108 research outputs found

    Knowledge management for small and medium contractors

    Get PDF
    Effective knowledge management is increasingly considered as a cornerstone of sustainable business success. Knowledge management systems are strategically valuable for both ensuring consistency and continuous improvement of various aspects such as quality delivery, productivity and competitiveness. The small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the construction industry are mostly operating under tighter timeframes, narrower profit margins and more constrained resources. Hence the recently commenced SMILE-SMC (Strategic Management with Information Leveraged Excellece for Small and Medium Contractors) project aims to support the information and knowledge management needs of the small and medium contractors in Hong Kong. This paper presents some snapshots on the SMILE-SMC project, and its conceptualized deliverables with some highlights of recent developments.postprin

    Knowledge Management for Small and Medium Contractors

    Get PDF
    Effective knowledge management is increasingly considered as a cornerstone of sustainable business success. Knowledge management systems are strategically valuable for both ensuring consistency and continuous improvement of various aspects such as quality delivery, productivity and competitiveness. The small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the construction industry are mostly operating under tighter timeframes, narrower profit margins and more constrained resources. Hence the recently commenced SMILE-SMC (Strategic Management with Information Leveraged Excellece for Small and Medium Contractors) project aims to support the information and knowledge management needs of the small and medium contractors in Hong Kong. This paper presents some snapshots on the SMILE-SMC project, and its conceptualized deliverables with some highlights of recent developments

    Risk Factors in a Process of Gas Supply Pipeline Construcion

    Get PDF
    The paper applies to the risk management in the specialized construction by the example of construction of a high-pressure gas supply pipeline. The specific character of the construction project has an impact on the scope and types of risks which may occur and adversely affect the outcome of the project. The paper aims to indicate the groups of technological tasks which need to be carried out when constructing a gas supply pipeline, the associated factor risks and the quality control method as a tool of mitigating the level of risk

    Information technology planning framework for Japanese general contractors

    Get PDF
    Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2000.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 73-74).New information technology (IT) developments continue to have a significant impact on the Architectural/Engineering/Construction (A/E/C) industry. However, the issue of whether A/E/C organizations are receiving adequate returns from their IT investments remains an important managerial concern. Recently, Pefia-Mora, Vadhavkar, Perkins, and Weber introduced a strategic IT planning framework for construction companies, which is composed of four steps: environmental scan, internal scrutiny, IT diffusion analysis, and IT investment modeling. It analyzes the external and internal IT conditions of a firm, defines the diffusion stage of IT in a firm and finally, evaluates the effects of investments on IT projects. This thesis examines the validity of applying the above-mentioned framework to the Japanese construction industry and in greater detail to Japanese general contractors, using the Kajima Corporation, one of the largest general contractors in Japan, as a case study. The Kajima Corporation is currently developing an IT project called Linkage of Information for a New Construction System (henceforth LINCS). This synthetic information network system connects design with construction work. By using the strategic IT planning framework, I evaluate LINCS in terms of its strategy and the effects of Kajima's investment on this system.by Shunsuke Tanaka.S.M

    Migration during the Dust Bowl

    Get PDF
    None provided

    Maine Campus December 06 2004

    Get PDF

    Higher occupancy humanism : the trade-offs for encouraging middle income housing in a global city

    Get PDF
    Thesis (M.Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2003.Includes bibliographical references (leaf 46).This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.In high density urban areas where the land acquisition and construction cost components are significant relative to total development costs, the market typically supplies a high-income housing product in order to justify the risks for new construction. In places such as New York, Tokyo, London and other land supply restricted cities, the effect of these rising costs has forced the unsubsidized middle-class to migrate further and further from the center of the city where most of the infrastructural area amenities and jobs are located. This causes extended commuting times that result in the exacerbation of pollution and wasted allocation of resources. In effect, the overall function of the city grows more inefficient. All the while, the demographic texture of the central city becomes a polarized gathering of the wealthy elite and the service oriented subsidized poor. The lack of income diversity results in a spatial built form that also mimics this polarized condition. In these circumstances, might there be a strategy for encouraging a housing prototype that specifically targets the broad middle class market in order for cities to maintain diverse communities, a tapestry of spatial form, and a more efficient competitive city. The hypothesis is that if housing occupancy levels can be doubled from what is currently allowed within spaces that are tighter than typical American standards, then middle-income affordability can be achieved without diminishing design quality. This thesis investigates what flexible spatial possibilities there may be for middle-income housing based on a series of design priorities that are underpinned with an approach that advocates for a more intense occupancy use per unit of housing. Due to the augmented use intensity, flexibly designed elements are built within the spatial form of each unit. Each design variation is subsequently tested against a private sector based feedback mechanism that measures the affordability range that the design can offer. This iterative tool reveals what income groups can be supplied due to the design changes put forth by the varying design priorities. It is the hope that this tool will enable architects, developers, and the capital markets to understand the trade-offs made from both a spatial form perspective as well as a market perspective in order to ultimately enhance the condition of the built environment.by Ryunosuke Konishi.S.M.M.Arch

    The Murray Ledger and Times, June 6, 2008

    Get PDF

    Developing a Virtual Reality- and Lean-based Training Platform for Productivity Improvement of Scaffolding Installation in Liquefied Natural Gas Industry

    Get PDF
    This thesis aims to integrate lean and work postures to simultaneously improve productivity and health and safety and develop a lean- and virtual reality-based platform for effective education and training in scaffolding installation in turnaround maintenance projects. It represents an effort to help on-site workers in the Liquefied Natural Gas industry identify waste activities and achieve a balanced improvement in both productivity and health and safety through improved training in a virtual platform
    corecore