Project Sponsors Research Articles

THE PROJECT BOUNDARY AND OCCUPATIONAL STRESS

Despite advances in project management practices and profession, projects continue to have an unacceptably high failure rate, which may be influenced by project manager being highly stressed and their decision-making capabilities becoming narrowed. The project manager's role necessitates that they occupy the boundary between sponsoring organisation, clients, and other actors involved in the project environment, where they are often subjected to time pressures, project uncertainties, conflicting demands, complex and often dynamic social structure involved in the project environment. In this social constructionist study thirty six senior executives participants were interviewed. It was observed that when discussing the person-environment fit and competencies of a project manager, occupational stress and stress management were overlooked by executive project sponsors as a possible contributing factor for poor project manager performance and poor project outcomes. Despite the growing body of research evidence that has identified occupational stress across many different professions as having an adverse impact on an individual's performance and health, there has been little recognition within project management literature of the impacts of stress or coping strategies for managing stressors within the project environment. This strongly suggests that additional research on stress focused on the project environment is warranted, and that both project sponsors and project managers need to be made aware of the antecedents to stress and consequences of stress both in the personal and business sense.

The Efficacy of the Tolling Model’s Ability to Improve Project Profitability on International Steel Plants

To overcome profitability deterioration in executing steel price projects, companies are seeking overseas expansion, which increases market size while reducing profit certainty. Special purpose companies (SPCs) have been found to better manage these risks through tolling agreements which transfer the local pricing volatility risks (raw material, steel sales, licensing and income tax) to the project sponsor. The energy market has benefited from policy changes allowing the use of the tolling model, finding an increase in profitability for both project sponsors and SPCs through more effective risk sharing. While successes have been published in the energy, gas, and highway sectors, the tolling model’s efficacy has yet to be tested on the steel sector. As such, this research adds to the existing body of knowledge by testing the financial feasibility of using the tolling model on three million ton/year capacity steel projects. The data analyzed has been collected from “Company A”, a company with 50 years of domestic and 20 years international steel-iron plant project execution and operation experience. An economic analysis is performed on the best, most likely, and worst-case cost/revenue scenarios of a virtual project (which represents the average of all Company A projects) and two Company A projects under construction/operation. The findings support the use of the tolling model in volatile markets, showing a net present value (NPV) profitability increase of up to $940 versus the traditional project company model under worst case market conditions. However, the traditional project company model was found to be superior in best case market conditions. With these findings, international steel companies are able to consider alternative financing structures when executing projects in volatile markets, potentially resulting in greater project sponsor and SPC profit.

Examining learning transformation in project-based learning process

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a learning transformation framework for analyzing how learning evolves during project-based learning (PBL) process. Here, the authors adopt Lewin’s (1951) change theory as an analytical lens to examine the project-based learning curriculum at a University called UNI-X. This is a major contribution to PBL literature, as little is known about the dynamics of learning during PBL process. In fact, the learning transformation framework can serve as the basis for further research in PBL process. For educators, this paper provides them with useful insights on how to break project members’ escalating commitment to previous failing ideas and accept alternative workable ideas. Educators can use the framework in post-mortem analyses of projects to devise useful actions for facilitating learning transformation during PBL process.Design/methodology/approachThe strategy used in this paper was to undertake in-depth case research of PBL courses developed and taught in UNI-X. Focused group interviews were conducted with 28 students, 12 faculty and 5 industry project sponsors asking specifically their perceptions of PBL’s course design, delivery and its impact on overall student experience.FindingsThis paper presents a learning transformation framework for analyzing the change process of how learners experiment new ideas, explore alternative ideas and eventually come to a consensus to accept new ideas during PBL in a collaborative project environment. By drawing upon a case study of UNI-X, the authors argue that unfreezing beliefs of previous ideas is critical if alternative ideas are to be developed. It is clear that the entire process of ‘unfreezing-changing-refreezing’ has occurred in the PBL courses at UNI-X and enacted through unfreezing beliefs in previous ideas, changing previous beliefs and refreezing the new beliefs. Through interviews with students, instructors and project sponsors in the PBL courses, the authors gathered data to examine how project members could give up previous ideas and accept alternative ideas.Originality/valueThe authors adopt Lewin’s (1951) change theory as an analytical lens to examine the project-based learning curriculum at UNI-X. This is a major contribution to PBL literature, as little is known about the dynamics of learning during PBL process. In fact, the learning transformation framework can serve as the basis for further research in PBL process.

Transient CFD and experimental analysis for improved Pelton turbine casing designs

Impulse turbine casings play a very important role and experience dictates that the efficiency of a Pelton turbine is closely dependent on the success of keeping vagrant spray water away from the turbine runner and the water jet. Despite this overarching purpose, there is no standard design guidelines and casing styles vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, often incorporating a considerable number of shrouds and baffles to direct the flow of water into the tailrace with minimal interference with the aforementioned. Secondly, the success of a casing design is dependent on its ability to maintain this objective across a wide range of operating conditions that vary as a consequence of fluctuations in speed and load, resulting in considerable differences in spray leaving the runner. Conventionally, the baffle plates are designed to be most effective at the best efficiency, or duty, point and have been shown to be ineffective at extremes of speed and load. Therefore, efforts to design a casing with minimal amount of shrouding to reduce manufacturing costs is the objective of the project sponsors. The present work incorporates the Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) k-ε turbulence model and a two-phase Volume of Fluid (VOF) model, using the ANSYS® FLUENT® code to simulate the casing flow in a 2-jet horizontal axis Pelton turbine. The results of the simulation of two casing configurations are compared against flow visualisations and measurements obtained from a model established at the National Technical University of Athens. The CFD simulation also informs the design of new casing inserts to see their influence on the flow. Therefore, the outcome of this investigation provides further insight into guidelines for improved Pelton turbine casing design.

Management and Evaluation of Communication and Coordination Practices among Multi Stakeholders in Complex Engineering Projects in Pakistan

The aim of this study is to investigate the management and evaluation of communication and coordination practices among multi stakeholders in complex engineering projects in Pakistan. The methodology of this study is based on questionnaire to calculate the vested interest–impact index (ViII), Position (Pos), Attributes (A), Shareholder Impact Index (SII), Normalize score of SII and ranking of normalize score of SII. In addition, this study also used the Stakeholder Impact/Probability matrix. There are 44 questions asked from 132 respondents. The result reveal that different stakeholders showed interests in construction projects, however, every stakeholder had their own agenda and interest which create a conflict. Stakeholders' impact index and probability impact matrix approach for assessment of current practice and their requirements for coordination and communication have been used. Study also represents the class and position of stakeholders during both phases. As per results, land owners have high and positive impact on complex projects throughout the project life cycle followed by local community/residents, media, institutional forces and politicians. The politicians have highest positive impact on complex projects followed by consultant, main contractor and government agencies. Efficient communication and coordination is required with low impact stakeholders for minimizing their influence. It is observed that the high value of ViII will lead to higher value of SII and normalize score of project’s PP and EP. The top five stakeholders are clients, consultants, main contractors, sub-contractors and government agencies in project’s planning and execution phase. The shareholder impact analysis also provides suggestions to project managers in developing and evaluating the stakeholder management process. The proposed study is first approach towards communication and coordination management in construction. Overall, the results show that since there is no contractual binding between external stakeholders and project sponsors, they face the maximum communication gap. There is no proper mean to establish coordination and communication among external stakeholders throughout the project.

Developing Skills and Measuring Competences Through Simulations in Corporate Environment

If created along the principles of engagement, relevance and measurability, learning games offer appealing benefits both for managers (project sponsors) and employees (end-users). Yet widespread use of such serious games at for-profit organisations may be set back by financial barriers. The article focuses on how to create simulations cost-effectively and at a good quality level at the same time. The key is to advance in small, consecutive steps, creating short, self-contained stories with a limited number of characters in a relatively simple, unchanged environment. On a simple and steady platform of a few strong-featured heroes, together with their business and human relations, a complex world of intricate narratives may be built up as new topics are treated. As developers we do not need to make big promises about the numbers of learning goals and skills to improve. We just start by stating that we can set up a modular system of simulations in a relatively inexpensive way. If we do it right, there will always be enough interest (and money) to expand the horizon. Nevertheless, it is still true that we need a considerable investment of trust and financial resources at the beginning, just to be able to introduce the characters and setting to the audience just as well as to create the appropriate software background.

Success Factors for Supply Chain Management Projects: An Empirical Analysis

Abstract This paper provides new insights on the major success factors for supply chain management (SCM) projects. The contributions of this study are twofold: Firstly, we propose a comprehensive definition of the term “supply chain management project”, which encompasses the different views found in the literature. Secondly, we evaluate the importance of ten success factors for SCM projects using semi-structured interviews with SCM professionals. Communication and stakeholder management, clear project objectives, support by project sponsor and senior management, and the internal organization of the project team appear to be the most relevant success factors. This provides a clear recommendation for managers of SCM projects in practice on which factors to focus. Additionally, we find that the importance given to the success factors partially depends on the organizational affiliations of the interviewees, with certain differences between industrial enterprises and service providers.

Measuring and Improving Project Management Governance: A Case Study in a Brazilian Public Company

In a recent scenario of corporate breakdown, fiscal scandals and lack of integrity ofmultinationals, the governance theme has been receiving great repercussion and prominence.Thus, stakeholders have increasingly assumed the role of charging for transparency andcorporate performance. A great ally to achieve its strategic objectives has been governance inproject management, still incipient and with improvements to be achieved. Thus, this paperproposed to present a model for analysis, measurement and continuous improvement in thissubject. Through a case study at a government fiscal public company, issues were raisedunder four project perspectives (portfolio management, project sponsorship, projectmanagement capability and disclosure and reporting), drawing a real profile of the companyand creating an action plan to develop its governance in projects. The relevance of this studywas justified by the use of an easily applicable tool, adaptable to any sector in which theinstitution is inserted.

Marine Archaeology Survey of Redfish Bay Pipeline Project, Nueces County, Texas

BOB Hydrographics, LLC (BOB) conducted a marine archaeological survey of a proposed pipeline project crossing Redfish Bay, in Nueces County. Project Consulting Services, Inc. contracted with BOB for this project, on behalf of the project sponsor, Axis Midstream Holdings, LLC. The survey spans portions of State Mineral Lease Tracts 321, 324, 325, 326, 327, and 328 between the community of Aransas Pass and Harbor Island. The Area of Potential Effect (APE) encompasses 203 acres. A total of 299 acres was surveyed, including petroleum-industry access channels connected to each end of the main survey corridor and a 50-meter buffer around the proposed APE as mandated by the Texas Historical Commission. Water depth ranged from 2.9-11.7 feet during the survey. Field investigations included a marine geophysical survey, performed under Texas Antiquities Permit 8645, on November 16 and 17, 2018. BOB assessed all geophysical data acquired by the survey to locate potential archaeological sites that could be affected by construction-related activities. No artifacts were collected during this survey. A review of cultural background determined that 5 marine archaeological investigations and, at least, 9 wrecks have been reported within 3 miles of the survey area. Analysis of survey results discovered 3 significant geophysical targets that might be potentially eligible as State Antiquities Landmarks and for the National Register of Historic Places. This study was completed in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (Public Law 89-665; 16 U.S.C. 470) and the Antiquities Code of Texas (Texas Natural Resource Code, Title 9, Chapter 191). The minimum reporting and survey requirements for marine archaeological studies conducted under a Texas Antiquities Permit are mandated by The Texas Administrative Code, Title 13, Part 2, Chapters 26 and 28, respectively. Project records will be curated by the Center for Archaeological Studies at Texas State University-San Marcos.

Role of Librarian in Guiding Research and Executing Sponsored Project

Role of Librarian in Guiding Research and Executing Sponsored Project

THE MEGAPROJECT SPONSOR AS LEADER

The importance of the sponsor role, including its contribution to the success or failure of a project, is widely recognised in the project management literature. References to the sponsor’s leadership, and the substantial component it represents in the profile of the sponsor, are equally prevalent in the literature reviewed. A megaproject is a large-scale, complex venture that typically costs US$1 billion or more, takes many years to develop and build, involves multiple public and private stakeholders, is transformational, and influences millions of people. Executive sponsors are primarily allocated to projects of strategic importance that are complex, carry a considerable degree of risk, and are very visible. A megaproject is thus entitled to a sponsor from the executive (most senior) ranks within an organisation. Rather than joining the debates on complexity and leadership in the project management literature, this paper explains how leadership theories are used to identify instruments that can assist in the assessment of the leadership style and traits/attributes of a sponsor. A framework is then proposed to identify assessment instruments to evaluate the leadership style and leader traits/attributes of a project sponsor.

Domestic lead arranger certification and the pricing of project finance loans

AbstractUsing a sample of 1,270 project finance syndicated loan tranches arranged from 1998 to 2011 and worth over $300 billion, we estimate the causal impact of certification by domestic lead arrangers on the pricing of project finance loans in emerging markets. We hypothesize that, on average, domestic arrangers are better able to structure and screen project finance deals, credibly communicate the true value of a project and its underlying network of contracts, and monitor the loan contract compared with foreign arrangers. If so, all things being equal, domestic arranger certification should result in lower loan spreads compared with foreign arranger certification. Our results support this hypothesis. After controlling for project and loan characteristics and the potential endogeneity of the lead arranger's selection, we find that certification by domestic arrangers causes a significant reduction in loan spreads across different industrial categories and geographic locations of projects. This finding demonstrates the economic value of domestic arranger certification in project finance lending. Our results suggest that, in the presence of information asymmetry between project sponsors and participant lenders in the syndicate, certification by domestic arrangers offers a superior mechanism to minimize search, information, and monitoring costs.

Contracting for Research: Moral Hazard and the Incentive to Overstate Significance

The incentives for an advisor first to diligently perform research and second to accurately report her results are investigated in a model of optimal contracting. To motivate the advisor to collect and analyze the relevant data, her compensation must include a contingent component that depends on whether her reported findings are ultimately consistent with the outcome of the sponsor's project. This endogenously creates incentives for the advisor to misrepresent the significance of her findings. For high-cost (low-cost) projects she wishes to amplify (suppress) significance. To restore incentives for honest reporting, the advisor must receive an additional payment that offsets her incentive to equivocate. For high-cost projects the sponsor optimally mitigates expected agency rents by committing to ignore reports of highly significant findings, while for low-cost projects he ignores reports of mild significance. This continues to hold even in a setting where the sponsor has limited commitment power.

Factors Influencing Sustainability of Rural Water Supplies Management in Kenya: A Case Study of Marakwet West Sub County, Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kenya

The purpose of this project was to analyse the Factors influencing Sustainability of Rural Water Supplies Management in Kenya: A Case Study of Marakwet West Sub County Elgeyo Marakwet County Kenya. It was specially want to find out how the level of community participation; socio-economic status of the community; water financial management and how level of technology penetration in the community influences sustainability of water projects in Marakwet West Sub County. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The target population was the community households, programme coordinators and committee members of water projects. A sample of 256 respondents drawn from the target population was used. The study used descriptive and analytical methods of data analysis which were mainly performed using the SPSS data analysis package. The data was analyzed using quantitative analysis method. From the analysis it was found out that majority of the consumers of the water projects were not invited to participate in the project however, they were involved somehow in the project development. It was found out that the committee members were usually selected and not democratically elected to the committee. It was also found that majority of the community members did not receive any training before the projects were handed over to the community. It was recommended that the ministry of water and natural resources and sponsors of water projects should invite many the consumers of the water projects at initiation stage of the projects. Community members should be involved in the projects by being active in contributions either in material or labour. Consumers of water projects in the sub county should be sensitized and be trained on effective and efficiency water usage through forums like barazas or through their respective churches were majority of them can be reached. The frequency training should be shifted from the current-on need basis- to quarterly so that the consumers get privy to the project fully as the trainings slow down. Project handlers to allow consumers of the water projects to carry out democratic elections of their water management committees and those involved in the monitoring and implementation of community water projects. Programme administrators should make efforts of training locals on the relevant technological applied in the water projects before handing over the project so that locals can take charge effectively once the project has been handed over to them.

Guess who’s coming to dinner: the case of IC reporting in Italy

In the last 2 decades, intellectual capital (IC) reporting has been promoted with the idea that it can lead to internal (managerial) and external (disclosure) benefits. Studies have been conducted to understand whether and how reporting IC can help to realize the benefits usually attributed to it and, consequently, which are the levers and the obstacles that may influence the fate of IC reports. While technical and procedural barriers have been thoroughly investigated, the relevance of specific actors in influencing the adoption of IC Reports seems to be overlooked. The aim of this paper is to investigate what actors influence the adoption and the fate of an IC report and how they influence these reports. In other words, the paper focuses on the institutionalization or (non) institutionalization of IC practices. In order to achieve this objective, the results of an exploratory field study conducted through semi-structured interviews referred to Italian companies that adopted an IC report will be presented. The main finding of this study is that, in an IC reporting project, the political, technical, and cultural agents, i.e. the project leaders, the project sponsors and the external partners (consultants, researchers, etc.), are not only relevant but they must coexist and cooperate over time. When one of the agents is missing the IC project tends to fail, unless the agent’s skills are transferred to another agent, either an already existing or a new one. In this case, the original development trajectory of the project may change.

Lighting up communities: the worship streetlamp project in Luodong Township

ABSTRACTTo improve the performance of local streetlamp maintenance and management under the effects of the regional economic recession following the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the Luodong (Yilan County, Taiwan) Township Office implemented a streetlamp sponsorship project in 2010 which combining streetlamp sponsorship and the installation of worship lamps at local religious organizations. With successful promotion and marketing strategies, many local residents and merchandisers participated in the project. This study analysed the project to investigate how a Taiwanese local government office employs innovative public policies to strengthen its governance. In-depth interviews with critical policy stakeholders and geographic information system-based spatial analysis was employed as the main methods. Several suggestions are offered in the conclusion of this study.

The Sponsor’S Overview of an it Project, According to it Project Managers Opinion

The project sponsor’s achievement is critical for project success. Hence, this research studies Swedish IT project managers’ opinion on IT project sponsors’ work and their understanding of the project / deliverable. Data were collected by two surveys, in 2007 (public authorities/business, 94 participants), and in 2016 (public authorities, 82 participants). According to the findings, a minority (36%) of the project managers valued the project sponsors’ knowledge / understanding as high (4 and 5 on a 5-point scale). They valued the sponsors’ understanding of the project’s deliverable somewhat higher (about 40%) than the understanding of IT and business (about 30%), and of the overview of the project (about 30%). Seen in the light of recent years’ data-crimes, digital society, and importance of successful businesses, the project sponsor has a huge responsibility and must therefore act from a basis of sound knowledge and complete understanding of the IT project and its deliverable.

Rose Rosette Disease: Recent Advances on Molecular Diagnostic Tools

Rose rosette emaravirus (RRV, genus Emaravirus), the causal agent of rose rosette disease, is the topmost pathogen of concern for the rose industry in the United States. The only strategy available for disease management is early identification and eradication of the infected plants. Highly reliable, specific, and sensitive detection assays are thus required to test and confirm the presence of RRV in suspected plant samples. RRV is only a recently characterized virus and hence limits the diagnostic tools available for its early detection. With a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) project sponsorship, several diagnostic tools including end-point reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and RT-qPCR assays targeting single and multiple genes targets were developed for routine diagnostics. This review introduces an overall view of the different diagnostic tools developed, which are reliable, highly sensitive, and can be easily implemented for detection and identification in laboratories providing diagnostic services and confirmation of RRV-infected samples.

Sponsor's cocreation and psychological ownership in reward‐based crowdfunding

AbstractCrowdfunding is a new financing channel for small and medium‐sized enterprises and individual entrepreneurs to raise funds for innovation projects online. In reward‐based crowdfunding, project sponsors invest money and receive rewards as a return. They may also participate in product development and project implementation as value cocreators. This paper investigates how sponsors' cocreation behaviours lead to their generation of psychological ownership in the crowdfunding projects. The research model was developed, and data were collected from sponsors on Zhongchou (www.zhongchou.com), a well‐known crowdfunding platform in China. The results indicated that psychological ownership is an important mental state for sponsors in crowdfunding, which significantly affects their commitment to projects. We also identified the important routes to sponsor psychological ownership in crowdfunding: perceived control and intimate knowing, through which sponsors' cocreation significantly influences the emergence of psychological ownership. The effects of cocreation process are moderated by 2 important factors: entrepreneur activeness, and sponsor's social connection, in the crowdfunding projects. This paper contributes to crowdfunding research and has practical implications for crowdfunding projects and platforms.

Domestic Lead Arranger Certification and the Pricing of Project Finance Loans

Using a sample of 1,270 project finance syndicated loan tranches arranged from 1998 to 2011 and worth over $300 billion, we estimate the causal impact of certification by domestic lead arrangers on the pricing of project finance loans in emerging markets. We hypothesize that, on average, domestic arrangers are better able to structure and screen project finance deals, credibly communicate the true value of a project and its underlying network of contracts, and monitor the loan contract compared to foreign arrangers. If so, all things being equal, domestic arranger certification should result in lower loan spreads compared to foreign arranger certification. Our results support this hypothesis. After controlling for project and loan characteristics and the potential endogeneity of the lead arranger's selection, we find that certification by domestic arrangers’ causes a significant reduction in loan spreads across different industrial categories and geographic locations of projects. This finding demonstrates the economic value of domestic arranger certification in project finance lending. Our results suggest that, in the presence of information asymmetry between project sponsors and participant lenders in the syndicate, certification by domestic arrangers offers a superior mechanism to minimize search, information and monitoring costs.