Examining the role of transformational leadership of portfolio managers in project performance

Research into the role of transformational leadership in project based organisations has generally focused on project managers or senior managers and less so on portfolio managers who oversee multiple projects to achieve business objectives. This study examines the impact of transformational leadership behaviour of portfolio managers on project performance directly and indirectly through other intervening variables such as climate for innovation and innovation championing. Using a questionnaire survey, data were obtained from 112 project managers in a UK project based organisation. Transformational leadership behaviour of portfolio managers was found to have a positive and significant relationship with project performance. Innovation championing and climate for innovation both partially mediated the relationship between transformational leadership and project performance. The study confirms the importance of portfolio managers in enhancing project performance and identifies the need for project based organisations to cultivate transformational leadership behaviour among them for enhanced performance. It also highlights the need for further exploration of the role of portfolio managers in improving project performance.     

SymbolChat: A flexible picture-based communication platform for users with intellectual disabilities

Persons with intellectual disabilities benefit from participating in the modern information society, especially the World Wide Web, social media and Internet-mediated communication services. Although several computer-based prototypes and commercial systems have been introduced for accessible in-person communication, currently few applications and services exist to support synchronous remote communication for this user group. We introduce SymbolChat, a software platform that supports the creation of multimodal communication applications utilizing picture-based instant messaging. End users and their support personnel can customize the input and output features of the application based on their individual needs and abilities. The interaction is based on touchscreen input and speech output using speech synthesis technology. The SymbolChat platform was developed together with the prospective end users and practitioners in the field of special needs care.We evaluated the prototype application in a field study with nine users with varying degrees of intellectual and other disabilities. The results clearly indicate that the participants were able to express themselves in spontaneous communication using a large-scale picture-based vocabulary (around 2000 symbols) even without prior training in the use of symbols. This finding was supported in the constructive feedback gathered from professionals working in the area. We also successfully applied methodology from other settings, such as child-computer interaction to evaluate interaction in this challenging context.Overall, the results show that social inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities can be improved with customizable communication tools. The implemented communication platform forms a solid basis for further improvements and new communication services. In addition, we found that users with motor impairments would greatly benefit from alternative input and output methods for symbol browsing and selection.     

Capillary electrophoresis time-of-flight mass spectrometry for comparative metabolomics of transgenic versus conventional maize

In this work, capillary electrophoresis time-of-flight mass spectrometry (CE-TOF-MS) is proposed to identify and quantify the main metabolites in three lines of genetically modified (GM) maize and their corresponding nontransgenic parental lines grown under identical conditions. The shotgun-like approach for metabolomics developed in this work includes optimization of metabolite extraction from GM and non-GM maize, separation by CE, online electrospray-TOF-MS analysis, and data evaluation. A large number of extraction procedures and background electrolytes are tested in order to obtain a highly reproducible and informative metabolomic profile. Thus, using this approach, significant differences were systematically observed between the detected amounts of some metabolites in conventional varieties (Aristis, Tietar, and PR33P66 maize) compared with their corresponding transgenic lines (Aristis Bt, Tietar Bt, and PR33P66 Bt maize). Results point to some of these metabolites as possible biomarkers of transgenic Bt maize, although a larger number of samples needs to be analyzed in order to validate this point. It is concluded that metabolomics procedures based on CE-TOF-MS can open new perspectives in the study of transgenic organisms in order to corroborate (or not) their substantial equivalence with their conventional counterparts.     

Can we get from liking to buying? Behavioral differences in hedonic and utilitarian Facebook usage

Companies’ Facebook pages have emerged as a commonly used marketing channel and their importance as a sales channel is likely to increase. Details about consumers’ underlying motivations to use these pages need to be linked to their effect on the host company’s business. This study distinguishes between consumers’ hedonic and utilitarian motivations for using company-hosted Facebook pages and relates them to two types of community usage behavior: browsing and participation. The effects on variables closely linked to business performance are examined. Analysis of data collected from 1162 members of a travel agency’s Facebook page reveals that hedonic motivations indicate a higher propensity to participate in the community whereas utilitarian motivations relate more strongly to merely browsing the community page. The participating members, however, do not show intentions to buy from the host company or refer it to others, while the browsers do. For practitioners, the finding that hedonic community participants are needed to maintain the community, but that they are unlikely to profit the company, is crucial.     

Modelling the spatial distribution of a threatened butterfly: Impacts of scale and statistical technique

This paper compares the performance of five modelling methods in the prediction of a species distribution, using a data set describing the distribution of the threatened clouded apollo butterfly (Parnassius mnemosyne) in south-west Finland. The five statistical techniques included were: generalized linear models (GLM), generalized additive models (GAM), classification tree analysis (CTA), neural networks (ANN) and multiple adaptive regression splines (MARS). The accuracy of the models was examined at three spatial resolutions (1, 25 and 100 ha) by area under the curve (AUC) and kappa statistics. All five modelling techniques had a relatively high discrimination capacity for the occurrence of clouded apollo. Classification tree analysis provided the least robust model performance. The differences between the other methods were small, although GAM and MARS provided marginally the best stability and performance. The most accurate models were developed for the resolutions of 1 ha (highest AUC values) and 25 ha (highest kappa values) and the least accurate models for the resolution of 100 ha. Our work shows that modern modelling techniques can provide useful forecasts of species distributions in unsurveyed parts of landscapes and provide valuable contributions to conservation and management planning. However, the success of applying the new modelling tools can be influenced by the choice of statistical technique and especially of spatial resolution. In conclusion, small changes in the spatial scale may result in a clear decrease in the model performance and thus caution should be exercised when implementing the models and their predictions in practice.     

Dynamics of control in construction project teams

Control is pervasive in construction project environments. The management of projects through various planning and control tools has therefore been described essentially as rebureaucratization which increases control over individuals, teams and organizations through ideologies of efficiency and performativity. Yet certain characteristics of the project setting make it an ideal climate for the empowerment of individuals and teams. The manifestations of control in five construction project management teams involved in two ongoing construction projects in Hong Kong are examined. The interpretive and exploratory focus of the study favoured the use of a qualitative research design and the case study approach in particular. Control is viewed as all devices and systems employed to ensure that acts, behaviours, outcomes and decisions of individuals, teams and organizations are consistent with meeting organizational or project goals, objectives and strategies. The findings indicate that a portfolio of control modes is implemented in project teams comprising both formal (i.e. behaviour‐ and outcome‐based) and informal (i.e. clan‐ and self‐based) control mechanisms which are not necessarily incompatible. While formal control remains the primary control mode, a portfolio of control appears necessary to augment the inadequacies of formal control due to the evolving nature of the project environment.     

Oxidation products of free polyunsaturated fatty acids in wheat varieties

Oxygenated fatty acids (oxylipins) are secondary metabolites of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Here, we present a novel high‐performance liquid chromatograpic separation on a reversed‐phase column (RP‐HPLC) coupled with electrospray ionization‐tandem mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS/MS) for the determination of various (per)oxidation products of linoleic (cis,cis‐9,12‐octadecadienoic) acid in eight different varieties (four spring and four winter varieties) of wheat (Triticum aestivum). The procedure includes extraction of oxylipins, chromatograpic separation using a linear gradient of aqueous formic acid and acetonitrile, with subsequent identification of compounds by MS/MS. Among the identified oxylipins, leukotoxin (LTX)‐diol and its isomer (iso‐LTX‐diol) are known as potentially toxic substances. The obtained data was used further for comparison of different wheat varieties by principal component analysis (PCA). From the results of PCA, differences can be observed in the patterns of wheat varieties.     

Impact of Quality Control Practices in Sandcrete Blocks Production

Sandcrete blocks are widely used in Ghana as walling units. The quality of blocks produced, however, differs from each manufacturer due to the different methods employed in the production and the properties of the constituent materials. This paper focuses on the impact of quality control practices by suppliers on the quality of blocks produced in the Kumasi (6°54′N?1°35′E) metropolis. Sandcrete blocks were taken from suppliers and tested for compressive strength, bulk density, water absorption, and dimension tolerances. Fine aggregate samples were also taken from the suppliers and tested for grading, silt, and organic matter content. The study confirmed that mix ratio, quality, and mixing of the constituent materials affected the quality of sandcrete blocks. Visual inspection rather than laboratory testing was adopted as the means of ascertaining the quality by a few of the staff of contractors who had no formal training in quality control. Mix ratios used ranged from as lean as 1:8 to as weak as 1:19 (cement:sand). Blocks produced were also found to be unsuitable for use as load bearing walls.     

Fire safety assessment of wooden facades

The fire behaviour of wooden facades in multi‐storey houses has been studied in a Nordic research project on the fire safety of timber framed buildings. Two different fire scenarios were considered: a relatively small ignition source outside the building and a post‐flashover compartment fire. The scenarios correspond to potential fire situations in sprinklered and unsprinklered houses, respectively. Fire tests of wooden facades with different cladding materials, surface treatments and structures were performed on intermediate and large scales. In the case of an external fire, the most efficient way to prevent the propagation of flames to the upper storeys of the facade is the structural modification of the facade profile, i.e. cantilevers and oriels. Particular care should be taken so that the protrusion is of sufficient depth and width and that its front and lower surfaces are non‐combustible. Using fire retardant treatment, the flame spread can be considerably delayed or even halted. Acceptance criteria for the facades of sprinklered and unsprinklered multi‐storey buildings are suggested based on the test series. Similar principles can be applied when defining criteria for various test arrangements and fire scenarios. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.