Loss of a globally unique kelp forest from Oman

Kelp forests are declining in many regions globally with climatic perturbations causing shifts to alternate communities and significant ecological and economic loss. Range edge populations are often at most risk and are often only sustained through localised areas of upwelling or on deeper reefs. Here we document the loss of kelp forests (Ecklonia radiata) from the Sultanate of Oman, the only confirmed northern hemisphere population of this species. Contemporary surveys failed to find any kelp in its only known historical northern hemisphere location, Sadah on the Dhofar coast. Genetic analyses of historical herbarium specimens from Oman confirmed the species to be E. radiata and revealed the lost population contained a common CO1 haplotype found across South Africa, Australia and New Zealand suggesting it once established through rapid colonisation throughout its range. However, the Omani population also contained a haplotype that is found nowhere else in the extant southern hemisphere distribution of E. radiata. The loss of the Oman population could be due to significant increases in the Arabian Sea temperature over the past 40 years punctuated by suppression of coastal upwelling. Climate-mediated warming is threatening the persistence of temperate species and precipitating loss of unique genetic diversity at lower latitudes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Developing a business case for knowledge management: the IMPaKT approach

There is a wealth of literature on the role of knowledge management (KM) in business improvement. Those with responsibility for implementing KM in organizations are often required to demonstrate its benefits. The need to convince senior management and other stakeholders about the business benefits is increasingly recognized as crucial in justifying a KM strategy and the resources to support its implementation. A three-stage approach (the IMPaKT framework) - underpinned by an industry survey and case study findings - is presented for developing a business case for KM. The framework facilitates: (1) an understanding of the strategic context of business problems and their knowledge management implications; (2) the planning and alignment of KM strategy to address business problems or objectives; and (3) an evaluation of the impact of KM on business performance in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. Key findings based on industrial application and further development of the framework are discussed. Evaluation shows that the framework could significantly facilitate the implementation of a KM strategy in construction organizations.Knowledge Management, Business Performance, Construction Organizations,

Lessons learned practices in the UK construction sector: current practice and proposed improvements

Many construction companies in the UK engage in formal and informal lessons learned practices. However, such lessons learned are not always used to the best advantage to improve future projects; there is a disjoint in the effort spent obtaining lessons learned and their dissemination and use. This paper reports on research aimed at improving lessons learned practices in construction organizations. The paper investigates the gaps in current construction contractors’ practices for recording and disseminating lessons learned. A questionnaire survey of top UK construction contractors was conducted to understand current lessons learned practices; this included what the processes were, why they were used and how they were carried out. The research also investigated lessons learned content, its usefulness and the perceived barriers to dissemination. The main findings were: (1) organizations need to collectively identify the lessons needed and target those to specific audiences; (2) the content and format of the lessons learned dictate the way in which the lessons should be captured, stored and disseminated; (3) there is a gap between the tools used for obtaining lessons learned and those found to be useful; and (4) the type of lessons required changes with the context, e.g. organizational priorities and external pressures on the construction environment. The next stage of the research will be to develop these outputs to create a roadmap for the improved dissemination and use of lessons learned in construction organizations