Purpose -The purpose of this article is to demonstrate an innovative approach to embedding employability in the design of a university degree scheme using skill sets. Design/methodology/approach -The paper looks at conventional approaches to course design, which begin with the resources already available within the higher education institute. The skill sets approach, however, begins with employers because they are the ultimate arbiters of employability. Employers working with the academic design team define coherent portfolios of skills: definitions which are then used to provide shape and form to the new degree scheme. Findings -The paper finds that employers can identify skill sets that relate to long-term employability as opposed to short-term employment. These definitions can usefully inform the design of a degree scheme. Practical implications -The approach of this paper may benefit the design of degree schemes that aim to educate a graduate to fulfil an identifiable role in industry. This approach is based on defining the continuing intellectual and critical thinking skills that enable a graduate to fulfil a role, rather than the immediate task-related skills that enable a graduate to fulfil a job. The involvement of employers in formulating a portfolio of graduate skills can be applied to the design of other schemes. Originality/value -This paper presents a new approach to making employability the priority when developing a new degree scheme.
Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the integration of a QS role and practice within the BIM process to enable better implementation of 5D BIM technology. It proposes the use of a 'level of development and level of detail' (LoDs) to provide a structured approach for quantity surveyors' integration within the BIM process for an improved implementation of 5D BIM technology. Design/methodology/approach: This paper uses semi-structured interviews with quantity surveyors from academic and industry in the UK. A total of 20 face-to-face semi-structured interviews with two groups (Industrial and Academic) of 10 participants from the West Midlands region in the United Kingdom. The interview questions have focused on gaining perspectives on BIM, BIM and government protocols for the QS profession, expectations and challenges when implementing 5D BIM. Findings: The findings show that BIM is perceived differently, inflexibility of standardising costs reduce reliability in 5D BIM and implementing of 5D BIM needs an understanding of workflow and complexity of information. Research limitations/implications: Although the findings reveal many of the complexities that face quantity surveyors within the BIM process as well as the shortfalls of 5D BIM Technology, the results may lack generalisability. Thus, future research seeks to test the proposed framework further. Practical implications: This paper elicits implications of shortfalls that impact the implementation of 5D BIM technology and the complexities the face quantity surveyors within the BIM process. Originality/value: This paper reveals the need to understand the process of integrating stakeholders and their information requirements for better implementation of technologies within BIM.
Staged adoption models are a common feature of information systems (IS) adoption literature, yet these are rarely used in open source software (OSS) adoption studies. In this paper, a staged model for classifying the organizational adoption of OSS is proposed, based upon a critical review of existing staged adoption models and factors identified from OSS adoption literature. Innovations in the proposed model include: defined transition pathways between stages, additional stages and a decomposition of cessation of use into four distinct pathways.
Collaboration between professional agencies in the public sector is essential to provide seamless, high quality services to citizens. Inter-agency working is often hindered by a prevalent silo culture, reinforced by resource-focused funding mechanisms. Checkland's Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) aims to facilitate organizational improvement or change through an organizational learning approach. In this study, SSM was used to help facilitate a move towards partnership working in the public sector. Interview data was collected from senior members of 16 professional agencies, four months after completing the SSM activity to reflect on the experience. The interviews were then repeated 12 months later in order to facilitate reflection on the use, role and impact of SSM beyond any immediate effect. From the interviews, we identified contributions of change that were attributed to the use of SSM and challenges of using SSM to facilitate cultural change. The challenges are explored in four themes: the process of stakeholder selection; the power of stakeholders; the ensuing power structure within the problem situation; the role of SSM and systemic change. These themes are discussed as contributing factors that practitioners of SSM need to be aware of to ensure the sanctity of SSM during periods of cultural change.
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