Measuring the Technical Competence of Repeat Public-Sector Construction Clients

A broad based industry survey investigates whether repeat public sector construction clients are technically competent, measured by their in-house innovation performance. The study covered non-residential building and civil work in three Australian States – New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. Data were collected via a large scale mail survey undertaken in 2004 which covered 38% of key construction organisations in the study population. Descriptive statistical methods are employed to give an indication of the relative level of technical competence held by repeat public sector clients compared to contractors, consultants and suppliers. Such competence is taken to be reflected in a number of innovation indicators. The results show a high level of technical competence held by repeat public sector clients. As the literature reports a relationship between technical competence and innovation leadership ability, this finding has positive implications in terms of industry development potential. This research has immediate benefits in giving the construction industry more confidence in the quality of leadership shown by government clients. It also provides the basis for further research examining the link between the technical competence of clients and industry perceptions of client leadership

An integrated framework to assess financial reward systems in construction projects

Motivation is a major driver of project performance. Despite team member ability to deliver successful project outcomes if they are not positively motivated to pursue joint project goals, then performance will be constrained. One approach to improving the motivation of project organizations is by offering a financial reward for the achievement of set performance standards above a minimum required level. However, little investigation has been undertaken into the features of successful incentive systems as a part of an overall delivery strategy. With input from organizational management literature, and drawing on the literature covering psychological and economic theories of motivation, this paper presents an integrated framework that can be used by project organizations to assess the impact of financial reward systems on motivation in construction projects. The integrated framework offers four motivation indicators which reflect key theoretical concepts across both psychological and economic disciplines. The indicators are: (1) Goal Commitment, (2) Distributive Justice, (3) Procedural Justice, and (4) Reciprocity. The paper also interprets the integrated framework against the results of a successful Australian social infrastructure project case study and identifies key learning’s for project organizations to consider when designing financial reward systems. Case study results suggest that motivation directed towards the achievement of incentive goals is influenced not only by the value placed on the financial reward for commercial benefit, but also driven by the strength of the project initiatives that encourage just and fair dealings, supporting the establishment of trust and positive reciprocal behavior across a project team. The strength of the project relationships was found to be influenced by how attractive the achievement of the goal is to the incentive recipient and how likely they were to push for the achievement of the goal. Interestingly, findings also suggested that contractor motivation is also influenced by the fairness of the performance measurement process and their perception of the trustworthiness and transparency of their client. These findings provide the basis for future research on the impact of financial reward systems on motivation in construction projects. It is anticipated that such research will shed new light on this complex topic and further define how reward systems should be designed to promote project team motivation. Due to the unique nature of construction projects with high levels of task complexity and interdependence, results are expected to vary in comparison to previous studies based on individuals or single-entity organizations

Advances in Experimental Methods for Characterisation of Porous Solids

This thesis describes work on the development of new integrated methods for the characterisation of porous media. Porous media are of wide importance in a variety of applications including oil and gas production, tissue engineering, filtration and separation and ground water hydrology. Such porous media are characterised by the fraction of their volume occupied by pores (the porosity) and by parameters characterising the ease of flow and diffusion through the medium (the permeability and the diffusivity). However, the flow processes are very complex, reflecting the complex nature of the pore structure. The objective of the work described in this thesis was to develop and apply two new integrated pieces of apparatus which were aimed at elucidating several aspects of the complex flow processes. The first integrated apparatus was aimed at the study of gaseous transport and the second at the study of mercury penetration, flow and electrical conduction, in the pores of selected media. Thin-section imaging was also applied to obtain supplementary information. The integrated gaseous transport apparatus was designed not only to measure permeability (by the pressure rise technique), but also to study both steady state and (importantly) transient diffusion of oxygen in nitrogen in the pores of the selected media. The system was capable of operating with media with a wide range of permeabilities and yielded accurate values of the viscous permeability and the slip flow coefficient. In addition, experiments were carried out in the partially turbulent flow region. The diffusion measurements yielded information on the ratio (rD) of the diffusion coefficient in the media to that in free space; this ratio is also a specific property of the medium. Combining the steady state and transient diffusion measurements, it was possible to deduce the effective porosity and the pore length. The second integrated apparatus was for the study of porous media subjected to mercury penetration under pressure. This apparatus allowed conventional mercury porosimetry measurements to be performed (i.e. measurements of the pore volume occupied as a function of pore size penetrated) but, crucially, it also allowed measurements of the permeability to mercury and of the conductivity with mercury to be made simultaneously. The permeability to mercury approaches the gaseous value when complete saturation of the medium is achieved; however the manner in which mercury permeability varies with pore size gives a striking indication of the role of the various pores in the flow process. In the conductivity experiments, the ratio (rCp) of the conductivity of the medium penetrated with mercury at pressure p to the conductivity of pure mercury is determined as a function of p. At high penetration pressures, the value of rCp approaches that of rD reflecting the analogy between conduction and diffusion when the medium is saturated with mercury. However, the variation of rCp with pore size penetrated gives a remarkable indication of the significance of the pores in given size ranges in the diffusion process (analogous to the information yielded by the mercury permeability measurements relating to the overall permeability)

The potential contribution of small firms to innovation in the built environment.

The methods by which small firms overcome the disadvantages of their size to implement innovation on construction projects are examined here through five case studies. It is found that such methods include working with advanced clients, prioritising relationship-building strategies and using patents to protect intellectual property. Key obstacles to innovation implementation by small firms on construction projects are found to be bias in the allocation of government business assistance and regulatory inefficiencies under federal systems of government. The study’s findings derive from a theoretical framework which emphasises firm capabilities and environment, and innovation typologies. Further research is recommended into the impact of government assistance and regulation on small innovative construction firms

Integrated Manufacturing-Services Businesses in the Australian Building and Construction Sector

This paper establishes that the emergence of integrated manufacturing-service businessesis a key trademark of innovative industries and ‘the new economy’. Having establishedthe benefits of such integration, the phenomenon is reviewed in relation to theAustralian building and construction (B&C) sector. It is hypothesised that manufacturerssupplying building and construction work are adding value to their own activity, and that ofthe sector, by enhancing their product offerings via the provision of services. A small surveyis undertaken, with the findings revealing the nature of service provision by manufacturersin the Australian B&C sector. It appears that the ‘bundling’ of products and servicesby these manufacturers is a key competitive strategy yielding significant benefits for themand the sector as a whole

Does the Creation of an Outline Prior to Writing a Draft Enhance the Quality of Students’ Papers?

Research Question: Does the development of an outline prior to writing an extensive research paper positively impact the quality of the student’s final paper

SALIVA COMPOSITION AND UPPER GASTRO-INTESTINAL SYMPTOMS IN CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE

Many chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients experience uraemic symptoms including dry mouth, taste changes, nausea, vomiting and dry retching. Saliva is composed of a number of active compounds that play vital roles in taste stimulation. Salivary composition differs in CKD and patients have an impaired ability to recognise basic tastes. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine any associations between changes in salivary composition, upper gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and altered taste perceptions in chronic renal failure patients.Thirty CKD patients (24 males, 6 females, age 69.7 ± 14.2yrs, glomerular filtration rate <25mL/min) were recruited from the Austin Health outpatient renal clinic. A saliva sample was collected to determine biochemical composition. Participants performed a taste identification task to assess perception of the five basic tastes and completed a symptom questionnaire regarding taste changes and upper GI symptoms experienced.Only 3 (10%) CKD patients reported no upper GI symptoms while 63% complained of a dry mouth, 56% had a changes in taste, 30% complained of nausea and 20% vomited or dry retched. Saliva bicarbonate concentration was inversely related to both dry mouth (p<0.003) and dry retching. (p<0.01) Nausea was reported with higher saliva sodium levels (p<0.03) and a higher saliva sodium/potassium ratio (p<0.02). Correlation analysis revealed saliva bicarbonate concentration was inversely related to liking and intensity of glutamate taste and to the intensity of sour taste (p<0.05). Salivary urea was linked to the perceived intensity of bitter taste (p<0.05). Forty-three percent of patients indicated their symptoms contributed to decreased food intake.In conclusion this study provides evidence that active compounds are present in the saliva and impact upper GI symptoms in CKD. In particular lower saliva concentrations of bicarbonate are associated with dry mouth and retching, while higher sodium levels and a greater sodium/potassium ratio are associated with nausea. Saliva bicarbonate and urea are associated with taste perception, especially for glutamate and may influence taste function. Further research is required to clearly establish if changing saliva composition improves uraemic symptoms, taste sensitivity and food intake in CKD patients