Is Your Boss Really Smarter Than You Are? : The Influence of the Length of Employment and the Level of Hierarchy on Employee Knowledge about Risk Management

This research paper deals with knowledge about risk management; in particular, it examines employee knowledge about handling risks in the construction sector. A survey was conducted among personnel working in the construction business; research methodology is based on a standardised questionnaire. Respondents from all levels of hierarchy and with different lengths of employment are compared in order to find out the influence of these factors on know-how and skills. In the second step data was analysed with statistical methods, such as standard deviation or correlation of different variables. As a main result with regard to the length of service, two groups of employees can be distinguished: Employees with less and employees with more than two years in a company. Two years of service form a kind of threshold, up to which the knowledge increases markedly, while after that it only grows at a slower pace. In terms of the level of hierarchy an almost linear trend was observed, confirming that there is a strong relationship between position within the company and knowledge about risk management: The higher the level of hierarchy, the greater the knowledge of the employees

RISK MANAGEMENT IN PROJECT BUSINESS –A CASE STUDY ON THE ACQUISITION OFCONSTRUCTION PROJECTS AT BILFINGER BERGER CIVIL

This paper deals with risk management in project business. In particular, it examines the specific risks during the acquisition of construction projects. First of all the characteristics of the construction industry and the risks occurring during bid preparation and negotiation of construction projects are described. Then a case study explores which strategies the subject company pursues to manage these risks. In focus of the case study is the company Bilfinger Berger Civil, a large, international construction company, which is an active player in the project business and has already carried out a variety of construction projects successfully. The author deals with various aspects of practical risk management: optimization of the project portfolio, risk analysis and determination of the offer price with the help of a simulation model and the work of the company´s Project Controlling Department that monitors the high-risk projects. The risk management of Bilfinger Berger Civil is finally assessed in form of a summary. The reader gains information about theories on risk management and numerous impressions on their practical application in a real construction company

Investigation of high resistivity p-type FZ silicon diodes after 60Co {\gamma}-irradiation

In this work, the effects of $^\text{60}$Co $\gamma$-ray irradiation on high resistivity $p$-type diodes have been investigated. The diodes were exposed to dose values of 0.1, 0.2, 1, and \SI{2}{\mega Gy}. Both macroscopic ($I$--$V$, $C$--$V$) and microscopic (Thermally Stimulated Current~(TSC)) measurements were conducted to characterize the radiation-induced changes. The investigated diodes were manufactured on high resistivity $p$-type Float Zone (FZ) silicon and were further classified into two types based on the isolation technique between the pad and guard ring: $p$-stop and $p$-spray. After irradiation, the macroscopic results of current-voltage and capacitance-voltage measurements were obtained and compared with existing literature data. Additionally, the microscopic measurements focused on the development of the concentration of different radiation-induced defects, including the boron interstitial and oxygen interstitial (B$_\text{i}$O$_\text{i}$) complex, the carbon interstitial and oxygen interstitial C$_\text{i}$O$_\text{i}$ defect, the H40K, and the so-called I$_\text{P}^*$. To investigate the thermal stability of induced defects in the bulk, isochronal annealing studies were performed in the temperature range of \SI{80}{\celsius} to \SI{300}{\celsius}. These annealing processes were carried out on diodes irradiated with doses of 1 and \SI{2}{\mega Gy} and the corresponding TSC spectra were analysed. Furthermore, in order to investigate the unexpected results observed in the $C$-$V$ measurements after irradiation with high dose values, the surface conductance between the pad and guard ring was measured as a function of both dose and annealing temperature

Investigation of the Boron removal effect induced by 5.5 MeV electrons on highly doped EPI- and Cz-silicon

This study focuses on the properties of the B$_\text{i}$O$_\text{i}$ (interstitial Boron~-~interstitial Oxygen) and C$_\text{i}$O$_\text{i}$ (interstitial Carbon~-~interstitial Oxygen) defect complexes by \SI{5.5}{\mega\electronvolt} electrons in low resistivity silicon. Two different types of diodes manufactured on p-type epitaxial and Czochralski silicon with a resistivity of about 10~$\Omega\cdot$cm were irradiated with fluence values between \SI{1e15}{\per\square\centi\meter} and \SI{6e15}{\per\square\centi\meter}. Such diodes cannot be fully depleted and thus the accurate evaluation of defect concentrations and properties (activation energy, capture cross-section, concentration) from Thermally Stimulated Currents (TSC) experiments alone is not possible. In this study we demonstrate that by performing Thermally Stimulated Capacitance (TS-Cap) experiments in similar conditions to TSC measurements and developing theoretical models for simulating both types of B$_\text{i}$O$_\text{i}$ signals generated in TSC and TS-Cap measurements, accurate evaluations can be performed. The changes of the position-dependent electric field, the effective space charge density $N_\text{eff}$ profile as well as the occupation of the B$_\text{i}$O$_\text{i}$ defect during the electric field dependent electron emission, are simulated as a function of temperature. The macroscopic properties (leakage current and $N_\text{eff}$) extracted from current-voltage and capacitance-voltage measurements at \SI{20}{\celsius} are also presented and discusse

Learning health ‘safety’ within non-technical skills interprofessional simulation education: a qualitative study

Background: Healthcare increasingly recognises and focusses on the phenomena of ‘safe practice’ and ‘patient safety.’ Success with non-technical skills (NTS) training in other industries has led to widespread transposition to healthcare education, with communication and teamwork skills central to NTS frameworks. Objective: This study set out to identify how the context of interprofessional simulation learning influences NTS acquisition and development of ‘safety’ amongst learners. Methods: Participants receiving a non-technical skills (NTS) safety focussed training package were invited to take part in a focus group interview which set out to explore communication, teamwork, and the phenomenon of safety in the context of the learning experiences they had within the training programme. The analysis was aligned with a constructivist paradigm and took an interactive methodological approach. The analysis proceeded through three stages, consisting of open, axial, and selective coding, with constant comparisons taking place throughout each phase. Each stage provided categories that could be used to explore the themes of the data. Additionally, to ensure thematic saturation, transcripts of observed simulated learning encounters were then analysed. Results: Six themes were established at the axial coding level, i.e., analytical skills, personal behaviours, communication, teamwork, context, and pedagogy. Underlying these themes, two principal concepts emerged, namely: intergroup contact anxiety – as both a result of and determinant of communication – and teamwork, both of which must be considered in relation to context. These concepts have subsequently been used to propose a framework for NTS learning. Conclusions: This study highlights the role of intergroup contact anxiety and teamwork as factors in NTS behaviour and its dissipation through interprofessional simulation learning. Therefore, this should be a key consideration in NTS education. Future research is needed to consider the role of the affective non-technical attributes of intergroup contact anxiety and teamwork as focuses for education and determinants of safe behaviour

Paradigmatic Approaches to Studying Environment and Human Health: (Forgotten) Implications for Interdisciplinary Research

Copyright © 2013 ElsevierInterdisciplinary research is increasingly promoted in a wide range of fields, especially so in the study of relationships between the environment and human health. However, many projects and research teams struggle to address exactly how researchers from a multitude of disciplinary and methodological backgrounds can best work together to maximize the value of this approach to research. In this paper, we briefly review the role of interdisciplinary research, and emphasize that it is not only our discipline and methods, but our research paradigms, that shape the way that we work. We summarize three key research paradigms - positivism, postpositivism and interpretivism - with an example of how each might approach a given environment-health research issue. In turn, we argue that understanding the paradigm from which each researcher operates is fundamental to enabling and optimizing the integration of research disciplines, now argued by many to be necessary for our understanding of the complexities of the interconnections between human health and our environment as well as their impacts in the policy arena. We recognize that a comprehensive interrogation of research approaches and philosophies would require far greater length than is available in a journal paper. However, our intention is to instigate debate, recognition, and appreciation of the different worlds inhabited by the multitude of researchers involved in this rapidly expanding field

Whitebark Pine Stand Condition, Tree Abundance, and Cone Production as Predictors of Visitation by Clark's Nutcracker

Accurately quantifying key interactions between species is important for developing effective recovery strategies for threatened and endangered species. Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis), a candidate species for listing under the Endangered Species Act, depends on Clark's nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana) for seed dispersal. As whitebark pine succumbs to exotic disease and mountain pine beetles (Dendroctonus ponderosae), cone production declines, and nutcrackers visit stands less frequently, reducing the probability of seed dispersal.We quantified whitebark pine forest structure, health metrics, and the frequency of nutcracker occurrence in national parks within the Northern and Central Rocky Mountains in 2008 and 2009. Forest health characteristics varied between the two regions, with the northern region in overall poorer health. Using these data, we show that a previously published model consistently under-predicts the proportion of survey hours resulting in nutcracker observations at all cone density levels. We present a new statistical model of the relationship between whitebark pine cone production and the probability of Clark's nutcracker occurrence based on combining data from this study and the previous study.Our model clarified earlier findings and suggested a lower cone production threshold value for predicting likely visitation by nutcrackers: Although nutcrackers do visit whitebark pine stands with few cones, the probability of visitation increases with increased cone production. We use information theoretics to show that beta regression is a more appropriate statistical framework for modeling the relationship between cone density and proportion of survey time resulting in nutcracker observations. We illustrate how resource managers may apply this model in the process of prioritizing areas for whitebark pine restoration

Results from a Large, Multinational Sample Using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire

Childhood maltreatment has diverse, lifelong impact on morbidity and mortality. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) is one of the most commonly used scales to assess and quantify these experiences and their impact. Curiously, despite very widespread use of the CTQ, scores on its Minimization-Denial (MD) subscale—originally designed to assess a positive response bias—are rarely reported. Hence, little is known about this measure. If response biases are either common or consequential, current practices of ignoring the MD scale deserve revision. Therewith, we designed a study to investigate 3 aspects of minimization, as defined by the CTQ’s MD scale: 1) its prevalence; 2) its latent structure; and finally 3) whether minimization moderates the CTQ’s discriminative validity in terms of distinguishing between psychiatric patients and community volunteers. Archival, item-level CTQ data from 24 multinational samples were combined for a total of 19,652 participants. Analyses indicated: 1) minimization is common; 2) minimization functions as a continuous construct; and 3) high MD scores attenuate the ability of the CTQ to distinguish between psychiatric patients and community volunteers. Overall, results suggest that a minimizing response bias—as detected by the MD subscale—has a small but significant moderating effect on the CTQ’s discriminative validity. Results also may suggest that some prior analyses of maltreatment rates or the effects of early maltreatment that have used the CTQ may have underestimated its incidence and impact. We caution researchers and clinicians about the widespread practice of using the CTQ without the MD or collecting MD data but failing to assess and control for its effects on outcomes or dependent variables

Community psychiatric nurses and the care co-ordinator role: squeezed to provide ‘limited nursing’.

Background: The Care Programme Approach (CPA) is the key policy underpinning community-focused mental health services but has been unevenly implemented and is associated with increased inpatient bed use. The care co-ordinator role is central to the CPA and is most often held by Community Psychiatric Nurses (CPNs), but there has been little research into how this role is conducted or how it impacts on the work of CPNs and their ability to meet the needs of service users. Aim: The study aimed to identify and illuminate the factors that either facilitated or constrained the ability of CPNs, in their role as care co-ordinators, to meet service users’ and carers’ needs. Methods: A multiple case study of seven sectorised community mental health teams was employed over two years using predominantly qualitative methods of participant observation, semi-structured interviews and document review. Findings: Additional duties and responsibilities specifically associated with the care co-ordinator role and multidisciplinary working, combined with heavy workloads, combined to produce ‘limited nursing’, whereby CPNs are unable to provide evidence-based psychosocial interventions that are recognised to reduce relapse amongst people with severe mental illness. Conclusions: The role of the CPA care co-ordinator was not designed to support the provision of psychosocial interventions. Consequently, CPNs in the co-ordinator role faced with competing demands are unable to provide the range of structured, evidence-based interventions required. This may partially account for the increased inpatient bed use associated with the CPA