Public Works Agencies Research Articles

Construction Management in Japan

Components of the industry that are described include public works agencies, trade and professional associations, approximately half a million contractors, private owners, banking, and trading groups. Other sections of the paper give more detail on ranking and prequalification of contractors by public and private owners, selection of bidders, factors affecting project design and construction, project management, specialty contractors, and methods and techniques for project control. Although many factors would ease acceptance of Professional Construction Management approach, three potential obstacles include: (1)Closer interdependencies between general contractors and their subcontractors; (2)ambiguities in contract administration related to Confucian sense of social obligation; and (3)legal restrictions presenting commencement of projects before all plans and specifications have been completed and approved by building officials. Nevertheless, there is strong interest in adapting this method to Japanese conditions.

UCLA Professional Certificate Program in Engineering Management for Public Works

The Professional Certificate is a new concept in continuing education offered by UCLA Extension in cooperation with one or more professional societies. The program in Engineering Management for Public Works, described in this paper, is given by UCLA, the Los Angeles Section, ASCE, and the Southern California Chapter of the American Public Works Association. Governance of the program is carried on through an Executive Coordinating Committee with the concurrence of the UCLA School of Engineering and Applied Science. Students come from lower and middle management levels of public works agencies, usually with civil engineering background but generally 5 1/2 to 20 years out of school. Lecturers are drawn equally from universities and the profession. Six courses of twelve 3-hour sessions each, taken in two academic years, result in the certificate. Problem areas include fiscal viability and differing objectives of students, some working seriously, and some attending as a lecture series. The detailed experience of one student is provided by the junior writer.

ECO‐ENGINEERING‐THE CHALLENGE OF RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT1

ABSTRACTIt is presumed that the present environmental thrust is not a wholly transitory fad; that there will be a residual impact on American society which will demand greater consideration in the future of ecological and environmental values by resource developers and public works agencies. An example is cited to show the validity of the environmental thrust and the severe consequences of ignoring it under the present emphasis on this aspect of resource development.An attempt is made to understand some of the reasons for the dramatic change in public attitude toward the environment and opposition to projects of apparent benefit to society. It is suggested that basic changes in philosophy and concept will be necessary in the field of resource development. Some broad ecological and developmental guidelines are provided in the interest of implementing environmental considerations.Finally, those involved in resource development and public works are challenged to accept the concept of eco‐engineering; a concept combining the competing elements of resource development and conservation.

Entrepreneurship and Western Development: The Case of Micajah T. Williams

As an important business figure in the development of the West, Micajah Williams' career well illustrates the interlocking character of public and private economic interests during the early nineteenth century. This article suggests comparable functions of entrepreneurs such as Williams in public-works agencies and profit-oriented firms, and argues that the state canal enterprises served to recruit and train a significant number of western business leaders.