Reconceptualization of absorptive capacity as potential and realized absorptive capacity for project-based organizations

Absorptive capacity is vital for project-based organizations to respond to complex, uncertain and rapid changes in a project environment. This study reconceptualizes absorptive capacity as potential and realized absorptive capacity in the context of project-based organizations. Further, drawing on social exchange theory, this study also examines the moderated-mediation role of social processes on the influence of potential absorptive capacity on project performance through realized absorptive capacity. Data was collected from 376 executives working in project-based organizations in Indian projects and was analysed using stepwise regression and substantiated using necessary conditions analysis. The findings indicate that the firms with stronger social processes leverage potential absorptive capacity to improve project performance through realized absorptive capacity. These insights will help project managers to formulate strategies that improves social processes that can enhance the project performance and become more resilient.     

The moderating effect of human resource management practices on the relationship between knowledge absorptive capacity and project performance in project-oriented companies

In response to recent calls for research on human resource management (HRM) in project management, this research investigates the links between HRM practices, the project team's knowledge absorptive capacity (ACAP) and project performance in project-oriented companies (POCs). Based on survey data from 198 projects in multinational companies (MNCs) in the Thai automotive industry, this research finds that HRM practices moderate the effects of a project team's knowledge ACAP on project performance, in particular of potential ACAP on long-run project performance. In addition, HRM practices covary with a project team's realized ACAP, the other dimension of ACAP, to affect short-run project performance. This research sheds light on the different roles that HRM practices play in a project, finding that HRM practices not only facilitate knowledge management from the current project to future projects but also strengthen the relationship between a project team's knowledge ACAP and long-term project performance. This research contributes to the understanding of HRM in the literature of project management.     

Innovation and regional absorptive capacity: the labour market dimension

In 2003, Eurostat published an ‘experimental’ dataset on regional innovation levels derived from the Second Community Innovation Survey. This dataset, part of the European Innovation Scoreboard, also contains a range of regional labour market indicators. In this paper, we report an exploratory analysis of this data, focussing on how the labour market characteristics of regions shape regions’ absorptive capacity (RACAP) and their ability to assimilate knowledge from public and externally conducted R&D. In particular, we aim to establish whether labour market aspects of RACAP are more important for innovation in prosperous or lagging regions of the European Union (EU).

Project complexity and team-level absorptive capacity as drivers of project management performance

Many believe that project complexity reduces project management performance. However, so far research has failed to establish this causal relationship conclusively. We extend research on project complexity by introducing the concept of team-level absorptive capacity and by studying its role as mediator between project complexity and project management success. Applying structural equation modelling to a sample of 285 respondents, we find an unequivocal, direct and positive statistical association between project complexity and delays and overspending. Further, we show that team-level absorptive capacity is critical for successful project management, but also that absorptive capacity can only partially offset the harmful impact of project complexity. Beyond adding to project management theory, the paper contributes to the wider management literature. We establish complexity as an antecedent of absorptive capacity and demonstrate how each dimension of absorptive capacity has unique determinants and outcomes.     

Micro‐evidence on the determinants of innovation in the Netherlands: The relative importance of absorptive capacity and agglomeration externalities

Although the benefits of clustering for innovation have received much attention in the theoretical as well as empirical literature, analyses at the regional level often disregard the characteristics of local firms. We tackle both at the same time: agglomeration externalities (Marshall, Porter, Jacobs) from census microdata, and firm data from the Community Innovation Survey. Importantly, we allow for sectoral heterogeneity of agglomeration forces. We find that the firm characteristics, including those that proxy for ‘absorptive capacity’, have a much stronger relationship with the propensity to innovate than regular agglomeration externalities. The latter are only statistically significant for a few specific sectors, and even then only for some types of innovation. Sorting of innovation‐prone firms into specific locations might therefore be much more important to explain spatial patterns of innovation than agglomeration externalities.     

建筑业创新网络:吸收能力视角

研究建筑业创新网络有助于提高建筑业创新能力、技术和管理创新水平,增强企业核心竞争力。基于吸收能力影响利益相关者网络位置和关系强度的假设,以吸收能力对创新绩效影响的反馈结果为基准,说明吸收能力如何作用于网络机制。在此框架下,对建筑业创新网络机制的关键问题进行介绍,提出未来研究的建议。研究表明,吸收能力在促进创新网络知识转移和共享方面影响显著,对网络机制起调节作用。     

Does absorptive capacity determine collaboration returns to innovation? A geographical dimension

This paper aims to estimate the impact of collaboration in innovation activities with partners in different geographical areas on innovative performance. By using the Spanish Technological Innovation Panel, this study provides evidence that the benefits of collaboration differ across different dimensions of the geography. We find that the impact of extra-European cooperation on innovation performance is larger than that of national and European cooperation, indicating that firms tend to benefit more from interaction with international collaborators as a way to access new technologies or specialized and novel knowledge that they are unable to find locally. We also find evidence of the positive role played by absorptive capacity, concluding that it implies a higher premium on the innovation returns to cooperation in the international case and mainly in the European one.     

Potential acidifying capacity of deposition experiences from regions with high NH4+ and dry deposition in China

Acid rain may cause soil acidification possibly leading to indirect forest damage. Assessment of acidification potential of atmospheric deposition is problematic where dry and occult deposition is significant. Furthermore, uncertainty is enhanced where a substantial part of the potential acidity is represented by deposition of ammonium (NH(4)(+)) since the degree of assimilation and nitrification is not readily available. Estimates of dry deposition based on deposition velocity are highly uncertain and the models need to be verified or calibrated by field measurements of total deposition. Total deposition may be monitored under the forest canopy. The main problem with this approach is the unknown influence of internal bio-cycling. Moreover, bio-cycling may neutralize much of the acidity by leaching of mainly K(+). When the water percolates down into the rooting zone this K(+) is assimilated again and acidity is regenerated. Most monitoring stations only measure deposition. Lacking measurements of output flux of both NH(4)(+) and NO(3)(-) from the soil one cannot assess current net N transformation rates. Assumptions regarding the fate of ammonium in the soil have strong influence on the estimated acid load. Assuming that all the NH(4)(+) is nitrified may lead to an overestimation of the acidifying potential. In parts of the world where dry deposition and ammonium are important special consideration of these factors must be made when assessing the acidification potential of total atmospheric loading. In China dry and occult deposition is considerable and often greater than wet deposition. Furthermore, the main part of the deposited N is in its reduced state (NH(4)(+)). The IMPACTS project has monitored the water chemistry as it moves through watersheds at 5 sites in China. This paper dwells at two important findings in this study. 1) Potassium leached from the canopy by acid rain is assimilated again upon entering the mineral soil. 2) Nitrification apparently mainly takes place in forest floor (H- and O-) horizon as NH(4)(+) that escapes this horizon is efficiently assimilated in the A-horizon. This suggests that the potential acidification capacity of the deposition may be found in the throughfall and forest floor solution by treating K(+) and NH(4)(+), respectively, as acid cations in a base neutralization capacity (BNC) calculation.     

Putting academic ideas into practice: technological progress and the absorptive capacity of construction organizations

This paper focuses on how knowledge is produced by academics and on mechanisms for and constraints upon absorbing new ideas within the construction sector. It draws upon two bodies of work: Cohen and Levinthal's concept of ‘absorptive capacity’ and Gibbons and coworkers' ‘new production of knowledge’. Much of Steven Groák's work was concerned with technology transfer and how ideas generated during research could be put into practice. He developed the concept of ‘practitioner-researcher’ to illustrate the ways in which many built environment professionals approach their work. The paper suggests that a few construction firms have the capabilities to absorb and act directly upon the results of academic research in the UK. These firms are likely to employ a critical mass of professionally qualified practitioners and they usually compete for work in technically demanding and often specialist areas. They probably have a track record of collaboration with university researchers, and are likely to have their own internal technical support infrastructure which assists in learning between projects. However, the majority of construction organizations learn of new ideas through a range of different published media and by participating in complex sets of interactions in a wide range of networks. The role of professional institutions is important, acting as repositories of knowledge. But these institutions may also constrain development when they adhere to outmoded notions of narrowly defined discipline-based activities. Governments can play a part in putting ideas into practice as catalysts in bringing academic research and industrial practitioner communities together through sponsorship of collaborative research projects. The paper concludes that construction organizations could improve their absorptive capacity by developing better feedback and life-long learning mechanisms, education and training.     

考虑孔道及核心面积影响的混凝土局部受压承载力试验研究

为了深入考察预留孔道、间接钢筋内表面范围内混凝土核心面积和局部受压面积比等关键参数对局部受压承载力的影响,完成了12个素混凝土试件、9个配置网片式间接钢筋的混凝土试件和9个配置螺旋式间接钢筋的混凝土试件的轴心局部受压承载力试验。获得了间接钢筋的应变分布、楔形体特征及破坏形态等试验资料。试验结果表明:预留孔道的存在将使混凝土局部受压承载力提高系数降低,其降低幅度随孔道直径的增大而增大;当网片式间接钢筋的种类、直径、根数、网片间距不变或螺旋式间接钢筋的种类、直径及螺旋间距不变时,局部受压承载力随混凝土核心面积的增加而线性提高。建立了基于试验结果的考虑预留孔道直径和核心面积大小影响的混凝土局部受压承载力计算公式,可供相关设计标准修订时参考。     

Adsorption isotherms: illusive capacity and role of oxygen

This paper examines the influence of molecular oxygen on the adsorptive capacity of GAC. A new experimental procedure for determining adsorption isotherms is introduced. This procedure, denoted as “anaerobic”, differs from the currently used techniques, denoted as “aerobic”, in that oxygen is repeatedly purged from the test environment. The results show that the capacity of GAC for the retention of o-cresol can increase up to 3-fold in the presence of oxygen when compared to the anaerobic capacity. The same trend is observed for the adsorption of phenol and 3-ethylphenol. It is shown that this increase in capacity cannot be attributed to biological degradation of these adsorbates in the presence of oxygen. It is speculated that this phenomenon is due to some chemical reactions between the adsorbates and molecular oxygen that are catalyzed by the activated carbon surface and occur at a different time scale than physical adsorption. Initial portions of breakthrough curves for o-cresol are very accurately predicted using capacities depicted by the anaerobic isotherm, while the total GAC adsorptive capacity for o-cresol, as determined from breakthrough experiments, appears to agree closely with the capacity predicted from the aerobic isotherm.     

砖砌体房屋三水准抗震能力判别方法

震前对现有砖砌体房屋抗震能力的判别是对该类房屋采取有效抗震减灾措施的重要依据,对减少该类房屋在地震中的破坏有着重要的实用价值。在我国现有《建筑抗震鉴定标准》(GB 50023—2009)给出的砖砌体房屋抗震能力指数法的框架下,引入抗震能力系数法,实现与抗震设计规范相对应的砖砌体房屋基于烈度的三水准抗震能力判别方法;将其与地震动参数联系起来,给出地震动参数-破坏状态的对应关系,实现砖砌体房屋基于地震动参数的三水准抗震能力判别方法;对汶川地震中发生震害的一栋砖砌体房屋进行抗震能力判别,与实际震害相比较,吻合得很好,并对其进行了三水准抗震能力的判别,表明该房屋满足抗震设防烈度为VII度时小震不坏、中震可修、大震不倒的抗震设防要求,验证了方法是可行和有效的,对同时进行不同设防水准下房屋抗震能力的判别是实用的。     

某工程扩底灌注桩单桩承载力试验结果分析

结合某工程的三次爆扩灌注桩基承载力原位试验结果,进行了针对性的数据分析,给出了既满足规范又适合该工程特点的最终承载力,并指出该工程中爆扩灌注桩的承载力确定具有一定的现实意义。     

坝上地区预钻孔沉桩桩基承载力异常原因分析

坝上地区某工程采用预钻孔锤击沉桩工艺进行预制桩施工,原体试验发现桩基承载力偏低.经分析,对于短桩,因土体上覆压力较小,极限状态时桩土应力相对较小,不推荐采用统一的土层侧摩阻力,应考虑土层应力状态和埋深的影响,采用美标推荐的理论模型计算桩基承载力理论值.通过对比沉桩锤击数和静载试验成果,发现取土预钻孔影响土层侧摩阻力的发...     

Absorptive,innovative and adaptive capabilities and their impact on project and project portfolio performance

This study explores how absorptive, innovative and adaptive capabilities within early project phases affect project and portfolio performances in pharmaceutical and biotechnology R&D organizations. A sequential qualitative–quantitative mixed method was used with 18 interviews and 80 responses to an online survey. The results show effects of absorptive, innovative and adaptive capabilities on short- and long-term project performance and portfolio performance. Absorptive and adaptive capabilities are the primary contributors to the performance outcome, whereas innovative capabilities are a minor contributor. Managerial and theoretical implications are discussed.     

Bearing capacity of geocell reinforcement in embankment engineering

Soil reinforcement using geocells has been utilized in many areas of geotechnical engineering. In this paper, a model and a simple bearing capacity calculation method for the geocell-supported embankment on the soft subgrade were proposed based on the study of the reinforcement functions of a geocell layer in a road embankment. The model and calculation procedures considered both the “vertical stress dispersion effect” and “membrane effect” of geocell reinforcement. They were verified by a laboratory experiment and compared with Koerner's method. The results indicated that the calculated results obtained from the present method were much closer to the experimental results than those from Koerner's method when the foundation settlement is large. The study also indicated that the installation of the geocell onto the crushed stone cushion significantly increased the bearing capacity of the soft subgrade.     

关系管理对PPP 项目绩效的影响研究

基于文献研究与实际调研,构建了关系管理通过合作能力与关系质量影响PPP项目绩效的多元中介模型。通过问卷调查,运用结构方程模型和Bootstrap再抽样技术对回收的312份有效问卷进行假设验证和中介效应显著性检验。结果发现,关系管理对PPP项目绩效存在显著的直接和间接正向影响;合作能力和关系质量在关系管理与PPP项目绩效的关系中分别起部分中介作用;关系管理对PPP项目绩效的直接与间接作用大小、合作能力与关系质量的中介作用大小在统计上均无显著性差异。     

Parametric analysis and design equation of ultimate capacity for unstiffened overlapped CHS K-joints

A finite element model simulating an experiment on unstiffened, overlapped circular hollow structure (CHS) K-joints was generated and validated by comparing the ultimate capacities, deformation processes and failure modes of the experimental results. Using this model, the stress distribution, propagation of plasticity and the failure modes of overlapped joints with through-brace-in-compression and welded hidden seams were analyzed. The effect of geometric parameters, with or without hidden welds, and the loading hierarchy reversal of braces on the ultimate capacity of the joints were also studied. The results of finite element parametric analysis indicate that the brace-to-chord thickness ratio has relatively large effects on the failure mechanism and ultimate capacity of overlapped joints. It was also found that the absence of hidden welds has less significance on the ultimate capacity of through-brace-in-compression joints than through-brace-in tension joints. Finally, based on the design equation of gap joints, a formula predicting the ultimate capacity of overlapped CHS K-joints was derived by applying multivariate regression analysis. Results from the proposed design equation are consistent with experimental results. __________ Translated from Journal of Building Structures, 2006, 27(4): 30–36 [译自: 建筑结构学报]     

A master plan for low carbon and resilient housing: The 35 ha area in Hashtgerd New Town, Iran

With 60% of the population younger than 26 years, a need of about 1.5 million residential units per year for the next 5 years and the necessity of mitigating its rapidly growing GHG emissions together with adapting cities to the expected drastic effects of climate change, Iran’s urban agglomerations are facing tremendous challenges now and in the future. The paper presents interim findings of the German–Iranian research initiative “Young Cities” (2005–2013) that investigates approaches for these immense challenges. The project aims at developing energy-efficient and resilient housing in a real-life pilot project, the 35 ha area in Hashtgerd New Town in the Tehran province. The article explores the framing conditions and the master plan of this pilot and identifies four key planning strategies. Besides applying climate-sensitive urban form, the project stresses the need to develop culturally adapted building typologies for reduced heating and cooling, an efficient public transport in a mixed and dense urban structure and integrated water and energy systems on the neighborhood level. Simulations of these planning approaches have proven a significant reduction of energy- and resource consumption and the capacity of the design to adapt to (a potentially changing) environment. These promising strategies for energy-efficiency and resilience were transferred into a legally binding comprehensive plan commissioned in October 2010, though the major challenge in the second phase of the project (2011–2013) will be making these innovations a built reality.