Saeed Talebi, Song Wu, Faris Elghaish and Stephen McIlwaine
Anuja Talla and Stephen McIlwaine
This study examines how applying innovative I4.0 technologies at the design stage can help reduce construction waste and improve the recovery, reuse, and recycling of construction…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines how applying innovative I4.0 technologies at the design stage can help reduce construction waste and improve the recovery, reuse, and recycling of construction materials.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopts a three-stage sequential mixed methods approach, involving a thorough review of current literature, interviews with six experts in digital construction, and a survey of 75 experienced industry practitioners.
Findings
The study identifies and discusses how ten specific digital technologies can improve design stage processes leading to improved circularity in construction, namely, (1) additive and robotic manufacturing; (2) artificial intelligence; (3) big data analytics; (4) blockchain technology; (5) building information modelling; (6) digital platforms; (7) digital twins; (8) geographic information systems; (9) material passports and databases; and (10) Internet of things. It demonstrates that by using these technologies to support circular design concepts within the sector, material recycling rates can be improved and unnecessary construction waste reduced.
Practical implications
This research provides researchers and practitioners with improved understanding of the potential of digital technology to recycle construction waste at the design stage, and may be used to create an implementation roadmap to assist designers in finding tools and identifying them.
Originality/value
Little consideration has been given to how digital technology can support design stage measures to reduce construction waste. This study fills a gap in knowledge of a fast-moving topic.
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Soraya Nassri, Saeed Talebi, Faris Elghaish, Kayvan Koohestani, Stephen McIlwaine, M. Reza Hosseini, Mani Poshdar and Michail Kagioglou
High-level labor waste is a major challenge in construction projects. This paper aims to identify, quantify and categorize labor waste in the context of Iranian housing…
Abstract
Purpose
High-level labor waste is a major challenge in construction projects. This paper aims to identify, quantify and categorize labor waste in the context of Iranian housing construction projects.
Design/methodology/approach
This research uses a case study approach, with empirical data collected through direct observations and semi-structured interviews.
Findings
Having triangulated the findings from the literature review and empirical studies, a list of eight types of waste was derived for the thirteen observed laborers in ten case study projects. The empirical studies allowed the labor waste identified from the literature to be verified and refined by considering it in the context of the observed activities, and led to two new types of waste being identified which were not considered in the literature. Findings indicate that nearly 62% of laborers' time is spent on non-value-adding activities. It appeared that “unnecessary movement,” “waiting” and “indirect work” make up the highest labor waste.
Research limitations/implications
This research focuses only on onsite resource flows in a housing construction site. It does not include offsite flows such as material delivery to site.
Originality/value
The findings have provided substantial evidence on type and amount of labor waste and provide a solid basis to stimulate construction actors to participate in reducing labor waste and improving productivity.
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The aim of this article is to estimate the impact of faceted classification and the faceted analytical method on the development of various information retrieval tools over the…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this article is to estimate the impact of faceted classification and the faceted analytical method on the development of various information retrieval tools over the latter part of the twentieth and early twenty‐first centuries.
Design/methodology/approach
The article presents an examination of various subject access tools intended for retrieval of both print and digital materials to determine whether they exhibit features of faceted systems. Some attention is paid to use of the faceted approach as a means of structuring information on commercial web sites. The secondary and research literature is also surveyed for commentary on and evaluation of facet analysis as a basis for the building of vocabulary and conceptual tools.
Findings
The study finds that faceted systems are now very common, with a major increase in their use over the last 15 years. Most LIS subject indexing tools (classifications, subject heading lists and thesauri) now demonstrate features of facet analysis to a greater or lesser degree. A faceted approach is frequently taken to the presentation of product information on commercial web sites, and there is an independent strand of theory and documentation related to this application. There is some significant research on semi‐automatic indexing and retrieval (query expansion and query formulation) using facet analytical techniques.
Originality/value
This article provides an overview of an important conceptual approach to information retrieval, and compares different understandings and applications of this methodology.
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Paul Outlet. International organisation and dissemination of knowledge: selected essays of Paul Otlet translated and edited with an introduction by W. Boyd Rayward. Amsterdam…
Abstract
Paul Outlet. International organisation and dissemination of knowledge: selected essays of Paul Otlet translated and edited with an introduction by W. Boyd Rayward. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1990. xi, 256 pp. $115.50/Dfl.225. 0 444 88678 8. (fid 684) Paul Otlet was born in Brussels in August 1868 and died there in December 1944. A lawyer who grew to be ‘bored with the law’ and became absorbed with books, libraries and information, he is probably principally remembered in connection with the Universal Decimal Classification (UDC).
Jennifer S. Holmes and Sheila Amin Gutiérrez de Piñeres
Existing attempts to assess national development and processes of democratization suffer from conceptual and measurement challenges. This paper proposes a comprehensive concept of…
Abstract
Purpose
Existing attempts to assess national development and processes of democratization suffer from conceptual and measurement challenges. This paper proposes a comprehensive concept of democratic development and develops a more inclusive concept of democracy to provide a common set of categories to evaluate its depth and quality.
Design/methodology/approach
In order to measure the depth and health of democracy, democratic development incorporates four categories of human progress, each measured by multiple variables. The four categories deemed important for human progress are general development, democratic health, democratic inclusiveness, and human capital. Components of democratic development incorporate existing measures of political and economic development to create a comprehensive and accessible measure of democratic development.
Findings
The comparative tables based on multiple goals of development clearly reveal that neither the GDP index nor the HDI are adequate measures of development. Democratic development can be more fully captured by four perspectives: development, democratic inclusiveness, democratic health, and human capital, providing a framework to measure progress in reform, democracy, and development, from public agencies up to the national level. This concept incorporates aspects and orientations of the capabilities approach to create a concept that is amenable to use as a self‐assessment tool and as a basis for comparison of development, broadly conceived.
Practical implications
This inclusive concept is particularly well suited for analyzing citizen satisfaction and democratic stability.
Originality/value
Rather than focusing on singular measures, the approach presented here offers a balanced set of measures aimed at providing a comprehensive view of the gamut of democratic and economic development processes relative to existing models that is more appropriate for self‐assessment/planning purposes than traditional measures, which may be more appropriate for statistical modeling purposes.
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Not many weeks back, according to newspaper reports, three members of the library staff of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies in London were dismissed. All had…
Abstract
Not many weeks back, according to newspaper reports, three members of the library staff of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies in London were dismissed. All had refused to carry out issue desk duty. All, according to the newspaper account, were members of ASTMS. None, according to the Library Association yearbook, was a member of the appropriate professional organisation for librarians in Great Britain.
Citation and ranking information are becoming key aspects of knowledge management in academic and research institutions. By examining changing user needs and products, this paper…
Abstract
Purpose
Citation and ranking information are becoming key aspects of knowledge management in academic and research institutions. By examining changing user needs and products, this paper aims to encourage information professionals to better understand and manage these resources and better respond to user needs.
Design/methodology/approach
Literature reviews, work with faculty clients and initial product testing are used to present coherent information on the current climate and practice of competitive analysis of researchers and their institutions.
Findings
As more sources for citation information have become available – even many scholarly databases today offering cited reference data – the need to identify, access and manage these resources is becoming acute. Information professionals need to become more proactive in their strategies to support these applications and users.
Originality/value
This article builds on previous analyses of the roles and nature of citation analysis in research institutions and examines potential new roles and contributions that information professionals can take on to better serve their users.
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Steve Williams, Edmund Heery and Brian Abbott
Studies of workplace equality have often questioned the effectiveness of employers' efforts to tackle employment disadvantage. This article is concerned with the role that civil…
Abstract
Purpose
Studies of workplace equality have often questioned the effectiveness of employers' efforts to tackle employment disadvantage. This article is concerned with the role that civil society organisations (CSOs) play in promoting equality at work. The main aims of this article are to: examine the role played by CSOs in promoting equality and challenging disadvantage at work through engaging with employers; characterise the ways in which they operate as mediating agents; and to reflect on the implications of CSO interventions for understanding how the process of mediating workplace equality operates.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses interview data from a study of the work and employment‐related activities of CSOs operating in the UK, and was undertaken during 2007 and 2008. In‐depth interviews were conducted with key respondents from a carefully selected sample of CSOs.
Findings
It is found that there is a marked emphasis that many CSOs place on tackling equality issues by engaging positively with employers.
Originality/value
The paper examines the role played by CSOs in tackling inequality and disadvantage in work and employment by engaging with employers, characterising how they operate as mediating agents.
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Tsu Yian Lee, Faridahanim Ahmad and Mohd Adib Sarijari
Activity sampling is a technique to monitor onsite labourers' time utilisation, which can provide helpful information for the management level to implement suitable labour…
Abstract
Purpose
Activity sampling is a technique to monitor onsite labourers' time utilisation, which can provide helpful information for the management level to implement suitable labour productivity improvement strategies continuously. However, there needs to be a review paper that compiles research on activity sampling studies to give readers a thorough grasp of the research trend. Hence, this paper aims to investigate the activity sampling techniques applied in earlier research from the angles of activity categories formation, data collection methods and data analysis.
Design/methodology/approach
The method used in this paper is a systematic review guided by the PRISMA framework. The search was conducted in Scopus and Web of Science. The inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, selecting 70 articles published between 2011 and 2022 for data extraction and analysis. The analysis method involved a qualitative synthesis of the findings from the selected articles.
Findings
Activity sampling is broadly divided into four stages: targeting trade, determining activity categories, data collection and data analysis. This paper divides the activity categories into three levels and classifies the data collection methods into manual observation, sensor-based activity sampling and computer vision-based activity sampling. The previous studies applied activity sampling for two construction management purposes: labour productivity monitoring and ergonomic safety monitoring. This paper also further discusses the scientific research gaps and future research directions.
Originality/value
This review paper contributes to the body of knowledge in construction management by thoroughly understanding current state-of-the-art activity sampling techniques and research gaps.