Strengthening Construction Management in the Rural Rehab Line of Business

The Five Key ObservationsObservation#1: Rural rehab success emanated from positive thinking and persistent implementationObservation #2: Almost every RHRO would benefit from a substantial increase in the per unit funding available, especially in light of the forthcoming HUD HOME requirement to establish written rehab standards in ten subcategories.Observation #3: A smartphone and tablet with 20 to 40 apps is the rehab specialist's Swiss Army knife. They are our, GPS, calculator, spec writer, office lifeline in case of danger, camera, clock, cost estimator calendar and a hundred other single-purpose but very important uses.Observation #4: NeighborWorks® Rural Initiative could provide a clearinghouse for success techniques targeted to rural rehab. Each month it might focus on a specific aspect of rehab management; inspection checklists in January, green specs in February, feasibility checklist in March, contractor qualification questionnaires in April and so on.Observation #5: Even with most components of in-house contractor success formula in place, per the Statistic Research Institute 53% of construction firms go out of business with in the first 4 years. It remains a very risky model that requires significant; funding, staff experience, administrative support and risk tolerance.Three Rehab Production Models And Their AlternativesThis middle section restates the introduction and methodology and offers a detailed review of the Traditional Rehab Specialist, Construction Management Of Subcontractor and the In-House General Contractor production models .for each model the article provides: definition and staffing pattern, design roles and tasks for each major player, benefits and challenges, alternative models and finally recommendations for successful implementationFocus TopicsDuring our interview process, three ideas surfaced that were best served with a mini discussion of the topic rather than being embedded in the already large middle section.The three topics are; software and technology, management of community relations – marketing and quality control, and budget solution

Transition UGent: a bottom-up initiative towards a more sustainable university

The vibrant think-tank ‘Transition UGent’ engaged over 250 academics, students and people from the university management in suggesting objectives and actions for the Sustainability Policy of Ghent University (Belgium). Founded in 2012, this bottom-up initiative succeeded to place sustainability high on the policy agenda of our university. Through discussions within 9 working groups and using the transition management method, Transition UGent developed system analyses, sustainability visions and transition paths on 9 fields of Ghent University: mobility, energy, food, waste, nature and green, water, art, education and research. At the moment, many visions and ideas find their way into concrete actions and policies. In our presentation we focused on the broad participative process, on the most remarkable structural results (e.g. a formal and ambitious Sustainability Vision and a student-led Sustainability Office) and on recent actions and experiments (e.g. a sustainability assessment on food supply in student restaurants, artistic COP21 activities, ambitious mobility plans, food leftovers projects, an education network on sustainability controversies, a transdisciplinary platform on Sustainable Cities). We concluded with some recommendations and reflections on this transition approach, on the important role of ‘policy entrepreneurs’ and student involvement, on lock-ins and bottlenecks, and on convincing skeptical leaders

The SILVER Spark for Nevada

The SILVER Spark for Nevada: Sustainable Innovation Leading a Vital Economic Renaissance Nevada. A State of stark contrasts, with historic booms and devastating busts experienced throughout its modern history. A State frequently forced to reinvent itself as ever-evolving circumstances have demanded. A State that has been driven to the edge time after time and, yet again and again, has managed to discover another way to prosper. A State that now finds itself in a precarious position as the “Great Recession” hit it harder than any other and has left it struggling to recover. As you will conclude by reading The SILVER Spark, Nevada can successfully build a globally-competitive economic engine based on innovation and entrepreneurship through the commercialization of research, discovery, and development. It will, however, require changes in how the State operates, by uniting the many competing visions, missions and goals found statewide. Although the seventh largest state geographically, Nevada is only the thirty-fifth most populous state in the Union. So it must also find a unique way to focus its admittedly stretched resources on a strategic set of priorities to successfully diversify its economy. The ‘SILVER’ Spark proposes an approach to do exactly what so many across the State have suggested must be done for so long—transform the State’s legacy economy and create new-economy jobs. It advocates the application of sustainable innovation to lead a vital economic renaissance through the following three major transformational actions: Drive more public and private innovation in the State. Improve the State-wide commercialization ecosystem. Accelerate entrepreneurial activity throughout Nevada. Nevada is uniquely Nevadan. From its world-class gaming facilities to its innovative laboratories, Nevada is still a place where dreams can become reality. Nevada itself is collectively a gigantic open source laboratory. It is a place where a scientific theory, an educated hypothesis or sometimes little more than conjecture can change everything in a spark. It is time for Nevada to reclaim its innovation brand

Optimization of factorial portfolio of trade enterprises in the conditions of the non-payment crisis

The economic mechanism for factoring management of trade enterprises was improved by applying a tool for refinancing receivables involving third parties, which will contribute to the effective management of fundraising processes from the standpoint of the income approach. The instruments for the implementation of the economic mechanism of factoring management of commercial enterprises, consisting of five blocks were improved (analysis of commercial enterprise debtors’ solvency in order to transfer them to factoring services; analysis of accounts receivable and assessment of its real value; planning of cash flows from factoring operations; factoring implementation assessment; monitoring and control of the repayment of receivables in the process of factoring services), that allows substantiating practical recommendations for improving the level of factoring management. Based on the concept of a portfolio of investments, a factoring model was built to optimize the debtors of the enterprise

Metamorphosis of Entrepreneurial Ventures: A Holistic Paradigm from Two Tales

Some entrepreneurial ventures grow into large organizations within a relatively short duration. These startups rapidly increase their scale and scope to turn into matured organizations. Though the literature is replete with such examples, there is no explanation for such a phenomenon. Also, nothing has been said about the role of the environment in metamorphosis of such ventures. We look at two global organizations and explain their metamorphosis. We arrive at four dynamic stages through which an entrepreneurial venture grows: prime pillar formation stage, scale catapult stage, scope enlargement stage, and maturity stage. We also explain the different roles played by the firm and the environment during each stage, the interactions between each of these roles, and the dominant strategic process underlying in each stage.

Firms' transition towards green product service system innovators

Within this paper we explore transition paths firms can take to become product service system (PSS) innovators. Applying the dynamic capability approach we study how three firms have developed PSS innovations in the mobility sector (Car2Go by Daimler AG, Connect by Hertz by The Hertz Corporation, Better Place). We explore the different paths the firms have taken originating from different capability sets. Based on semi-structured qualitative interviews with project managers of successful PSS innovations we propose a framework that incorporates three major transition paths. We derive propositions for necessary capability sets for different firm types, the sequence of necessary capability sets along the innovation process and discuss different types of environmental gains realized through PSS. --Innovation management,product service system,transition path,sustainability

CERN openlab Whitepaper on Future IT Challenges in Scientific Research

This whitepaper describes the major IT challenges in scientific research at CERN and several other European and international research laboratories and projects. Each challenge is exemplified through a set of concrete use cases drawn from the requirements of large-scale scientific programs. The paper is based on contributions from many researchers and IT experts of the participating laboratories and also input from the existing CERN openlab industrial sponsors. The views expressed in this document are those of the individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the view of their organisations and/or affiliates

Strategies for sustainable socio-economic development and mechanisms their implementation in the global dimension

The authors of the book have come to the conclusion that it is necessary to effectively use modern approaches to developing and implementation strategies of sustainable socio-economic development in order to increase efficiency and competitiveness of economic entities. Basic research focuses on economic diagnostics of socio-economic potential and financial results of economic entities, transition period in the economy of individual countries and ensuring their competitiveness, assessment of educational processes and knowledge management. The research results have been implemented in the different models and strategies of supply and logistics management, development of non-profit organizations, competitiveness of tourism and transport, financing strategies for small and medium-sized enterprises, cross-border cooperation. The results of the study can be used in decision-making at the level the economic entities in different areas of activity and organizational-legal forms of ownership, ministries and departments that promote of development the economic entities on the basis of models and strategies for sustainable socio-economic development. The results can also be used by students and young scientists in modern concepts and mechanisms for management of sustainable socio-economic development of economic entities in the condition of global economic transformations and challenges