3,766 research outputs found
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 â electronic and human â 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 â 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 âhuman distractionâ 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
ARCHITECTURE CONCEPTS FOR VALUE NETWORKS IN THE SERVICE INDUSTRY
Value networks are one of the main forms of value creation today. Suppliers, manufacturers and customers form a dynamic collaboration structure. Networks and companies alike are always subject to external and internal influences which require changes in the way things are done. To make sure that the required changes take their intended effect, they have to be implemented on all levels of the enterprise architecture (EA). Research with respect to EA in value networks in the service industry (VNSI) is only in its beginnings. To understand the state of the art, we analyzed 88 papers with respect to the architecture layers in VNSI. Since we base on the fact that a successful introduction of change, e.g. new IT solutions, requires a holistic view on EA, we analyzed the papers according to their covering of the different levels of an EA. Our hypothesis is that most of the papers only cover very specific aspects without positioning their proposed solution in a holistic context. We propose a reference model based on a literature review as well as the results of the paper analysis. This reference model allows for a positioning of solutions in a holistic context and with that adds to a better basis for implementing change in VNSI
Impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on construction projects
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 â electronic and human â 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 â 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 âhuman distractionâ 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
Employee Perspectives on the Post-integration Stage of a Micro-merger
Abstract
Purpose - This paper seeks to address the impact of an organisational change initiative on organisational employees, with specific reference to a micro-merger which occurred in a public sector, higher education organisation in Ireland. The literature on change management is examined, with specific reference to the post-integration stage of a micro-merger. The paper then reports on a study that was undertaken in an Irish higher education institution and focuses on the impact of the micro-merger on employees. Specifically, the study seeks to address their perceptions and emotions relating to a heretofore under-researched area in the merger literature, namely the impact of a change of physical geographic location and the accompanying change of physical facilities on employee motivations and well-being.
Design/Methodology/Approach â The aim of the research was to examine the post-integration stage in a newly merged entity, in terms of the employeesâ perceptions regarding the impact of such organisational change on them, from a personal perspective. A phenomenological approach was adopted in this study. A total of 41 in-depth interviews were conducted with academic employees (i.e. lecturers) of an Irish higher education institution.
Findings â The participants had varying feelings and emotions, resulting from the practical and personal manifestations of the change wrought by the micro-merger. These emotions ranged from excitement to anxiety and apprehension. A major theme in the literature is that organisational change can be destabilising for all organisational members, resulting in uncertainty, fear, psychological stress, anxiety and insecurity. This was not the experience in this study. The merger certainly represented a significant change for the participants, but in contrast to the aforementioned stark view of mergers, the participants exhibited a more practical and pragmatic approach to this organisational change.
Originality/Value - This exploration of the emotional impact of a merger on employees is noteworthy in the context of a major research gap in the literature concerning the âsoftâ or human resource issues arising from a merger. Specifically, the paper illustrates a heretofore under-researched aspect of the change management and post-merger literature, namely the substantial impact of a change in physical location and physical facilities on employeesâ motivations and sense of well-being
A phenomenographic study of English faculty's conceptions of information literacy
The purpose of this research is to identify UK English academics' conceptions of information literacy and compare those conceptions with current information literacy standards and frameworks
Addressing Health Disparities Through Organizational Change - Evaluation Report
In the coming decades, racial and ethnic minorities will constitute more than 50% of many states' populations -- including that of Colorado. Individuals of racial and ethnic minority status are disproportionally affected by disease and disability and have poorer health outcomes than do their white counterparts.1,2 These differences are disparaties in health. Even when minorities have the same insurance status, access, age income and chronic conditions, they still tend to receive lower-quality health care than the white population. Differences in access and quality constitute disparities in health care.3 Shifts in population, coupled with current inequalities in health status and quality of care, clearly establish the need for addressing these disparities.Recognizing the persistence of racial and ethnic health disparities, The Colorado Trust developed the Equality in Health Initiative in 2005. The Initiative provided funding for 14 organizations across the state of Colorado in the first funding cycle, supporting their efforts to reduce health disparities by addressing the needs of racial and ethnic minorities. The initiative intended to strengthen organizations' cultural competency so as to promote and ensure the following for racial and ethnic minority populations: 1) equality in treatment and medical services, 2) attainment of equal access to health care, 3) improvements of environmental conditions and 4) increased healthy behaviors. Grantees received technical assistance in three areas: cultural competency; program planning and implementation related to health disparities; and data collection and evaluation.The Colorado Trust believed if grantee organizations' culturally competent practices improved through technical assistance, interventions and networking then short term health outcomes would improve as well, ultimately leading to reductions in health disparities. This evaluation examined this conceptual model to determine the role organizational cultural competency played in improving short-term health and health care outcomes for racial and ethnic minority groups.Results showed that as grantees' cultural competency in the form of community relationships improved, so did their adaptations to their interventions as well as short-term health and health care outcomes. Cultural competency in the form of organizational policies and procedures predicted improvements in the short-term health and health care outcomes of service recipients. Based on the results of this evaluation, a new conceptual model was developed and is described in this report. Facilitating and challenging conditions to developing cultural competency are also outlined as well as lessons for funders, policy makers and grantees
The Estonian organizations - the subjects of transformation
Estonia stayed fifty years under the communist regime. This paper explores the transformation of Estonian organizations within the framework of the Leavitt's model of change where the process is analyzed from the perspective of four organizational elements: people, organizational goals, structure, and technology. In respect with the people the role of individuals is emphasized as well as the polarization of mindsets is discussed. The new era forced to clarify the organizational task because of market economy. The organizational structure does not change as fast as the other elements do and hierarchy considered being important. The formalization tactics (personnel selection and training) have gained new meaning in the process of transformation of organizations. The technology has varied due to the twofold possibilities- advantage to introduce the new informational technology and the usage of the old fashion machinery. Change of the society led to the change of organizations, which had the transformational nature. There was shown that all the elements of the organizations had the pressure to find new forms of existence
Mozambican Civil Society Within: Evaluation, Challenges, Opportunities and Action
The aim of this ambitious venture is to evaluate the main dimensions of civil society's exercise of citizenship: a) its organisational Structure, covering its free and voluntary involvement, participation and contribution to society; b) the socio-economic and political Environment in which it exists and the space for its intervention; c) the Values that support its actions and, finally, d) the Impact of its intervention at all levels
The doctoral research abstracts. Vol:7 2015 / Institute of Graduate Studies, UiTM
Foreword:
The Seventh Issue of The Doctoral Research Abstracts captures the novelty of
65 doctorates receiving their scrolls in UiTMâs 82nd Convocation in the field of
Science and Technology, Business and Administration, and Social Science and
Humanities. To the recipients I would like to say that you have most certainly
done UiTM proud by journeying through the scholastic path with its endless
challenges and impediments, and persevering right till the very end.
This convocation should not be regarded as the end of your highest scholarly
achievement and contribution to the body of knowledge but rather as the
beginning of embarking into high impact innovative research for the
community and country from knowledge gained during this academic
journey.
As alumni of UiTM, we will always hold you dear to our hearts. A new
âhandshakeâ is about to take place between you and UiTM as joint
collaborators in future research undertakings. I envisioned a strong
research pact between you as our alumni and UiTM in breaking the
frontier of knowledge through research.
I wish you all the best in your endeavour and may I offer my
congratulations to all the graduands. âUiTM sentiasa dihati kuâ /
Tan Sri Datoâ Sri Prof Ir Dr Sahol Hamid Abu Bakar , FASc, PEng
Vice Chancellor
Universiti Teknologi MAR
Innovator resilience potential: A process perspective of individual resilience as influenced by innovation project termination
Innovation projects fail at an astonishing rate. Yet, the negative effects of innovation project failures on the team members of these projects have been largely neglected in research streams that deal with innovation project failures. After such setbacks, it is vital to maintain or even strengthen project membersâ innovative capabilities for subsequent innovation projects. For this, the concept of resilience, i.e. project membersâ potential to positively adjust (or even grow) after a setback such as an innovation project failure, is fundamental. We develop the second-order construct of innovator resilience potential, which consists of six components â self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, optimism, hope, self-esteem, and risk propensity â that are important for project membersâ potential of innovative functioning in innovation projects subsequent to a failure. We illustrate our theoretical findings by means of a qualitative study of a terminated large-scale innovation project, and derive implications for research and management
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