Proposal: An Efficient Security and Privacy Scheme based on Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) for Vehicular Ad hoc Network (VANET)

Vehicles in a vehicular ad-hoc network (VANET) broadcast information about the driving environment in the road. Due to the open-access environment, this means that the VANET is susceptible to security and privacy issues. However, none of the related works satisfies all security and privacy requirements. Besides, their proposed has huge overhead in terms of computation and communication. To address the above issues, we will propose the security and privacy scheme based on Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) and one secure hash function. Hence the reliability of each message being signed and checked has been improved. The main aim of this work is to satisfy all aspect requirements of security and privacy and reduce the computational complexity of the system

Review of Security and Privacy Scheme for Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs)

Vehicles in a vehicular ad-hoc network (VANET) broadcast information about the driving environment in the road. Due to the open-access environment, this means that the VANET is susceptible to security and privacy issues. However, none of the related works satisfies all security and privacy requirements. Besides, their proposed has huge overhead in terms of computation and communication. The present paper is a provide a thorough background on VANETs and their entities; different security attacks; and all requirements of the privacy and security for VANETs. This paper may serve as a guide and reference for VANETs in the design and implementation of any new techniques for protection and privacy

The climate of innovation in the UAE and its Construction Industry

Purpose The ability to develop new products and services has motivated the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to enter the global race for excellence and surprise the world with its iconic construction innovations. The key challenge for the UAE is how to encourage and enable organizations, public and private, to embrace innovation as the norm and create a positive environment for innovation. In this context, this study was carried out with the aim of examining the factors that can create innovation conducive climate in construction and the measures that can be used to assess such a climate. Design/methodology/approach The paper reports research effort to develop and test a conceptual model that hypothesizes relationships among different constructs that make up the climate for innovation in UAE organizations, construction and non-construction. In verifying the conceptual model and testing the validity of the hypotheses, a quantitative study was conducted based on data collected via questionnaire survey. A total of 101 respondents participated in the study, majority of whom were employed in private international firms, semi-public firms and private local firms. Findings The findings showed that, overall, the climate of innovation in the UAE organizations is moderately strong where construction firms performed slightly better than non-construction firms in demonstrating an innovation-conducive atmosphere. In this context, the results found a need for senior management to provide tangible support in terms of providing more resources for the skill base to develop further and seek better ways of developing creative solutions. The main conclusion provided evidence that leadership has positively influenced the climate for innovation and as a result delivered an improved business performance. Originality/value The research developed a new conceptual model and the constructs that can be used to understand the climate for innovation and assist researchers in examining the complex dynamics of innovation in the local construction industry

The Impact of Changing Project Organization Structure on Project Performance

Instigating changes to project organization structure during the project execution could disrupt many project processes and influence project performance. The purpose of this study is to investigate a particular problem occurred in completed construction projects in UAE market. The problem appeared due to unnecessary changes and slow or inadequate response to change by senior managers in contractor's project organization structure. These changes had negative impact on the project management roles and responsibilities, additional cost and time impact. Furthermore, there were negative consequences on the performance of the project's team and their effort to create new ideas as well as their innovation inside the construction project that they are involved. The qualitative methodology is used in this study through investigating five case studies for construction projects that completed in UAE market along with extensive literature review that focused on the different sides of the problem as well as an interview with ten members of contractor's project management and senior managers to examine the impact of the problem on project performance and team effectiveness. The main findings indicate that having clear and defined roles and responsibilities have positive impact on project performance and team effectiveness. Moreover, the contractor's senior managers have a vital role in establishing, managing the project organization structure and ensuring that any changes to the structure are dealt with effectively. This would enable the project to progress according to plan, reduce project activity reworks and address any weaking communication and cohesiveness between project team members

The Impact of Integration Between Intellectual Capital and Social Capital in Achieving the Competitive Advantage for the Public Industrial Jordanian Joint Stock Companies

The developed world today Witnesses dynamic transformations and many rapid changes in the structure of companies and organizations that are formed during the enormous economic growth and the technological acceleration. These changes and transformations did not occur as a result of technological developments and new technologies, but due to the increase attention towards two important resources which are: the intellectual capital and the social capital. Recent studies in those areas have confirmed that any corporation or pioneer company, in order to ensure its growth and survival and not to collapse or decay, should take advantage of these resources to gain access and be competitive, not only at the local level, but worldwide also. Based on the foregoing, this research worked on studying the fact of integration between the intellectual capital and the social capital in achieving the competitive advantage for Jordanian industrial companies from the standpoint of corporate managers. The most important results of the research were the consideration of both, the  intellectual and  social capital, as the most  important axis of companies survival, and without those capitals even simple companies cannot  survive, for this, they must maintain those capitals with quality, this can be done by providing a good work environment and studying  the work barriers and finding the best solutions for them, through the study of the properties of each of the social capital and the intellectual capital to reach the global competitiveness. the most important recommendations of this research is to urge the industrial companies to pay the necessary attention to the intellectual and social capitals, through social polarization and development in order to achieve the competitive advantage as for they are considered the real capital of the company. Keywords: Intellectual Capital, Social Capital, Competitive Advantage

The alignment of the open innovation process and the project lifecycle

Purpose This research study aims to develop an alignment model based on a literature review that explains the association between the construction project lifecycle and the innovation process, while considering the integration of all stakeholders in the process in an open innovation context. Design/methodology/approach The authors conduct an extensive review of the open innovation and the construction project management literature to establish an alignment model through the investigation and analysis of the current scholarly contributions. This research study is based on a theoretical framework; thus, it has not utilized any primary data. Moreover, data collected for this research study was obtained from reliable literary sources. Findings The study presents an alignment model that has uncovered a strong correlation between project activities, stakeholder integration and innovation. The authors revealed critical factors that require an enhanced inter- and intra-collaboration between the various stakeholders and team members to achieve an effective innovation process in a project context. Originality/value This study provides a previously unexplored alignment between the project lifecycle and the innovation process. It signifies several critical factors that influence the effectiveness of innovations in a construction project context. Furthermore, it identifies different zones and knowledge transfer gates that necessitate proper leadership, stakeholder integration and team dynamics throughout the project lifecycle

Alignment of Construction Procurement Strategies for the Effective Implementation of BIM in the UAE

The effective diffusion of Building Information Modelling (BIM) presents strong potential to evolve the productivity and performance of the construction industry. Implementing BIM effectively requires significant changes in the construction business practices to improve communication, collaboration and sharing information among team members in design, construction and operating phases. The aim of this paper is to investigate the required reformation of current procurement methods in the UAE to enable the effective diffusion of BIM. The paper will present a conceptual framework which illustrates the needed changes in procurement methods being change in the relationship among participants, change in the contractual agreements, sharing the risks and rewards among stakeholders, early involvement of stakeholders, and involvement of new participants. The paper will report the findings of the analysis of four case studies of companies with vast experience in projects that adopted BIM and how it has impacted the procurement approaches adopted. The research findings have articulated that in order to implement BIM process effectively, it is critical for the UAE construction industry to adopt more collaborative relationships and share the risks and rewards among the participants. The findings show that the most important requisite change is for the key players at design stage to collaborate to create an effective BIM model that will save time and cost. Furthermore, contracts should oblige the participants to adopt BIM, identify the level of development in each stage and determine the responsibilities and intellectual property rights of each stakeholder

Choice of GCC Construction Market Entry Mode

The international construction sector is one essential organ of the global economic body. More construction companies target international construction markets and would need to make a decision as the most appropriate mode to enter a particular market. This purpose of the study is to develop a framework to guide the decision making process for contractors considering entry to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) construction markets. This market emphasis the delivery of innovation and creating smart facilities and infrastructure. The study analyzed data from 86 international contractors who are listed as the most successful international contractors in the GCC countries. The paper examined the key factors that have influenced contractors’ entry strategy. The paper presents the results from the analysis of the proposed selection framework through interviews with a sample of top management executives in contracting firms. The study found that firms’ initial choice of a specific entry mode is a key strategic decision made to ensure successful investment. Firms believed that the option of entry mode adjustment is hard without incurring significant losses of time and money. Further, it was found that construction unique characteristics imply different priorities than those in other industries to enter foreign markets. Furthermore, The study concluded that most of GCC markets require the entry using permanent modes (branches or sole venture companies), eventually a set of recommendations were introduced to facilitate the entry process and ensure successful entry to GCC construction markets

Holistic Review of Construction Process Carbon-Reduction Measures: A Systematic Literature Review Approach

The fragmented nature of construction operations makes it challenging to implement carbon-reduction strategies. However, attaining a holistic construction sector decarbonisation hinges upon ensuring all aspects of a construction project’s lifecycle are decarbonised, including the construction process stage. Therefore, to mitigate the implementation challenge of reducing the levels of carbon involved in construction processes, this study attempts to synthesise and categorise carbon-reduction strategies that could be employed to decrease the carbon footprint during a construction projects’ delivery. To achieve the aim of this study, a systematic literature review approach was adopted. Based on this technique, a total of 26 relevant articles within the built environment research area were eligible for the study, and their analysis revealed 56 carbon minimisation measures, which were summarised into nine distinct categories to ease their application and overcome the construction operations’ complexities. The nine categories include material transport, waste transport, materials and equipment, waste, materials, on-site office, on-site lighting, on-site transportation of material and equipment, and construction methods. The findings of this study provide contractors with a suite of measures that can be deployed to reduce the carbon impact of construction project delivery