The world turned upside-down : architects as subcontractors in design-and-build contracts

The traditional role of the Architect on UK building projects is well-known and has been the subject of much study and comment. However, recent surveys indicate that design-and-build arrangements now exceed traditional procurement in terms of their share of total UK construction. On such projects, architects and other designers are engaged, not by the employer, but under sub-contract to the main contractor. The question arises as to the effect this has had. This has been approached by considering architects and other design consultants as professional contractors, as opposed to trade contractors - a term adopted to describe the more traditional type of subcontractor. Within these distinctions there are contractual, managerial and cultural implications for the relationships between the parties. To explore this further, representatives of five main contractors were questioned on their relationships with the two types. Clear differences emerged in matters such as contract formation, price-setting, payment and claims; the treatment of selection, work scheduling, and defects / omissions was more complicated. Within trade contractors there is a strong argument for recognising a further category of specialist contractors, who include a design service in their work package. Within the professional contractor category, architects were clearly differentiated from other design team members. The findings are analysed to suggest a theoretical framework with four dimensions that relate to process/product, attitude/motivation, working culture and relative power. The concern is not to be definitive at this stage, but to suggest an agenda for future research into the issues that have emerged

How much of economic growth is fueled by investment-specific technological progress?

Discovering how economies grow is vitally important for economists and policymakers alike. This Commentary shows that more than half of U.S. economic growth can be attributed to technological advance in equipment and structures.Economic development ; Gross domestic product ; Technology

Measuring the rate of technological progress in structures

An effort to measure technological progress in structures by using panel data on the age and rents of buildings in a vintage capital model, where buildings are replaced at some chosen periodicity. It finds that there has been significant technological advance in structures, which accounts for a major part of economic growth.Technology ; Capital investments

Ichthyological Bulletin of the J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology; No. 54

Various and disparate opinions have been expressed with regard to the phylogenetic affinities of Pseudocrenilabrus, a seemingly generalized and primitive haplochromine genus. These views are reconsidered and rejected. Instead, it is suggested that Pseudocrenilabrus is a derived and paedomorphic taxon evolved from a generalized haplochromine ancestor such as would be represented amongst extant African cichlids by a species of the genus Astatotilapia; for the moment it is not possible to identify a sister group more precisely. The suggestion that Pseudocrenilabrus is a paedomorphic taxon is based on certain Osteological and dental features, particularly the reductional trend manifest in the infraorbital bones of its three constituent species. A new diagnosis and synonomy are provided for the genus, together with notes on its anatomy, osteology and meristic features.Rhodes University Libraries (Digitisation

The population dynamics and ecological energetics of Parechinus angulosus at Robben Island and in False Bay, South Africa

This thesis is presented in three main sections. Each section is treated as a separate entity. The first deals with population structure, dynamics and production. The second reports on population respiration and the third section touches briefly on consumption. Conclusions are drawn in each section and a resume of the work concludes the thesis. This work is being followed up by other researchers tackling other populations in the system to build up a model of structure and functioning of the kelp bed community and ultimately the fate of the primary production of the kelp plants

Evolving border theory and self-regulation theory for a mobile phone generation

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Johannesburg, South Africa, 2018The global adoption of mobile phones has fundamentally changed life as we know it. This study hopes to understand if mobile- and/or smartphones have changed the way in which work and home domains are constructed and what the consequences are on the individual’s workfamily balance. More importantly, are individuals able to self-regulate the flow of communication from the work into the home domain via a mobile- and/or smartphone in order to maintain the intricate work-family balance. To determine the plausibility/feasibility of this hypothesis, the study builds on Clark's (2000) Border theory with respect to work-life balance and border violations, bearing recent technological advances in mind, through the incorporation of Bandura’s (1986) self-regulation mechanism to explain the border management mechanism. To determine the validity of this hypothesis, a mixed-methods study was conducted which utilised a managerial participant sample recruited from South Africa in three phases; a pilot study (N = 30); a primary sample of a further 227 managers; and in-depth follow-up interviews with 27 managers and their partners. To determine the relationship between self-regulation and mobile phone usage for after-hours work in the home domain, Pearson’s correlation coefficients were used. The relationship between self-regulation and work-family balance was further explored through moderated multiple linear regressions, using a model from Baron and Kenny (1986), which created further explorative points which were investigated in the 27 interviews. The interviews were conducted to determine if individuals understand their afterhours mobile phone usage for work purposes and this was analysed via thematic content analysis (TCA). There was evidence for relationships between self-regulation and the time spent on organisational work within the work day and at home (after hours), which results in an impact on the development of work-family conflict. The relationship between the mobile phone use for work can be attributed to self-regulation, which implies that self-regulation is an intermediary mechanism. Moderated multilinear regression, unexpectedly, showed that individuals with low (deficient) self-regulatory ability, facilitated work ubiquitously with their mobile phones while simultaneously increasing their own self-esteem, as it supported their own work-family balance. The interviews uncovered three different border-keeper groups (borderexpanders, border-adapters, and border-enforcers). The outcomes of this research indicates that mobile- and/or smartphones have the ability to alter the border construction between the work and home domains as well as the intricate balance between them. Keywords: Work-family balance, Border theory, Mobile phones, Smartphones, Self-regulation, Self-esteem, South African managersGR201

Evolving border theory and self-regulation theory for a mobile phone generation

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Johannesburg, South Africa, 2018The global adoption of mobile phones has fundamentally changed life as we know it. This study hopes to understand if mobile- and/or smartphones have changed the way in which work and home domains are constructed and what the consequences are on the individual’s workfamily balance. More importantly, are individuals able to self-regulate the flow of communication from the work into the home domain via a mobile- and/or smartphone in order to maintain the intricate work-family balance. To determine the plausibility/feasibility of this hypothesis, the study builds on Clark's (2000) Border theory with respect to work-life balance and border violations, bearing recent technological advances in mind, through the incorporation of Bandura’s (1986) self-regulation mechanism to explain the border management mechanism. To determine the validity of this hypothesis, a mixed-methods study was conducted which utilised a managerial participant sample recruited from South Africa in three phases; a pilot study (N = 30); a primary sample of a further 227 managers; and in-depth follow-up interviews with 27 managers and their partners. To determine the relationship between self-regulation and mobile phone usage for after-hours work in the home domain, Pearson’s correlation coefficients were used. The relationship between self-regulation and work-family balance was further explored through moderated multiple linear regressions, using a model from Baron and Kenny (1986), which created further explorative points which were investigated in the 27 interviews. The interviews were conducted to determine if individuals understand their afterhours mobile phone usage for work purposes and this was analysed via thematic content analysis (TCA). There was evidence for relationships between self-regulation and the time spent on organisational work within the work day and at home (after hours), which results in an impact on the development of work-family conflict. The relationship between the mobile phone use for work can be attributed to self-regulation, which implies that self-regulation is an intermediary mechanism. Moderated multilinear regression, unexpectedly, showed that individuals with low (deficient) self-regulatory ability, facilitated work ubiquitously with their mobile phones while simultaneously increasing their own self-esteem, as it supported their own work-family balance. The interviews uncovered three different border-keeper groups (borderexpanders, border-adapters, and border-enforcers). The outcomes of this research indicates that mobile- and/or smartphones have the ability to alter the border construction between the work and home domains as well as the intricate balance between them. Keywords: Work-family balance, Border theory, Mobile phones, Smartphones, Self-regulation, Self-esteem, South African managersGR201

The role of climate finance beyond renewables: Behavioural insights

The paper contributes towards filling a ‘blind spot’ in the field of climate finance by investigating the role of climate finance for behavioural insights in developing countries. The evidence review synthesises 71 high-quality studies and focuses on clean fuel adoption and household energy-saving behaviour in developing countries. The synthesis finds that there is a need for climate finance from developed countries that is more targeted towards interventions and measures that support household decision-making in developing countries by engaging with stakeholders that understand local attitudes, constraints and knowledge levels governing the perception of health and environmental risks associated with energy-consuming technologies