Vocational Training Council
VTC Institutional Repository (Vocational Training Council)Not a member yet
3146 research outputs found
Sort by
A performance outcome framework for appraising construction consultants in the university sector
No full textPurpose: The UK Government construction strategy has a clear objective to maximise potential and value for construction and infrastructure projects. The purpose of this paper was to develop a performance outcome framework for the public-sector university client to identify the criteria for value against which construction consultants’ performance will be appraised for selection and monitoring purposes in outsourcing.
Design/Methodology/Approach: Multiple-case study method was used to examine the performance requirements of construction consultants, using three state universities having similar contexts in terms of organisation objectives and requirements on projects funded by the government.
Findings: Within the public-sector university environment, five performance outcomes are identified: time, cost, quality, innovations and working relationship with the client. These areas form a conceptual framework for measuring the performance of construction consultants.
Research Limitations/Implications: The performance outcome framework developed should be regarded as “conceptual”. University clients may have different organisation objectives and hence requirements for performance outcomes, which may further vary according to specific project situations. The framework should be adapted accordingly.
Practical Implications: University clients and their professional advisors should specify the performance requirements under those five areas in tender documents for selection purposes and subsequently use them as key performance indicators to monitoring the consultant performance. Construction consultants should address these requirements in the tender proposals to add value to the project.
Originality/Value: There is a need to investigate what performance outcomes are required by the public-sector construction client. Based on the results of this research, frameworks and guidelines can be further developed for use by other public sectors, thus benefitting the wider public sector as a whole
Limiting professional trajectories: a dual narrative study in Chinese language education
No full textIntroduction: The globally expanding community of educators involved in the teaching of Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) is being pushed to adapt to diverse educational contexts, engendering tension and dislocation. There has been limited success in efforts to modernise practice in the teaching of Chinese, with subsequent urgent calls for both a fresh approach to innovation, and for a better understanding of the nature of teacher experience in the professional community. This article reports a project which employed self-study to investigate, through analysis of reflective narratives, two career trajectories associated with Chinese as a foreign language.
Results: The analysis of the narratives uncover issues of identity and power, in the shaping of the participants’s practice and professional trajectories. The analysis provides illustration of how limitation in professional participation can result in limitation of innovative practice. The investigation identifies the formation of new independent decentralised professional communities for CFL.
Conclusions: The study offers recommendations to promote innovative practice which can support more effective teaching and learning
The microbiological quality of take-away raw salmon finger sushi sold in Hong Kong
No full textThe safety of ready-to-eat foods is an important issue. Improper storage and handling of ready-to-eat items may lead to foodborne disease outbreaks. In this study, raw salmon finger sushi (nigiri) was selected as a target ready-to-eat food for microbiological surveillance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the microbiological quality of take-away sushi sold in the licensed sushi shops in Hong Kong. Sushi samples were collected from 120 randomly selected licensed sushi shops in the 19 districts in Hong Kong from 1st June to 30th July 2014. They were tested for aerobic colony count (ACC), Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus counts as well as the presence of Salmonella spp. to evaluate their overall hygienic quality. None of the samples was found to contain Salmonella spp. and 1.7% of the collected samples were classified as unsatisfactory for containing more than 100 CFU/g of E. coli indicating the overall hygienic quality of take-away sushi in Hong Kong was good. There was no significant difference between samples purchased from chain stores and those from self-hosted business, suggesting that microbiological quality of take-away sushi was not affected by these two types of business models. Based on the current findings, it was suggested that the government should have more frequent routine inspections and provide food hygiene education to the workers in the sushi shops in Hong Kong so as to minimize the risk of foodborne disease outbreaks
Green roof development in Hong Kong
No full textGreen roof systems are living vegetation installed on roofs that can provide many environmental and social benefits for achieving low-carbon high-performance buildings. They could contribute positively to more liveable cities by providing green spaces, mitigating urban heat island effect, reducing air quality problems, enhancing stormwater management and biodiversity. However, the market for green roofs is still developing in Hong Kong and more information on their technical design, effectiveness and actual benefits are needed. Although green roof technology is relatively straightforward, it is possible for people who are unfamiliar with it to make mistakes. Green roof planning, design, installation and maintenance on new developments and existing buildings must be carefully considered and evaluated to avoid mistakes
Smart airer = 智能晾衫架
No full textAiring under the sunlight is one of the most energy saving and environmentally-friendly approaches in drying clothes. However, rain showers could suddenly occur while no one is at home, causing the clothes out in the air to become soaked. To address this problem, the specially-designed “Smart Airer” could be a good helper. When raindrops are detected by the Airer\u27s moisture sensor, a canopy will be activated to shield the clothing from the rain. Depending on the weather conditions, users can also control the canopy manually or use their smart phones to control it remotely through internet connections. With the help of “Smart Airer”, users can ease when going out and need not worry about sudden weather changes that could affect their clothes
Conceptualising integrative exchanges: Marginalisation, music and identity of African migrants in Hong Kong
No full textHong Kong, an immigrant society in Asia, has long attracted migrants from different countries. However, Africans have lived as invisible minorities in Hong Kong. They fall into the ‘others’ category of the Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong government. Invisibility is one form of marginalisation. Africans are often the subjects of suspicion, which generates misunderstandings between Hong Kong Chinese and Africans in their everyday life interactions. This paper examines the ways in which Africans negotiate spaces of inclusion and exclusion in Hong Kong by focusing on the role of African music, and more specifically playing African drum, as a means of socio-cultural integration. It delves into the issues of integration, identity construction and cultural maintenance of Africans in this multicultural society. Based on in-depth interviews and participant observation with a group of African migrants in Hong Kong, this paper examines how they negotiate an identity and articulate “Africanness” by performing African drum music at various places in the context of marginalisation and exclusion as it exists in Hong Kong. This research proposes integrative exchanges as an analytical concept which reveals migrant’s agency that creates an appropriate space for meaningful contact with majority population and which offers an appropriate context for new forms of relationship to emerge. It highlights the qualities of African drum music as a bridging activity that facilitates cultural exchange and integration. This paper argues that African migrants’ roles are not only cultural ambassadors, but also active change agents in the field of identity politics