The power of feedback.

Established in 2006, TATA Africa Services (Nigeria) Limited operates as the nodal point for Tata businesses in West Africa. TATA Africa Services (Nigeria) Limited has a strong presence in Nigeria with investments exceeding USD 10 million. The company was established in Lagos, Nigeria as a subsidiary of TATA Africa Holdings (SA) (Pty) Limited, South Africa and serves as the hub of Tata’s operations in Nigeria and the rest of West Africa.

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HANDBOOK OF MIXED METHODS IN SOCIAL & BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH (Book)

What are the actual barriers and drivers for sustainable building? A literature review, interviews and case studies are presented to address this question. Sustainable building is not hindered by a lack of technologies and assessment methods, but is instead beset with organizational and procedural difficulties entailed by the adoption of new methods. New technologies are resisted because they require process changes entailing risks and unforeseen costs. These hindrances can be reduced by learning what kind of decision-making phases, new tasks, actors, roles and ways of networking are needed. The barriers are outlined as steering mechanisms, economics, a lack of client understanding, process (procurement and tendering, timing, cooperation and networking), and underpinning knowledge (knowledge and common language, the availability of methods and tools, innovation). The most important actions to promote sustainable building are the development of the awareness of clients about the benefits of sustainable bui...

Barriers and drivers for sustainable building

This paper presents a conceptual framework aimed at implementing sustainability principles in the building industry. The proposed framework based on the sustainable triple bottom line principle, includes resource conservation, cost efficiency and design for human adaptation. Following a thorough literature review, each principle involving strategies and methods to be applied during the life cycle of building projects is explained and a few case studies are presented for clarity on the methods. The framework will allow design teams to have an appropriate balance between economic, social and environmental issues, changing the way construction practitioners think about the information they use when assessing building projects, thereby facilitating the sustainability of building industry.

https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/2/2/126/pdf?y=1

Design of A Sustainable Building: A Conceptual Framework for Implementing Sustainability in the Building Sector

– The purpose of this paper is to understand what factors best promote or prevent sustainable construction practices and establish the consistency of how sustainability is measured., – A literature review considered the impact of the industry to sustainability and identified what action and initiatives are already in place. Through this, the main drivers, barriers, measures and benchmarks were identified. The opinions of building surveying professionals were sought and analysed., – The paper suggested that fiscal incentives/penalties and regulations help to drive sustainable construction. Such financial implications are consistent with “affordability” being the biggest barrier highlighted. The majority of respondents believed the industry is taking some account of sustainability issues, but identified that more needs to be done., – Sustainable development is an integral part of the lives and affects all aspects of business operations. This paper provides an in‐depth insight into the level of sustainable development within the construction industry, identifying implications for both the demand and supply side.

Towards sustainable construction: promotion and best practices

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the impact of social networking in the workplace and to assess its use as an effective business tool.Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines positive and negative perceptions of social networking in the workplace and provides a critical review of literature in the area. The drivers of, and barriers to, change are explored, and whether the reasons for some organisations prohibiting or restricting social networking in the workplace are well‐founded or corporate suicide. The link between social networking and organisational culture is examined, looking at whether social networking tools are capable of revitalising and reshaping the culture and brand of an organisation, which in turn can lead to better ways of working and increased levels of employee productivity and satisfaction.Findings – The findings indicate that the business advantages and benefits of social networking in the workplace are still very much underappreciated and undervalued. Although some organi...

Workplace impact of social networking

While feedback is widely considered central to student learning, students across the higher education sector commonly report dissatisfaction with the feedback they receive. In contrast, academics often feel they provide quality and informative feedback. This article explores and compares the perceptions of students and academics with regard to feedback practice. The paper presents the results of questionnaire surveys conducted with academics and students at the School of the Built Environment, Liverpool John Moores University. It highlights the perceptions of academics and students with regard to preferences for different types of feedback, timeliness of feedback, students’ engagement and interest in feedback, quality feedback and satisfaction with current practice. The findings indicate a significant discord between staff and students in relation to certain aspects of feedback practice, namely opinions on students’ engagement and interest in feedback, satisfaction with current practice and feedback prefe...

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Feedback on feedback practice: perceptions of students and academics

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the state of knowledge of performance measurement in facilities management, in particular regarding the concepts underlying benchmarking in relation to its ability to drive innovation in the industry.Design/methodology/approach – An evaluation of the key issues surrounding performance measurement and the effective application of benchmarking systems are examined, exploring the possibility of applying a benchmarking technique to measure facilities performance.Findings – The paper suggests that a fully developed performance measurement solution via effective benchmarking can deliver as a business tool in facilities management (FM), whilst acting as a driver in the innovation process.Practical implications – With the nature of performance measurement having changed over the past few decades, the paper acts as a catalyst to how performance measurement systems and techniques operate within FM and stimulate innovation.Originality/value – By adopting the notion of innovation ...

Performance measurement in facilities management: driving innovation?

Purpose – A lack of effective and accessible customer performance measurement research is evident within the facilities management (FM) industry. The purpose of this paper is to enhance the level of performance measurement sophistication by developing the strategic application to measure customer satisfaction in FM.Design/methodology/approach – Through an extensive literature review, this paper researches the application of customer performance measurement in FM through a strategic management context.Findings – The development of a customer performance measurement system (CPMS) for FM is introduced. The CPMS consists of four stages, combining quantitative benchmarking techniques with qualitative analysis in order to produce strategic objectives for business process improvement.Research limitations/implications – The CPMS framework is currently being tested. This paper should firstly be interpreted as an introduction to the theory and process behind the CPMS, whilst secondly in providing an update on the p...

Matthew Tucker

Papers

Towards sustainable construction: promotion and best practices

Workplace impact of social networking

Feedback on feedback practice: perceptions of students and academics

Performance measurement in facilities management: driving innovation?

Customer performance measurement in facilities management