The impact of financial incentive mechanisms on motivation in Australian government large non-residential building projects

The use of financial incentives mechanisms (FIMs) in Australian government large nonresidential building projects is seen as a way to improve project motivation and outcomes and reinforce long-term commitment between participants. Yet very little empirical research has been conducted into how FIMs should be applied in the context of construction projects and what determines their impact on motivation. The primary aim of this research was to identify the motivation drivers impacting on the achievement of FIM goals. This allowed for the formulation of recommendations to improve Australian government building procurement strategies, creating the potential for better project outcomes. The research involved four major case studies of large construction projects. Analysis of motivation drivers on each project was based on interviews with senior project participants, secondary documentation and site visits. Once the motivation drivers were identified, they were ranked by the weighted number of motivation indicators impacted, to give an indication of their relative importance. The results provide Australian government clients with key areas for policy direction. The findings indicate that the following motivation drivers (in order of impact) were more important than FIM design in achieving FIM goals: equitable contract risk allocation and management scope for future project opportunities with the client harmonious project relationships early contractor involvement in design stages value-driven tender selection processes. A consequence of ignoring these key procurement initiatives can be a less than ideal FIM goal performance, despite the nature of FIM design, including the strength of the reward on offer. FIMs have the potential to be a valuable addition to any project procurement strategy. Yet, the main message of this thesis is: If clients rely solely on financial incentives as the driver of motivation it will likely result in failure

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

Factors Influencing the Perceived Effectiveness of the Transition Assistance Program among Exiting Military Servicemembers at Military Installations in Louisiana

As proven in the aftermath of World War II, whenever the U.S. government shifts its efforts from wartime mobilization to peacetime demobilization, the Department of Defense (DoD) faces the complex task of transitioning military personnel to civilian life. In March of 2015, the researcher began an exploratory evaluation of the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) employment workshops. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the influence of selected personal and professional demographic characteristics on the perceptions of the effectiveness of the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) in accomplishing its stated purposes among exiting military servicemembers at military installations in Louisiana. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) identified “Education level,” “Job Search Skills/Counseling” and “Military Occupational Specialty” (MOS) in the literature as indicators of exiting military servicemembers (EMS) toward the TAP. A total of 67 participated in the study and a sample of 53 (EMS) provided useable responses from a researcher-designed survey and reported the perceptions of the effectiveness of the TAP. Based on this study, 86.8% of EMS reported having at least a four-year degree. Of the 53 study participants who provided useable data for the survey, the majority reported “Yes” to whether or not “Job Search Skills/Counseling” was covered in the TAP. Of the 53 respondents, 38 (71.7%) reported “Yes.” No relationship was found between whether or not “MOS” was transferable to the civilian labor force” and the perceived effectiveness of TAP. Study participants indicated all survey items had a mean rating of “Agree.” Four of the 11 correlations were found to be statistically significant. The highest correlation was EMS’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the TAP and “Job Search Skills/Counseling,” which asked study participants “Was your Job Search Skills/Counseling covered in the TAP?” The remaining three correlations were “Income level,” “Active Duty Status” and “Length of Service.” Based on these findings, the researcher found the systems are currently in place to explore more personal and professional demographic characteristics and that more accountability is needed among the federal agencies to provide more quantifiable research on EMS’ perceptions toward the effectiveness of the TAP

CODEHOP-mediated PCR – A powerful technique for the identification and characterization of viral genomes

Consensus-Degenerate Hybrid Oligonucleotide Primer (CODEHOP) PCR primers derived from amino acid sequence motifs which are highly conserved between members of a protein family have proven to be highly effective in the identification and characterization of distantly related family members. Here, the use of the CODEHOP strategy to identify novel viruses and obtain sequence information for phylogenetic characterization, gene structure determination and genome analysis is reviewed. While this review describes techniques for the identification of members of the herpesvirus family of DNA viruses, the same methodology and approach is applicable to other virus families

A New Chip-Set for ASTRA Digital Radio

This chip-set provides the channel and source decoding functions for ASTRA Digital Radio (ADR) receivers. An overview of the system is given together with a summary of the main features of the ICs. The chip-set offers a flexible, but optimum solution to meet the requirements for low cost consumer sets

Ice Caps and Ice Belts: The Effects of Obliquity on Ice−Albedo Feedback

Planetary obliquity determines the meridional distribution of the annual mean insolation. For obliquity exceeding 55°, the weakest insolation occurs at the equator. Stable partial snow and ice cover on such a planet would be in the form of a belt about the equator rather than polar caps. An analytical model of planetary climate is used to investigate the stability of ice caps and ice belts over the widest possible range of parameters. The model is a non-dimensional diffusive Energy Balance Model, representing insolation, heat transport, and ice-albedo feedback on a spherical planet. A complete analytical solution for any obliquity is given and validated against numerical solutions of a seasonal model in the "deep-water" regime of weak seasonal ice line migration. Multiple equilibria and unstable transitions between climate states (ice-free, Snowball, or ice cap/belt) are found over wide swaths of parameter space, including a "Large Ice-Belt Instability" and "Small Ice-Belt Instability" at high obliquity. The Snowball catastrophe is avoided at weak radiative forcing in two different scenarios: weak albedo feedback and inefficient heat transport (favoring stable partial ice cover), or efficient transport at high obliquity (favoring ice-free conditions). From speculative assumptions about distributions of planetary parameters, three-fourths to four-fifths of all planets with stable partial ice cover should be in the form of Earth-like polar caps

How many cards should you lay out in a game of EvenQuads?: A detailed study of 2-caps in AG(n,2)

A 2-cap in the affine geometry $AG(n, q)$ is a subset of 4 points in general position. In this paper we classify all 2-caps in $AG(n, 2)$, up to affine equivalence, for $n \leq 6$. We also provide structural results for general $n$. Since the EvenQuads card deck is a model for $AG(6, 2)$, as a consequence we determine the probability that an arbitrary $k$-card layout contains a quad.Comment: 36 pages, 20 figures, 5 table

Organic materials able to detect analytes

The present invention generally relates to polymers with lasing characteristics that allow the polymers to be useful in detecting analytes. In one aspect, the polymer, upon an interaction with an analyte, may exhibit a change in a lasing characteristic that can be determined in some fashion. For example, interaction of an analyte with the polymer may affect the ability of the polymer to reach an excited state that allows stimulated emission of photons to occur, which may be determined, thereby determining the analyte. In another aspect, the polymer, upon interaction with an analyte, may exhibit a change in stimulated emission that is at least 10 times greater with respect to a change in the spontaneous emission of the polymer upon interaction with the analyte. The polymer may be a conjugated polymer in some cases. In one set of embodiments, the polymer includes one or more hydrocarbon side chains, which may be parallel to the polymer backbone in some instances. In another set of embodiments, the polymer may include one or more pendant aromatic rings. In yet another set of embodiments, the polymer may be substantially encapsulated in a hydrocarbon. In still another set of embodiments, the polymer may be substantially resistant to photobleaching. In certain aspects, the polymer may be useful in the detection of explosive agents, such as 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT)

Effective Financial Incentive Mechanisms: An Australian Case Study

ABSTRACT The use of financial incentives in construction projects has been seen as a way to improve short term motivation, collaboration and reinforce long term commitment between project stakeholders. Yet, very little empirical research has been conducted into how financial incentives should be applied in the context of particular project types in order to maximise their effectiveness. The aim of this research paper is to identify the motivation drivers that influenced the effectiveness of financial incentives in an Australian Government large building project and to explain their characteristics in the project context. As part of a larger research project, this case study was undertaken to explore the perceptions of senior construction managers in response to a failed Financial Incentive Mechanism (FIM) in a relationship-based procurement environment. It was found that the strength of the financial reward on offer was not the major determinant of FIM effectiveness. Instead, a range of context dependent influences are identified and five key recommendations likely to improve the effectiveness of an FIM on similar projects are proposed