Factors Influencing Cost Overruns in Construction Projects of International Contractors in Vietnam
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- The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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- v.7 no.9
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- pp.389-400
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- 2020
A construction project is a designed product made up of labors, materials, and installations in the project positioned on the ground and may include the underground and ground section, and the section in water or on the water surface. It is a civil, industrial, transport, agricultural and rural development, infrastructure, or some other. A key phase in the life cycle of these construction projects is the implementation when building products are made directly with workers, equipment, materials, and managers. If there is a lack of management experience, information, and problem-solving solutions to tackle the risks faced by contractors, especially foreign ones, will fail in controlling the project's cost. This study was conducted with investigations, discussions, and evaluation of the factors that lead to cost overruns in the construction projects of international contractors in Vietnam. The principal component analysis (PCA) showed that those factors that influence cost overruns these construction projects fall into five general groups, including factors related to (i) the owners, (ii) the foreign contractors, (iii) the subcontractors and suppliers, (iv) state management, and (v) the project itself. Besides, the study proposes solutions to limit cost overruns in construction projects and improve the profitability of international contractors in Vietnam.
Studies on the carbohydrate metabolism of yeast as influenced by gamma-irradiation from cobalt-60 have been carried, then the mechanisms of radiation effect on respiration and fermentation were discussed under considerations of permeable changes of irradiated cell membrane. The cells of baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) which had been gamma-irradiated of 240 k.r. doses for an hour, then were put into aerobic oxidation and anaerobic fermentation without substrate. Total and fractionated carbohydrates of irradiated yeast cells were determined by calorimetric method with anthrone and orcinol reagents, the amounts of total carbohydrate, trehalose, RNA-ribose, PCA-soluble glycogen, alkali-soluble glycogen, acetic acid-soluble glycogen, mannan and glucan were determined according to the course of aerobic oxidation and anaerobic fermentation. It is found that the carbohydrates of irradiated cells leak out and amount of the losses teaches eleven times more than that of control, the volume of losses are seems to be replaced by water, it can be suggested the damage of gamma-irradiation occurs in the site of passive transport of cell membrane. The endogeneous aerobic respiration of irradiated cells are increased much more than control, the synthesis of reserve glycogen, glucan and RNA-ribose promoted much more than control. The anaerobic fermentation of irradiated cells are also increased than that of control, but the breakdown of carbohydrate is less than endogeneous respiration of irradiated cells. The synthetic rate is also less than that of aerobic oxidation. In irradiated yeast cells, trehalose is revealed to be primary substrate for endogeneous carbohydrate metabolism, so it is proved that the enzymic patterns are not changed but the activities of enzymes relating endogeneous respiration and autofermentation is activated. It is to be considerable to distiguish endogeneous respiration and autofermentation from exogeneous respiration and fermentation on irradiation, for membrane permeability changes and loses out carbohydrate by ionizing radiation.
Water pollution in the lower reaches of the Namhan River is getting worse due to drought and a decrease in water quantity due to climatic changes and hence is affecting the water quality of Paldang Lake. Accordingly, we have used a water quality index (WQI) and statistical analysis in this study to identify the characteristics of the water quality in the lower reaches of the Namhan River, the main causes of water pollution, and tributaries that need priority management. Typically, 10 items (WT, pH, EC, DO, BOD, COD, SS, T-N, T-P, and TOC) were used as the water quality factors for the statistical analysis, and the matrix of data was set as 324 × 10·1. The correlation analysis demonstrated a strong correlation between Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and T-P with a high statistical significance (r=0.700, p<0.01). Furthermore, the result of principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the main factors affecting the change in water quality were T-P and organic substances introduced into the water by rainfall. Based on the Mann-Kendall test, a statistically significant increase in pH was observed in SH-1, DL, SH-2, CM, and BH, along with an increase in WQI in SH-2 and SM. BH was identified as a tributary that needs priority management in the lower reaches of the Namhan River, with a "Somewhat poor" (IV) grade in T-P, "Fair" grade in WQI, and "Marginal" grade in summer.
Soluble starch synthase (SS) IV-2 is one of the starch synthase gene family members and responsible for starch chain elongation interacting with other rice eating and cooking quality controlling genes (e.g., AGPlar and PUL). SSIV-2 is mainly expressed in leaves, especially at grain-filling stage and its alleles can significantly affect rice quality. Here, we investigated the genetic diversity and population structure analyses of SSIV-2 gene by using 374 rice accessions. This rice set was grouped into 320 cultivated bred (subsequently classified into temperate japonica, indica, tropical japonica, aus, aromatic and admixture) and 54 wild rice. Haplotyping of cultivated rice accessions provided a total of 7 haplotypes, and only three haplotypes are functional indicating four substituted SNPs in two exons of chromosome 5: T/A and G/T in exon 4, and C/G and G/A in exon 13. Including the wild, a highest diverse group (0.0041), nucleotide diversity analysis showed temperate japonica (0.0001) had a lowest diversity value indicating the origin information of this gene evolution. Higher and positive Tajima5s D value of indica (1.9755) indicate a selective signature under balancing selection while temperate japonica (-0.9018) was in lowest Tajima's D value due to a recent selective sweep by positive selection. We found the most diverse genetic components of the wild in PCA but shared in some portion with other cultivated groups. Fixation index (FST-values) and phylogenetic analysis indicate a closer relationship of the wild with indica (FST=0.256) than to its association to both of temperate japonica (FST=0.589). Structure analysis shows a clear separation of cultivated subpopulations at every K value, but genetic components were admixed within the wild illustrating the same genetic background with japonica and indica in some proportion.
1. Introduction Today Internet is recognized as an important way for the transaction of products and services. According to the data surveyed by the National Statistical Office, the on-line transaction in 2007 for a year, 15.7656 trillion, shows a 17.1%(2.3060 trillion won) increase over last year, of these, the amount of B2C has been increased 12.0%(10.2258 trillion won). Like this, because the entry barrier of on-line market of Korea is low, many retailers could easily enter into the market. So the bigger its scale is, but on the other hand, the tougher its competition is. Particularly due to the Internet and innovation of IT, the existing market has been changed into the perfect competitive market(Srinivasan, Rolph & Kishore, 2002). In the early years of on-line business, they think that the main reason for success is a moderate price, they are awakened to its importance of on-line service quality with tough competition. If it's not sure whether customers can be provided with what they want, they can use the Web sites, perhaps they can trust their products that had been already bought or not, they have a doubt its viability(Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Malhotra, 2005). Customers can directly reserve and issue their air tickets irrespective of place and time at the Web sites of travel agencies or airlines, but its empirical studies about these Web sites for reserving and issuing air tickets are insufficient. Therefore this study goes on for following specific objects. First object is to measure service quality and service recovery of Web sites for reserving and issuing air tickets. Second is to look into whether above on-line service quality and on-line service recovery have an impact on overall service quality. Third is to seek for the relation with overall service quality and customer satisfaction, then this customer satisfaction and loyalty intention. 2. Theoretical Background 2.1 On-line Service Quality Barnes & Vidgen(2000; 2001a; 2001b; 2002) had invented the tool to measure Web sites' quality four times(called WebQual). The WebQual 1.0, Step one invented a measuring item for information quality based on QFD, and this had been verified by students of UK business school. The Web Qual 2.0, Step two invented for interaction quality, and had been judged by customers of on-line bookshop. The WebQual 3.0, Step three invented by consolidating the WebQual 1.0 for information quality and the WebQual2.0 for interactionquality. It includes 3-quality-dimension, information quality, interaction quality, site design, and had been assessed and confirmed by auction sites(e-bay, Amazon, QXL). Furtheron, through the former empirical studies, the authors changed sites quality into usability by judging that usability is a concept how customers interact with or perceive Web sites and It is used widely for accessing Web sites. By this process, WebQual 4.0 was invented, and is consist of 3-quality-dimension; information quality, interaction quality, usability, 22 items. However, because WebQual 4.0 is focusing on technical part, it's usable at the Website's design part, on the other hand, it's not usable at the Web site's pleasant experience part. Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Malhorta(2002; 2005) had invented the measure for measuring on-line service quality in 2002 and 2005. The study in 2002 divided on-line service quality into 5 dimensions. But these were not well-organized, so there needed to be studied again totally. So Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Malhorta(2005) re-worked out the study about on-line service quality measure base on 2002's study and invented E-S-QUAL. After they invented preliminary measure for on-line service quality, they made up a question for customers who had purchased at amazon.com and walmart.com and reassessed this measure. And they perfected an invention of E-S-QUAL consists of 4 dimensions, 22 items of efficiency, system availability, fulfillment, privacy. Efficiency measures assess to sites and usability and others, system availability measures accurate technical function of sites and others, fulfillment measures promptness of delivering products and sufficient goods and others and privacy measures the degree of protection of data about their customers and so on. 2.2 Service Recovery Service industries tend to minimize the losses by coping with service failure promptly. This responses of service providers to service failure mean service recovery(Kelly & Davis, 1994). Bitner(1990) went on his study from customers' view about service providers' behavior for customers to recognize their satisfaction/dissatisfaction at service point. According to them, to manage service failure successfully, exact recognition of service problem, an apology, sufficient description about service failure and some tangible compensation are important. Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Malhorta(2005) approached the service recovery from how to measure, rather than how to manage, and moved to on-line market not to off-line, then invented E-RecS-QUAL which is a measuring tool about on-line service recovery. 2.3 Customer Satisfaction The definition of customer satisfaction can be divided into two points of view. First, they approached customer satisfaction from outcome of comsumer. Howard & Sheth(1969) defined satisfaction as 'a cognitive condition feeling being rewarded properly or improperly for their sacrifice.' and Westbrook & Reilly(1983) also defined customer satisfaction/dissatisfaction as 'a psychological reaction to the behavior pattern of shopping and purchasing, the display condition of retail store, outcome of purchased goods and service as well as whole market.' Second, they approached customer satisfaction from process. Engel & Blackwell(1982) defined satisfaction as 'an assessment of a consistency in chosen alternative proposal and their belief they had with them.' Tse & Wilton(1988) defined customer satisfaction as 'a customers' reaction to discordance between advance expectation and ex post facto outcome.' That is, this point of view that customer satisfaction is process is the important factor that comparing and assessing process what they expect and outcome of consumer. Unlike outcome-oriented approach, process-oriented approach has many advantages. As process-oriented approach deals with customers' whole expenditure experience, it checks up main process by measuring one by one each factor which is essential role at each step. And this approach enables us to check perceptual/psychological process formed customer satisfaction. Because of these advantages, now many studies are adopting this process-oriented approach(Yi, 1995). 2.4 Loyalty Intention Loyalty has been studied by dividing into behavioral approaches, attitudinal approaches and complex approaches(Dekimpe et al., 1997). In the early years of study, they defined loyalty focusing on behavioral concept, behavioral approaches regard customer loyalty as "a tendency to purchase periodically within a certain period of time at specific retail store." But the loyalty of behavioral approaches focuses on only outcome of customer behavior, so there are someone to point the limits that customers' decision-making situation or process were neglected(Enis & Paul, 1970; Raj, 1982; Lee, 2002). So the attitudinal approaches were suggested. The attitudinal approaches consider loyalty contains all the cognitive, emotional, voluntary factors(Oliver, 1997), define the customer loyalty as "friendly behaviors for specific retail stores." However these attitudinal approaches can explain that how the customer loyalty form and change, but cannot say positively whether it is moved to real purchasing in the future or not. This is a kind of shortcoming(Oh, 1995). 3. Research Design 3.1 Research Model Based on the objects of this study, the research model derived is shows, Step 1 and Step 2 are significant, and mediation variable has a significant effect on dependent variables and so does independent variables at Step 3, too. And there needs to prove the partial mediation effect, independent variable's estimate ability at Step 3(Standardized coefficient
shows, Step 1 and Step 2 are significant, and mediation variable has a significant effect on dependent variables and so does independent variables at Step 3, too. And there needs to prove the partial mediation effect, independent variable's estimate ability at Step 3(Standardized coefficient
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