An exploratory study of information technology evaluation and benefits management practices of SMEs in the construction industry

While the number of articles on IT evaluation and benefits management has been substantial, limited attention has been given to these topics in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly the construction industry. This paper presents findings from a questionnaire survey that sought to examine the approaches used by 126 construction organisations to evaluate and justify their IT investments, as well as the benefits and costs that they have experienced due to IT implementation. The analysis of their responses identified three key findings. Firstly, different organisation types significantly differ in the amount they invest in IT and their firm size (in terms of turnover and number of employees) does not influence investment levels in IT. Secondly, the evaluation process adopted by construction SMEs is used as for both control and learning. Thirdly, a major barrier to justifying IT investments was attributed to having no strategic vision. While organisations experienced no significant differences in the tactical and operational benefits incurred after the adoption of IT, differences were found with respect to the strategic benefits. If construction SMEs are to leverage the benefits of IT, then this should form an integral part of their business strategy. Considering this, recommendations for IT evaluation for construction SMEs that are also pertinent for SMEs operating in other industry sectors, are presented

Conjuring optimism in dark times: Education, affect and human capital

This paper analyses how the discursive construction, valuation and subjective experience of human capital is evolving in parallel with crises of capital as a world-system. Ideology critique provides tools for analysing policy ‘fictions’ that aim to sustain investment in human capital through education. Foucauldian analytical tools enable analysis of how human capital has become a project of self-appreciation and cultivation of positive psychological traits. We argue that the work of Lauren Berlant provides an important complement to these approaches and enables us to analyse how crises of capital are being lived as the cruelling of optimism about social mobility through investment in oneself as human capital. The paper points to an educational politics and pedagogy for living through infrastructural breakdown in darkly uncertain historical times

Dynamic clock management circuits for low power applications

Low power methods employing dynamically controlled clock rates offer potentially powerful energy saving capabilities. Dynamic clock management is a system level technique that benefits from the relationship between operating frequency and power consumption through the variation of clock speeds based on demand. This thesis provides robust and scalable clock management circuits for dynamic clock control. A complete Programmable Clock Manager (PCM) has been designed, implemented, integrated into a Systems-on-a-Chip and tested. The PCM incorporates two novel circuits who enable dynamic clock management, the Range Shifting Phase-Locked Loop (RSPLL) and the Dynamic Programmable Clock Divider (DPCD). The self-calibrating RSPLL extends operating bandwidth while reducing jitter. Such a Phase-Locked Loop design also provides easier system-level integration and range-independent usage. The design is scalable to the higher bandwidths and lower voltages, associated with future technologies. The DPCD is capable of dynamic clock division without exhibiting glitches. Both of these robust circuits are easier to use for all clock managment purposes