Kemal Yıldırım, Elif Güneş and Gülcan Pervan Yilmaz
The purpose of this paper is to determine the effects of environmental factors in open-plan offices with the same characteristics but with different workstation partition heights…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine the effects of environmental factors in open-plan offices with the same characteristics but with different workstation partition heights (1.10, 1.40 and 1.65 m) on perceptual evaluations of office employees.
Design/methodology/approach
In this research, the effects of environmental factors on employees’ perceptual evaluations in open-plan offices at the Gölbaşı Region of Ankara were measured with a detailed questionnaire. The research data were obtained from 81 employees who agreed to fill out the questionnaire and who use open-plan offices.
Findings
It was found that the office environments with 1.65 m workstation partition heights were more favorably assessed for each of the items of planning and of privacy that form the dependent variables compared to the office environments with 1.10 and 1.40 m partition heights. On the other hand, the office environments with the 1.10 and 1.40 m partition heights were more favorable for lighting items than the 1.65 m partition height office environments. In addition, young employees had a more positive tendency toward the perceptions of environmental factors, including different workstation partition heights in open-plan offices, compared to older employees.
Research limitations/implications
Results of this research provide a fundamental contribution for the impact of various partition heights that have substantial implications on the perceptions of open-plan office environments. At this point, as open-plan offices have important effects on the quality of employees’ work experiences, the influence of various partition heights on the performance of employees should be emphasized in future studies. The diversity of performance (reading comprehension, calculation, design, drawing, etc.) will be an important decision.
Originality/value
The significant contribution of this research is that it provides valid data and makes a valuable contribution to the body of knowledge in open-plan office design.
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Kemal Yildirim, Aysen Ozkan, Elif Gunes and Ahmet Mestan
The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of window proximity on perceptions of employees in the call center offices.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of window proximity on perceptions of employees in the call center offices.
Design/methodology/approach
A semantic differential scale composed of nine bipolar adjectives, four of which dealt with “planning,” three of “privacy,” while the rest measured “lighting” was applied for evaluation. In total, 92 employees at the TEPE Call Center in the Bilkent District, Ankara, Turkey participated in the research.
Findings
The results showed that window proximity directly affected the call center employees’ perceptions. In addition, a positive approach was even less affected when the location of the workstation was more at the inner part of the workspace. On the contrary, workstations in front of the window were evaluated more positively, presumably because the employees were happy at feeling roomy and by giving them a higher level of privacy, while also minimizing distractions and interruptions. It was also found that call center employees with secondary education responded more positively than higher educated employees.
Research limitations/implications
This study was limited to examining the effects of window proximity in a call center on employees’ perceptions of an open-plan office. The study supports the results of planning, privacy and lighting, as well as the study on physical environmental factors, such as design, ambient and social, which are thought to be realized in the future.
Originality/value
This study presents suggestions that would be useful for increasing the working and solution-focused perceptual performance values in call center environments from the new generation of work areas. They should be appropriate for the psychological and physical needs of employees in twenty-first-century communication environments, especially in spatial environments and for the suitability of the technological equipment used.
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Ozan Koseoglu and Elif Tugce Nurtan-Gunes
Building information modeling (BIM) and lean construction are two practices that are developed in order to increase productivity, efficiency and quality in construction by…
Abstract
Purpose
Building information modeling (BIM) and lean construction are two practices that are developed in order to increase productivity, efficiency and quality in construction by implementing various procedures. However, the practical execution of both BIM and lean is mostly limited with the tasks performed in the office environments in the design phase. The purpose of this paper is to examine the benefit realizations in terms of lean interactions resulting from mobile BIM processes through a framework by focusing on digital transformations performed on the construction site.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper examines the benefit realizations in terms of lean interactions resulting from mobile BIM processes through a framework by focusing on digital transformations performed on the construction site. To describe the case, BIM project management processes during construction phase have been explained by a participatory research. With a comprehensive literature review, interactions between site BIM processes and lean principles have been defined and the case has been evaluated accordingly.
Findings
By focusing on the mobile BIM delivery of project information via tablets to construction site, it has been identified that through the use of technology enabled by BIM practices, lean construction principles are also simultaneously accomplished. This achievement is not only realized with technology but also with the strategic implementation and transformation of organization with the proper BIM practices.
Research limitations/implications
The research is focused on mobile BIM processes applied on-site to enhance traditional project management processes. With the findings of this paper, practitioners may identify research questions to resolve real-life implementation challenges.
Practical implications
This research will enlighten construction practitioners regarding site BIM application capabilities and lean achievements with the utilization of improved project management processes enabled by BIM.
Originality/value
Through the implementation of project management processes enabled by BIM practices on construction site, lean principles are achieved and bottlenecks are identified.
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Elif BAK ATEŞ and Gül ERKOL BAYRAM
This chapter aims to highlight practices that ensure a livable climate and support the creation of a greener and more sustainable environment for community-based tourism in the…
Abstract
This chapter aims to highlight practices that ensure a livable climate and support the creation of a greener and more sustainable environment for community-based tourism in the case of Turkey. Green tourism needs to be improved and enhanced integrally from the perspective of tourism stakeholders, including tour operators, travel agencies, hotels, guests, and the host community. Turkey is the first country in the world to apply the green tourism certification system. It is a system very similar to the safe certificate system applied in tourism facilities. In Turkey, 4–5 star hotels are obliged to switch to this system. Community-based tourism is an alternative tourism approach that meets the needs and wishes of the host people, provides a more sustainable economy compared to other economic activities, and does not harm local culture and traditions. Global climate change and tourism are in a relationship with each other, and this relationship is even more evident for nature-based tourism types. Climate, natural environment, and personal security are seen as three main factors in the selection of a tourism center, and it is predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that global climate change will have significant effects on these factors at the regional level. The United Nations World Tourism Organization accepts that the tourism industry should develop its potential to adapt to global warming, considering that the tourism industry is an economic sector that is open to the direct and indirect effects of climate change and is dependent on climate.