own Digital and Programmable Value Based Economy and Management framework through: - Allowing all functional agents work in a Digital Ecosystem embracing new relationships and ways of collaborating pursuing the same purpose. - Deploying Programmable Economy applications advantages, mixing digital's and analogue's world that can be interlinked and programmed by the blockchain allowing monetization and exploring new human and machine alliances. - Adopting strong and inclusive agents’ commitment in order to exploit the advantages that this smart economy system has from a human centric vision, discovering new forms of value, considering that, although tech can be everywhere, value not

Novel Design and Energy Management Approaches for Seamless Integration and Adoption of Plug-In Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicles (EVs) are witnessing increased utilization throughout the world as an alternative to fossil-fueled vehicles. However, the adoption of EVs and their integration into the power grid is yet to be fully materialized due to several issues, of which two are the most salient. First, the extensive deployment of EVs can bring challenges to the grid if not properly managed. Second, access to a variety of EV supply equipment (EVSE) in different areas is still lacking. To that end, the research in this thesis aims to address these issues through the development of adaptive approaches that enhance the management of EV energy and the development of a charging strategy and a design approach that help to expand the proliferation of EV charging infrastructure. Three approaches that are adaptive to their operator/user preferences are developed to enhance energy management in EVs. The first approach allows adaptive utilization of EV batteries' distributed energy resources in an EV fleet system for concurrent services to the transportation sector and ancillary services market. The second approach is a decentralized quality of service (QoS)-based scheme for peer-peer (P2P) energy trading among EV energy providers and consumers. The proposed mechanism is designed to match energy traders based on consumers' and providers' QoS requirements and offers, respectively. The third approach is a bidirectional smart charging algorithm for EVs considering P2P energy trade, provision of ancillary services to the grid, and utilization of low electricity prices for battery charging. The algorithm incorporates user preferences into the scheduling process enabling it to adapt to various conditions. Further, to expand the proliferation of EV charging infrastructure, this thesis introduces (i) a charging control strategy that does not require a communication network, which in turn reduces additional grid upgrades, and (ii) a design approach for EV parking lots that helps private investors to participate in the growth of charging facilities. The findings of this thesis highlight the efficacy of the proposed approaches in achieving their objectives. This would provide implementable and cost-effective solutions to facilitate EVs deployment and address imminent and timely concerns that limit the wide adoption of EVs into electric distribution infrastructure

Novel Design and Energy Management Approaches for Seamless Integration and Adoption of Plug-In Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicles (EVs) are witnessing increased utilization throughout the world as an alternative to fossil-fueled vehicles. However, the adoption of EVs and their integration into the power grid is yet to be fully materialized due to several issues, of which two are the most salient. First, the extensive deployment of EVs can bring challenges to the grid if not properly managed. Second, access to a variety of EV supply equipment (EVSE) in different areas is still lacking. To that end, the research in this thesis aims to address these issues through the development of adaptive approaches that enhance the management of EV energy and the development of a charging strategy and a design approach that help to expand the proliferation of EV charging infrastructure. Three approaches that are adaptive to their operator/user preferences are developed to enhance energy management in EVs. The first approach allows adaptive utilization of EV batteries' distributed energy resources in an EV fleet system for concurrent services to the transportation sector and ancillary services market. The second approach is a decentralized quality of service (QoS)-based scheme for peer-peer (P2P) energy trading among EV energy providers and consumers. The proposed mechanism is designed to match energy traders based on consumers' and providers' QoS requirements and offers, respectively. The third approach is a bidirectional smart charging algorithm for EVs considering P2P energy trade, provision of ancillary services to the grid, and utilization of low electricity prices for battery charging. The algorithm incorporates user preferences into the scheduling process enabling it to adapt to various conditions. Further, to expand the proliferation of EV charging infrastructure, this thesis introduces (i) a charging control strategy that does not require a communication network, which in turn reduces additional grid upgrades, and (ii) a design approach for EV parking lots that helps private investors to participate in the growth of charging facilities. The findings of this thesis highlight the efficacy of the proposed approaches in achieving their objectives. This would provide implementable and cost-effective solutions to facilitate EVs deployment and address imminent and timely concerns that limit the wide adoption of EVs into electric distribution infrastructure

Corporate Social Responsibility: from Construct to Praxis.

Aquesta tesi és organitzada en un compendi de tres articles, cada uns dels quals avança en el nostre coneixement sobre la responsabilitat social corporativa (RSC), des del constructe fins a la pràctica professional. Primerament, l'article 1, titulat "Construint La Torre de Babel: Una Aproximació Mitjançant Lògica Difusa" (escrit conjuntament amb el Dr. Josep Mª Lozano i F. Di Lorenzo), proposa i prova una aproximació epistemològica difusa per contestar a la pregunta: " Pot i hauria d'existir una definició de responsabilitat social? ". Emprant la teoria sobre conjunts difusos per a l'anàlisi sistemàtica de definicions en el camp de l'empresa i societat, demostra com aquestes definicions estan vinculades a les 3 metàfores més citades en el camp de l'empresa i societat (responsabilitat social de l'empresa (RSC), sostenibilitat corporativa (SC) i ciutadania corporativa (CC)). A continuació, l'article 2, titulat "Tipologia En Quatre Cel.les De Les Barreres i Oportunitats Clau Per a La Acció Social en les PYMEs" (escrit conjuntament amb el Dr. Josep Mª Lozano), és una revisió de literatura sobre " Quines són les barreres i oportunitats per a les PYMEs en el seu compromís amb l'acció socialment responsable (ASR)?". Aquest article proposa, partint de l'heteronimia de la notabilitat dels seus stakeholders, una tipologia de 4 classes de PYMEs en base el seu ASR. Finalment, l'article 3, titulat "Safari de Casos de Millors Pràctiques en ASR: utilitzant els prismàtics de l'orientació social de l'empresa (OSR) per identificar la RSC", és un estudi de casos multimètode, sobre la qüestió de " Com es veu la RSC a nivell empresarial? ". Les conclusions d'aquest estudi suggereixen que els dominis de la RSC són jeràrquics en la seva relació, amb l'econòmic com a base. A més, l'àmbit dels principis empresarials en matèria de RSC varia segons la seva àrea d'influència i el sentit del deure moral. En particular, l'estudi crida l'atenció sobre el domini discrecional com a factor diferencial entre les millors pràctiques en ASR i els casos de pràctiques habituals. Per acabar, aquest article construeix en la teoria sobre ASR mitjançant la integració de l'OSR i la seva reorientació per incloure el context de les PYMEs. D'aquesta forma, aquesta tesi doctoral obre diverses oportunitats per a noves línies d'investigació amb la teoria de lògica de conjunts difusos, la de RSC, CC. CS i PYMEs, i la teoria de OSR i ASR.Esta tesis está organizada en un compendio de tres artículos, cada uno de los cuales avanza en nuestro conocimiento sobre la responsabilidad social corporativa (RSC), desde el constructo hasta la práctica profesional. Primeramente, el artículo 1, titulado "Construyendo La Torre de Babel: Una Aproximación Mediante Lógica Difusa" (escrito conjuntamente con el Dr. Josep Mª Lozano y F. Di Lorenzo), propone y prueba una aproximación epistemológica difusa para contestar a la pregunta: "¿Puede y debería existir una definición de responsabilidad social?". Mediante la utilización de la teoría sobre conjuntos difusos para el análisis sistemático de definiciones en el campo de la empresa y sociedad, demuestra como estas definiciones están vinculadas a las 3 metáforas más citadas en el campo de la empresa y sociedad (responsabilidad social de la empresa (RSC), sostenibilidad corporativa (SC) y ciudadanía corporativa (CC)). A continuación, el artículo 2, titulado "Tipología En Cuatro Celdas De Las Barreras y Oportunidades Clave Para La Acción Social en las PYMEs" (escrito conjuntamente con el Dr. Josep Mª Lozano), es una revisión de literatura sobre "¿Cuales son las barreras y oportunidades para las PYMEs en su compromiso con la acción socialmente responsable (ASR)?". Este artículo propone, en base a la heteronimía de la notabilidad de sus stakeholders, una tipología de 4 clases de PYMEs en base su ASR. Finalmente, el artículo 3, titulado "Safari de Casos de Mejores Prácticas en ASR: utilizando los prismáticos de la orientación social de la empresa (OSE) para identificar la RSC", es un estudio de casos multi-método, sobre la cuestión de "¿Cómo se ve la RSC a nivel empresarial?". Las conclusiones de este estudio sugieren que los dominios de la RSC son jerárquicos en su relación, con el económico como base. Además, el ámbito de los principios empresariales en materia de RSC varía según su área de influencia y el sentido del deber moral. En particular, el estudio llama la atención sobre el dominio discrecional como factor diferencial entre las mejores prácticas en ASR y los casos de prácticas habituales. Para terminar, este artículo construye en la teoría sobre ASR mediante la integración de la OSR y su reorientación para incluir el contexto de las PYMEs. De esta forma, esta tesis doctoral abre varias oportunidades para nuevas líneas de investigación con la teoría de lógica de conjuntos difusos, la de RSC, CC. CS y PYMEs, y la teoría de OSE y ASR.This thesis is organized in a compendium of three articles, each of which furthers our knowledge of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) from construct to practice. Firstly, article 1, entitled Constructing The Tower Of Babel: Towards A Fuzzy Logic Approach (co-authored with Dr. J.M. Lozano and F. Di Lorenzo) proposes and tests a fuzzy epistemological approach to answering the question "Does and can a definition for social accountability exist?". By employing fuzzy set theory for a systematic analysis of definitions within the business and society field demonstrates how they are linked to the 3 most cited metaphors (CSR, corporate sustainability (CS) and corporate citizenship (CC)) in the business and society field. Secondly, article 2, A Four-Cell Typology of Key Social Issue Drivers and Barriers of SME Social Performance (co-authored with Dr. J.M. Lozano) is a literature review of "What are the drivers and barriers to enterprise engagement in socially responsible action?". This article develops a small and medium sized enterprises (SME) four-cell ideal type of social issues management (SIM) response typology based on a proposed heteronomy of stakeholder salience. Thirdly, article 3, called A CSP Best Practice Case Safari: Using CSO Binoculars To Identify CSR, is an explanatory multi-method embedded multiple-case study design addressing the question of "What does corporate social responsibility at enterprise level look like?". The findings of this study suggest that the CSR domains are hierarchical in their relationship with the economic domain as a basis. Moreover that the scope of enterprise principles varies depending on their particular CSR domain influence and moral duty affiliation. In particular, the study calls attention to the discretionary domain as the differentiating factor between corporate social performance (CSP) best-practice and normal practice cases. Finally, this article builds CSP theory by integrating corporate social orientation (CSO) and reorienting it for the SME context. Therefore this thesis opens up several new lines of research opportunities for fuzzy set theory, CSR, CC, CS and SME theory, CSO and CSP theory

Collaborative Models for Supply Networks Coordination and Healthcare Consolidation

This work discusses the collaboration framework among different members of two complex systems: supply networks and consolidated healthcare systems. Although existing literature advocates the notion of strategic partnership/cooperation in both supply networks and healthcare systems, there is a dearth of studies quantitatively analyzing the scope of cooperation among the members and its benefit on the global performance. Hence, the first part of this dissertation discusses about two-echelon supply networks and studies the coordination of buyers and suppliers for multi-period procurement process. Viewing the issue from the same angel, the second part studies the coordination framework of hospitals for consolidated healthcare service delivery. Realizing the dynamic nature of information flow and the conflicting objectives of members in supply networks, a two-tier coordination mechanism among buyers and suppliers is modeled. The process begins with the intelligent matching of buyers and suppliers based on the similarity of users profiles. Then, a coordination mechanism for long-term agreements among buyers and suppliers is proposed. The proposed mechanism introduces the importance of strategic buyers for suppliers in modeling and decision making process. To enhance the network utilization, we examine a further collaboration among suppliers where cooperation incurs both cost and benefit. Coalitional game theory is utilized to model suppliers\u27 coalition formation. The efficiency of the proposed approaches is evaluated through simulation studies. We then revisit the common issue, the co-existence of partnership and conflict objectives of members, for consolidated healthcare systems and study the coordination of hospitals such that there is a central referral system to facilitate patients transfer. We consider three main players including physicians, hospitals managers, and the referral system. As a consequence, the interaction within these players will shape the coordinating scheme to improve the overall system performance. To come up with the incentive scheme for physicians and aligning hospitals activities, we define a multi-objective mathematical model and obtain optimal transfer pattern. Using optimal solutions as a baseline, a cooperative game between physicians and the central referral system is defined to coordinate decisions toward system optimality. The efficiency of the proposed approach is examined via a case study

Multi-Objective and Multi-Attribute Optimisation for Sustainable Development Decision Aiding

Optimization is considered as a decision-making process for getting the most out of available resources for the best attainable results. Many real-world problems are multi-objective or multi-attribute problems that naturally involve several competing objectives that need to be optimized simultaneously, while respecting some constraints or involving selection among feasible discrete alternatives. In this Reprint of the Special Issue, 19 research papers co-authored by 88 researchers from 14 different countries explore aspects of multi-objective or multi-attribute modeling and optimization in crisp or uncertain environments by suggesting multiple-attribute decision-making (MADM) and multi-objective decision-making (MODM) approaches. The papers elaborate upon the approaches of state-of-the-art case studies in selected areas of applications related to sustainable development decision aiding in engineering and management, including construction, transportation, infrastructure development, production, and organization management

Multi-Agent Systems

This Special Issue ""Multi-Agent Systems"" gathers original research articles reporting results on the steadily growing area of agent-oriented computing and multi-agent systems technologies. After more than 20 years of academic research on multi-agent systems (MASs), in fact, agent-oriented models and technologies have been promoted as the most suitable candidates for the design and development of distributed and intelligent applications in complex and dynamic environments. With respect to both their quality and range, the papers in this Special Issue already represent a meaningful sample of the most recent advancements in the field of agent-oriented models and technologies. In particular, the 17 contributions cover agent-based modeling and simulation, situated multi-agent systems, socio-technical multi-agent systems, and semantic technologies applied to multi-agent systems. In fact, it is surprising to witness how such a limited portion of MAS research already highlights the most relevant usage of agent-based models and technologies, as well as their most appreciated characteristics. We are thus confident that the readers of Applied Sciences will be able to appreciate the growing role that MASs will play in the design and development of the next generation of complex intelligent systems. This Special Issue has been converted into a yearly series, for which a new call for papers is already available at the Applied Sciences journal’s website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci/special_issues/Multi-Agent_Systems_2019