Investigation Of Current Practices Research Articles

Investigation of Current Practices and Challenges of Stakeholder Management Process in Construction Projects

In the construction industry, stakeholder management is essential for project success because it entailslocating, evaluating, and proactively interactingwith people or organizations that have the potential to have a substantial impact on project. Due to the involvement of multiple parties, including clients, contractors, subcontractors, regulatory bodies, local communities, and environmental organizations, the construction business is intrinsically complicated. Achieving project objectives, minimizing conflicts, and addressing a variety of interests all depend on effective stakeholder management. In this research, the various challenges faced by the stakeholders are identified. Alongside, the current practices followed by the stakeholders in the construction projects are explored. Based on that, the factors affecting stakeholders’ management on project performance are investigated. This research aims at identifying the most critical factors affecting the stakeholder’s performance across project success through a conceptual framework. This paper explains the direct impact made in project cycle due to stakeholder performance and major problems faced by the construction industries due to improper allocation of stakeholders. A review of earlier stakeholder management research is conducted to accomplish this goal. Keywords: Construction, stakeholders, performance, framework

Systematic Reviews and Quality Appraisal of In Vitro Cancer Studies: Investigation of Current Practice.

To assess the quantity and quality of systematic reviews of in vitro cancer studies. PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Knowledge and PROSPERO databases were searched. Articles described as systematic reviews of in vitro studies, focused on or relevant to cancer and published in English were selected and appraised using an adapted version of AMSTAR 2 'critical domains'. From 4,021 records, 41 reviews described as systematic and cancer-related were identified. Publication dates indicate increasing frequency of systematic review conduct. Mean number of databases searched was three (range=1-8). Thirty-six reviews (88%) reported search methods, 35 (85%) specified inclusion criteria, 26 (63%) reported study selection methods, and 21 (51%) used reporting guidelines. Only 13 reviews (32%) involved formal quality assessment. Detailed investigation of reviews of cancer-relevant in vitro studies indicates need for further development and use of robust search strategies, appropriate quality assessment tools, and researchers with relevant skills.

Physical Preparation in Female Rugby Codes: An Investigation of Current Practices.

Female sports have recently seen a dramatic rise in participation and professionalism world-wide. Despite progress, the infrastructure and general sport science provisions in many female sports are behind their male counterparts. From a performance perspective, marked differences in physical and physiological characteristics can be seen between the sexes. Although physical preparation practices for male athletes are known, there are currently no published literature pertaining exclusively to female athletes. This information would provide invaluable data for both the researcher and practitioner alike. This survey therefore aimed to examine current practices utilized in female rugby codes (union, league, and sevens). A questionnaire assessing seasonal physical preparation practices, recovery, monitoring and sport science technology, and unique aspects in female rugby was developed. Thirty-seven physical preparation practitioners (32 males, 5 females) responded to the questionnaire. Most participants (78%) worked with national or regional/state level female athletes. Performance testing was more frequently assessed in the pre- (97%) and in-season (86%), than off-season (23%). Resistance, cardiovascular, sprint and plyometric training, and recovery sessions were all believed to be important to enhancing performance and implemented by most participants (≥ 89%). Sport science technologies were commonly (54%) utilized to inform current practice. Menstrual cycle phase was monitored by 22% of practitioners. The most frequently reported unique considerations in female rugby codes included psycho-social aspects (41%), the menstrual cycle (22%), and physical differences (22%). Practitioners working with female rugby can use the presented data to inform and develop current practices.

Developing Work Motivation for Lecturers at Some Public Universities in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

This article presents the results from an investigation of current practices in building work motivation for lecturers in three public universities in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The survey aims to clarify the current state of motivational development for lecturers in these universities, and to contribute as a reference to baseline for measures to enhance the work motivations for lecturers. The survey was conducted by a combination of in-depth interview and questionnaire of 224 lecturers in the three universities. The results showed that the management of these universities have taken appropriate motivating measures, which have direct effect to the individual lecturers, through their work and through the working environment. Among them, the direct measures (raising salaray and incentives; providing supplemental pay, benefits and services; trainning and professional development) are performed the best in three universities. Howerver, the working environment enhancement measures, which require time and appropriate investment, must receive the most attention in the future.

Perceptions of offsite construction in the United States: An investigation of current practices

New offsite construction practices are emerging in the construction industry to address a broad set of productivity issues that cut across organizational, technological, and strategic domains. Despite all its benefits from sustainable and economic perspectives, offsite construction still faces significant resistance from both the construction industry and the built-environment market. Evaluating advances in this industry is critical, especially because there is a need to determine the factors that are preventing the industry from more fully and rapidly adopting offsite strategies. This paper aims to investigate the industry perspective regarding the adoption of offsite strategies and provide an understanding of the development of the offsite construction industry over time. In this regard, the “State-of-the-Art of Modular Construction Symposium” was held in May 2017 at the University of Florida with the intent to bring together stakeholders engaged in multi-trade prefabrication to debate the drivers, challenges and future directions of the offsite industry. During this event, data was collected by means of unstructured interviews and a questionnaire for the purpose of determining the characteristics the U.S. offsite construction industry. A SWOT framework was used to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the industry adopting offsite strategies as well as the external opportunities and threats. The questionnaire survey data analysis showed the current drivers, core elements, barriers, and possible solutions to the barriers of further implementation of offsite construction. The results are intended to help construction organizations understand the potential benefits of offsite construction and assist them in creating a roadmap for their future strategic development.

Suicide risk assessment in the emergency department: An investigation of current practice in Scotland.

Suicide is a global public health issue. Approximately one third of individuals who complete suicide have attended an emergency department in the year preceding their death. The aim of this study was to investigate current suicide risk assessment practices across emergency department clinicians in Scotland. A mixed-methods design was employed. A total of 112 surveys for emergency department clinicians were posted to 23 emergency departments in Scotland between March and September 2016. Follow-up semi-structured interviews were also conducted exploring clinician's experiences of suicide risk assessment. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Fifty-one emergency department clinicians across 17 emergency departments completed the survey. Thirty-five (68.6%) participants were currently using a suicide risk assessment tool; with most using locally developed tools and proformas (n=20, 62.5%) or the SAD PERSONS scale (n=13, 40.6%). Remaining participants (n=16, 31.4%) did not use suicide risk assessment tools during assessment. Variation in practice was found both across and within emergency departments. Six clinicians participated in follow-up interviews, which identified four major themes: Clinician Experiences of Suicide Risk Assessment; Components of Suicide Risk Assessment; Clinical Decision-Making; and Supporting Clinicians. There is substantial variation in current practice, with around two-thirds of clinicians using a variety of empirically and locally developed tools, and a third using their judgement alone. Clinicians find suicide risk assessment a challenging part of their role and discuss the need for increased training, and appropriate and helpful guidelines to improve practice.

An Investigation of Current Practices in Meal Provision at Kodomo-Shokudo (Eateries for Children)

An Investigation of Current Practices in Meal Provision at <i>Kodomo-Shokudo </i>(Eateries for Children)

Dance performance and virtual reality: an investigation of current practice and a suggested tool for analysis

ABSTRACT The relationship between performance and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies has been ongoing since the initial development of VR in the 1980s. Much has been written about the flurry of experimentation in VR and performance during the 1990s, but not much has been written about more recent work. This article is a contextualisation of recent dance practice made for/in VR and a discussion of any characteristics of that work. For the purpose of this article, my definition of VR includes both 360 film experienced through a VR headset as well as computer-generated virtual environments, also experienced through a VR headset. This article will forefront practice and, drawing on relevant theories and frameworks, discuss the relationship between performance and virtual reality, followed by a discussion of each of the six key works, all of which premiered in 2016–2017. The article goes on to outline the characteristics of this work including types of creative content and the role of the audience and will provide a tool for analysing and understanding VR dance performance work as well as reflecting the importance of interdisciplinary creative teams and collaborative partnerships.

Agendas, influences, and capability: Perspectives on practice in design and technology education

A philosophical shift in policy now situates the development of technological capability as the focus of Irish technology education. Internationally, the effectiveness of curricular reform in the discipline has previously been called to question, as the legacy of the preceding vocational craft subjects has been seen to throttle the evolution of practice in aligning with emergent policy. As Irish technology education shares this vocational heritage, this research seeks to explore the effectiveness of policy change through an investigation of current practices in the discipline. Specifically, this research seeks to explore the alignment of teachers’ perceptions of practice in terms of the focus of learning activities and educational outcomes as prescribed by curricula. A methodological framework was developed to explore teachers’ (n = 15) perceptions, ecologically rooted in the tasks and activities they use to teach in their classrooms. The results suggest a misalignment between what teachers conceive as important to the discipline, and their enacted practices. The paper unpacks the contentions surrounding this misalignment and discusses factors which appear to influence teachers’ perceptions, forming a greater understanding of what influences practice in the discipline.

The Use of Virtual Worlds in Management Education: An Investigation of Current Practices in Second Life

Frequently, research on management education does not take into account the role of Information Technology as a key resource to support teaching and learning processes. In this article, the authors explore the current applications of Three Dimensional Virtual Worlds (3DVW) for Management education. The authors researched the educational institutions subscribed to Second Life (SL) (http://secondlife.com/), as it is one of the most popular open 3DVW available worldwide. The results reveal that only 31% of the institutions that answered the authors’ questionnaire actually use SL in Management education. Regarding the acceptance of SL in Management education, one third of the 15 institutions using it claim that it has been well received and accepted both by students and lecturers/professors. These results lead to several questions for further research and development of practices concerning the use of 3DVW for Management education.

Factors impeding the offsite production of housing construction in China: an investigation of current practice

The promotion of offsite production is a possible future strategic direction for the construction industry as it provides economic, environmental and social benefits. However, in China, the uptake of offsite production, particularly in the housing sector, is relatively low and few studies have identified and examined the reasons behind this trend. This research gap is addressed and factors that inhibit the wider use of offsite production in China’s housing construction industry are investigated. A questionnaire survey was carried out, examining the views of 110 construction professionals in China including developers, designers, contractors, manufacturers and suppliers. Factor analysis of 21 separate variables was undertaken which extracted six principal factors, namely: ‘constructability implementation’, ‘social climate and attitudes’, ‘architectural performance’, ‘costing’, ‘supply chain’ and ‘preparatory stage’. The findings identify both barriers and challenges to increasing the uptake of offsite production in China. This provides a rare insight about the housing construction industry in China with possible implications for other developing countries that are seeking to identify and overcome barriers to the wider uptake of offsite production.

An Investigation of Current Practices in Management Rotations in Dietetic Internships

An Investigation of Current Practices in Management Rotations in Dietetic Internships Emily Vaterlaus Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science, BYU Master of Science Background: Leadership and management skills are critical to moving the dietetics profession forward; acquisition of those skills begins in the Dietetic Internship (DI). This study examined DI program components related to higher mean scores on the Foodservice and Management domain of the Registration Examination for Dietitians and compared Program Director and Preceptor perceptions of management rotation structure. Methods: All 242 DI Program Directors (excluding sponsoring institution) received a 47-item electronic questionnaire. Directors provided contact information for up to three DI management rotation primary preceptors. Preceptors received a 35-item electronic questionnaire regarding their perception of interns’ management skill development. Analyses included Stepwise regression, Fisher’s Exact test, Pearson’s correlation, and Chi-squared. Results: 125 Program Directors (51%) and 63 of 100 preceptors (63%) responded. Greater time spent working with front line staff rather than upper management levels was associated with lower Foodservice and Management domain scores on the RD Examination, but program emphasis/concentration and length of time in management rotations were not related. Directors and Preceptors have similar perceptions of most aspects of management rotations, but they perceive barriers to management experiences differently. More Preceptors than Directors felt sensitive issues like budget and personnel, students’ attitude and knowledge base, and inadequate time frame interfered with “appropriate exposure to practical management” (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Structuring management rotations to spend more time working at upper levels of management and addressing preceptors’ perceptions of barriers to meaningful experiences should increase the effectiveness of management skill acquisition and attitudes toward management among interns.

Assessing Dental Students’ Competence: Best Practice Recommendations in the Performance Assessment Literature and Investigation of Current Practices in Predoctoral Dental Education

In this article, the Task Force on Student Outcomes Assessment of the American Dental Education Association's Commission on Change and Innovation in Dental Education describes the current status of student outcomes assessment in U.S. dental education. This review is divided into six sections. The first summarizes the literature on assessment of dental students' performance. Section two discusses catalysts, with a focus on problem-based learning, for development of new assessment methods, while the third section presents several resources and guides that can be used to inform selection of assessment techniques for various domains of competence. The fourth section describes the methodology and results of a 2008 survey of current assessment practices in U.S. dental schools. In the fifth section, findings from this survey are discussed within the context of competency-based education, the educational model for the predoctoral curriculum endorsed by the American Dental Education Association and prescribed by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. The article concludes with a summary of assessments recommended as optimal strategies to measure three components of professional competence based on the triangulation model. The survey of assessment practices in predoctoral education was completed by 931 course directors, representing 45 percent of course directors nationwide, from fifty-three of the fifty-six U.S. dental schools. Survey findings indicate that five traditional mainstays of student performance evaluation-multiple-choice testing, lab practicals, daily grades, clinical competency exams, and procedural requirements-still comprise the primary assessment tools in dental education. The survey revealed that a group of newer assessment techniques, although frequently identified as best practices in the literature and commonly used in other areas of health professions education, are rarely employed in predoctoral dental education.

Training for virtual teams: An investigation of current practices and future needs

Organizations are creating virtual teams at an ever-faster rate. Virtual team leaders and members from distant locations work together and communicate with each other using a variety of information technologies. Results from a survey of 440 training and development professionals identify current organizational training practices aimed at preparing leaders and members for virtual team assignments. Comparing organizations with more effective and less effective virtual team training programs allowed us to identify a set of “best practices.” We offer practical guidance regarding the effective use of training to promote high-quality virtual team performance. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

An Investigation of Current Practice in Dealing With Child Sexual Abuse in Ireland

In this study, the authors sought to ascertain current practices for dealing with child sexual abuse in Ireland. The implications for the differing responses of social workers and psychologists were considered.

Investigation of Current Practice in Rating Ward Practice of Students in Schools of Nursing

Investigation of Current Practice in Rating Ward Practice of Students in Schools of Nursing

Investigation of Current Practice in Rating Ward Practice of Students in Schools of Nursing1

OR several years marked progress has been made, in our schools of nursing, in grading class work. This has been due, largely, to the greater use of objective tests and the grading of students on a comparative basis. Since improved rating of ward practice of students has not, generally. kept pace with this advancement, and since it is still in an experimental stage, it has seemed worth while to investigate current practice with the object of evaluation and determination of procedures for improvement, as well as for the purpose of stimulating others to make a critical ~tudy with the same objects in view. As the first step, a questionnaire was formulated and sent to the fiftythree accredited schools in California and to thirty in various other parts of the country, making a total of eighty-three. The response was most gratifying. Fifty-three have been returned from California, and twentysix from out of the state. One director of nurses wrote a letter stating that the reason she was not complying with the request was that she felt the method used in that school had long needed revision and, therefore, did not think it would be a help in this study. Another wrote that they were in the process of changing their forms and