Development of the construction industry in Egypt

Through the position it holds in the nation's economy, the Egyptian construction industry has an important effect on the country's social and economic growth and development. In the past, the industry's problems stemmed from a lack of resources and technological expertise, but more recently it is the management and administration of those problems that have assumed greater prominence. The paper describes briefly the formal construction industry in Egypt and highlights the factors that currently constrain its effective operation. A call is made for better management and greater stability so that both the capacity and the efficiency of the industry can be improved.     

Scale effect on the behavior of geocell-reinforced soil

Existing studies confirmed that the response of geocell-reinforced beds is directly affected by contributory factors, including soil's grains, geocell's characteristics, and surface loading geometries. In this paper, a series of plate load tests has been carried out for the further understanding of the behaviour of geocell-reinforced soil. Four different soil grains sizes, two different geocell's opening sizes and three different loading plate sizes were the considered variables. During the tests, the applied loading and soil surface settlements were recorded to evaluate the systems' response. As it was expected, the geocell-reinforced soil exhibited higher bearing capacity than the unreinforced status, up to 524%. The results further focused on the important role of scale effect on the response of reinforced foundations. The optimum nominal cells size of geocells was obtained about 15 times of medium grain size of soil. Also, it was found that in order to obtain the highest reinforcement benefits, the footing's width should be in the range 13–27 (20 in average) times of medium grain size of the backfill. Finally, to provide more stable and reliable geocell-reinforced backfill, it is recommended that the cells size of geocells should be selected smaller than 0.67 times of footing width.     

A methodology to determine the elastic properties of anisotropic rocks from a single uniaxial compression test

This paper introduces a new methodology to measure the elastic constants of transversely isotropic rocks from a single uniaxial compression test. We first give the mathematical proof that a uniaxial compression test provides only four independent strain equations. As a result, the exact determination of all five independent elastic constants from only one test is not possible. An approximate determination of the Young's moduli and the Poisson's ratios is however practical and efficient when adding the Saint–Venant relation as the fifth equation. Explicit formulae are then developed to calculate both secant and tangent definitions of the five elastic constants from a minimum of four strain measurements. The results of this new methodology applied on three granitic samples demonstrate a significant stress-induced nonlinear behavior, where the tangent moduli increase by a factor of three to four when the rock is loaded up to 20 MPa. The static elastic constants obtained from the uniaxial compression test are also found to be significantly smaller than the dynamic ones obtained from the ultrasonic measurements.     

Determining relative block structure rating for rock erodibility evaluation in the case of non-orthogonal joint sets

The most commonly used method for assessing the hydraulic erodibility of rock is Annandale's method.This method is based on a correlation between the erosive force of flowing water and the capacity of rock resistance. This capacity is evaluated using Kirsten's index, which was initially developed to evaluate the excavatability of earth materials. For rocky material, this index is determined according to certain geomechanical factors related to intact rock and rock mass, such as compressive strength of intact rock, rock block size, discontinuity shear strength and relative block structure. To quantify the relative block structure, Kirsten(1982) developed a mathematical expression that accounts for the shape and orientation of the blocks relative to the direction of flow. Kirsten's initial concept for assessing the relative block structure considers that the geological formation is mainly fractured by two joint sets forming an orthogonally fractured system. An adjusted concept is proposed to determine the relative block structure when the fractured system is non-orthogonal where the angle between the planes of the two joint sets is greater or less than 90°. An analysis of the proposed relative block structure rating shows that considering a non-orthogonally fractured system has a significant effect on Kirsten's index and, as a consequence, on the assessment of the hydraulic erodibility of rock.     

Influencing factors of horizontal leaders' role identity in projects: A sequential mixed method approach

Horizontal leadership is temporary and often short-term compared with vertical leadership. Therefore, the role identity of horizontal leaders' is more difficult to be legitimated. In this study, we investigated how different factors interact and work in concert to influence horizontal leaders' role identity (hereafter, HLs' role identity). A sequential mixed method approach was chosen to conduct this research. Twenty-four interviews were analysed, and we identified eleven influencing factors associated with HLs' role identity. Subsequently, a sample of 150 questionnaires was analysed by using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to ascertain the collective effect of different influencing factors on HLs' strong and weak role identities. The results showed that high job complexity, intrinsic rewards, self-efficacy and personal expectations were the necessary conditions for HLs' strong role identity. The lack of expectations of other team members was the only necessary condition that resulted in HLs' weak role identity. Based on the 13 configurations of HLs' strong and weak role identities that were obtained from this research, we formed an HLs' role identity model. It was found that the expectations of other project team members together with empowerment by project managers are the most common and effective ways to establish HLs' strong role identity. Through a comparison, experienced and less experienced team members take different paths towards a strong or weak role identity. The theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.     

Program integration in multi-project change programs: agency in integration practice

Multi-project change programs pursue challenging goals and may suffer from uncertainty and conflicting interests. To achieve their goals, such programs need integration both with the parent organization and between projects. There is a need for knowledge on how program actors implement integration. This study pursues new knowledge on program actors' agency in program integration in the context of multi-project change programs. Two case programs in different contexts were explored, to map their integration mechanisms and program actors' integration activities during the program lifecycle. The results reveal five integration tasks, the program-specific use of integration mechanisms, differences in the integration approach between the two programs, and the parent organization's input at the program front end in defining the program's requisite autonomy. The organization's maturity in project-based organizing, the program and project managers' competence, and the autonomy enabled at the program front end are shown to define the programs' integration practice.     

A configurational explanation for performance management systems' design in project-based organizations

This paper investigates what configurations of organization-level contingencies explain different performance management system (PMS) designs in project-based organizations (PBOs). By studying organization-level contingency factors – perceived environmental uncertainty, organizational size, innovation strategy, and opportunity strategy – this paper extends prior literature on PMSs in PBOs, which predominantly focused on project and portfolio level contingencies. In addition, while prior literature studied the contingency factors separately, this paper argues that it is the configuration of contingencies that matter for PMS design choices. Data on 15 PBOs in the management consulting industry reveal that PBOs combine various controls into performance management systems that are either predominantly mechanistic or organic in nature. Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) points to four configurations of organization-level characteristics, two of which are associated with the PBO's choice for mechanistic performance management system, and two that are related to organic performance management system.     

Hong Kong's roads: clearing the chaos

In March 1983 the Hong Kong government announced its intention to introduce the world's first electronic road pricing system (ERPS) to regulate the use of the territory's roads by private vehicles. The ERPS represents an intensification of the government's private vehicle restraint policy begun the previous year.     

Analysis of the risk-sharing ratio in PPP projects based on government minimum revenue guarantees

Public-private partnership (PPP) projects have been widely applied in infrastructure construction. A suitable risk distribution strategy is crucial for promoting negotiations between the government and investors. The government usually provides guarantees to investors to distribute risk. However, an excessive guarantee increases the government's financial burden, whereas an insufficient guarantee reduces the confidence of the investors participating in the project. In a minimum revenue guarantee (MRG), the government subsidizes the investors the difference between the actual revenue and the government guarantee line if there is a loss. In PPP power plant and highway projects, investors' revenues come from two sources: government guarantees and the project company's self-sale. To support project companies and to optimize the projects' benefits, the government should set a reasonable benchmark for purchase amounts. Based on the traditional principal-agent model, this paper introduces the reciprocal preference theory to analyze the risk-sharing ratio most suitable for the government. Then, an optimal incentive mechanism is established to guarantee the project's income. The results indicate that by setting a different guarantee strategy for different participants, the government can utilize reciprocal preference to incentivize investors to exert more effort during a partnership and avoid moral hazard.     

Lisbon

The city of Lisbon, located on the western periphery of Europe, is relatively unstudied by students of urban development and planning. This is surprising in view of the city's remarkable history, the enormous contemporary problems associated with growth and change and, in an uncertain future, the danger that Lisbon may become one of Europe's most socially deprived and disorganized cities. Lisbon's development can, without too much oversimplification, be divided into three main periods of growth: pre-19th century; 19th and early 20th century; and post-1950.     

Reflections on Rodney Turner's impact and the future of the field: An interview with Aaron Shenhar,Jeffrey Pinto and Graham Winch

In this interview with Aaron Shenhar, Jeffrey Pinto and Graham Winch, we probe the influence of Rodney's work on the field as it is, in terms of how it is developing now, and how it will develop into the future. Based on three questions asked by the interviewer Martina Huemann we get insights about 1) What these three leading scholars consider to be Rodney Turner's major contributions 2) How their work intersects with or has been influenced by Rodney's, and finally, 3) Which important issues and trends they see for the future of the field?     

Modeling project criticality in IT project portfolios

Today's IT project portfolios (ITPP) contain many projects and varied interdependencies. Depending on a project's criticality to the ITPP, a failure can have massive consequences. However, existing methods usually only assess overall project portfolio risk and do not account for the criticality of single projects and their dependencies. Applying Bayesian network modeling to ITPPs, we bridge this gap and extend the current body of knowledge for the information systems and project management literatures. Our new method analyzes single projects' criticality in a portfolio context by considering both transitive dependencies and different dependency types in an integrated way. Since we demonstrate that single projects' criticality can vary substantially, being aware of which projects are critical is a key success factor for ITPP management. For practitioners, our method provides a straightforward procedure to enhance ITPP risk management.     

Instability, fracture acceleration and wave amplification

Cook’s concept, which connects instability in a form of a jump (dynamic event instability, with softening), is discussed. A review of recent extensions of the concept is presented. It is outlined that for static problems, not explicitly involving time, stable bifurcation may occur instead of a dynamic event. For problems involving a time factor, Cook’s concept is extended both to slow and rapid processes. It is revealed that the influence of softening on slow processes, such as creep, appears as either instability or stable fracture acceleration. The influence of softening on rapid processes (involving inertia) can manifest itself as wave amplification. The latter transforms into instability under the conditions discussed. A brief conclusion summarizes the exposition.     

Energy efficiencies of heat pumps in residential buildings

Using the state-of-the-art computer program, DOE 2.1A, the hourly and resulting seasonal coefficients of performance of four residential heat pumps were simulated for a typical house in one city in each of the four major climate zones in the U.S. For purposes of comparison a conventional gas furnace and air conditioner system were also analyzed. This study shows that heat pump systems could be developed with seasonal thermodynamic efficiencies of over 200% in resource energy. In addition, sizing the heat pumps according to a building's thermal integrity and operating conditions maximizes seasonal efficiencies.     

Cross-functional integration for managing customer information flows in a project-based firm

The delivery of integrated solutions calls for effective integration across the functional interfaces of the project-based firm (PBF) throughout the solution's life cycle. We scrutinize cross-functional integration in a triadic setting involving the PBF's sales, project operations, and services functions by focusing on the flow of customer information (information from and about customers) across three functional interfaces. Drawing on a qualitative case study, we develop a categorization consisting of four distinct types of integration mechanisms: meetings, IT systems, personal involvement, and processes and rules. Our results show that in the focal PBF, customer information flows are strongest in the sales–project operations interface and weakest in the sales–services interface. Furthermore, sales and services functions were found to rely predominantly on personal involvement mechanisms in transferring customer information. Our results highlight the need to integrate and manage customer information flows, especially between the sales–services interface, when delivering integrated solutions.     

Environmental and food contamination with PCB's in Japan

In Japan “Yusho”, i.e., poisoning caused by ingestion of rice oil contaminated with PCB's, broke out in October 1968, and produced more than 1200 officially certified cases. Nevertheless, it was only regarded as a kind of food poisoning and its connection with environmental and biological contamination was only imperfectly taken into consideration.Finally, in the autumn of 1970, two study groups, from the Ehime University and the Kyoto City Hygienic Institute, reported on the PCB contamination of salt water and fresh water fishes in Japan. Subsequently many reports about PCB's as an environmental contaminant have been published by several study groups throughout Japan, and nowadays the PCB polluted state of Japan has become rather clearly recognized.This report will present information on environmental, food and human contamination with PCB's in Japan especially also in some typically contaminated local areas, in addition to summarizing some overall aspects of the PCB problem in Japan (e.g., the production, shipment and use of PCB's).     

Energy savings and peak power reduction through the utilization of natural ventilation

This paper is concerned with the factors involved in utilizing natural ventilation to the maximum extent possible in order to reduce the need for air conditioning and mechanical ventilation. It is noted that predicting a building's cyclic response is a difficult procedure, but that simple methods such as the Admittance Procedure have been developed. Thermal comfort studies have indicated the acceptability of the larger daily temperature variations associated with natural ventilation. The characteristics of possible new control systems are discussed. Characteristics and data on non-structural external solar products are listed.     

Three common faults in current practice that influence the validity of data obtained from electronic air pollution instrumentation

Instrumental development is now entering a more logical era, where the former artistic character of electronics is being replaced by cold technology. Because of this, one should expect more reliability; however, there still exist many weak links in practical application. Digital readout systems and computer processing induce a false sense of security. In reality, it is the sample-measurement relationship that determines an instrument's credibility and not the number of digits on its meter. In describing three faulty practices that greatly influence an instrument's performance, it is hoped that measurement may be more closely related to the sample!