In order to reach the economic scale, reduce unit cost and to enhance the international competitiveness, China Steel Cooperation constructed a subsidiary - Dragon Steel Cooperation, a 5-million-ton integrated steel plant nearby Taichung Harbor. Starting from iron-smelting, steel-making till steel-rolling, each step follows one another. If any of the steps occurs a problem, the whole production will be affected. The quality of the new construction is related to the life cycle of the equipments, the stability of the operation and the quality of the products. Further more, if the new construction is imperfect, there might be plenty of accidents, such as public safety, environment issues, protest from the inhabitants, etc. The influences could be huge. The main quality influences of the new construction work are low bids from the contractors, shoddy work and use inferior material during the construction, lack of control, welding problems, etc. According to the above main factors, we listed 20 secondary factors, e.g. bad financial situation, vicious competition, budget shortfalls, etc., and use analytical hierarchy process to find the relationship between them. In this thesis, there are in total 32 people have been interviewed, 8 of them are first-line supervisors (the up, middle and downstream of the steel plant, from steel-smelting plant, steel-rolling plant, public facility department to civil department.) Meanwhile, 10 senior executives are also interviewed; relevant literatures are used as related inference. Via this analysis, the most important factor of influencing the welding quality of new construction work is ¡§welding problem¡¨ with 0.297 rating point. Analyzing the third layer factors of low bids rating, the highest point is ¡§vicious competition¡¨ with 0.354. In shoddy work and use inferior material factor, ¡§changing subcontractor frequently¡¨ is the highest with 0.491 rating point. In false inspection, the ¡§progressing pressure¡¨ is the highest with 0.378 rating point. In welding problem, the ¡§construct without drawing¡¨ is the highest point with 0.371. In other factors, ¡§defected raw material¡¨ is the highest with 0.275 rating point. If the above problem solved, the welding quality in new construction work will improve tremendously. Keywords: non-destructive testing, quality of construction, new construction work, turnkey contractors, defect.

Thesis (M.S.)--Naval Postgraduate School, 2003. / Title from title screen (viewed Oct. 10, 2003). "June 2003." Includes bibliographical references (p. 101-106). Also issued in paper format.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Economics, December 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Naval Postgraduate School, December 2003. / "MBA professional report"--Cover. Thesis advisor(s):Donald R. Eaton, Michael W. Boudreau, Brad R. Naegle. Includes bibliographical references (p. 41-42). Also available online.

How well individuals relate or communicate with one another can make or break a project. Landscape architects and contractors appear to have a relationship which is tarnished by mistrust. This mistrust hinders communication and prevents jobs from running as smoothly as possible. Research was conducted to collect data on the relationship between landscape architects and landscape contractors. A questionnaire was designed and sent to one hundred landscape architects and contractors within the State of Arizona to gather first hand information from the involved parties. Results from the research indicated relationships have improved over the past ten years. Areas suggested for further growth: (not in any particular order of importance) (1) establishment of a joint organization, (2) internship programs for landscape architectural students, (3) specifications tailored to specific projects, (4) a referral agency for contractors, (5) revamping competitive bid system, (6) nursery visitation for both parties, (7) architects taking the leadership role in the industry.

Low cost and high efficiencies are probably the most common of strategies used in large businesses today. This requires, however, optimum levels of commitment and performance from the employees coupled with an excellent taste for change. The transition from the use of Mondi employees to labour broker employees is a change process that impacts on a company's most valuable asset - their employees. It is with this in mind that the researcher conducted a case study aimed at identifying the impact of using labour broker employees in the waste handling operations on the morale of the affected employees. The researcher found it essential to evaluate the impact of this change on operational costs and efficiencies of the section. The three research questions that were outlined to meet the above aims were: (1) Does the use of labour broker employees in the waste paper handling part of the recycling operations impact positively or negatively on the morale of the Mondi waste paper handling operators? (2) Does the use of labour broker employees in the waste paper handling part of the recycling operations reduce the operational costs in that section? (3) Does the use of labour broker employees in the waste paper handling part of the recycling operations decrease or increase the operational efficiencies in that section? The initiative to use labour broker employees in the waste paper handling operations was not set up as an experiment. It was already in motion and the researcher opted to study it. Direct observation and unstructured interviews were used to answer research question (1). It was found that the change had completely demotivated the Mondi waste handling operators. Their morale levels dropped to particularly low levels as they felt disliked, not part of a team and unappreciated for their efforts and past service. The impacts of this low morale were hidden due to the plant being under utilised against its design capacity. They also had a prevailing sense of insecurity and uncertainty regarding their jobs, which made them uneasy. Factors associated with operational costs and efficiency was measured before (2004) and after the initiative (2005) to establish the impact of using labour broker employees on them. Direct observations and a quantitative analysis of data from the company's finance and technical departments were used to answer research questions (2) and (3). It was noted that there was a decrease in the operational costs due to the lower rate of pay of the labour broker employees and them doing overtime. The use of labour broker employees resulted in no significant improvement on the operational efficiencies. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2006.

500 "Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Administration from the Naval Postgraduate School, December 2003"--P. v. / Title from title screen (viewed Sept. 9, 2005). "MBA professional report"--Cover. Includes bibliographical references (p. 41-42). Also issued in paper format..

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2005. / Thesis Advisor(s): Jerry L. McCaffery. Includes bibliographical references (p. 91-96). Also available online.

This thesis examines the qualitative transformation taking place within the processes of transnationalisation of labour markets that drive a substantive increase in the segmentation and fragmentation of migrant labour. The thesis argues that by either focusing on the agential elements or strictly structural constraints, conventional perspectives on the role of intermediaries in processes of international migration lack a comprehensive transnational theorisation of labour markets. A focus on the transnationalisation of labour markets through the role of cross-border farm labour contractors aims to address these limitations by analysing the complex nature of processes of transnationalisation in the provision of migrant labour in Californian agriculture. A transnational labour market approach is developed to show how three regimes of segmentation-fragmentation operate at the Federal (nation-state) and state (regional) levels and also at a local level through the actions of farm labour contractors in the organisation of movement and workplace practices along formal and informal lines. The core argument of this thesis is that the tensions between fragmentation and segmentation within the process of transnationalisation of labour markets between Mexico and the United States conflate in everyday precarity for migrant workers. Everyday precarity involves not only the conditions under which migrant workers perform their activities in the workplace, but also extends beyond to include aspects of their everyday lives in a transnational fashion. Farm labour contractors play an important role in organising and coordinating flexibility in fragmented agricultural labour markets. Through their position at the heart of the tensions of the interplay between the three regimes, farm labour contractors gain power over the labour process, thereby contributing to further fragmentation. This power is linked to the migration and protection policies established by nation-states at the first regime of segmentation-fragmentation, and is also shaped by the regional (Californian) labour legislation at the second regime of segmentation-fragmentation. The thesis concludes that a transnational theorisation of labour markets, which places intermediaries such as farm labour contractors within the tensions of processes of transnationalisation that account for not only segmentation but also fragmentation, is required to fully understand everyday precarity beyond national boundaries. Therefore, farm labour contractors are key channels of transnationalisation by contributing to further fragmentation at the local level in already highly segmented labour markets.

abstract: Saudi Arabia has been having many issues with large construction projects such as delays, low performance and high cost. Some studies show that around 70% of the public projects in Saudi Arabia are delayed. These issues have resulted from many factors. One of the factors believed to be delaying projects is the Saudi procurement system. The Saudi procurement system only selects contracts based on the lowest bid price offered. However, the Saudi procurement system has been found to not only produce delayed low quality projects, but also has resulted in higher costs. This paper shows how to modify the Saudi procurement system by implementing a clarification phase, which is the most important phase in the Performance Information Procurement System (PIPS). The clarification phase requires the bid’s winning contractor to submit a project scope, a project schedule, to identify risks that not their responsibility, performance measurements and a milestone schedule. The PIPS system has been one of the most successful systems around the world and has shown a 98% success rate in six different countries with risks and cost reductions up to 30%. This research conducted a survey of 157 engineers, 33 consultants, 9 owners, 5 vendors, 13 academics, and 28 architects to develop the public procurement system in Saudi Arabia. The participants work in government sectors with an interest in the Saudi Arabian procurement system. 80.61 % of participants believe that the traditional Saudi procurement system consistently selects poor performing contractors. Moreover, 95.97% of participants think that the selection of contractors based only on the lowest price criterion affects projects negatively. Also, 96.20% of participants in the survey feel that there needs to be a change in the traditional Saudi Arabian procurement system. 88.7% of participants agree to require the contractor to identify risks, and 96.03 % of participants agree that the contractors must have a plan. Moreover, 95.45% of participants agree to require a contractor review the scope of a project and verify that it is correct. Finally, 82.18% of participants agree to require a contractor to resolve all owner concerns before signing a contract to improve construction projects performance. The paper shows the need to change the Saudi procurement system and a solution to this growing problem. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Construction 2015