Philip Tong and Hans-Christian Wilhelm
Sloping topographies in urban areas are often under-utilised due to complex designs and difficult access, resulting in low construction productivity and high cost. Automated…
Abstract
Purpose
Sloping topographies in urban areas are often under-utilised due to complex designs and difficult access, resulting in low construction productivity and high cost. Automated construction techniques are usually limited to flat sites or lab spaces. This research combines concepts for automated and prefabricated construction with hillside dwelling design. It proposes a strategy to integrate both aspects and to equally inform design process and design output. The aims are to turn hillside access and construction automation into design generators, improve productivity and use more affordable hillside sites.
Design/methodology/approach
Analysis of typologies for hillside housing and automated construction techniques is used to derive principles and parameters to inform a strategy and generative script for setting out, volumetric disposition and access and using the topography as a design-generator. The output from the generative script and tool can then form the basis of a high-density, low-rise dwelling development suited for serial, automation-assisted construction. The strategy is tested on a case study site.
Findings
The typological analysis helps devising strategies for integrating construction robotics and design criteria for hillside housing. The generative script illustrates how a strategy is implemented and used in a design tool able to absorb varying input data, including topographies. This generates innovative, site-specific design outcomes, suited for a process that adapts contemporary construction automation techniques and allows for more efficient use of hillside sites.
Originality/value
This research builds on construction automation methods and proposes novel combinations and adaptations for use on hillside sites. It demonstrates how robotics and generative tools can inform early design stages.
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Xinping Shi and Philip C. Wright
Reports on the development and the validation of a measurement scale of International Business Negotiators (IBNs), derived from the literature and confirmed byself‐perceptions of…
Abstract
Reports on the development and the validation of a measurement scale of International Business Negotiators (IBNs), derived from the literature and confirmed byself‐perceptions of Chinese business negotiators. Following a qualitative approach, the authors analyzed literature based on prior works in international business negotiations, cross‐cultural management, international business executives, and Sino‐Western business negotiations, to derive themes and items for developing an IBNs measurement scale. The key‐informant method was used to survey Chinese business negotiators (N1=92, N2 =478) for operationalizing the IBNs scale. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, as well as structural equation modeling analysis, were carried out to examine and to validate factor structures, internal consistency, unidimensionality and the construct validity of the IBNs. The results justify a ten‐factor IBNs scale with significant psychometric properties.
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Jill Hooks, David Coy and Howard Davey
Corporatisation of the New Zealand electricity industry during the 1990s increased the need for improved accountability. The publication of annual reports is one of the prime ways…
Abstract
Corporatisation of the New Zealand electricity industry during the 1990s increased the need for improved accountability. The publication of annual reports is one of the prime ways in which organisations meet their accountability obligations. This paper describes the development of a disclosure index from a public accountability perspective and reports the results of its application to the 1999 annual reports of the 33 electricity retail and distribution companies. The index was developed with the support of a panel representing 15 stakeholder groups. It is designed to assess the comprehensiveness (both in extent and quality) of annual report disclosures and incorporates a best‐practice model of annual reporting. Key areas of inadequate disclosure relate to performance measures (financial and non‐financial), segmental information, asset valuation details, and the cost of electricity purchased / generated. Improved disclosure to meet best‐practice guidelines would contribute to improved communication between companies and stakeholders.
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The purpose of this paper is to draw on the experience of students, employers, and tutors in the two product design degree programmes, respectively, delivered at the University of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to draw on the experience of students, employers, and tutors in the two product design degree programmes, respectively, delivered at the University of Salford in the UK and at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China, to examine the differences in employer engagement embedded within the curriculum.
Design/methodology/approach
Two in‐depth case studies supported by interviews have been conducted, which are represented as two distinctive employer engagement models. These two models are compared in terms of context, employer perception, curriculum development, and challenges for sustainability.
Findings
An understanding has been generated of the differences and suggests a collaborative framework between these two programmes, which draws the advantages of both sides together. The findings also shed light on the development of curriculum to engage employers, recognise a move away from “teaching” towards “managing learning opportunities” and the complexities of employer engagement, and explore how this may be embedded.
Originality/value
To address employability agenda, one of the main problems faced by higher education institutions is the content of curriculum and its relevance to the employment market. Engaging employers in the curriculum becomes key in addressing this issue, and this is especially typical for the design industry, given its unique characteristics. However, little has been researched as to how universities across different cultures achieve employer engagement. Understanding of the differences helps universities from different regions to seek potential sustainability solutions that may be bred on the basis of collaboration.
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Philip C. Wright, W.F. Szeto and Gary D. Geory
Using the Chinese, family‐owned manufacturing firm as a primary example, Asian styles of management are examined in light of their ability to compete in a free‐trade environment…
Abstract
Using the Chinese, family‐owned manufacturing firm as a primary example, Asian styles of management are examined in light of their ability to compete in a free‐trade environment. It is concluded that traditional, authoritarian, relationship‐based management concepts are not likely to fare well in fast‐changing global arenas. Nevertheless, a model for expanding into international markets is presented, with the realization that most Chinese‐managed firms would be advised to adopt regional rather than global strategies.
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Philip C. Wright and V.T. Nguyen
Explores, using face‐to‐face interviews, the perceptions of managers in state‐owned enterprises in Vietnam, as to their strategic plans. Given that many of these enterprises will…
Abstract
Explores, using face‐to‐face interviews, the perceptions of managers in state‐owned enterprises in Vietnam, as to their strategic plans. Given that many of these enterprises will have to be privatized, sometime in the future, it is surprising that little thought has been given to this eventuality. Suggests that the massive nature of the state sector (40‐50 per cent of the economy) will make it difficult for policy makers to enact change. Outlines a macro‐economic formula for planned, gradual conversion, keeping this reality in mind.
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Purpose
This paper presents an algorithm for the generation of mechanical assembly sequences.
Design/methodology/approach
The algorithm employs an adjacency matrix, and uses three different mathematical patterns of subassemblies to generate automatically all geometrical feasible assembly sequences.
Findings
This algorithm cannot only generate automatically all geometrical feasible assembly sequences but also reduce the number of sequences.
Originality/value
Assembly modeling is more completed than that of previous research; the method is able to automatically generate all possible assembly sequences and be implemented easily with program; and this paper makes use of exact mathematical equations describing every subgroup of the three‐subassembly patterns.