The strategic management of architectural practice

The paper develops a model for the strategic management of architectural practice with the aim of better understanding how practices compete with each other for work around a tripartite definition of quality. It assesses the ways in which architectural practices are distinctive as knowledge-based organizations, before assessing some of the characteristics of their industrial context. Drawing on the work of Maister and Porter, it then develops a model of generic strategies for architectural practice which, it is suggested, can form the basis for further research and consultancy. Finally, some comments are made suggesting why architectural practices are relucant to think in strategic terms.     

Integration of Public and Private Networks

As the designs of private automatic branch exchanges (PABX's) evolve towards "electronic offices" and incorporate aspects of the integrated services digital network (ISDN), public exchanges are themselves taking on functions that were often only found in private networks. It is therefore pertinent to question the status of the PABX as a node of the ISDN rather than as a mere customer terminal. With the present designs of PABX's, public exchanges, and the signaling systems employed, it is not possible to provide PABX extensions with all the facilities on the public network which are available to directly connected main-exchange subscribers, although facilities available over private networks continue to proliferate. This paper considers aspects of signaling via both public and private networks to ensure that there need be no restriction on the facilities offered.     

The Influence of Experience and Information Search Styles on Project Risk Identification Performance

The management of risks in projects is a growing area of concern. Both the identification and analysis phases of the risk management process are considered the most important, for they can have a big effect on the precision of the risk assessment exercise. Currently, it is assumed that project managers rely largely on experience to identify project risks. These decisions, influenced by individual perception and attitudes, are made primarily under conditions of uncertainty. Understanding how individuals respond to uncertain situations, therefore, requires an understanding of how individuals intuitively assess the situation they perceive, before expressing a response. The Project Risk Identification (Pro-RIde) project interviewed 51 project managers using active information search (AIS) as a data collection method and cognitive mapping as a data-capturing tool. Our results suggest that the role of experience in the risk identification process is much less significant than it is commonly assumed to be. By contrast, information search style, level of education and risk management training do play a significant role in risk identification performance. These findings suggest the potential for a more thorough approach to risk identification     

Institutional reform in British construction: partnering and private finance

The British construction industry is presently going through a period of rapid change. A combination of government-led reform initiatives, changes in government procurement strategies, and increasing exposure to international competition is focusing minds and shifting positions. This paper provides an analysis of the institutional aspects of these changes, identifying the root of the problems that the reforms are tackling, and indicating what the prospects of success might be. The paper starts with a historical overview of the evolution of what is here called the professional system, which has dominated the British industry for 150 years. This provides the context for the exploration of the two principal forces for change in the industry - the reform of contractual relations, especially the diffusion of partnering, and the shift of government procurement towards concession contracting in the shape of the Private Finance Initiative. In conclusion, the prospects for success are discussed, noting that the British construction industry is relatively successful in international markets, but that it shares many traditional problems of other sectors of British industry - the predominance of personal capitalism has meant a failure to develop organizational capabilities - the most notable symptom being the continuing reliance on self-organizing gangs of workers for actual production. Le secteur de la construction britannique traverse actuellement une periode de mutation rapide. Des initiatives de reforme lancees par le gouvernement, une evolution de la strategie des approvisionnements gouvernementaux et une plus grande sensibilite a la concurrence internationale occupent les esprits et font bouger les positions. La presente communication analyse les aspects institutionnels de ces changements, localise les racines des problemes auxquels s'attaquent les reformes et indique quelles sont les chances de reussite. Ce document commence par une revue historique de l'evolution de ce que l'on appelle au Royaume-Uni le 'systeme professionnel' qui domine l'industrie britannique depuis 150 ans. On dispose ainsi des elements qui permettent d'explorer les deaux principaux axes du changement qui agissent dans l'industrie britannique de la construction, a savoir la reforme des relations contractuelles (notamment la diffusion du partenariat) et le passage des approvisionnements gouvernementaux a des contrats de concession sous forme d'initiatives financieres privees. En conclusion, l'auteur examine les chance de reussite et note que l'industrie de la construction du Royaume-Uni obtient d'assez bons resultats sur les marches internationaux mais qu'elle partage bon nombre des problemes traditionnels d'autres secteurs industriels de ce pays. La predominance du capitalisme personnel a empeche le developpement des capacites d'organisation, le symptome le plus remarquable etant le fait que l'on continue a s'appuyer sur des groupes auto-organises de travailleurs pour la production proprement dite.     

Prevalence and epidemiology of Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobium infection in two areas of Egypt recently reclaimed from the desert

Projects are being carried out in many regions of Egypt to reclaim land from the desert for agriculture. This paper presents findings from a baseline epidemiologic study conducted in 1992 in two newly reclaimed areas near Ismailia, Egypt. In the first area, just east of the Suez Canal, 40.0% of the residents tested positive for Schistosoma mansoni and 1.7% tested positive for S. haematobium, while in the second area, 15 km southwest of Ismailia, 49.3% tested positive for S. mansoni and 3.3% tested positive for S. haematobium. The intensities of S. mansoni infection were moderately high, with a geometric mean egg count of 76 eggs/gram of feces among positive individuals in the first area, and 100 eggs/gram of feces in the second area. When compared with a previous study conducted in 1985, the prevalence of S. mansoni infection in the first area has increased from 21.7% to 42.1% among settlers in the last seven years, while that of S. haematobium has decreased from 7.8% to 1.7%. These trends may result from changes in irrigation practices or other alterations in the local environment. There is a risk of schistosomiasis becoming a major public health problem in reclaimed areas if adequate control measures are not taken.     

Governing the project process: a conceptual framework

There has been considerable development in a process approach in construction management research in recent years. However, such work begs the question of how those processes are governed. Processes, be they flows of information or materials, need to be channelled in the desired direction as they are handed from team to team. This paper aims to present a conceptual framework for understanding the governance of construction project processes, drawing on transaction cost economics. Earlier attempts to apply this theoretical framework in construction management research have been partial, in that they have focused on only one type of transaction, typically that between client and principal contractor. This paper aims to be comprehensive in covering all the different transactions throughout the project lifecycle within one conceptual framework, and thereby it is hoped that more incisive empirical research can be developed and executed.     

X-ray imaging using a consumer-grade digital camera

The recent advancements in consumer-grade digital camera technology and the introduction of high-resolution, high sensitivity CsBr:Eu²⁺ storage phosphor imaging plates make possible a new cost-effective technique for X-ray imaging. The imaging plate is bathed with red stimulating light by high-intensity light-emitting diodes, and the photostimulated image is captured with a digital single-lens reflex (SLR) camera. A blue band-pass optical filter blocks the stimulating red light but transmits the blue photostimulated luminescence. Using a Canon D5 Mk II camera and an f1.4 wide-angle lens, the optical image of a 240×180 mm² Konica CsBr:Eu²⁺ imaging plate from a position 230 mm in front of the camera lens can be focussed so as to laterally fill the 35×23.3 mm² camera sensor, and recorded in 2808×1872 pixel elements, corresponding to an equivalent pixel size on the plate of 88 μm. The analogue-to-digital conversion from the camera electronics is 13 bits, but the dynamic range of the imaging system as a whole is limited in practice by noise to about 2.5 orders of magnitude. The modulation transfer function falls to 0.2 at a spatial frequency of 2.2 line pairs/mm. The limiting factor of the spatial resolution is light scattering in the plate rather than the camera optics. The limiting factors for signal-to-noise ratio are shot noise in the light, and dark noise in the CMOS sensor. Good quality images of high-contrast objects can be recorded with doses of approximately 1 mGy. The CsBr:Eu²⁺ plate has approximately three times the readout sensitivity of a similar BaFBr:Eu²⁺ plate.     

Exploratory study of the adoption of manufacturing technology innovations in the USA and the UK

Manufacturing technologies, appropriately implemented, provide competitive advantage to manufacturers. The use of manufacturing technologies across countries is difficult to compare. One such comparison has been provided in the literature with a study of US and Japanese practices in advanced manufacturing technology use using a common questionnaire. The present study compares the use of 17 different technologies in similar industries in the USA ( n = 1025) and UK ( n = 166) using a common questionnaire. Largely, there are remarkable similarities between the two countries. This may partly correlate with the heavy traffic in foreign direct investment between the two nations. Notable differences are (1) across-the-board, US manufacturers are ahead of the UK firms in computerized integration with units inside and outside manufacturing organizations; (2) US manufacturers show higher labour productivity, which is consistent with macro-economic data, and (3) more UK manufacturers report the use of soft technologies such as just-in-time, total quality manufacturing and manufacturing cells. Hypotheses for future investigation are proposed.