Personal discount rates can be defined as the rate at which Marines trade current dollars for future dollars. This research attempts to fill in the gaps in previous discount rate studies where Marine Corps data were omitted, by determining the personal discount rates for each individual who separated from the Marine Corps under the SSB or VSI voluntary separation payment programs between 1992 and 1997. This study also determined those personal, professional, and economic traits that had a significant influence on Marines during their separation payment option decisions. The findings of this research are similar to previous studies, indicating that the methodology applied in this study is accurate. The implications of this research for the Marine Corps are that manpower planners can use the determined personal discount rates to create policies that can target Marines who possess certain personal or professional characteristics for reduction or retention, thereby assisting the efforts to create a balanced and capable Marine Corps in the future. Planners can also use this research to anticipate the effect of policy changes on Marines with specific professional or personal traits. / US Marine Corps (USMC) author.

No description available.

This research survey was carried out to investigate three areas of concern which are commonly associated with the implementation of government development projects: namely: (i) cost overrun causal factors, (ii) effective remedial cost control measures and (iii) apportionment of professional responsibility for either cost overrun causal factors or costs control remedial measures’ implementation. The ultimate aim was to identify major causes of cost overruns, generate and recommend possible solutions to the problem of cost overruns in the Botswana public construction industry. The research strategy adopted, involved the circulation of questionnaires and subsequent statistical data analysis. Initially, an expert group questionnaire test survey was conducted among ten (10) professionals (expert group), in order to solicit professional opinion and contributory input on the research. The purpose of the expert group questionnaire test survey was to refine the research questionnaires, make necessary questionnaire structure amendments, eliminate possible ambiguities, and finally, to make data collection an easy exercise. Through the expert group questionnaire test survey, the research questionnaires were assessed for validity and reliability. Thus, the questionnaire content validity (Saunders et al. 2003) was established by soliciting comments from the expert group, on the representativeness and suitability of the research questionnaires. Lists of causes of cost overruns factors and effective cost control measures were, developed for each of the three major project development cycle phases; namely: the conception/planning/designing, implementation, and completion/commissioning phases. The research questionnaires which were formulated through expert group questionnaire test survey lists of cost overruns causal factors and cost control remedial measures were circulated to a wide range of practicing professionals. In addition, a representative number of case study projects, with specific reference to cost overruns and cost control, were selected for detailed investigation. Three statistical data analytical methods; the respondents ‘s cost overrun factor/cost control measures ranking order, the Kendell’s Correlation Coefficient and the case study analysis, were simultaneously (triangulation analysis), employed in order to draw conclusive results of the research findings. Hence, the result of the survey identified: i) the most frequent cost overrun causal factors; as inadequate project brief, insufficient/inadequate project design, lack of project coordination and contractual claims and ii) the most effective cost control measures; as appointment of competent project personnel, improved project monitoring, awarding contracts to reputable/competent contractors and monitoring teams and providing time and financial management facilities. The third objective, which was to identify and apportion professional personnel responsibility for causal factors and remedial cost control implementation measures; within each of the three-project development cycle phases; yielded the following results: Clients and project managers were found to play a major contributory role in activities that lead to project cost overruns at conception/planning/designing phase. The project implementation phase allocated blame to contractors, architects and quantity surveyors for cost overruns, while quantity surveyors and contractors were found to be responsible for cost overruns at the completion/commissioning phase. On the implementation of effective remedial cost control measures, the professional responsibility scenario was found to be as follows: clients and project managers play a major role at conception/planning/designing phase, whereas quantity surveyors are key players at implementation phase and project managers; at completion /commissioning phase.

by Chan Hing-fai and Tsui King-cheong. / Bibliography: leaf 58 / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1985

The problem under investigation is the failure of current project cost control processes in Australia to adequately examine alternative design solutions due primarily to the imposition of time and cost constraints. Hence project optimisation does not occur-- the cost of a design is controlled but rarely is a design formulated to comply with a pre - determined budget allocation . This thesis attempts to improve current practice through the introduction of a computer guidance system called "COSTPLANNER!" devised to enable implementation of complex optimisation and control procedures between the stages of conception and tender while simultaneously improving speed and accuracy. In order to arrive at a workable solution the investigative study is subdivided into three main sections. First, traditional methods of project cost control are discussed in order to ascertain the basic philosophies which will need to be preserved. Second, current levels of computer involvement are analysed to arrive at the essential elements which any computer - based system must possess. Third, a framework for a complete computer- guided cost planning package, incorporating the necessary mechanisms to enable more thorough investigation and overcome restrictions curre.ntly imposed by insufficient time, is designed in detail. The investigation has highlighted that design optimisation must be initiated at an early stage before valuable time and money is spent documenting a Bcheme that is inherently cost expensive . Also, to enable proper exploration of alternative solutions either the number of areas to be investigated must be r educed or the speed with which such area s are examined increased . The use of computers to undertake cost control activities means that the latter is an achievable goal that does not resist acknowledged attempts by the National Public Works Conference (N .P.W.C. ) in Australia to encourage industry standardisation. The major conclusion reached is that current practice can be significantly improved through the utilisation of computer guidance systems at all stages in the design of a project . Preparation time of feasibility reports can be reduced by ninety-three percent, sketch design cost plans by forty-five percent and tender document cost plans by thirty-four percent an overall reduction in time and cost of fifty percent. In addition to the obvious benefits of making instantaneous changes to cost information, full reports including life cycle costing, value analysis and cost- benefit analysis studies as applicable are automatically prepared . Implementation of computer guidance systems to improve efficiency is not only desirable but absolutely essential, although it is an area which t o date has been suprisingly ignored.

In this article the shift of the Swedish goverment´s policies for the financing through taxation, fees and prices paid for the use of roads and railroads from 1945 until the 2010s is discussed. It is argued that the shift from a full-cost coverage principle to a short term social marginal cost principle can be seen in the light of the controversy between a Coasean and a Pigovian perspective. The Coasean perspective furthers an institutional view where organizations and dynamic development matters while the Pigovian perspective furthers a welfare economic equilibrium view where organizations are less focused. It is argued that the shift in policies coincided with less interest and focus on the organizational perspective and incentives for organizational efficiency, which can be seen in the public documents from the time. The government seems to have been guided by a mar ket failure stance since the 1970s which has motivated growing intervention, following a mar ket-economy stance in the first 25 years after the nationalization of roads and railroads. A current opening in transport infrastructure policies with more room for alternative financing, user charges and fees might, even though also consistent with short term social marginal cost principles, signal a revival of a perspective more in line with the Coasean view. / <p>QC 20130614</p>

Facility managers use various cost models and techniques to estimate the cost of renovating a building and to secure the required funds needed for building renovation. A literature search indicates that these techniques offer both advantages and disadvantages that need to be studied and analyzed. Descriptive statistical methods and qualitative analysis are employed to identify and compare techniques used by facility managers to calculate the expected renovation costs of a building. The cost models presently used to predict the cost and accumulate the budget required for renovation of a building were determined through interviews with ten Texas-based university facilities managers. The data and information gathered were analyzed and compared. Analysis of results suggests that traditional methods like Floor Area Method (FAM) is the most accurate, less time consuming, easy to use as well as convenient for data collection. Case-Based Reasoning (CBR), though not as widely used as FAM, is known to facilities managers. This is due to the fact that, if a new type of project needs to be renovated, and the data for a similar project is not available with the facilities manager, a completely new database needs to be created. This issue can be resolved by creating a common forum where data for all types of project could be made available for the facilities managers. Methods such as regression analysis and neural networks are known to give more accurate results. However, of the ten interviewees, only one was aware of these new models but did not use them as they would be helpful for very large projects and they would need expertise. Thus such models should be simplified to not only give accurate results in less time but also be easy to use. These results may allow us to discuss changes needed within the various cost models.

none

No description available.

No description available.