Challenges of Post-Disaster Reconstruction Projects: An Empirical Investigation According to Project Management Knowledge Areas

Successful management of post-disaster reconstruction projects (PDRPs) can ensure the efficient use of resources and lead to improved outcomes. The literature on PDRP management is yet in its embryonic stage and systematic research efforts are necessary to address the topic. Paper compares the challenges faced in conventional projects to those in PDRPs according to project management knowledge areas, through an analytical evaluation of the interdependencies between different areas of expertise. A descriptive-exploratory research was designed and qualitative data from interviews with 11 managers with PDRP experience from different countries were analysed. Cause-and-effect relationships between the factors leading to ‘frequent changes in scope,’ ‘time overruns,’ ‘cost overruns,’ and ‘low quality’ were identified. Outputs suggest that managing stakeholders, risks and communications appears critical to cope with an evolving scope, while procurement management has a significant impact on project outcomes due to resource scarcity

The Role of Strategic Entrepreneurship on Firm Growth: A Case Study from the Turkish Housing Market

A contractor firm, which strategically positioned itself in the housing market as a "sales firm, independent of its industry" introduced a patented product innovation, the Foldhome, to the Turkish housing market in 2010. The idea behind Foldhome was adding a set of social facility areas (or, 'Folds') to core accommodation units which include a bedroom, a living space and wet spaces. The firm gained a commercial success in the branded housing market with an annual turnover about 300.000.000 USD and 400.000.000 USD in 2016 and 2017 respectively. While researchers have reported that a significant portion of the variance in firm growth in construction can be explained by corporate entrepreneurship, empirical evidence on 'how' this process leads to organizational growth is scarce. This paper presents findings from a qualitative research study of the Foldhome case which aimed an in-depth investigation of the role of entrepreneurship on firm growth and value creation. A content analysis was conducted to analyze data from 31 in-depth interview with firm managers and employees, according to the input-process-output model of strategic entrepreneurship. A process-based analysis of the case show that leveraging can be a more critical managerial capability than bundling and structuring in the early life cycle phase when young entrepreneurial companies orchestrate their resources for survival, growth and value creation. Paper contributes to construction entrepreneurship literature by unpacking the circumstances under which a holistic entrepreneurship framework that surround a product innovation through the integration of corporate functions. Lessons learned are highlighted for the entrepreneurial contractor companies

Balloon asisted tracking technique in complex transradial access: A single center experience

Aim: The transradial technique (TRA) has become widely accepted for coronary catheterization. While TRA offers numerous benefits, certain anatomical challenges can lead to access failure. Balloon-assisted tracking (BAT) has emerged as a valuable technique to overcome these challenges and improve success rates. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of BAT during coronary interventions using TRA. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients who underwent diagnostic or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures between September 2020 and May 2023. Patient demographics, clinical data, and procedural information were collected for cases where BAT was employed to overcome radial or brachial arterial complexity. Results: A total of 23 patients encountered anatomical difficulties necessitating BAT during the procedure, both elective and acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Radial artery spasm was the most common indication for BAT, with a high proportion of female patients. Successful completion of coronary intervention using BAT, without the need for femoral artery crossover, was achieved in all cases except one. Also, the complexity of anatomy (such as tortuosity, arterial loop, or small artery crossing) was another reason for BAT use. The mean procedural time was 47.9 minutes, and no complications related to the access site were observed. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate that BAT is a safe and effective technique for overcoming complex radial artery anatomical challenges and radial spasm during TRA. The study supports the adoption of BAT in TRA procedures and highlights its potential benefits in both elective and ACS cases

Regressor based adaptive infinite impulse response filtering

Ankara : Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering and Institute of Engineering and Sciences, Bilkent Univ., 1997.Thesis (Master's) -- Bilkent University, 1997.Includes bibliographical references leaves 35-36.Acar, EmrahM.S

Teknolojik yenilik üzerine kalitatif bir araştırma deneyimi

This paper reports the background of a qualitative doctoral research which aimed to decipher the contextual factors that affect the diffusion of product and process innovations to small and medium-sized construction firms. Majority of the researchers in the project and construction management field tend to follow pure positivist methods and the scientific knowledge accumulation of the field is, to a large extent, based on quantitative research evidence. However, qualitative methods have a strong potential to decipher the dynamics of chaotic phenomenona particularly when investigating technology and innovation issues. They promise a thorough understanding of the subject matter in its real-life context, based on rich data, as evidenced by research fom other disciplines such as sociology and economics. Qualitative methods help also develop strong hypotheses which might be inputs for quantitative research, especially when they are based on indepth interviews. The Project and Construction Management field as a young and developing academic discipline, should take advantage of qualitative research methods which are relatively well established in other fields. Experience gained in a doctoral research in which a multiple-case study strategy is adopted to decipher the technology-related attitudes of small contractors suggest that transfer or the adaptation of qualitative methods can contribute to a better understanding of construction industry, when these are systematically applied.  Keywords: Qualitative research methods project and construction managementBu makale, teknolojik yeniliklerin küçük ve orta boy inşaat firmalarına yaygınlaşmasını etkileyen faktörlerin araştırıldığı kalitatif bir araştırmanın yöntemini anlatmaktadır. Proje ve Yapım Yönetimi (PYY) disiplininin bilgi birikimi genellikle kantitatif araştırmalara dayanmaktadır. Oysa kalitatif yöntemler teknolojik yenilik gibi kaotik olgular deşifre etmek için güçlü araçlardır; araştırmacının incelediği konu ile bütünleşerek derin ve kapsamlı bilgi edinmesini sağlamaktadır. Ayrıca, kantitatif araştırmalar için güçlü hipotezler geliştirilmesini sağlamaktadır. Görece genç bir disiplin olan PYY’nin yöntem konusundaki katı tavrını gözden geçirerek kalitatif yöntemlerin sunduğu avantajlardan yararlanması, PYY alanına katkı sağlayacaktır. Teknolojik yenilik konusunu ele alan bir doktora tez çalışmasında edinilen deneyim bu savı desteklemektedir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Kalitatif araştırma yöntemleri, proje ve yapım yönetimi

Developing 3D fully parametric multi-scale computational model for nonwoven simulations

Conference presentation slide

Multiscale modelling of mechanical and flow performance of nonwovens

Multiscale modelling of mechanical and flow performance of nonwoven

Parametric 3D modelling of nonwovens for mechanical and filtration properties

Parametric 3D modelling of nonwovens for mechanical and filtration propertie

EM BUSCA DOS PRINCÍPIOS DA GESTÃO DA QUALIDADE TOTAL EM SERVIÇOS DE PROJETO DE ARQUITETURA: DESTAQUES DA TURQUIA

Proposal: Architectural design companies increasingly recognize that time spent on management is not at the expense of their production and there are always better ways to organize business. Although architects have long placed a traditional emphasis on quality, quality management is still a new concept for the majority of architectural design companies, which have to organize relatively more complicated operations nowadays to meet their clients’ expectations. This study aims to understand how architectural design companies define quality and explores the extent to which Total Quality Management (TQM) principles like continual improvement, employee involvement, customer satisfaction and others can be pertinent in these companies. Adopting a qualitative research strategy, the authors interviewed with the owner-managers of 10 widely-recognized architectural design companies of different size in Istanbul. The results from the content analysis of semi-structured interview data suggest that i) TQM principles cannot be directly applied in architectural design companies without an appropriate translation; ii) special characteristics of design services are important to explain quality-related perceptions of owner-managers; iii) the owner-managers feel the pressure from the changing internal and external environmental conditions, however few of them adopt a systematic and documented approach to quality management. Architectural design offices which aim to establish a quality management system can benefit from this study to understand potential problem areas on their road.As empresas de projeto de arquitetura cada vez mais reconhecem que o tempo dedicado à gestão não onera a sua produção e que há sempre maneiras de organizar melhor as atividades empresariais. Embora arquitetos tenham colocado durante muito tempo uma ênfase tradicional na qualidade, a gestão da qualidade ainda é um conceito novo para a maioria das empresas de projeto de arquitetura, que, hoje em dia, têm de organizar operações relativamente mais complicadas para atender às expectativas de seus clientes. Este estudo visa compreender de que modo as empresas de projeto de arquitetura definem qualidade e exploram os limites nos quais os princípios da gestão da qualidade total (TQM), como melhoria contínua, envolvimento dos funcionários, satisfação do cliente e outros, podem ser pertinentes para essas empresas. Adotando uma estratégia de pesquisa qualitativa, os autores entrevistaram os proprietários-gerentes de 10 empresas de projeto de arquitetura amplamente reconhecidas, de diferentes tamanhos, em Istambul. Os resultados da análise de conteúdo dos dados de entrevistas semi-estruturadas sugerem que: i) os princípios do TQM não podem ser aplicados diretamente em empresas de projeto de arquitetura, sem uma tradução adequada; ii) as características especiais dos serviços de projeto são importantes para explicar as percepções de proprietários-gerentes relacionadas à qualidade; iii) os proprietários-gerentes sentem a pressão da mudança interna e externa das condições ambientais, porém poucos deles adotam uma abordagem sistemática e documentada para a gestão da qualidade. Empresas de projeto de arquitetura que têm como objetivo estabelecer um sistema de gestão da qualidade podem se beneficiar deste estudo para conhecer as áreas potencialmente problemáticas que encontrarão

Damage mechanisms of random fibrous networks

Fibrous networks are ubiquitous: they can be found in various engineering applications as well as in biological tissues. Due to complexity of their random microstructure, anisotropic properties and large deformation, their modelling is challenging. Though, there are numerous studies in literature focusing either on numerical simulations of fibrous networks or explaining their damage mechanisms at micro or meso-scale, the respective models usually do not include actual random microstructure and failure mechanisms. The microstructure of fibrous networks, together with highly non-linear mechanical behaviour of their fibres, is a key to initiation of damage, its spatial localization and ultimate failure [1]. Numerical models available in literature are not capable of elucidating actual microstructure of the material and, hence, its influence on damage processes in fibrous networks. To emulate a real-life microstructure in a developed finite-element model, an orientation distribution function for fibres obtained from X-ray micro computed-tomography images was considered to provide actual alignment of fibres. To validate the suggested model, notched and unnotched rectangular specimens were experimentally tested. A good correlation between the experimental data and simulation results was observed. This study revealed a significant effect of a notch on damage evolution