M.Tech. / Purpose: This study looked at the challenges and gender-based issues which women in construction face in South Africa and abroad compared to their male counterparts in order to establish why fewer women are attracted to the industry as compared to men and why women in construction have a lower success rate. Methodology: A literature review on the topic was completed and close-ended and open-ended questions were posed in the questionnaire, which was completed by contractors and consultants nationwide and subsequently analyzed. Problem investigated: Women have not emerged as significant players in the industry both in terms of size and volume of contracts, as well as breaking down the 'glass ceiling' which is still faced by many women today, especially consultants. Findings: Construction has always been a male dominated industry. Therefore, women continue to feel restricted and not well received by their male counterparts. Women still confirm that they have to constantly prove their worth to their male counterparts in order to be accepted and add value to the organization. Research limitations: The study focused on women in the construction industry as a whole and did not look at women specifically within the various built environment disciplines. Further research is also required to investigate and look into female students' experiences whilst studying and after graduation. Value: The study highlights the challenges and gender-based issues that exist with women in construction today, and suggests what should be done to attract and retain more women in the sector.

Construction managers aim to deliver successful construction projects; however it is unclear how they perceive construction project success and how they influence that success. Focusing on the construction phase of the project, a Systems Conceptual Framework is induced from the literature review. In-depth interviews undertaken by 10 construction managers, whose experience accounts for over 130 construction projects, provide data to derive categories which populate the Systems Conceptual Framework initially developed. By adopting an unstructured approach to the data collection, a holistic view of how construction managers impact the success of construction projects is acquired. The construction managers' influence on success is identified through the skills, competencies and characteristics which enable success of the construction phase (enablers). This inductive-deductive methodological approach allows the identification of categories and relations between them which, along with the Systems Conceptual Framework, form the Empirical Model. A Pareto analysis was carried out in order to determine the relative relevance categories have against each others. Overall, 56 relations were identified between the 37 categories derived from the data analysis. The results of the research show that the influence of construction managers on project success is determined by twenty enablers. According to the Pareto analysis, 6 enablers were most relevant; they are separated into two interrelated sets: Communication, Leadership and People Management, and Ability to Pull Back, Experience and Technical Skill. This suggests that construction managers consider mastering 'hard' and 'soft' aspects of the job are both equally relevant to the success of the project. The high interconnectivity between the categories is what allows the Empirical Model to be developed; making it the most important finding of this research. Evidence indicates that construction managers work with both a subjective (qualitative) and an objective (quantitative) concept of success. The quantitative concept of success can have between two and four success factors, which are prioritised according to the needs of the client; there is always one critical success factors that leads the project. The subjective concept of success incorporates aspects of the end user and personal satisfaction, and specific characteristics of the project. The results also show that the outcomes of construction projects can be three: success, failure, and a third outcome which is neither, an outcome between success and failure. Participants have identified this last outcome as being the most frequent.

Dans le cadre de la réception de l’ouvrage, le législateur est comme ce compositeur, cet écrivain qui compose des musiques pour l’un et rédige des manuscrits pour l’autre. Par la conceptualisation de la réception de l’ouvrage, il entend marquer la césure avec les concepts juridiques avoisinants tels que la livraison, l’achèvement... Des aspects techniques de la réception de l’ouvrage, la loi prévoit entre autre une approbation amiable ou, à défaut judiciaire mais en tout état de cause contradictoire. Sur le plan fonctionnel, l’acte juridique unilatéral de réception est présenté comme le sésame d’une pléthore d’effets de droit. Face à l’ensemble de ces données juridiques, les praticiens du droit sont quant à eux des interprètes ou éditeurs. En studio d’enregistrement ou dans la maison d’édition, l’interprète ou l’éditeur apprécie la composition, l’œuvre littéraire élaborée en vue de l’approuver, la désapprouver, proposer des aménagements ou encore combler des carences. Dans le cadre du droit de la construction, comme vêtus d’un manteau réversible, les praticiens du droit agissent à la fois en qualité d’avocat et de procureur. Le procès de la réception de l’ouvrage fait globalement état d’une perception légale empreinte de plasticité. Selon l’espèce, peuvent effectivement être décelés des rapports de symétrie entre la réception et les notions voisines. Dans les faits, l’observation de la technicité de la réception de l’ouvrage révèle de nouvelles modalités telles que la forme tacite de la notion de droit. En pratique, il ne se produit pas toujours un effet inhibiteur en l’absence de réception. L’achèvement de l’ouvrage fait souvent office d’ersatz de l’acte juridique de réception. Force est alors de constater que c’est en la synthèse de l’appréhension dogmatique du législateur et de l’appréhension pragmatique des praticiens du droit que réside le salut du concept juridique. / As part of the acceptance of the work, the legislator is like this composer, this writer who composes music for one and writes manuscripts for the other. By the conceptualization of the acceptance of the work, he intends to mark the caesura with the neighboring legal concepts such as delivery, completion... Of the technical aspects of the acceptance of the work, the law foresees inter alia an amicable approval or, in its absence a court order, but in any case contradictory. Functionally, the unilateral act of acceptance of work is presented as the cornerstone of a plethora of legal effects. Faced with all of this legal data, law practitioners are interpreters or publishers. In the recording studio or in the publishing house, the interpreter or publisher appreciates the composition, the literary book elaborated for the purpose of approving, disapproving, proposing adjustments or filling gaps. In the context of construction law, as they wear a reversible coat, they act both as a lawyer and a prosecutor. The lawsuit of the acceptance of the work globally states of a legal perception marked with plasticity. According to the trial can be revealed a symmetry between the acceptance and the nearby notions. In reality, observation of the technicality of the acceptance of the work reveals new modalities such as the tacit shape of the legal notion. In practice, it does not still occur an inhibitor impact in the absence of acceptance. Often, the completion of the work acts as ersatz of the legal act of acceptance. It must therefore be concluded that it is in the synthesis of the dogmatic apprehension of the legislator and the pragmatic apprehension of law practitioners that the safety of the legal concept resides.

Chen, Qiulan. / "November 2010." / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 140-152). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese.

Till skillnad mot tillverkningsbranschen, med bland annat Toyota i spetsen, har byggbranschens försök till ökad produktivitet förblivit låg under de senaste 40 åren. Tillverkningsindustrin har nått goda resultat genom tillämpning av Lean Production. Lean handlar i huvudsak om att mi- nimera slöseri och maximera värde. Slöseri finns i olika former och en definition utifrån Lean är de åtta slöserierna: överproduktion, väntan, transport, överarbete, lager, rörelse, omarbete och outnyttjad kreativitet. Målet med examensarbetet var att utveckla en mognadsmodell som utvärderar byggarbetsplatsers tillämpning av Lean Construction med utgångspunkt i de åtta slöserierna, som ska kunna användas som en mall för förbättringsåtgärder. Studien, som framförallt antagit en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi, är en utforskande studie som har svarat på hur byggarbetsplatser kan utvärderas utifrån Lean med de åtta slöserierna som grund. Forskningsansatsen är deduktiv i och med att mognadsmodellen utvecklats utifrån be- fintlig teori, för att användas och testas i verkliga situationer. För att försäkra om validitet har framförallt triangulering använts. Även granskning av båda handledarna har tillfört till validi- teten. Reliabilitet har eftersträvats genom dokumentation och kontinuerlig kontakt med hand- ledare. Mognadsmodellen består av 20 kategorier som på olika sätt har en grund i de åtta slöserierna. Dessa kategorier bedöms på en nivåskala 1-5, där nivå ett innebär lägst tillämpning, och nivå fem innebär högst tillämpning. Resultatet från utvärderingarna visade att det skiljer sig åt något mellan de olika byggarbetsplatserna trots att de utförs av samma företag, och att det finns för- bättringspotential. Analysen visade på att majoriteten av kategorierna behöver någon form av ändring, främst ge- nom uppdelning av kategorier i en eller flera olika kategorier, eller omformulering av kategorier som inte fungerade riktigt utifrån verkligheten som framkom under platsbesöken. Samtidigt framkom det att vissa kategorier överlappade varandra, och att det var svårt att hålla reda på alla kategorier och tillhörande beskrivningar vid testen. Detta är en indikator på att modellen bör bli mer kompakt och inte lika begränsande. Modellen analyserades också utifrån en analys- modell för att utreda när en mognadsmodell som den som utvecklades kan användas. Examensarbetet hade dragit nytta av att utföras av två personer eftersom en kvalitativ studie som denna innebär subjektivitet vilken hade blivit mer objektiv om två perspektiv hade funnits med. Utgångspunkten till modellen som var de åtta slöserierna anses i efterhand varit lite för snäv eftersom det finns andra områden inom Lean som också anses vara viktiga, exempelvis säkerhet. Om modellen hade testats innan den primära undersökningen påbörjades hade detta kunnat upptäckas, och modellen hade redan då kunnat omformulerats innan de huvudsakliga platsbesöken. Mer utveckling och forskning bör ta vid efter detta arbete. Det finns fem stycken fokusområden som en mognadsmodell bör innehålla för att utreda till- lämpningen av Lean Construction, vilka kan delas upp i fler kategorier som inte bör vara för omfattande. Resultatet visar på att det skiljer sig åt mellan de undersökta byggproduktionerna inom fyra kategorier, men anledningen bakom detta är okänt. Mognadsmodellen är utvecklad på ett sådant sätt att den kan användas vid förbättringsarbetet och utvecklingen av tillämpningen av Lean Construction. / In comparison to the manufacturing industry, with companies such as Toyota in the lead, the construction industries attempt to increase productivity has remained low for the past 40 years. The manufacturing industry has achieved great results by working with Lean Production. Lean at is core is about minimise waste and maximise value. Waste comes in many forms, and one definition is the eight wastes of Lean: overproduction, waiting, transportation, extra processing, inventory, motion, defects and non-utilized talent. The objective with the master thesis was to develop a maturity model that evaluate construction sites involvement with Lean Construction based on the eight wastes of Lean, and that it should be possible to use the model as a template for improvements. The master thesis, which foremost has a qualitative research strategy, is an exploratory study that has answered on how construction sites can be assessed by Lean with the base of the eight wastes of Lean. The research approach is deductive since the maturity model has been devel- oped by using existing theory in order to assess construction sites in real situations. To ensure validity a work procedure by triangulation has been used. The supervisors reviewing the work has also contributed to the validity. The reliability has been sought by documentation and con- tact with supervisors continuously. The maturity model consists of 20 categories that in different ways has a base in the eight wastes of Lean. These categories are assessed by a level scale 1-5, where level one is the lowest im- plementation, and level five is the highest implementation. The results from the assessments showed that there are differences between the construction sites even though they are performed by the same company, and that there is potential for improvements. The analysis suggests that the majority of the categories need some sort of modification. Mainly by sectioning some categories into two or more categories, or reformulation of categories that did not work based on reality that appeared during the site visits. It also appeared that some categories overlapped each other, and that it was hard remembering all the categories with its descriptions when testing the model. This imply that the model should be more compact and less limiting. The maturity model was also analysed by an analysis model to investigate when a maturity model like the one that has been developed could be used. The master thesis would have improved if it had been performed with a co-writer since a qual- itative study like this result in subjectivity which had been more objective if there would have been two perspective. The base for the maturity model which was the eight wastes of Lean is considered, now afterwards, to be a little too narrow since there is other areas in Lean Con- struction which are considered to be important, such as security. If the maturity model would have been tested before the primary assessments it could have been realised and thereby mod- ified before the site visits. More development and research have to be done after this thesis is presented. There are five focus areas which should be included in a maturity model in order to assess the application of Lean Construction, these could be divided into several categories as long as they aren’t too extensive. The result shows that there is a difference between the investigated build- ing productions in four categories, but the reason behind this is unknown. The maturity model has been developed in such a way that it can be used in the improvement work and the devel- opment of the application of Lean Construction.

Includes bibliography.

Since the dawn of the computer age, there has been a push to create miniature devices. These devices were initially integrated circuit (IC) devices to perform calculations for computers. As the technology progressed, the scope of the devices diverged to included microelectromechanical (MEMS) devices, meaning that the devices perform mechanical movements via electrical actuation. More recently, a new generation of devices has evolved called microtechnology-based energy and chemical systems (MECS). MECS may employ MEMS technology, however the systems are not designed to produce only mechanical movement. MECS deal with heat and mass transfer, the basic processes used in energy, chemical and biological systems, in the mesoscale realm. Mesoscale devices range from the size of a sugar cube to the size of a human fist. The possibilities of MECS have not been realized. Heating and cooling systems, chemical mixing/distribution, and locking systems are all potential applications. The devices require: 1) revolutionary design, accounting for the scaling effects on device performance; 2) new fabrication technologies for the creation of these designs; and 3) good material properties for mechanical and chemical interactions. Fabrication requirements for MECS are different than for MEMS in that MECS generally require non-silicon metals. Metal microlamination (MML) has been introduced as a general practice for meeting the fabrication requirements for MECS. Prior MML fabrication methods have emphasized the use of diffusion bonding, soldering, or brazing techniques. This thesis will introduce: 1) a novel microflapper valve design fabricated in mild steel using a novel microprojection welding technique; 2) a novel microfloat valve design fabricated in mild steel using a novel capacitive dissociation process for creating free floating geometries. The devices are characterized by comparing actual flow rates to theoretical flow rates of equivalent orifice sizes. Preliminary results show that the microfloat valve achieved an average diodicity (free flow versus leakage rate) ratio of 11.19, while the microflapper valve achieved an average diodicity ratio of 4.08. The theoretical orifice sizes of the microfloat and microflapper valves are 0.629 mm and 0.611 mm respectively. These results suggest that the float valve is the superior design. / Graduation date: 1999

Construction managers confront many problems. Still, this industry plays a vital role in the healthy growth of the economy of many countries throughout the developed and developing world. Effective management of construction projects has been a major research subject in the last century due to the importance of this industry and the amount of money it attracts. One critical problem facing construction managers is inefficient cost control procedures, particularly in developing regions of the world. Since the end of the Second World War, the use of sophisticated cost control procedures in managing and controlling project costs have been accepted and applied widely in many parts of the world such as the United States and the United Kingdom. These procedures are important in a growing economy to ensure delivery of projects on time and within budget, but they are equally important during an economic recession when project viability becomes marginal. In the early 1990s, the construction industry in Thailand played a critical role during a period of strong economic growth. Construction cost control was not a major concern as developers rushed to capitalize on the booming market. In the late 1990s, the economy of Southeast Asia sank into recession. Project cost control became a critical issue for the developers as well as the construction companies in managing construction projects. A significant number of projects in Thailand in the late 1990s had significant cost overruns. Cost overruns had been a problem during the high growth period in the early 1990s, but demand overcame the problems created by poor cost control. The use of good project cost control procedures has become a concern of project investors and construction companies in Thailand since the recession of the late 1990s. Project managers and developers are now aware that the failure of a cost control system or use of a poor system can lead to project failure. Project cost control methods need to be improved in Thailand to ensure that owners and contractors manage construction costs and meet project goals on time and within budget. In this study, project cost controls in the United States and Thailand will be examined. These procedures will be analyzed to identify their similarities and differences. The causes and solutions for cost overruns in the two countries will also be examined. The results from the study will illustrate how the project cost control procedures used in the United States can be applied to the construction industry in Thailand to improve the procedures used by Thai contractors.

Thèse doctorat : Environnement et Risques Naturels, Industriels et Urbains : Villeurbanne, INSA : 2005. / Titre provenant de l'écran-titre. Bibliogr. p. 217-232.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI/Dissertation Abstracts International.