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Different cost effective design methods have been developed to reduce the cost of buildings, of which structural optimum design methods and cost effective designs methods using estimating data, are the most common. However, there is no record of the use of cost effective design methods in practice. Consequently, potential benefits of such methods remain untapped. This research evaluated the cost savings through cost effective design methods, identified difficulties involved in their use and examined favourable conditions for the implementation of such methods in design practice. The research aimed at investigating whether or not the opinion among practising designers, (structural engineers and architects) that "cost benefits through cost effective designs are insignificant and methods are not practical" is justified. Previous researchers have developed cost effective design methods, but very little has been done to change the opinion of building designers regarding these methods. A proper evaluation of cost effective design methods and a study of the design process are therefore necessary to gain the attention of designers in practice. The opinion among practising designers is that cost savings through optimum methods are less than 10% of elemental cost and 1% of total building cost. The analysis of cost savings of 22 historical buildings have shown that this is not the case. Optimum design methods using the computer to find the minimum cost from a set of feasible designs were developed for reinforced concrete elements; slabs, beams, columns and independent footing foundations. These optimum methods were applied to the design of 22 historical buildings. More than 10% of elemental cost savings were observed. 2.91% of total building cost can be saved using optimum methods for design of reinforced concrete elements, which is more than 45% of the total design fee of a building. The study proved that for a given building, probabilities of total building cost saving exceeding 1%, 2% and 3% are 0.96, 0.79 and 0.47 respectively. Design and build contracts provide not only a facility but also an incentive, to designers to use cost effective design methods. On the contrary, percentage fee contracts act as a disincentive. Therefore, the legal procedures in design practice, may sometimes serve as obstacles for the use of cost effective design methods. Furthermore, current design practice lacks motivating factors to designers to use cost effective design methods. Therefore building construction industry may need to pay additional fee to get benefits from cost effective design methods.

I uppsatsen utvärderas projektet Vägen in, som drevs av socialförvaltningen i Enköpingskommun 2007—2008. Deltagarna i projektet var individer med missbruksproblematik, oftatillsammans med en historia av kriminalitet och/eller psykisk ohälsa. Syftet med studien är attundersöka vilka kostnader och utfall Vägen in har gett upphov till i jämförelse medsocialtjänstens tidigare insatser för deltagarna, sett ur ett samhällsekonomiskt perspektiv.Bakgrunden till studien är att det i princip saknas samhällekonomiska utvärderingar avmissbruksvård. I studien jämförs samhällets kostnader för deltagarna två år innan projektet(2005-2006) med motsvarande kostnader under projekttiden (2007-2008). Dessa kostnaderställs sedan mot förändringen i deltagarnas kriminalitet samt förändringen av deraslivssituation. Samhällets kostnader för deltagarna ökade med över 50 % under projekttiden. Deltagarnasmissbruk har minskat, men det går inte att se någon markant minskning av deltagarnaskriminalitet. Kostnaderna har skjutits över från staten till kommunen. I huvudsak harkostnaderna för psykiatrisk slutenvård och socialtjänstens öppenvård ökat, medanrättsväsendets kostnader har minskat. Samtidigt går det inte att se någon tydlig nedåtgåendetrend vad gäller deltagarnas kriminalitet. För att uttala sig om huruvida de ökade kostnadernakan motiveras med det utfall de ger upphov hade det krävts längre tidsserier med uppgifter omdeltagarnas inkomster. Med hänsyn till storleken på ökningen av samhällets kostnader fördeltagarna under projektet är det dock problematiskt att det inte går att se någon tydligminskning av deltagarnas kriminalitet.

The bulk of research on teacher knowledge has taken place in elementary and secondary school settings. The goal of this study was to examine teacher knowledge in higher education by asking: (1) what types of knowledge are drawn upon in teaching in higher education and (2) Are there differences in the knowledge drawn upon by inexperienced (M = 5.77, SD = 2.8 years teaching), experienced (M = 18.79, SD = 7.36 years teaching), and professors who have won teaching awards (M = 19,50, SD = 7.60 years teaching)? Participants were selected at random from published lists of university faculty. Questionnaires were mailed to 500 potential respondents asking them to recall and describe two memorable teaching incidents and then rate their response, using a Likert-type scale, to a series of items based on descriptions of teacher knowledge found in the literature. They indicated the extent to which they considered each item, and the extent to which they felt they had been influenced by knowledge of the item at the time of the incident. Finally, respondents answered questions about their teaching background. A total of 102 completed questionnaires were returned. Principal components analysis (PCA) resulted in a four factor solution describing the knowledge drawn upon. Factors were (1) pedagogical content knowledge, (2) current knowledge of learners, (3) knowledge of content, and (4) knowledge of learners' background and appropriate pedagogy. Definitions of the four factors were generated using PCA results and descriptions of the incidents selected based on factor coefficient scores. Stepwise multiple regression was used to determine variables that best predict factor scores. Overall, no differences were found between the factor scores of inexperienced, experienced, and award-winning professors. Results indicated differences in the definitions of particular types of teacher knowledge in higher education that broaden the definitions found in the literature. Results also indicated

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Typescript. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1990. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 204-215) / Microfiche. / xx, 215 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

<p>The use of one form or another of team based work organization (TBWO) management policies and practices by firms with the aim of improving organizational performance and employee morale is well documented in popular literature. Empirical research has however found that the implementation of TBWO management policies and practices such as TB training, TB incentive schemes, participation in decision making, work teams etc. had minimal influence on the performance of firms (Locke and Schweiger, 1979).<br /> This research investigated the factors, which account for the effective implementation of TBWO management policies and practices with specific emphasis on three firms in the metal fabrications sector. The reason behind the choice of the three firms in the metal fabrication sector in the Western Cape was that these sites offered a rare opportunity to study the process of the implementation of TBWO. It was a rare opportunity because not many firms have embarked on implementing TBWO in South Africa. It was envisaged that the lessons that emerged from this study would be invaluable for firms that intended implementing workplace change. The level of analysis was the shop floor level at the firms as research has shown that this is the level that plays a critical role in the effectiveness of the TB management policies and practices implemented by the firms.</p>

The financial /economic crisis in 1997 brought to the foreground weak corporate governance structures and practices in Malaysia. Allegations of cronyism, inequitable transaction, lack of transparency and weak enforcement were amongst the many weaknesses highlighted. These led to the poor perception of the Malaysian capital market. Malaysia joined in the global corporate governance reform movement and corporate governance reforms were carried out to rectify the weaknesses highlighted. The Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance (Malaysian Code) was launched in 2000. This study briefly traced the corporate governance reforms in Malaysia which was very much influenced by the Anglo-American model. / To provide a better appreciation of the corporate governance mechanism, this study examined the concept of corporate governance and its origin, the existence of the four governance models in the world today and the different market characteristics with their different institutional and corporate context. / The thrust of the corporate governance reform movement in Malaysia was to increase transparency and corporate disclosure, improve accountability and responsibility of the board and to promote shareholder activism. One of the key recommendations from the Anglo-American model adopted by the Malaysian Code, to improve transparency and accountability, was to have a sufficient number of independent non-executive directors on the board. Arguments that supported the importance and the roles of independent non-executive directors as a control mechanism and their contribution towards better governance and financial performance were presented. The study also discussed the equally strong arguments and evidence against independent non-executive directors as an effective control mechanism. / Another key player identified by the Malaysian Code to enhance good corporate conduct was the company secretary. This study examined the roles that these independent non-executive directors and company secretaries were expected to play in the Malaysian context and the issues related to these two key players as internal enforcers for good governance practices. / Though these two players were expected to play key roles in enhancing good corporate conduct in the corporate governance reforms in Malaysia, as far as is known, their perspectives have not been widely researched or compiled in the Malaysian context. This study aimed to provide some insights into the views and opinions of these two important groups of people. A sample of independent non-executive directors and company secretaries were selected for interviews with the aid of two different sets of standard questionnaires, one for each group. The questionnaires were designed to seek their response on a few key issues on corporate governance practices in Malaysia. Their standpoints were compiled, quoted and presented in this study. Both groups have been found to agree that independent non-executive directors have a role to play and are important to enhance good corporate conduct. Factors that contributed or inhibited their effectiveness were discussed and the divergent views on certain issues within each group or between the two groups were presented. Their views on how corporate governance practices can be further improved in Malaysia were also presented. / Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2005.

Within the ephemeral world of fad products and activities (such as teenage fashion and the hula-hoop) things come and go quickly. In such a competitive market many new products become obsolete from the moment they reach the market. It is therefore essential to launch new products on the market as soon as possible in order to sustain business and profits. / With activities that can easily become passing fads and fashions, such as going to a Karaoke box, it is important to sustain the novelty value of the leisure-time pursuit by keeping customers motivated and interested in coming back for more. A failure to operate successfully in a fad business seriously threatens profit margins, return on investments and ultimately the lifespan of the product. / Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2006.

Development of a learning organisation is the most powerful approach for increasing organisational capability and further pursuing competitive advantage. Empirical researchers such as Ellinger et al. (2002) and Lien, Yang and Li (2002) showed a positive association between the presence of a learning organisation and a firm's financial performance. Another area of increasing focus is performance management. The profusion of literature on the balanced scorecard combining financial and non-financial measures demonstrates the interest in both professional and academic circles with improving effective feedback for performance in this area. In particular, the balanced scorecard is viewed as the performance measurement system most likely to encourage the development of a learning culture and managing organisational learning. Taking organisational learning and the balanced scorecard together, a primary research is to investigate whether a link exists between learning organisations and the use of the BSC measures. Survey research has been conducted in Australia and Taiwan. / A positive relationship between learning organisations and the BSC measures is significantly supported by the management practices of Australia and Taiwan. The financial and non-financial BSC measures are highly associated with the learning dimensions in the Taiwanese firms, whereas the Australian firms only use the non-financial BSC measures to assess and manage some learning dimensions. Although the balanced scorecard usually includes learning as part of the learning and growth perspective, it appears that organisations struggle with this dimension. The findings from this study imply that learning & growth perspective is the key driver for improvement of learning dimensions in the organisations. The findings imply that national cultures, like Western and Chinese, are as the main factors affecting the learning dimensions and they apply the BSC measures differently. A whole system considered which learning dimensions may increase the use of the BSC measures, continuous learning and system connection which are shown in the Australian firms, whereas team learning and embedded system are demonstrated in the Taiwanese firms. Considering learning at three levels of organisations, both countries have agreement that learning at individual and organisational levels are significantly associated with the BSC measures. In particular, team learning in the Australian firms disappears when associated with the BSC measures, but the Taiwanese firms show the link to a moderate degree. The findings imply that national culture is a crucial factor affecting the development of a learning organisation, and performance measurements differ from one country to another. / Thesis (PhDBusinessandManagement)--University of South Australia, 2006.