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Energy saving potential of green roofs in university buildings
No full textGreen roofs are living vegetation installed on roofs and can provide many environmental, economic and social benefits to the community. In recent years, green roofs have rapidly become a key green development tool and design features in many urban cities in the world and have been widely applied in academic institutions. This research aims to assess the energy saving potential of green roofs in university buildings and investigate the practical issues for the implementation. A field study was conducted to examine the buildings at the University of Hong Kong and evaluate the major factors and issues for green roof application. Building energy models were set up on EnergyPlus simulation software to analyze the thermal performance and energy saving potential of the green roofs. Usually, integrating green roofs into new buildings has less problems to handle. However, as existing buildings constitute a major portion of the building stock in the university campus, it is essential to develop green roofs for retrofit projects to achieve a larger impact. It is found that buildings with a higher air-conditioning demand and poor thermal insulation can benefit more from green roof in energy and economic aspects. Most energy savings come from cooling demand reduction in summer. The energy saving potential is affected by the building function, green roof type, leaf area density, plant height, irrigation rate and maintenance
Desire for experiential travel, avoidance of rituality and social esteem: An empirical study of consumer response to tourism innovation
No full textThis study investigates tourist consumption responses toward tourism innovation. To measure tourist responses, this study posits three key consumption drivers, namely social esteem, desire for experiential travel, and avoidance against rituality of tourism settings (a subscale of need for uniqueness) and models consumers’ affective response within the context of tourism innovation. It involves 295 respondents in an empirical survey. The findings affirm the three drivers toward tourist consumption behavior. Avoidance of rituality reflects tourist preference toward tourism product and service innovation. Desire for experiential travel and the pursuit of social esteem signify tourism management and marketing innovation. Social esteem, need for status and creative choice have significant influence on tourists’ affective responses. Acquiring unique tourist products, desire for experiential travel and seeking social esteem are important motivations for tourist consumption. The implications of the study enrich the existing literature of consumer behavior and tourist consumption in response to tourism innovation
Analysis of the construction waste management performance in HongKong: the public and private sectors compared using big data
No full textThere is an ongoing debate concerning the disparity between the public and private sectors in relation to construction waste management (CWM) performance: some argue that CWM performance between the two sectors should have no difference since they are under the governance of the same set of CWM related regulations, while others argue that public sector clients should perform better as they are subject to greater social scrutiny. Previous studies comparing CWM performance have suffered from insufficient quality data, leaving the debate on the CWM performance disparity largely inconclusive. Informed by the Coase Invariant Theorem, this research empirically compares CWM performance between public and private projects. It does so by using big data in the form of 2 million waste disposal records generated from around 5700 projects undertaken in Hong Kong during 2011 and 2012. It is found that there is a notable CWM performance disparity between the public and private sectors, with contractors performing better in managing both inert and non-inert waste in public projects than they do in private projects. Furthermore, the interviews and case studies conducted as part of the research suggest that CWM transaction costs are not high enough to incentivize contractors to manage waste conscientiously and therefore other institutional arrangements, such as promoting the value of environment protection leadership, are critical for achieving superior CWM performance. The research therefore supports the corollary of Coase Invariant Theorem, which asserts that certain forms of institutions would improve CWM performance by reducing transaction cost even though both sectors are subject to the same set of CWM-related formal public policies
Target information asymmetry and acquisition price
No full textThis study investigates the effects of target information asymmetry in a takeover transaction. We find that a target with more information asymmetry receives a larger bid premium from the acquirer. We examine the response of the acquirer\u27s investors to the bid to clarify whether the larger bid premium is an overpayment by the acquirer. We observe that the acquirer\u27s investors respond more positively to the acquisition of an opaque target, indicating that the market recognizes the acquirer\u27s valuation of the opaque target and agrees with the offer price. Our results indicate that corporate takeovers help to resolve asymmetric information in the capital market
Vocational Education and Training (VET) of Quantity Surveying in Hong Kong
Get PDFVocational education and training (VET) in Hong Kong has long been regarded as non-mainstream and second-tier education for students who failed in academic education (Lim, 2008, 2010). The government of HKSAR and some non-government organizations are offering education programmes for these students in concerning with social injustice. In Hong Kong, VET has acquired a stigma and is automatically seen as second-class education. (Lim, 2008). This assertion is tested on quantity surveying education in this study. Quantity surveying education originated as part time day-release programmes which allowed students to receive academic and practical training at the same time. It was then developed into full time sandwich or part-time degrees which are provided by mainstream universities. University education emphasizes more on the training of mind and all-rounded knowledge and general surveying programmes are popular. In Hong Kong, quantity surveying programmes are provided by local universities as general surveying degrees and also by Vocational Training Council (VTC), through its branch, the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE), as higher diploma programme which focuses on quantity surveying and building surveying. VTC, being the largest vocational education and training provider in Hong Kong, is also the largest VET provider on quantity surveying in Hong Kong. The curriculum design, pedagogy, professional accreditation, articulation and career path of the higher diploma programme are studied to examine the effectiveness of the VET of quantity surveying in Hong Kong. These will be summarized as the overall VET strategies on quantity surveying, which can provide significant references for professional bodies and industry stakeholders, to set the level of recognition on VET graduates
From “waste” to “valued”: water-proof and dust-proof paint = 由「廢」變「寶」：防水防塵油漆
No full textIn marble slab factories, sawing process creates a tremendous amount of waste marble powder. The marble powder is composed of toxic chemicals, such as micron/submicron CaCO3 and CaSiO3 that could easily be inhaled by humans and cause severe lung diseases. Having undergone a chemical reaction, waste marble powder can transform into a special type of paint called Super-hydrophobic Paint with self-cleaning property. The paint is water and dust proof. These specially-designed paint products can be used in outdoor applications, on glass windows for example and other indoor surface materials. During a shower, the paint can cause raindrops to run off from the surfaces under the lotus effect, and at the same time, dirty particles can also be removed by the rain. Such applications can significantly reduce the demand for surface cleaning as well as the deterioration in appearance
A model of teaching statistical computing
No full textThe underlying philosophy of statistical software primarily aims to empower data analysts to concentrate on statistical thinking and leave the computational burden to computers. Teaching how to program statistical software, however, is over-emphasized by some lecturers and students may not develop the skills needed to be competent at justifying and/or interpreting statistical results. For this reason, this article aims to address this issue by developing a model of teaching statistical software to strengthen secondary and tertiary students’ capacity to understand statistical processes and conduct statistical investigations. The model consists of six major steps: examining data characteristics, selecting statistical tools, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of statistical software, checking the accuracy of statistical output, interpreting statistical output and presenting statistical results
Technology education in Hong Kong: trends, challenges and potentials
Get PDFWhile education promotes technological changes, it also responds to technological changes. Technology education, with the concept of applying technology to solve problems and satisfy needs and wants, aims to develop individuals’ knowledge, skills, attitudes and values in order to maximizing their adaptability and flexibility for future employment. As a field of study, technology education was internationally recognized in the 1980s, but the history of teaching craft-based and skill-oriented subjects in secondary schools in Hong Kong began in the 1920s. Students at that time were simply needed to acquire basic technical skills and gain practical experience to prepare for earning a living. Not until the mid-1970s was the higher order design element integrated into the curriculum of the local technology education to provide students with opportunities to practise problem-solving skills. Now, technology education is a part of general education in Hong Kong. In alignment with the global education trend, by combining science, technology, engineering and mathematics education, STEM education is currently being highly promoted in local schools. Besides, sustainability is a global issue of immense importance. Hong Kong, like many other cities in the world, has implemented various strategic measures to achieve sustainability. Theoretical perspectives on sustainable development under three topics, namely value position, nature of the proposed responses and structure of the proposed responses to this issue, as suggested in the literature, revealed that technology education can effectively contribute to education for sustainable development (ESD). A coherent and cross-curricular approach across all STEM subjects can be adopted in local secondary schools for ESD. This paper reviews the trends and challenges of technology education and STEM education in Hong Kong, discusses overseas experiences on integrating ESD through technology education into the school curricula, and describes case studies in the context of STEM education for introducing green design and green products as recommended in the literature to be beneficial to the future ESD
Game-based learning in building services engineering vocational and professional education
Get PDFThe application of digital games and gamification mechanics to non-gaming contexts have emerged as one of the prime subject interest in different sectors, such as education, marketing, health, technology design, etc. in recent years. Game-Based Learning approach in higher education has drawn teaching academics increased attention. Many believe that the game play approach could offer many benefits including, socialization, engagement, and problem solving to the millennial students. In engineering education at undergraduate level, new methodologies and tools are being developed using game dynamics to present scientific evidence in many different engineering disciplines, e.g. mechanical engineering, civil engineering, manufacturing etc. In this paper, a literature review relevant to gamification and game-based learning approach in higher education for engineering is conducted. A discussion on some of the examples regarding engineering education is given. Game techniques, gamification practices applying to building services engineering training are critically evaluated