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Purpose – The paper aims to integrate relevant “people” into public-private partnerships (PPP) to establish a public–private–people partnership (4P) approach that targets more sustainable and better value for money post-disaster infrastructure projects. This recognises “people” as major stakeholders apart from the public and private sectors. This paper also draws on a parallel study of relationship management (RM) to counteract problems arising from multiple participants and to synergise the public, private and “people” groupings. Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews, questionnaire surveys, a case study and a validation exercise through a focus group meeting were adopted to obtain empirical data and develop the 4P framework. Triangulation research strategy combining literature review, interviews and questionnaire survey were adopted in the parallel study of RM. Findings – It is concluded that 4P has great potential to achieve the targets of enhanced sustainability and value of money in post-disaster scenarios. In addition, “people” can provide the “missing link” in traditional PPP to further cement the partnership and achieve effective and integrated partnership between multiple participants. Originality/value – This paper adds a new dimension to PPP in proposing the integration of “people” into PPP to address prevalent gaps in identifying overall sustainable value. It also develops a practical 4P framework to guide practitioners who may wish to test it, to whatever extent possible. In parallel, it provides a methodological and theoretical foundation for such public, private and people partnerships in post-disaster infrastructure development.

Public–private partnerships (PPPs) target overall benefits from mobilising private resources in delivering public infrastructure. Their longer time spans generate higher risks, hence the greater need for resilience in PPPs, compared to traditional procurement. PPP infrastructure outcomes should include both sustainable and resilient built infrastructure, as well as reliable and resilient service delivery. The public–private cross-sectoral relationships can be significant contributors to resilience. Previous research findings show that public–private relationships are still predominantly formal in PPPs. However, appropriate informal relationships can foster mutual trust and better teamworking that trigger self-adjustment mechanisms to overcome adversities and enhance resilience. Integrating relevant ‘people’ into PPPs to establish a public–private–people partnership (4P) is proposed to reinforce formal–informal relationships, while enhancing relevant ‘social infrastructure’, which could then lead to more r...

Energy efficiency and consumption are currently the challenging issues in current Petascale and in designing future Exascale systems. The European Union Horizon 2020 project READEX (Runtime Exploitation of Application Dynamism for Energy-efficient Exascale computing) develops a tools-aided online approach to analyze and auto-tune HPC applications for energy efficiency on Exascale systems. It exploits dynamism that occurs due to the variation in the application behavior between iterations of the time loop as well as changing control flow within the time loop. This paper describes the readex_interphase tuning plugin, which analyzes the inter-loop dynamism. The plugin performs clustering using DBSCAN for normalized PAPI metrics, and computes the best tuning parameter settings for each cluster. It verifies the cluster analysis results, and finally computes static and dynamic savings. The inter-phase tuning strategy was evaluated for miniMD and INDEED, and the energy savings obtained validate the effectiveness of this methodology.

Energy efficiency and consumption are now the most important and challenging issues in current Petascale and in designing future Exascale computing systems. The European Union Horizon 2020 READEX project uses an online approach to exploit application dynamism and tune large-scale HPC applications to improve energy efficiency and performance. The paper presents the READEX methodology, consisting of the Design-Time Analysis and Runtime Application Tuning, and describes the pre-analysis steps involving application dynamism and significant region detection. During design-time, the READEX tuning plugin evaluates configurations of hardware and software tuning parameters to determine the best settings for instances of application regions. The runtime tuning dynamically switches to the best configuration for an application region during production runs. Finally, the energy savings obtained for LULESH on the Taurus supercomputer highlight the effectiveness of this methodology.

Purpose– This paper aims to develop a multi-criteria decision framework (MCDF) for the selection of appropriate low carbon building (LCB) measures for office buildings in Hong Kong.Design/methodology/approach– The research was carried out through a critical literature review and a case study with a low carbon office building project.Findings– In total, 26 LCB measures were identified, under the five groups of building envelope, heating, ventilating and air conditioning system, lighting and elevators, renewable energy and appliances. Also identified were 16 decision criteria, centred on the implementation-related, economic, environmental and production-related aspects. The identified measures and criteria, coupled with the information and business processes of office building project delivery, formed the conceptual MCDF. The MCDF was also verified using an office building project.Research limitations/implications– The limitation of this research was the absence of the energy bill which could help to further verify the model in the case study.Originality/value– The developed framework should add value to knowledge of the use of multi-criteria decision-making methods and support the design decision-making of selecting LCB measures for office building projects in Hong Kong. The findings should also inform LCB design in other hot and humid subtropical urban environments.

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the relevance of the relationally integrated value networks (RIVANS) concept for integrating project management (PM) and asset management (AM) for total asset management (TAM). The specific objectives are to test the RIVANS for TAM concept postulated by Kumaraswamy (2011) and Kumaraswamy et al. (2012); discover ways to enable PM and AM teams to work in an integrated manner; and recommend strategies and operational measures to promote greater team integration in the industry. Design/methodology/approach – This study is based in Hong Kong with parallel studies in the UK, Singapore and Sri Lanka. Through a comprehensive questionnaire, a case study on an organization engaged in both design and construction and operations and maintenance (O&M) works, interviews and hosting a workshop (all conducted with experienced industry practitioners and experts), a set of recommendations are derived to guide the industry toward greater team integration. Findings – Early involvement of O&M staff is important for better anticipating obstacles and learning from past experiences, but PM and AM teams generally work independently with limited interaction. Priorities of the stakeholders are often different. Knowledge management is increasingly important, but knowledge sharing is not always a priority. The three focus areas in the set of recommendations developed from Hong Kong are: organizational/management structure, procurement strategies and operational mechanisms; fostering culture of team building and providing additional means of communication; and informal communication tools. Originality/value – There has been little research into the communication, interaction and integration between PM and AM priorities and teams. However, increasing industry emphasis on sustainable buildings, end-user satisfaction and designing for maintainability dictates that PM and AM teams must work closer together, hence the imperative for mapping useful directions to be pursued.

Purpose The burst suppression (BS) EEG patterns induced by general anesthesia can react to somatosensory stimuli. We investigated this reactivity by studying the effect of peripheral nerve stimulation used for routine intraoperative spinal cord monitoring by somatosensory evoked potentials on BS patterns. Methods The relative time spent in suppression expressed as BS ratio (BSR) and mean burst duration were measured before (BSR(Pre)), during (BSR(Stim)), and after (BSR(Post)) a 60-second repetitive electrical ulnar nerve stimulation in nine patients under total intravenous general anesthesia with propofol. The BS reactivity was measured as BSR(Pre)-BSR(Stim). Results Overall, 27 trials were included with BSR(Pre) up to 77%, indistinguishable from BSR(Post). During stimulation, the mean BSR transiently decreased from 42% to 35%. For each 1% increase in BSR(Pre), the BS reactivity increased with 0.6%, whereas the burst duration remained approximately 3 seconds. For BSR(Pre) below 30%, the BS reactivity was negligible. Conclusions Data from this study show that somatosensory input can evoke bursts, altering the "spontaneous" deep BS patterns (BSR(Pre) >30%). Further studies are necessary to objectively assess the clinical relevance of stimulus-induced BS reactivity during deep general anesthesia.

This paper presents, a Group Based Optimal Retransmission Medium Access (GORMA) Protocol is designed that combines protocol of Collision Avoidance (CA) and energy management for low-cost, short-range, low-data rate and low-energy sensor nodes applications in environment monitoring, agriculture, industrial plants etc. In this paper, the GORMA protocol focuses on efficient MAC protocol to provide autonomous Quality of Service (QoS) to the sensor nodes in one-hop QoS retransmission group and two QoS groups in WSNs where the source nodes do not have receiver circuits. Hence, they can only transmit data to a sink node, but cannot receive acknowledgement control signals from the sink node. The proposed protocol GORMA provides QoS to the nodes which work independently on predefined time by allowing them to transmit each packet an optimal number of times within a given period. Our simulation results shows that the performance of GORMA protocol, which maximize the delivery probability of one-hop QoS group and two QoS groups and minimize the energy consumption., Comment: 9 pages in IEEE format and 6 figures

The longer the contract period, the higher the chance that major changes will arise. Thus a greater reliance on the established relationships is needed to maintain the contractual bond in PPP project. Relationship management (RM) can therefore be expected to be even more valuable in the PPP context. This paper aims to investigate current perceptions and experiences of RM in PPP projects and more importantly, to identify the CSFs for RM in PPP projects. By means of an empirical questionnaire survey geared towards PPP practitioners with direct hands-on experience, the opinions were solicited, analyzed and compared in relation to potential PPP RM success factors. The survey findings indicate that industry practitioners currently lack a general understanding of concepts and applications of RM, given that it is relatively new in PPP. However, they do think that RM is very important to improve the present performance of PPPs. Future PPP business opportunities can also be increased by effective RM. The top four CSFs for RM are found to be commitment of senior executives, defining the objectives, integration of the different divisions and a multidisciplinary team. However, the relative importance presently assigned for each of the above factors is insufficient, and commitment from senior management is perceived as the most difficult factor to improve.

Purpose– Rework is an endemic problem in construction projects and has been identified as being a significant factor contributing cost and schedule overruns. Causal ascription is necessary to obtain knowledge about the underlying nature of rework so that appropriate prevention mechanisms can be put in place. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approach– Using a supervised questionnaire survey and case-study interviews, data from 112 building and engineering projects about the sources and causes of rework in projects were obtained. A multivariate exploration was conducted to examine the underlying relationships between rework variables.Findings– The analysis revealed that there was a significant difference between rework causes for building and civil engineering projects. The set of associations explored in the analyses will be useful to develop a generic causal model to examine the quantitative impact of rework on project performance so that appropriate prevention strategies can be identified and developed.Research limitations/implications– The limitations include: small data set (112 projects), which include 75 from building and 37 from civil engineering projects.Practical implications– Meaningful insights into the rework occurrences in construction projects will pave pathways for rational mitigation and effective management measures.Originality/value– To date there has been limited empirical research that has sought to determine the causal ascription of rework, particularly in Hong Kong.

Context: Salivary control and maintenance of a dry operating field is a prime requisite of orthodontic bonding. Moisture insensitive primer (MIP) with a clinical significant bond strength values have a better edge over the conventional hydrophobic bonding systems. Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of two hydrophilic primers with respect to conventional hydrophobic primer by comparing their shear bond strength (SBS) and adhesive-failure locations after contamination with saliva and saliva substitute. Materials and Methods: A total of 150 extracted human premolars were randomly divided into five group s ; Group A (Transbond MIP/saliva substitute), Group B (Opal Primo/saliva substitute), Group C (Transbond MIP/natural saliva), Group D (Opal Primo/natural saliva), control group - Group E (Transbond XT/dry), adhesive-Transbond XT used for all five groups and bonded using stainless steel brackets. Shear forces were applied to the samples with a universal testing machine. SBSs was measured in megapascals. The mode of bond failure was determined using the adhesive remnant index (ARI). Results: The mean SBS produced by Transbond MIP was higher than Opal Primo, which was statistically significant according to one-way analysis of variance. Both the tested groups showed lesser bond strength values than Transbond XT (the control). ARI scores revealed that there was no statistically significant difference in the site of bond failure between study groups. ARI scores were found to be lower for study groups suggesting adhesive failure, compared to higher ARI scores for the control group suggesting cohesive failure. Conclusion: Transbond XT adhesive with Transbond MIP or Opal Primo have clinically acceptable bond strength in wet fields. Opal Primo is a viable option to use as a hydrophilic primer clinically.

Building envelope is widely recognized as a key factor that influences building energy consumption. However, the bulk of passive envelope research is based in cold climates. It remains largely unknown how building envelope design measures are selected and to what extent building energy efficiency can be improved in hot-humid climate. This paper explores the energy-efficient envelope design measures through the combination of understanding the environment, identifying potential measures, setting up models, running analysis, and making design decisions. The findings should inform building envelope design decisions and support building energy performance analysis in hot-humid climate.

Prior studies have found that relational contracting (RC) practices are helpful in nurturing good relationships among project team members. These empirical studies, however, did not differentiate by project type (i.e., public or private projects). In reality, the situation faced in public projects would be different from that of private projects since for example, some public sector participants may be indifferent to, concerned about or indeed opposed to, building close relationships with private sector counterparts. In the context of public construction projects, this study aims to develop models to explain the association between relationship quality and the extent to which RC practices are adopted. Data were collected via a questionnaire survey in Hong Kong, China. Using Multiple Linear Regression and Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), models for predicting the relationship quality among project team members were developed. The mathematical equations were validated by a case study. The models show that the relationship quality among project team members can be predicted by the extent to which these RC practices are implemented: (i) adoption of flexible strategies; (ii) readiness to compromise on unclear issues; (iii) willingness to commit on a long-term basis; (iv) attitude towards teamwork; (v) trust among team members; (vi) sharing of project information; (vii) understanding among team members; and (viii) alignment of the objectives of different parties. The models are recommended to public clients, consultants and contractors that aim to achieve good relationships in public projects. © 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.

The central challenge in developing deterioration models for infrastructure facilities based on field data, is the right selection of base models along with the specific nature of the available condition data. A parametric model is extensively used in infrastructure deterioration modeling. However, the pre-assumed hazard shape of parametric models is questionable because of the lack of explanations of the underlying assumption. Cox proportional hazard models have the advantage that they make no advance assumption about the shape of the hazard function and support multivariate analysis; and are thus proposed to solve the problems stemming from the predefined distributions of the parametric models. However, the basic uncalibrated functions of Cox models can appear complex and inapplicable for maintenance management applications. Therefore, it is considered useful to incorporate both semi-parametric and parametric models in an integrated strategy for modeling survival data. The development of an integrated methodology to predict the distribution of durations between changes in condition states by incorporating both Cox regression analysis and parametric models for concrete bridge elements, is presented in this paper.

In this study, the formative roles of common goals, equal status, integrative interactions, and authority support as the optimal factors for engendering individuals’ cooperation with their proximal crossfunctional project workgroups are examined. The four factors are properties of the workgroup environment and each have been highlighted as being important in previous conceptual and critical success factors (CSFs) studies of project effectiveness. However, until now, there has been no systematic empirical test of the interactive effects of all four factors in a construction temporary multiorganization (TMO) workgroup setting. The four factors are conceptualized in this study as the reflective dimensions of a superordinate multidimensional latent construct, teamwork climate. An integrative test was undertaken of the construct validity of this multidimensional construct, its substantive utility relative to its dimensions, and of specific hypotheses connecting the multidimensional construct and its di...

Achieving and sustaining the cooperation of individuals with their temporary multi-organization (TMO) workgroups is, arguably, one of the most enduring challenges facing the construction sector. A mediational model connecting pride and self-respect to each of four dimensions of cooperative behaviour-in-role, compliance, extra-role, and deference-is tested in a survey sample of 140 construction professionals in Hong Kong. Bootstrap tests of the indirect effect of pride on cooperative behaviour suggest that self-respect fully mediates the influence of pride on in-role behaviour and compliance behaviour, and partially mediates the influence of pride on extra-role behaviour. The results also suggest that pride has no effect on deference behaviour. While needing corroboration by future research, the findings suggest that viable strategies designed to foster pride and self-respect could engender and sustain cooperation in construction TMO workgroups, and support ongoing efforts to reform construction. The bootstrapping procedures for testing intervening variable models are elaborated in the hope that this will encourage more process analysis research in construction. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

The cooperation construct in construction lacks conceptual-definitional clarity. A multi-dimensional model of cooperation is proposed in which the construct is conceptualized as comprising four related yet conceptually distinct behaviors: in-role, extra-role, compliance, and deference behavior. The construct validity of this model is assessed using confirmatory factor analysis and a sample of 140 professional managers in Hong Kong. Structural equation modeling is then used to test specific predictions linking the four cooperative behaviors with two extrinsic (incentives and sanctions) and intrinsic (intrinsic job satisfaction and legitimacy) job cognition variables. Findings confirm the convergent, discriminant, and nomological validity of the proposed model. Between them, the two intrinsic job cognition variables predict all four behavior dimensions: intrinsic job satisfaction predicts in-role and extra-role behaviors; and legitimacy predicts compliance and deference behaviors. In contrast, the influence of the extrinsic job cognition variables on cooperative behavior is imprecise and weaker. The research suggests that initiatives aimed at improving the level of cooperation in construction project settings should focus more attention on stimulating the internal motivations (enhancing ‘personal causality’) of project actors.

The banking industry in the world over has undergone a profound transformation since the early 1990s. The changed operating environment for the banking sector, underpinned by liberalization, privatization and globalization, coupled with the reforms of information technology, has resulted in intense competitive pressures. The primary function of banking sector is to receive deposits and lend money to various sectors such as agriculture, industry, personal loans, housing loans etc. Receiving deposit involves no risk, since it is the banker who owes a duty to repay the deposit, whenever it is demanded where as the lending always involves much risk because there is no certainty of repayment. Most of the banks today in India are facing the default risk with respect to the loans and advances made to the retail customers, wherein some part of the profit is reserved for covering the non-performing assets. Retail credit defaults are also play an important role in accumulation of non-performing assets of a banking business. The present study touches up on the credit management practices in public sector banks and management of retail loans and advances. Trend analysis and percentage methods have been used to analyse data. The study found that the profit in PSBs was declining trend due to competitio, lack of diversity of banking services and stringent rules of RBI before economic reforms. The profit was declining initial period due to operation was not linked with profit and lack of diversity in the banking services

A construction industry encountering uncertain workload, difficulty in workforce renewal, and ultimately endangering its own sustainability jeopardizes not only the long-term health of the industry, but also the sustainable development of a city's infrastructures. Hong Kong is a city facing this problem and there are growing concerns within the industry that there will be an inadequate workforce to meet future demand and that the industry is unable to attract sufficient young talent, in part because of the negative image of the construction industry. This paper aims to examine the role and impact of societal engagement in infrastructure projects. The notion of using societal engagement as a vehicle for enhancing the image and sustainability of the construction industry, thereby also improving the ability to attract new entrants, is proposed in this paper. It is also suggested that the construction industry's interaction with the public should be a continuous process on a daily basis through a professional workforce that promotes safety, environmental responsibility and caring for the needs of society, rather than only during public engagement events for individual projects. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Purpose – Coordinating interdependencies between concurrent activities is a special challenge in managing increasingly complex building services projects. Effective coordination at the pre‐installation stage is key to minimising field conflicts between building services systems. This study aims to investigate the significant causes of production shortcomings traceable to the pre‐installation stage, and to what extent these in turn probably contribute to higher volumes of construction debris.Design/methodology/approach – Following relevant previous research and preliminary studies of production shortcomings in the building services subsector in Hong Kong, a series of structured interviews with practitioners were formulated and analysed. The findings lead to deductive reasoning in developing suitable approaches for this subsector.Findings – The study reveals that “poor coordination among different trades and processes”, and “frequent design changes and/or errors” are seen as two of the major causes of produ...

Worldwide calls for integration in construction translate into needs for relational alignment of both structural and operational arrangements, in order to successfully streamline the combined efforts of diverse interacting parties, for improved project delivery. Appropriate applications of relational contracting (RC) principles can help to achieve such integration. As such, the aims of the reported study are to examine the relative usefulness of various potential factors and strategies and to offer suitable contractual and noncontractual incentives, for building an RC culture and building integrated project teams (IPTs) in construction. Results from statistical analyses of 224 questionnaire responses from five countries are presented. Trust and trust-based operational arrangements are seen to effectively offer the required incentives for implementing various RC-based arrangements in construction where top management commitment and their support play a vital role. The choices of country-specific ap...

Even today agriculture retains its importance in Indian globalised economy; about 70% of the population has been directly or indirectly depend on agricultural and its allied activities. The requirement agricultural credit has been increasing. The Indian sector banks have been experiencing a growth in profits, to retain the tempo the banks are more focusing on commercial lending by ignoring agricultural credit. But many drivers of profits of not sustainable in the long run, They should focus on key factors like diversified loan portfolio, CD ratio, Loans and advances healthy Internal risk management techniques by putting in place appropriated risk Measurement. Indian banking has witnessed tremendous changes in the wake of the new economic reforms ushered in the year 1992. The reforms have positively impacted on the banking system, which has become flexible, Competitive and efficient with better productivity. The winning strategies for them could be clear customer segmentation and product offerings focus on Cost efficiencies and entrepreneurial ability to face stiff competition. Reserve bank of India which is aims at financial stability through structural and regulatory measures. It envisages the new economic reforms in the banking sectors as those aimed at enhancing operational efficiency thorough completion and prudential norms. The new global banking environment influences the Indian banking sector to keep away for priority sector lending. The biggest challenge for the banks in India is efficient management of non-performing assets (NPA’s). So the study focuses to know what is the non-performing Assets are, and how they can handle to reduce loss. The present agricultural financing polices followed by public sector banks including RRBs are needs to be evaluated.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to unveil any underlying relationships between contractor inputs and performance outputs. The outcome of the reported study is intended to help identify the inputs, which have more significant impacts on contractor performance outputs and therefore, help formulate more reliable “upfront” (ex ante) performance assessment criteria, hence improving approaches to the contractor‐selection process.Design/methodology/approachA case study was conducted on the Performance Assessment Scoring System (PASS) of a large public client in Hong Kong to determine the Pearson product‐moment correlation between the scores of various input assessments and output assessments.FindingsThe findings revealed relationships between some of the input assessment scores and the output results. Emerging as positive, all the discerned relationships confirmed that better outputs did in fact relate well to better inputs.Research limitations/implicationsThe PASS system is designed to be very objective, hence the criteria and assessment of inputs may be restricted to easily measurable items. The sample size obtainable was small, but still considered to be adequate for this initial study.Practical implicationsConstruction clients could choose to improve their contractor selection processes by identifying and incorporating contractor input factors that are seen to influence performance outputs. Contractors can also improve their outputs by focusing on the identified critical inputs.Originality/valueFew studies have sought to discern relationships between contractor inputs and their performance outputs through a quantitative approach. This case study provided a methodology, incorporating a statistics‐based approach along with examples and explanations of how inputs can influence contractor outputs.

PurposeThis paper aims to present approaches towards improving some specific infrastructure maintenance principles, strategies, models and practices, based on a recent study of bridge management systems in Hong Kong. A specific goal is to develop better informed and more systematic approaches to condition assessment, deterioration forecasting, and maintenance decision making over the life‐cycle of the built asset.Design/methodology/approachImproved performance prediction and decision‐making approaches are developed and presented based on a research exercise to formulate a maintenance management framework for concrete bridge elements in Hong Kong. This includes for example, the presentation of decision‐making approaches for optimizing inspection intervals on bridge expansion joints.FindingsThe findings show that judicious integration is needed in incorporating valuable elements of, and lessons learned from, previous practice with proposed new strategies/ principles, models and practices for specific scenarios.Practical implicationsBased on the findings, practitioners' understandings can be deepened as regards the barriers to improving condition assessment, deterioration forecasting, and maintenance decision making over the life‐cycle of the built asset. Furthermore, the results also provide useful information for developing strategies and practices to improve currently used infrastructure management systems.Originality/valueMajor obstacles are overcome in developing better informed and more systematic approaches as above, and in extending current knowledge on condition assessment, performance prediction and decision‐making models by utilizing more pertinent data and addressing some barriers in practical implementation.

Payment default is a common complaint from contractors in the construction industry. Many regulative measures have been adopted in different jurisdictions to address such payment problems. Current research primarily takes an interpretative approach for conducting semantic analysis of these measures, reporting their applications, and comparing their implementation outcomes. This paper presents a comprehensive theoretical understanding of these issues, their sources/roots, and related measurements, and addresses them through gametric models. Working elements of regulative measures are demarcated as punishment of opportunistic payers, remedies for unpaid payees, and costs to parties in referring to remedies and realizing justice. Empirical evidence from an international literature review of protection measures and experiences of addressing payment arrears and from a survey in mainland China is provided to support the models. This framework is useful to researchers and professionals in complementing the current descriptive approach in investigating and understanding regulative measures that address payment problems. This understanding is also useful for lawmakers to accompany the current path-dependent approach in introducing and amending payment protection legislation, i.e., referring to similar measures in other jurisdictions where a mutual legislative origin is shared.

PurposeThis paper aims to convey the rationale underpinning this new journal and its timeliness in addressing emerging imperatives in our built environment, to highlight the range of the papers in this first issue and to encourage readers and potential contributors to join the BEPAM journey, towards improved built infrastructure.Design/methodology/approachDrawing attention to the silos within which “project management” research and practice have been largely isolated from those in “asset management”, recent initiatives to bridge this divide are spotlighted, synerigised and built upon.FindingsA critical need is identified for a niche one‐stop forum to address increasingly important interfaces between project management and asset management of building and civil engineering infrastructure. It is also found to be important to link leading‐edge research to cutting‐edge practice in physical infrastructure development, while empowering and inspiring authors and readers from many relevant disciplines and diverse regions towards synergistic research, development and dissemination.Originality/valueArticulating the BEPAM vision in supplying the missing link between built environment project management and asset management, this paper aims to attract researchers and practitioners from hitherto compartmentalised sub‐sectors to engage with, learn from and improve each other in a common mission to efficiently deliver and sustain better built infrastructure worldwide.

At the heart of a bridge maintenance management system (BMMS) is a set of performance prediction and maintenance decision-making models. If focused on quantitative methods alone, the ultimate validity of these models can only be established through implementation, thus delaying the applicability and acceptability of the models in practice. This is even more important for project management and infrastructure asset management domains, because the results and processes by which they are derived must be accepted by the academic and professional communities so that the new knowledge is quickly added, assimilated, and applied in daily practice. Given the poor state of physical infrastructure in many countries, the importance of improving asset management principles and practices is becoming critical. A comprehensive framework that integrates qualitative and quantitative methodologies for BMMS development is formulated, based on research and development of a BMMS model specific to Hong Kong that includes structured validation, verification, and credibility establishment. Integration of both qualitative and quantitative methods to assess validity and credibility of the models for BMMS development is expected to balance the strengths and weaknesses of each approach and lead to a more robust and reliable methodology with inbuilt credibility-building strategies. Finally, a qualitative case study of the validation methodology for the developed BMMS model shows potential sources of bias. These must be addressed in developing sound practices for applying these techniques so that research results can be more reliable and readily accepted in the field of bridge maintenance management.

Purpose – Advocacy for the re‐integration of highly differentiated, at times fragmented, construction project “teams” and supply chains has increased in this era of network competition, yet industry targets remain elusive. This paper aims to report on findings of research focused on the development and validation of the building‐blocks for relationally integrated value networks (RIVANS) that seeks to redress this issue.Design/methodology/approach – Complementary theoretical streams are identified through an extensive literature review, and are used to shape and inform discussions of the key RIVANS themes of value objectives, network management, learning, and maturity. Four moderated focus groups hosted in each of two workshops in Hong Kong, are used to validate these themes. Each workshop typically comprised thematic focus group sessions in between introductory presentations and a plenary consolidation session.Findings – The findings indicate strong support for the comprehensive coverage, appropriateness ...

After five years since their introduction, there remains a dearth of public-private-partnership (PPP) projects in Singapore. This paper aims to investigate the problems faced when using PPP arrangements and provide recommendations on how these can be surmounted. Face-to-face in-depth interviews with practitioners from the public and private sectors were conducted. The results show that the problems faced by public PPP clients are: difficulty in deciding if a public service could be bought using the PPP route; private providers’ inability to innovate and understand clients’ requirements; private sector’s low capability in facilities management; and public sector’s constantly changing needs. The difficulties faced by private providers are: inability to recoup expenditure; absence of a PPP champion; high tendering cost; criteria for awards are unclear; and risk allocation is unfair. Recommendations on how problems faced in the PPP pre-contract stage might be overcome are presented.

In developed and developing countries, seeking an ISO9000-based QMS is becoming mandatory for every contracting firm. Yet, researchers believe that the claimed benefits of ISO9000 have not been fully realized and many customers further upstream may not be totally satisfied with the quality of the construction products/facilities. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether ISO9000-based QMSs can effectively uplift the quality of construction projects. An empirical study has been conducted in Hong Kong with residents of public housing properties built before and after the implementation of ISO9000-based QMSs. To examine if differences in satisfaction exhibited before and after the implementation of the QMSs is significant, a Levene’s test is employed. Besides, data is collected from the clients to establish the trend of defects before and after QMS implementation. The results indicate that residents living in properties constructed before ISO9000-based QMSs were implemented are less satisfied with the construction quality as reflected by the common defects they are facing. The findings help confirm that the application of the ISO9000-based QMSs has improved the quality of construction work and hence provides empirical evidence for those developing or undeveloped countries which are yet to adopt the ISO9000-based QMSs in their construction projects.

Clients and contractors are frequently advised to adopt a collaborative attitude and approach in construction projects in general, with ‘continuing clients’, i.e. clients with continuous large projects portfolios, expected to be in the forefront of such initiatives. Although such a governance approach has been argued to be beneficial in construction transactions, it is not uncommon to hear contractors complaining that clients do not fulfil their payment obligations. For example, in Mainland China, a large proportion of deliberate payment arrears are from ‘continuing clients’. Gametric models are used in this research to show that three prerequisites are needed for inducing continuing clients to be cooperative. Empirical evidence from legislation and a questionnaire survey indicates that these preconditions are not fulfilled in Mainland China. Prevalent institutional arrangements, differentials in appreciation of the value of relationships, and opaque payment track records are found to contribute to contin...

Multiple shoots from nodal explants of Pogostemon cablin Benth. MS supple-mented with 0.5 mg/l BAP initiated a mean of 45.66 shoots/nodal explant. Within four weeks of initiation, regenerated multiple shoots attained a height of 3.6 cm. Subsequent transfer of these in vitro derived nodal segments onto MS supplemented with BAP and Kn ( 0.5 mg/l), induced a mean of 62.45 shoots. Higher concentration of either BAP or Kn more than 0.5 mg/l resulted in callus proliferation and showed hyperhydric shoots with morphological abnormalities. Rooting was readily achieved upon transfer of shoots on half strength MS supplemented with 100 mg/l activated charcoal. Rooted shoots, following acclimatization in greenhouse, were successfully transferred to soil with 91% survival. Also shoots regenerated in vitro were directly transplanted to soil and acclimatized. Tissue cultured plants were analyzed for oil content by employing gas chromatography and found that the patterns were similar to mother plants. This confirms the true to type nature of micropropagated plants. Key words: Micropropagation, Direct regeneration, Pogostemon cablin, o rganogenesis D.O.I. 10.3329/ptcb.v20i1.5971 Plant Tissue Cult. & Biotech. 20 (1): 81-89, 2010 (June)

PurposeUnlike other project delivery options, a much larger proportion of risks is borne by the private partner in public‐private partnerships, since a large amount of equity is needed to finance the scheme. As a result, it is of paramount importance for the franchisee to analyse the possible project outcomes with due reference to potential risks affecting cash inflow and outflow. The purpose of this paper is to address the shortcomings of deterministic estimations by developing a proposal for a simulation model that aims to unveil the probability distributions of the equity amount and return on equity.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, a simulation model is developed to establish the probability distributions of these two indicators under the influence of risks. A simple case study is also presented to illustrate the concept and application of this model.FindingsThe simulation model can generate the probability distributions related to the net present value of the equity component as well as the rate of return on equity.Practical implicationsThe method proposed in this paper should help the private investors analyse the amount of equity to be injected to the project and its corresponding return rate.Originality/valueBy referring to the probability distribution, an equity investor can establish whether they can recover their investment and gain a desired return rate. Based upon the risk attitude of the investor, decision‐makers can then decide whether the scheme should be pursued or not.

In Hong Kong, getting paid is not always easy and the construction industry stands as an illustration of how much effort may be needed to achieve this and how adverse impacts can escalate from payment problems. At the moment, many jurisdictions have adopted some form of legislation or practical measures to enhance the ease and security of payment in the construction industry. Experience and insights from their operations provide guidance to Hong Kong for its way forward. By studying practices and feedback in other jurisdictions, this paper outlines and reviews the options and alternatives implemented for securing payment in the construction industry in Hong Kong. In addition, it also seeks to appraise their respective practicability for Hong Kong and highlight those areas to be considered if they are to be adopted or adapted for use in the Hong Kong construction industry. The ultimate aim is to provide an objective, balanced and reasoned overview for further study and discussion among stakeholders in the Hong Kong construction industry when moving forward. This is not intended to be an exhaustive review of all means adopted to achieve security of payment but aims to discuss those methods which are more likely to be suitable to be adopted in Hong Kong in the light of the circumstances and environment prevailing there. Furthermore, this study did not investigate the many modes of procurement that are available and which may address the concern of security of payment but focuses on the traditional form of contracts in use in Hong Kong. Public–private partnerships or private finance initiatives which would call for different discussions are not covered.

Aims The paper reviews the development of information and communication technology in briefing and proposes a collaborative briefing framework to extend key stakeholder engagement, aiming to improve the efficiency and reliability of project briefing for megaprojects. Scope Authors introduce an innovative collaborative approach to promote stakeholder involvement by enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of managing a large group of stakeholders, harnessing collaboration technology. Drawing parallels with biological neural networks in humans, a conceptual collaborative briefing framework is proposed to demonstrate how briefing team members can work collaboratively as a virtual organisation through a shared digital workspace. This framework has five core elements: integrated briefing team, collaborative briefing job plan, computer supported cooperative work platform, requirements processing models and facilitation models. Conclusion The proposed framework supplements face-to-face discussion with computer mediated discussion, depending on the type, flexibility and interaction needed for different aspects in briefing. This “hybrid briefing method” would maximise the benefits to costs ratio of expanded stakeholder engagement in project briefing. The framework is expected to promote the accuracy and transparency of ‘requirements identification’ processing, the effective engagement and appropriate integration of more stakeholder inputs and finally, to improve the efficiency and reliability of briefing outputs. Lastly, some framework limitations are discussed, aimed at further development and a computer prototype.

Lawyering is much more than “winning” or “losing” a case. In real-life scenarios, effective lawyering involves the application of legal knowledge and skill in a practical manner, choosing among opposing choices and positions, with a view to achieving or impacting the goals of the client as ultimately pursued. In the case of construction professionals, the practical application of knowledge and skills to find the best solutions to construction problems encountered by their clients is no less important. Construction professionals need to be able to handle the challenges imposed by real-life construction problems, which usually call for solutions by a combined and balanced use of technical knowledge, management skills, and legal principles. Doing this can be complicated. Teaching this does not make it easier. Hence, how best to deliver a course that can bring about interactions among the technical, management, and legal knowledge and considerations in solving the daily workplace problems is a real-life challenge to most construction law educators. Further, recent developments in the construction industry all demonstrate a growing need for construction professionals to apply laws in dealing with construction problems on a daily basis. Experience of legal educators and trainers shows that role-playing helps in injecting realism into group learning in the study of construction project management, a subject that calls for the practical combination and application of technical, management and legal knowledge to common construction industry scenarios.

Sound performance prediction models are essential for maintenance decision making in bridge management systems (BMSs). Markov chain models have been extensively used for performance prediction in BMSs. However, these models have some limitations, for example, being previously based on constant inspection time intervals and/or on the Markov property assumption. Furthermore, these models do not make reference to the region-specific nature of the available condition data that may affect their effectiveness and applicability. This paper identifies some limitations of the Markov performance prediction models used in many state-of-the-art BMSs and proposes a framework that can address these limitations. The developed framework incorporates the semi-Markov approach in addition to the widely used Markov chain modeling. This combined approach is expected to improve the effectiveness and applicability of performance prediction models.

PurposeDelays and cost overruns are evidently frequent problems in the construction industries of many developed and developing countries. The purpose of this paper is to assess factors leading to time overruns (delays) and cost overruns in construction projects in the Gaza Strip. Since there appear to be additional special contributors to delays here, the relative perceptions of contractors, consultants and owners are compared, based on a listing of causal factors derived from previous studies elsewhere, together with other factors arising from special conditions in the Gaza Strip.Design/methodology/approachA survey of a randomly selected samples yielded responses from 66 contractors, 27 consultants, and 31 owners. The survey included 110 delay factors/causes which were grouped into 12 major groups. The same survey also included 42 cost overrun factors. The level of importance of the delays and cost overrun factors were measured and ranked by their importance indexes, according to the perspectives of contractors, consultants, and owners.FindingsThere seems to be a general agreement between contractors, consultants and owners regarding causes of delays and cost overruns. The main four causes of time delays included strikes and border closures, material‐related factors, lack of materials in markets, and delays in materials delivery to the site. Additionally, the main three causes for cost overruns included price fluctuations of construction materials, contractor delays in material and equipment delivery, and inflation.Originality/valueThe outcome of this paper will assist owners, contractors, and consultants in understanding the reasons for delays and cost overruns, thus eliminating or minimizing these causes. This could be achieved by better management of the projects and by finding new methods for storing the critical materials from the beginning of the project. Furthermore, the local government is advised to initiate legislation to overcome problems arising from monopolies in the supply of construction materials.

The crucial problem of construction debris is of increasing concern in Hong Kong. In the construction industry, the electrical and mechanical (E&M) installations in the infrastructure, for example, buildings, tunnels, or dams, are some of the major and usually complex components. Difficulty in coordinating the various trades affects productivity in general, and has a major impact on the quantity of construction debris. By identifying the sources of waste at each stage of E&M engineering work, some of the construction debris can be eliminated at the source during production. This paper investigates the critical production shortcomings in the E&M sector in Hong Kong. The study is based on a survey that includes a preliminary questionnaire survey, brainstorming exercises with a focus group, structured interviews with experienced frontline supervisors, and a second focus group exercise to test findings and proposed measures. The principal findings are that “poor coordination” and “design changes and/or errors...

PurposeGiven increasing user aspirations for comfort, connectivity, health, safety and security, the building services subsector now plays an even greater role in construction. It also contributes heavily to construction debris. Hypothesising that improved materials control can help reduce construction debris considerably, this paper aims to investigate relevant critical production shortcomings that generate construction debris in building services works.Design/methodology/approachRelevant previous research studies on main causes of waste are first reviewed. Findings from a brainstorming exercise at a focus group meeting provide the basis for a series of structured face‐to‐face interviews with experienced site supervisors. Subsequent analysis of the interview findings, together with deductive reasoning, leads to the development of the proposed improvement strategies.FindingsThe most significant causes of production shortcomings identified in the study are poor coordination of processes or trades, inappropriate site storage and inadequate protection of materials. Industrial management principles help to develop suitable building services storage principles and to propose an industrial flow pattern incorporating barcoding and RFID tracking technologies.Research limitations/implicationsThese findings are a useful comparative reference for other countries, where the study methodology may be replicated to generate region‐specific findings.Originality/valueBy applying the suggested proposals at the material control stage, this important but little studied subsector can both reduce production shortcomings and help lessen the burden on local landfills by reducing “conflicts” between competing resources and storage areas, and by the early mobilisation of specialist contractors to resolve uncertainties and reduce rework.

As an economy approaches maturity, the relative importance of the construction sector would gradually decline. Without effective policies and strategies, the construction industry will suffer irreversably and this may trigger a knock‐on effect to the overall economy. The experiences of selected advanced economies are examined, including Australia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and the UK in coping with structural changes in construction. Strategies employed by the government and the construction industry of these advanced economies to reinvent the construction industry were captured through an extensive literature review and a series of interviews with indigenous industry practitioners. In order to revitalize the construction industry, governments would accelerate publicly funded projects; provide financial support to ease the burden of industry stakeholders; and stimulate the market demand. In contrast, the industry would explore various market alternatives while companies would sharpen their competitive...

Payment problems have continually raised grave concerns in construction industries throughout the world. The Chinese construction industry is just recovering, with reported success, from an era of serious payment problems, manifested in high levels of arrears and prolonged payment delays. It has been seen that payment problems can arise from both contractual conflicts and willful delays. The Chinese government began to intervene in these payment issues during the late 1990s, both by legislation and direct administrative input. Given the characteristics of the Chinese construction industry and its special payment problems, the direct administration mode was seen to be effective in reducing existing payment arrears in mainland China. For dealing with future problems, the Chinese government is engaged in formulating a “long-term mechanism.” This mechanism and related processes, of course, must be compatible with the industry characteristics, while their practicability should be ensured. This paper reviews th...