Search results
1 – 10 of 18Murat Gunduz, Khalid Naji and Omar Maki
This paper aims to present the development of a holistic campus facility management (CFM) performance assessment framework that incorporates a fuzzy logic approach and integrates…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present the development of a holistic campus facility management (CFM) performance assessment framework that incorporates a fuzzy logic approach and integrates a comprehensive set of key factors for successful management of campus facilities. The devised framework aims to cater to the needs of campus facilities management firms and departments for the purpose of gauging and assessing their performance across different management domains. Through this approach, facility management organizations can detect potential areas of enhancement and adopt preemptive steps to evade issues, foster progress and ensure success.
Design/methodology/approach
After a comprehensive analysis of the literature, conducting in-depth interviews with industry experts and employing the Delphi technique in two rounds, a total of 45 indicators critical to CFM success were identified and subsequently sorted into seven distinct groups. Through an online questionnaire, 402 subject-matter experts proficiently assessed the significance of the critical success indicators and their groups. A fuzzy logic framework was developed to evaluate and quantify a firm's compliance with the critical success indicators and groups of indicators. The framework was subsequently weighted using computations of the relative importance index (RII) based on the responses received from the questionnaire participants. The initial section of the framework involved a comprehensive analysis of the firm's performance vis-à-vis the indicators, while the latter part sought to evaluate the impact of the indicators groups on the overall firm's performance.
Findings
The utilization of fuzzy logic has uncovered the significant effects each effective CFM key indicator on indicators groups, as well as the distinct effects of each CFM indicators group on the overall performance of CFM. The results reveal that financial management, communications management, sustainability and environment management and workforce management are the most impactful indicators groups on the CFM performance. This suggests that it is imperative for management to allocate increased attention to these specific areas.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the advancement of current knowledge by revealing vital indicators of effective CFM and utilizing them to construct a thorough fuzzy logic framework that can assist in evaluating the effectiveness of CFM firms worldwide. This has the potential to provide crucial assistance to facility management organizations, facility managers and policymakers in their quest for informed decision-making.
Details
Keywords
Khalid Naji, Murat Gunduz and Fatema Salat
The construction sector has a global reach, and construction professionals worldwide often encounter challenges in delivering a project on time and within the assigned budget…
Abstract
Purpose
The construction sector has a global reach, and construction professionals worldwide often encounter challenges in delivering a project on time and within the assigned budget. Hence, this paper aims to investigate the preproject factors that most affect the performance of construction projects.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review was conducted to identify these factors from previous research, after which a questionnaire was developed and distributed to construction industry professionals worldwide. The response data were collected and analyzed using several methods, including Cronbach’s alpha, Relative Importance Index (RII), Kruskal–Wallis test, and Spearman’s and Pearson correlations.
Findings
The results highlight four categories of significance, namely design, stakeholder, engineering, and procurement, with 31 factors being assigned to these categories. The relationships between each factor based on the categories established in the survey are then presented. With the help of data analysis, focusing on these significant preproject factors will help management teams to evaluate and improve the preconstruction process to achieve a higher project success rate.
Originality/value
This study differs from other studies in the literature by gathering all relevant preconstruction success factors by an extensive literature review. Finally, highly ranked factors are studied in detail for a better understanding of the impact of preconstruction factors on project performance. This study is supported by powerful tests such as Kruskal–Wallis test and Spearman’s correlation to study the perception of different groups on preconstruction factors. Furthermore, the data analysis will help in identifying and avoiding the failure part of the previous projects and will improve the planning and/or forecasting of the new projects.
Details
Keywords
Ahmad Mohammad Ahmad, Sergio Rodriguez Trejo, Mian Atif Hafeez, Nashwan Dawood, Mohamad Kassem and Khalid Kamal Naji
Energy analysis (EA) within a building information modelling (BIM) enables consistent data integration in central repositories and eases information exchange, reducing rework…
Abstract
Purpose
Energy analysis (EA) within a building information modelling (BIM) enables consistent data integration in central repositories and eases information exchange, reducing rework. However, data loss during information exchange from different BIM uses or disciplines is frequent. Therefore, a holistic approach for different BIM uses enables a coherent life cycle information flow. The life cycle information flow drives the reduction of data loss and model rework and enhances the seamless reuse of information. The latter requires a specification of the EA key performance indicators (KPIs) and integrating those in the process.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents a set of KPIs extracted from the developed EA process maps and interviews with expert stakeholders. These KPIs stem from the literature review and link to the benefits of EA through industry expert review. The study includes (1) development and validation of EA process maps adjusted to requirements from different stakeholders. (2) KPIs aligned with the EA process map, (3) identification of the drivers that can facilitate life cycle information exchange and (4) opportunities and obstacles for EA within BIM-enabled projects.
Findings
This paper depicts a viable alternative for EA process maps and KPIs in a BIM-enabled AEC design industry. The findings of this paper showcase the need for an EA within BIM with these KPIs integrated for a more effective process conforming to the current Open BIM Alliance guidance and contributing towards sustainable life cycle information flow.
Research limitations/implications
The limitation of the research is the challenge of generalising the developed EA process maps; however, it can be adjusted to fit defined organisational use. The findings deduced from the developed EA process map only show KPIs to have the ability to facilitate adequate information flow during EA.
Practical implications
The AEC industry will benefit from the findings of this primary research as the industry will be able to contrast its process maps and KPIs to those developed in the paper.
Social implications
This paper benefits the societal values in EA for the built environment in the design stages. The subsequent life cycle information flow will help achieve a consistent information set and decarbonised built environment.
Originality/value
The paper offers a practical overview of process maps and KPIs to embed EA into BIM, reducing the information loss and rework needed in the practice of this integration. The applicability of the solution is contrasted by consultation with experts and literature.
Details
Keywords
Ahmed Al Kuwaiti and Fahd A. Al Muhanna
A crisis in the financial sustainability of the public healthcare sector often compels governments to consider privatization. The purpose of this paper is to summarize various…
Abstract
Purpose
A crisis in the financial sustainability of the public healthcare sector often compels governments to consider privatization. The purpose of this paper is to summarize various strategies to overcome the challenges facing the privatization of academic medical centers (AMCs) in Saudi Arabia.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, the authors discuss the challenges faced in privatizing AMCs in delivering their core functions such as patient care, medical education and research. Further, the appropriate strategies are listed to overcome these challenges in privatization of AMCs.
Findings
The authors described the benefits of privatization that include a reduction in the financial burden on government healthcare expenditure, quick decision making and creation of new financial models to improve healthcare services. On the other hand, the profit motive of private management could create pressure on patients and may divert AMCs from their primary objectives. Therefore, it is imperative for the government to develop and implement appropriate strategies that balance the benefits of privatizing AMCs with eliminating the negative impact of privatization on patient care, medical education and research.
Originality/value
Though AMCs privatization is currently feasible in Saudi Arabia, appropriate strategies are essential to overcome the challenges of its implementation. The government should frame a uniform rules and regulations prior to privatizing public hospitals so that it will fulfill the purpose in an efficient manner.
Details
Keywords
Abdul Halim Busari, Yasir Hayat Mughal, Sajjad Nawaz Khan, Shahid Rasool and Asif Ayub Kiyani
This paper argues that teachers’ promotion should also have an impact on turnover intention. The purpose of this paper is to determine the relationship between promotion and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper argues that teachers’ promotion should also have an impact on turnover intention. The purpose of this paper is to determine the relationship between promotion and turnover intention of advance learning institutions of the Khyber Pakhtoon Khwa Province of Pakistan and the moderating effect of the analytical cognitive style.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative approach is used predominantly. A questionnaire survey research design is used to collect the data from the entire province and 502 completed questionnaires were collected from the respondents. The questionnaire included the Job Descriptive Index consisting of seven items on job satisfaction, the turnover intention questionnaire consisting of three items and a five-point Likert scale used to determine cognitive style index (CSI); the CSI was used. The fourth section included an open-ended questionnaire and the fifth section included demographic variables. Hierarchical multiple regressions were used to check how much variance promotion occurs upon turnover intention and it also determined how much variance analysis cognitive style occurs upon promotion and turnover intention of advance learning institutions of the KPK province of Pakistan. The correlation results from a bivariate Pearson correlation showed significant results, which were later strengthened by the regression results.
Findings
The findings suggested that a negative relationship was found between promotion and turnover intention, whereas a weak correlation was found between promotion and analytical. Moderating results show that analytical cognitive style does act as a moderator between the promotion and turnover intention.
Research limitations/implications
This research was only carried out on advance learning institutions; thus, the findings can only be generalized to higher education institutions in the Khyber Pakhtoon Khwa state.
Practical implications
This extended model of job satisfaction will be useful to lead to changes in job satisfaction and turnover intention of academicians of the Khyber Pakhtoon Khwa province of Pakistan. The findings of this study could be used to guide the management of advance learning institutions and professional academicians to build targeted learning activities around key components of the academician’s promotion, determine where individuals are in their journey, set personalized goals and provide feedback to the management in the process of the development of policies for academicians of advance learning institutions.
Social implications
The findings of this study will help the higher education commission of Pakistan to make policies that will enable higher education institutions to formulate flexible promotion policies for teachers in order to retain them.
Originality/value
The findings of this study are a valuable extension of the relevant research as this is the first empirical study to examine the effects of cognitive style on promotion policies and turnover intention in advance learning institutions of Pakistan. In the context of an efficient and effective educational policy, a greater understanding of an academician’s promotion could facilitate the development of a more effective policy practice that would increase not only the job satisfaction of the academicians but decrease the turnover intention of the academicians.
Details
Keywords
Jingrui Ge, Kristoffer Vandrup Sigsgaard, Bjørn Sørskot Andersen, Niels Henrik Mortensen, Julie Krogh Agergaard and Kasper Barslund Hansen
This paper proposes a progressive, multi-level framework for diagnosing maintenance performance: rapid performance health checks of key performance for different equipment groups…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper proposes a progressive, multi-level framework for diagnosing maintenance performance: rapid performance health checks of key performance for different equipment groups and end-to-end process diagnostics to further locate potential performance issues. A question-based performance evaluation approach is introduced to support the selection and derivation of case-specific indicators based on diagnostic aspects.
Design/methodology/approach
The case research method is used to develop the proposed framework. The generic parts of the framework are built on existing maintenance performance measurement theories through a literature review. In the case study, empirical maintenance data of 196 emergency shutdown valves (ESDVs) are collected over a two-year period to support the development and validation of the proposed approach.
Findings
To improve processes, companies need a separate performance measurement structure. This paper suggests a hierarchical model in four layers (objective, domain, aspect and performance measurement) to facilitate the selection and derivation of indicators, which could potentially reduce management complexity and help prioritize continuous performance improvement. Examples of new indicators are derived from a case study that includes 196 ESDVs at an offshore oil and gas production plant.
Originality/value
Methodological approaches to deriving various performance indicators have rarely been addressed in the maintenance field. The proposed diagnostic framework provides a structured way to identify and locate process performance issues by creating indicators that can bridge generic evaluation aspects and maintenance data. The framework is highly adaptive as data availability functions are used as inputs to generate indicators instead of passively filtering out non-applicable existing indicators.
Details
Keywords
Syed Asim Shah, Khalid Sultan, Muhammad Haroon Shoukat and Shafique Ur Rehman
The study examines the influence of quality management practices (QMP) on project performance (PP) and the indirect association of QMP with PP through the mediating role of…
Abstract
Purpose
The study examines the influence of quality management practices (QMP) on project performance (PP) and the indirect association of QMP with PP through the mediating role of intellectual capital (IC). QMP may be one of the most successful strategies to improve project performance. Drawing on the resource-based view (RBV) and institutional theory, the study examines the impact of QMP on PP through the mediating role of IC.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample frame of 329 employees in different NGOs and public healthcare organizations was selected. Data were analyzed on SmartPLS 3.2.7 by applying SEM.
Findings
The outcome reveals that QMP has a significant impact on PP. The results found partial mediation of IC on the linkage between QMP and PP.
Research limitations/implications
The key research limitation was that it examined only two antecedents (QMP and IC) of project performance based on RBV and institutional theory, which did not yield deep insights from other institutional forces that could influence the model, such as mimetic pressure, institutional pressure and business orientation.
Originality/value
QMP is highly significant in the healthcare sector; however, research on the relationship between QMP, IC and PP is lacking. Thus, this research is an initial attempt to investigate these relationships empirically. We add to our understanding of RBV by investigating the role of IC in mediating the QMP-PP linkage.
Details
Keywords
Alifia Mukti Fajrani, Mohamad Sulchan, Siti Fatimah Muis, Hery Djagat Purnomo, Kis Djamiatun, Vega Karlowee and Martha Ardiaria
This paper aims to determine the effect of black garlic (BG) on visceral fat, oxidative stress and insulin resistance (IR) compared with metformin and vitamin E in nonalcoholic…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to determine the effect of black garlic (BG) on visceral fat, oxidative stress and insulin resistance (IR) compared with metformin and vitamin E in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) rats.
Design/methodology/approach
A randomized post-test only design with control group was used in this study. Rats were given high-fat fructose diet enriched with 1.25% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid for eight weeks to induce NALFD condition. The administration of BG dose of 450 mg/200 gBW, 900 mg/200 gBW and 1350 mg/200 gBW with a comparative control of 45 mg/200 gBW of metformin and vitamin E of 9 IU/200 gBW were given for four weeks via oral gavage to reduce visceral fat, oxidative stress and improve IR. Statistical analyses were performed to examine differences between groups with one-way analysis of variance and nonparametrics test.
Findings
Rats given with three different doses of BG for four weeks did not reduce body weight from 244 ± 4.4 to 284 ± 4.6 g, 242 ± 2.5 to 272 ± 3.1 g and 240 ± 2.4 to 270 ± 3.6 g, respectively, but significantly reduced visceral fat (p = 0.001) on BG groups with 3.7 ± 1.3, 2.7 ± 0.7 and 1.8 ± 0.6 g, respectively. BG improved oxidative stress (p = 0.001) with malondialdehyde level 5.1 ± 0.2, 3.0 ± 0.06 and 2.3 ± 0.06 ng/mL, respectively, but did not better than vitamin E group 1 ± 0.03 ng/mL. Significant (p = 0.001) improvement on insulin resistance with homeostatic model assessment IR in BG groups were 5.3 ± 0.1, 4.4 ± 0.1 and 4 ± 0.1, respectively, but not as good as metformin group 3.7 ± 0.1.
Research limitations/implications
Based on the experiment, there are several limitations including small sample size, performed on animal models in a relatively short time, did not examine organosulfurs compound (OSC) content of BG specifically and OSC affects metabolism in NAFLD remains unclear and will require further investigation.
Practical implications
BG is a functional food made from heated fresh garlic owing to the Maillard reaction and the organosulfur compounds as antioxidants. The higher the dose of BG, the greater the improvement in visceral fat, oxidative stress and IR in model NAFLD rats.
Social implications
NAFLD is a liver disorder caused by excessive fat and energy intake, the treatment strategies among others through diet modification.
Originality/value
In model NAFLD rats, BG administration improved NALFD markers but did not better rather than the metformin and vitamin E result.
Details
Keywords
Kashif Irshad, Amjad Ali Pasha, Mohammed K. Al Mesfer, Mohd Danish, Manoj Kumar Nayak, Ali Chamkha and Ahmed M. Galal
The entropy and thermal behavior analyses of non-Newtonian nanofluid double-diffusive natural convection inside complex domains may captivate a bunch of scholars’ attention…
Abstract
Purpose
The entropy and thermal behavior analyses of non-Newtonian nanofluid double-diffusive natural convection inside complex domains may captivate a bunch of scholars’ attention because of the potential utilizations that they possess in modern industries, for example, heat exchangers, solar energy collectors and cooling of electronic apparatuses. This study aims to investigate the second law and thermal behavior of non-Newtonian double-diffusive natural convection (DDNC) of Al2O3-H2O nanofluid within a C-shaped cavity emplacing two hot baffles and impacted by a magnetic field.
Design/methodology/approach
For the governing equations of the complicated and practical system with all considered parameters to be solved via a formidable numerical approach, the finite element method acts as an approach to achieving the desired solution. This method allows us to gain a detailed solution to the studied geometry.
Findings
This investigation has been executed for the considered parameters of range, such as power-law index, baffle length, Lewis number, buoyancy ratio, Hartmann number and Rayleigh number. The main results reveal that isothermal and concentration lines are significantly more distorted, indicating intensified concentration and temperature distributions because of the growth of baffle length (L). Nuave decreases by 8.4% and 0.8% while it enhances by 49.86% and 33.87%, respectively, because of growth in the L from 0.1 to 0.2 and 0.2 to 0.3.
Originality/value
Such a comprehensive study on the second law and thermal behavior of DDNC of Al2O3-H2O nanofluid within a C-shaped cavity emplacing two hot baffles and impacted by magnetic field has not yet been carried out.
Details