No description available.

M.Com. (Business Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Ing. / The purpose of this investigation was to develop a double concrete pole which could be used as an angle- or terminal structure for overhead power lines. To act as a double pole, shear flow must be transferred effectively between the two single poles to create the new stronger section. The method to transfer the shear flow must also be practical and economical...

No description available.

Purpose: Time and resources are wasted away when efficiency within construction is stagnating. Despite being a generally developed industry, there is still light to shed upon the methods and implementation of norms and routines, resulting in unnecessary waste at the work sites. This report aimed to provide with further data in order to argue for a work place with reduced waste and a greater awareness around how a complex work site can be studied with the help of Muda theory. Method: A qualitative study with semi-structured interviews and a literature study as data collection methods. A total of nine interviews were accomplished with two foremen and seven carpenters. Foundation and understanding of the phenomenon were initially sought through literature. This to have an adapted form of interviews through the use of a custom template for the respondent and also to give the analysis theoretical foundation. Findings: The report shows three types of waste that come back more frequently, these are defects (rework), movement and waiting. To prevent waste, and primarily to discover it, the organization must make the clarity for Lean and Muda clearer for all employees. The project phase needs to prioritize where planning awareness about the schedule and building only after construction documents are essential. Furthermore, there is a great potential to improve the knowledge transfer between the projects where major entrepreneurs can benefit from their number of previous projects to systematically evaluate and improve their workplace. Here, a digital platform is proposed for this purpose. Implications: Compiling the analysis established that there are deficiencies within the work with Lean in production. Wastage that occur is caused by many different reasons and are often based upon inadequate planning within the organization. There are also external factors like delays and inefficiency to account for, although it is usually up to the contractor to optimize and adapt best way possible based on the current circumstances. A great emphasis has through this analysis been put on the work with planning with the help of The Last Planner System. It has also been concluded that a working system of knowledge transfer within an organization needs to be established in order to be a leading participant in Swedish building production. Limitations: This report has been angled so that the problem within production is illuminated. This since much of the wastage can be reflected to the design stage and future work can resume with such an angle. The validity of the report is lowered as a result of only screening one company although the report is limited to one Swedish, bigger contractor. In order to further confirm the reality of the problem, other forms of research could have been added, more than just literature studies and interviews, such as observational investigation. Keywords: Waste minimization, Lean Construction, Muda, Lean Production, The Last Planner System, Knowledge transfer

Vid dagens byggprojekt blir bristande utrymme på byggarbetsplatsen allt vanligare då det oftabyggs i tätbebyggda områden. Detta innebär att den traditionella lagerföringen påbyggarbetsplatsen blir svår och nya lösningar behöver hittas för att upprätthålla effektivitet ochgod arbetsmiljö.Just-in-time (JIT) har sitt ursprung i Lean och innebär att rätt material levereras tillbyggarbetsplatsen i rätt tid. Materialet lyfts sedan direkt in på sin slutliga plats i byggnadenistället för att lagras på byggarbetsplatsen.Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur företaget YIT Sverige arbetar i dagsläget och hurföretaget skulle kunna ha nytta av JIT vid byggnationen av en friidrottsarena i Gällivare.Friidrottsarenan byggs i tätbebyggt område och utrymmet är begränsat vilket innebär vissaproblem. Dessutom är Gällivare beläget i Norrbottens inland och avstånden till andra städer ärstora.Vid studien framkom att vissa problem som materialskador och bristande kommunikation frånleverantörer förekommer i olika projekt som YIT Sverige genomför. Dessa problem skullekunna undvikas genom användande av JIT. Det är dock svårt att beräkna de kostnader ellerkostnadsminskningar som JIT skulle kunna innebära då det aktuella projektet inte är genomförtännu och studien har en tidsbegränsning.Det finns även fler möjligheter för att förbättra effektiviteten och arbetsmiljö såsom metoden5S och att skapa långsiktiga relationer med leverantörer. Detta är en förutsättning för attanvända sig av JIT men även något som kan användas vid traditionell bygglogistik. Dessutomkan mellanlager vara ett alternativ om det inte finns möjligheter att fullt ut implementera JIT,det skulle innebära fördelar för effektiviteten och arbetsmiljön på byggarbetsplatsen även omalla fördelar med JIT inte nås. / During today’s construction projects lack of space on the construction site is becoming acommonly occurring problem since projects often are placed in urban areas. This means thattraditional storage on the construction site becomes difficult and new solutions need to be foundto maintain efficiency and good working environment.Just-in-time (JIT) originates from Lean production and means that the right material is deliveredto the construction site at the right time. The material is then directly placed in its final locationin the building instead of being stored at the construction site.The purpose of this study is to analyse how the company YIT Sweden is currently working andhow the company could benefit from JIT in the construction of an athletics stadium in Gällivare.The athletics arena is being built in an urban area and the space on the construction site islimited, which causes some problems. In addition, Gällivare is located in Norrbotten and thedistances to other cities are significant.The study showed that certain problems such as material damage and lack of communicationfrom suppliers occur in projects that YIT Sweden is managing. These problems could beavoided by using JIT. However, it is difficult to calculate the costs or cost reductions that JITcould bring as the current project is not yet finished, and the study has a short time frame.There are also other possible ways to improve efficiency and work environment such as themethod 5S and to create long-term relationships with suppliers. This is a prerequisite for usingJIT but also something that can be used in combination with traditional construction logistics.Another possibility is to use interim storage for material. It can be an alternative if there are nopossibilities for YIT Sweden to fully implement JIT. It would mean benefits for the efficiencyand working environment at the construction site even if the full potential of JIT is not fulfilled.

The construction industry is labour intensive in nature. People often work long hours in relatively disagreeable environments, far from their families. Even if workers are not happy to be working in a particular environment they find themselves obliged to work. Fearing reprimands from their superiors, they often find it difficult to express their ideas. It is therefore difficult for management to identify the factors of motivation that affect their workers productivity in a work environment. The aim of this study was to identify and evaluate motivational factors that affect the productivity of workers on construction sites in South Africa, focusing on skilled workers. For this, the scientific management approach and quantitative research methods were used. The findings from this study revealed that the motivational theories apply to construction sites, and management needs to apply these theories wisely in order to achieve improved productivity.

Urbanisation is a social phenomenon that is experienced in many cities all over the world. In Johannesburg, millions of people migrate into the city daily with hope for a better life, improved living conditions, work opportunities, sufficient public resources and facilities. The city is under pressure to provide adequate public resources to cope with the high influx of people moving into the city. As a result many resources and facilities, especially in the education sector, have experienced a decline in the quality of education and appropriate spaces for learning in the city. In trying to respond to the inclining population of the city, urban schools have been established in the Johannesburg. Urban schools are faced with many challenges such as: over-crowding, inadequate spaces for teaching and learning, lack of spaces for extracurricular activities and recreation, thus resulting in most learners performing poorly in their schooling careers. In most cases urban schools occupy old office buildings, which were not designed for the purpose of nurturing a young mind through education and recreation. These buildings serve as part of the problem with education and educating in the city. These buildings offer poor light quality, ventilation, and inadequate spaces critical for a well-functioning school and engaging with inquisitive young minds. The 21st century also presents a lot of opportunities and challenges for public education. The current South African public education system is still based on the early 19th century educational model, which was conceived and designed for the success of colonisation. Fix the next sentence about today... Though, the OBE system was recently introduced, but that has hasn’t had a great impact on the built environment of schools as it mainly continued using the old schools. Through re-conceptualising spatial environments that evoke the students’ engagement, enthusiasm and performance, the urban public school has the potential to make education more appealing and exciting to Johannesburg urban youth.

The modern Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry is characterized by its fragmented, complex and multidisciplinary nature. Hence, the project success is heavily pivoted on its effective collaboration among the stakeholders during various project phases. The exchange and management of massive project information under various project delivery methods are cumbersome in modern day’s projects. Information Technology applications are playing a vital role in overcoming this difficulty; however the technological adoption and its full utilisation has always been slow in the emerging economies. Among these technologies, Building Information Modelling (BIM) dominates the AEC sector in developed countries; these countries are still experiencing the transition from 3D technologies to BIM in AEC industry. In South Africa, Building Information Modelling (BIM) is becoming the prime means of information exchange between various stakeholders involved in construction projects. Various aspects of BIM are explored and tools are developed continuously in order to make BIM more and more efficient for the whole life cycle of the construction projects. Nevertheless, in most implementations, BIM services are widely utilized in schematic design, design development and working drawings for both Engineering and Architecture as a graphical modelling and clash detection tool. But the developers of various BIM tools have listed many Project Management related benefits in their product portfolio. Nonetheless, it’s utilization in various project management knowledge areas according to PMBOK such as Integration, Scope, Time, Cost, Resource, Procurement, Communication, Quality, Risk, Safety, Environmental, Financial and Claim Management are not fully realized in South Africa. This paper investigates the BIM’s utilization on the above said Project Management knowledge areas and identifies its challenges towards project management utilisation and strategies to overcome the identified challenges. The research philosophy adopted in this study follows positivism and a deductive research approach is used to unwind the truth about BIM’s utilization for project management, challenges and the strategies among the South African AEC industry. A survey research strategy is used in this research; data are collected through questionnaires and interviews. Questionnaire responses were obtained from a sample of 34 BIM adopters, the sample includes architectural, engineering, contracting, quantity surveying and construction management firms, questions related to the project management applications, implementation challenges and effective utilization strategies of BIM were asked. The obtained non parametric responses data through the questionnaire are analysed using appropriate statistical tests. The questionnaire results are triangulated through 3 open ended interviews data. Conclusions from this study help the South African AEC sectors to realize and expand their utilization of BIM in project management processes. Further, the identified challenges and strategies in this study assist the AEC industry to plan for the effective utilization of BIM in their future projects

Progressive collapses may occur when a bearing wall is eliminated for various reasons. It can be a gas explosion or collision accident of a train or a vehicle, but also during renovation of a building component. After the wall has been eliminated, the building should be undamaged and not suffer a progressive collapse. Such an event can be avoided through a vertical link. The purpose of this study is to examine how secure today's vertical strap’sare against progressive collapse, and to find a solution for reduced risk of collapse Method: This study includes a literature review and a case study. The literature review was performed by a deepening of the existing literature that investigated the progressive collapse and the vertical drag strip. The studies found through the database Google school and Discovery. The case study was conducted in Kadesjös which is an engineering office where drawings and calculations were performed. Result: The result indicates that the vertical strap used today cannot withstand the design load if the entire wall (including the screw attachment) is eliminated. The threaded rod will then be pulled out of the floor and a progressive collapse occurs. By mounting a 70x70mm plate in the floor this can be prevented. Without the plate it takes only 58 kN to pull out the threaded rod from the floor, but with the plate the connection’s capacity is increased to 100 kN and then the anchorage pipe limits the capacity. Conclusion: The conclusion of this thesis is that a plate that increases the vertical strap’s capacity and thereby increases the safety against progressive collapse should be used.