57 research outputs found
Flash Flood Assessment for Wadi Mousa City-Jordan
No full textThis paper aims to assess risks due to potential Flash Floods hazards in Wadi Mousa and to determine the magnitude of flows for flash flood hazards and construct Floodplain Zone maps for the selected flood return periods of 25, 50, 75 and 100 years. Wadi Mousa is considered an ephemeral wadi with intermittent flash flood of flows that can exceed the 298 m3/s threshold. Its floods, however, do not flow every year. Nevertheless, at certain years the extent of flood can be huge. The surface drainage may be broadly divided into sub-catchments according to drainage namely; Wadi Als-Sader, Wadi Jelwakh with Wadi Khaleel, Wadi Al-Maghir. Wadi Zarraba is the confluence of the three sub- catchments. The study covers an area of 53.3 km2 and comprises a high semi -arid infrequent flash floods generated by heavy rainstorm over the catchment and flows to Wadi Araba. Average annual rainfall of Wadi Mousa was calculated of 178 mm, and average annual evapotranspiration is 1300 mm per year. The runoff analysis indicates that only rainfall events exceeding 22 mm within the 24 hour period would generate runoff
State of Disaster Risk Reduction at the Local Level: A report on the Patterns of Disaster Risk Reduction Actions at Local Level
No full textThe Impact of the Local Political and Socio-Economic Condition to the Capacity of the Local Governments in the Maintenance of Post-Disaster Road Infrastructure Reconstruction Assets
No full textThe post-tsunami reconstruction in Aceh, Indonesia, resulted in more than 3600km of road section reconstructed. The ownerships of the reconstructed road assets were transferred back to the Local Governments for the operational and maintenance needs.
Hence, the responsibility to maintain most of the road sections are now held by the Local Governments. This paper examines the impacts of the local political and socio-economic condition to the capacity of the Local Governments in the maintenance of postdisaster road reconstruction assets in Aceh, Indonesia. Twenty-eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with
representatives of road infrastructure stakeholders at the local, provincial and national level. The analysis reveals the main political and socio-economic factors affecting the capacity of the Local Governments in road maintenance
Knowledge management and organisational performance: a literature review
No full textAlthough knowledge management is considered as a very recent phenomenon,
research in to knowledge and the management of the knowledge within the business context
has grown dramatically over the last few years, in a number of different directions. As a result,
a great deal about, what knowledge is and the ways in which knowledge is managed, have been
addressed by many authors. However, despite the growing body of theory, there are relatively
few knowledge management texts that make an explicit connection between knowledge and
performance. Knowledge is not always utilised and that utilised knowledge does not always
result in improved performance. Thereby measurement of performance is of utmost importance
for an organisation to ensure the successful implementation of knowledge management
exercise. This paper is aimed at reviewing literature on both knowledge management and
organisational performance. Based on the review it was underlined knowledge management as
a strategy which leads to performances. The paper highlighted the extreme importance of
looking into the performance measures which can be deployed in knowledge organisations and
recommends further research to be carried out on this regard
Structured approach to measure performance in construction research and development: performance measurement system development
No full textPurpose of this paper: This study explore Performance Measurement applications within construction research and development (R\&D) to develop a structured approach to measure the performance of collaborative construction R\&D projects during its lifecycle from initiation, conceptualising, development and launch stages and at the project management. Design/methodology/approach: During the exploratory phase of the study, semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire survey were carried out to develop the performance measurement system (PMS). During the explanatory phase, the developed PMS was refined with a series of semi-structured interviews. The data was gathered from principal investigators, researchers and industrial partners involved in collaborative construction R\&D work. Findings: Main finding is the developed PMS to measure the performance of construction R\&D that consists of critical success factors, performance indicators and performance measures during the lifecycle of a R\&D project. Practical implications: The PMS developed through the study provides critical success factors, performance indicators and measures that need to be considered during the construction R\&D projects to measure the performance. Thus, through the implementation of the PMS, this study contributes to practice by assisting the performance improvement within construction R\&D projects. What is original / value of paper?: The developed PMS to measure the performance of construction R\&D project will provide value for those who are engaged in R\&D work (Principle investigators, researcher and industrial partners) to ensure the success of their projects
Key knowledge management variables for facilities management organisational effectiveness
No full textAlthough knowledge management concept has grown noticeably during last few
years, management of facilities knowledge has been little studies. Facilities
knowledge is of crucial importance for organisational effectiveness and makes a
proactive contribution to business to achieve competitive advantage. The research
addresses the importance of managing facilities knowledge and to reveal the key
knowledge variables by examining the current practice and gaps in application of
knowledge management techniques in facilities management context. The intellectual
capital framework is introduced as a conceptual model with which facilities users can
identify and organise facilities knowledge in a purposeful way
Integrating research and teaching in higher education: Conceptual issues
No full textIntegrating new knowledge created through research with teaching has become an
important area that needs prompt attention with the growing emphasis on student
learning activities, quality assurance procedures and research funding mechanisms
within the UK higher education system. The link between research and teaching is not
automatic. Thus, it needs to be created in higher education departments in order to
achieve a productive relationship and manage research activities of university staff
with teaching duties. The research study, on which this paper is based on, aims to
develop principles in relation to transferring research knowledge into teaching
through a literature review and case studies. The paper reports conceptual issues
related to such a transfer process based on the literature findings
The impact of training and development towards women's career in construction: research methodological perspective
No full textThe UK construction industry has a particularly low participation rate of women, both for those employed in the industry and for those engaged in training. The statistical analyses reveal that women are earning greater numbers professional degrees and entering the labour force; however, these women are not reaching the top corporate management tiers. It has been identified that lack of training has helped to prevent entry of women into the management ranks in many organizations, and to keep women at the lower levels within management. In this context, it is vital to consider the impact of proper training and development (T\&D) towards the women?s career progression in the construction industry. Accordingly, this paper highlights the aspects which will be addressed when designing a feasible research methodology for the study under consideration. The paper illustrates; how the philosophical issues directed the use of case studies as the suitable research approach. Paper will be concluded with a discussion on the importance of case study design in gaining the maximum outcome from the research is also discussed
Capacity gaps in post disaster construction & demolition waste management
No full textPurpose
– The purpose of this paper is to focus on the identification of the existing capacities of post disaster C & D waste management in developing countries, with a special emphasis on Sri Lanka to determine the capacity gaps and related influencing factors.
Design/methodology/approach
– Multiple case studies and expert interviews were conducted to gather primary information on the existing capacities of disaster C & D waste management. Three case studies, including 15 individuals and six experts representing government, non-government institutions and others, were selected.
Findings
– The results revealed the existing capacities, capacity gaps and influencing factors for post disaster C & D waste management in the areas of skills and confidence building, links and collaborations, continuity and sustainability, research and development, communication and coordination, organisational implementation and investment in infrastructure.
Research limitations/implications
– This study limited disaster C & D waste to debris generated from totally or partially damaged buildings and infrastructure as a direct impact of natural disasters or from demolished buildings and infrastructure at rehabilitation or at early recovery stages.
Originality/value
– The research enabled an analysis of existing capacities and identified capacity gaps in post disaster C & D waste management with influencing factors developing countries
Measuring performance and the impact of research and development in the construction industry: Research methodological perspectives
No full textResearch and innovation in construction industry have a significant role to play
in performance improvement while providing benefits to the industry as well as to its
stakeholders. However, it has been identified that the nature of Research and Development
(R&D) work has become complex. Due to the rising cost, time and other resource constraints,
much attention is paid on the successfulness of R&D and the managers are under pressure to
monitor and improve the performance. In this context, the use of performance measurement
(PM) systems benefits R&D organisations by evaluating the successfulness of related
activities. Accordingly, this paper highlights the aspects which will be covered when
designing a feasible research methodology for the study under consideration. The paper
illustrates how the philosophical issues directed the use of case studies as the suitable research
approach. The importance of case study design in gaining the maximum outcome from the
research is also discussed
- …
