Mapping the e-business profile and trends in cost management in the UK construction industry

The advancement of e-business applications and IT infrastructure has had massive impact on construction business processes over the last decade. The added effects of globalisation coupled with global economic recession have forced businesses to implement e-business applications within their organisations. It is clear in all industries, that e-business technologies have become a key strategic vehicle in improving performance. In Construction, e-business applications complement most of the business functions and have removed geographical boundaries resulting in a global construction market with increased competition, increased collaboration and have helped reducing the fragmentation of the industry. However, even though the successes are inevitable, it is scrutinized that the advancement is still constrained within the industry. Thus there is a need to undertake an analysis of current construction e-business usage and attitude of construction professionals towards e-business trends to ensure a productive and beneficial implementation of construction e-business tools within organisations. This study acknowledged the niche for research into current e-business usage in UK construction organisations and aimed to determine and map the use of ICT in construction cost management activities, and explore the attitudes of professionals towards e-business approaches. Initially a comprehensive literature review was carried out together with an online web search to identify what ICT and software packages are being used for construction cost management activities. Results from this review aided in developing the research questionnaire and a detailed an online structured survey was carried out using the chartered quantity surveying organisations within the UK. This paper presents the findings of the survey and discusses the ICT usage within construction organisations for cost management activities and the attitude of construction professionals towards BIM and construction e-business trends

Are There Companies that Build Business Rotations into their HR Development Strategies?

[Excerpt] Among the many important tools in the Human Resource Management toolbox, rotation programs are excellent tools for recruiting, professional development and retention of top HR talent. In a survey conducted by Hay Group involving 1279 companies to determine best business practices, offering rotational programs for high potential employees ranks among the top five. By implementing such best practices, HR managers are more satisfied with the number and quality of their HR employees. In addition, when non-HR placements are incorporated they also provide the opportunity to enhance business acuity for HR professionals. Business acumen is a badly needed skill for HR and many companies have difficulties developing the necessary skills in this area. Deloitte’s research confirms that “less than 8 percent of HR leaders have confidence that their teams have the skills needed to meet the challenge of today’s global environment and consistently deliver innovative programs that drive business impact.” Using this systematic method to expose Human Resources to different business functions, rotation programs clearly benefit both the company and employees. This paper summarizes research, and provides recommendations, surrounding business rotational programs for HR professionals

HELIN Consortium LORI Grant Applicant Information

Completed grant application for HELIN\u27s successful Library of Rhode Island grant. Project Synopsis: The purpose of this project is to collaborate with Rhode Island library and information management professionals, community and business leaders, government and education professionals, and college and university scholars to gather information in preparation for writing a grant to create a statewide digital repository for Rhode Island

What Is The Competency Model For HR Professionals To Prepare Them to Accept Digital Change in the HR Function?

[Excerpt] With changes in the workforce demographics, global economy, and emerging technology, the role of the HR professional has already changed drastically and will continue to do so. The future of work in the digital age is upon us and work environments include an increasing plurality of means to get work done. This entails transformation and reskilling for HR professionals as they partner with business leaders to orchestrate effective human capital solutions. This also presents an opportunity for HR leadership to closely examine the competencies of their workforce and determine the what and the how of upskilling or reskilling to ensure the HR professionals at their company are equipped to contribute in this ever-evolving business environment. HR professionals will increasingly need to be agile, strategic contributors to the businesses they serve, thoughtfully engaged with employees throughout their lifecycle, and be well-versed in data analytics and technologies. With this in mind, it is essential for organizations to prepare now and create action plans for job displacement and reskilling of their workforce

The celebrity entrepreneur on television: profile, politics and power

This article examines the rise of the ‘celebrity entrepreneur’ on television through the emergence of the ‘business entertainment format’ and considers the ways in which regular television exposure can be converted into political influence. Within television studies there has been a preoccupation in recent years with how lifestyle and reality formats work to transform ‘ordinary’ people into celebrities. As a result, the contribution of vocationally skilled business professionals to factual entertainment programming has gone almost unnoticed. This article draws on interviews with key media industry professionals and begins by looking at the construction of entrepreneurs as different types of television personalities and how discourses of work, skill and knowledge function in business shows. It then outlines how entrepreneurs can utilize their newly acquired televisual skills to cultivate a wider media profile and secure various forms of political access and influence. Integral to this is the centrality of public relations and media management agencies in shaping media discourses and developing the individual as a ‘brand identity’ that can be used to endorse a range of products or ideas. This has led to policy makers and politicians attempting to mobilize the media profile of celebrity entrepreneurs to reach out and connect with the public on business and enterprise-related issues

The ethical beliefs and behaviours of Victorian fitness professionals

A survey based on those employed by Petitpas, Brewer, Rivera, and Van Raalte (1994), Pope, Tabachnick, and Keith-Spiegel (1987), Tabachnick, Keith-Spiegel, and Pope (1991), and Pope and Vetter (1992) was used to investigate the ethical beliefs and behaviours of Victorian fitness professionals. Although there is evidence that Victorian fitness professionals are knowledgeable about some general ethical principles, the results of this study suggest that there is some lack of consensus among Victorian fitness professionals about the ethical appropriateness of a number of complex issues relating to business practices, confidentiality, dual relationships, and personal and professional boundaries. The findings suggest there is a need to improve the professional and ethical education of fitness professionals and to develop comprehensive ethical principles and a code of conduct that is relevant to the individuals working in the Australian fitness profession

The Interface of Work to Family Conflict and Racioethnic Identification: An Analysis of Hispanic Business Professionals

This article examines work to family conflict for Hispanic Business Professionals with varied levels of Hispanic identity. Based on this study of 971 Hispanics from across the United States, results show that level of Hispanic identity moderates the relationship between work to family conflict and job satisfaction. The authors posit that identification with a culture of collectivism may attenuate the negative impact of work to family conflict on job satisfaction, enabling Hispanic professionals to view work as a way of supporting the family and contributing to the greater good of the groups to which they belong

Unleashing the Effectiveness of Process-oriented Information Systems: Problem Analysis, Critical Success Factors, Implications

Process-oriented information systems (IS) aim at the computerized support of business processes. So far, contemporary IS have often fail to meet this goal. To better understand this drawback, to systematically identify its rationales, and to derive critical success factors for business process support, we conducted three empirical studies: an exploratory case study in the automotive domain, an online survey among 79 IT professionals, and another online survey among 70 business process management (BPM) experts. This paper summarizes the findings of these studies, puts them in relation with each other, and uses them to show that "process-orientation" is scarce and "process-awareness" is needed in IS engineering