• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2007.03a
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• pp.249-258
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• 2007

Recently orders of projects in the field of oil and gas plants have increased due to rising oil prices and consumption. The markets of oil and gas plants are expanding into the Middle East area and all over the world. Because the oil and gas markets have a lot of overseas construction operations, competition among advanced companies is more important. However, companies in the period of growth have not had enough competitive powers of license in the design phase. Therefore, they are faced with difficulty of adopting the technology which is maximizing the effect of investments, and scheduling of a long-range plan. In order to achieve adequate technology management and competitive power, this study considers a long-range plan through an analysis of an appropriate introduction and the strategic planning process of technology management.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2007.03a
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• pp.601-610
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• 2007

Responding to the fierce market competition and trying to cut personnel costs, the construction industry in Taiwan is adopting atypical employment in human resource. To discover this trend, this study employed a questionnaire survey to investigate the current use of atypical employment by domestic contractors and its possible impacts on the industry. According to the 103 returned valid questionnaires, 40.8% of the respondent contractors have applied some atypical employment types in recent three years and most of them used fixed-term employment. The major reasons the contractors used atypical employees are to reduce personnel costs, to deal with business fluctuations and to streamline personnel. According to the respondents, there is no significant difference between the advantages and disadvantages of using a large number of atypical employees in the short term. However, in the long term, atypical employment is generally more disadvantageous than advantageous.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.869-874
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• 2005

Given the intense competition and slowdown in domestic demands, there is greater pressure on Singapore contractors to seek overseas markets for revenue and growth. This impetus, coupled with emerging economic reforms in the regional developing countries, has invariably created numerous opportunities for Singapore contractors. However, mixed results were reported on their overseas performance so far. Consequently, this paper aims to formulate a framework that would assist Singapore contractors to successfully export their services into developing countries. The proposed framework comprises ten critical success factors (CSFs), which are identified from in-depth interviews with eight Singapore contractors. These ten success factors are subsequently classified under three different stages, namely initial, entry and operational stages. Preliminary results show that Singapore contractors are most focused on the entry stage, with the highest number of CSFs.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.1199-1202
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• 2005

Knowledge has been considered one of the important elements that determine our future. Competitive power of an enterprise has also been transformed from labor, capital, and technology-oriented to knowledge-oriented. Current construction environment is experiencing overall decrease of number of construction contracts due to opening of domestic construction market and economic slump, problems on methods of receiving orders/bidding, and change of costumers' attitude, which intensify competition, therefore many companies consider adopting knowledge management to secure their competitive power. However, there are difficulties in adopting knowledge management and increasing the use by establishing management plan, Performance Measurement, and knowledge maintenance system in reality. Therefore, this study is to provide assistance to successful realization of knowledge management by suggesting development plan of knowledge management that enables knowledge management more efficient with certain goals.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.1076-1082
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• 2005

Breaking from the past convention, most construction firms are lotting out their apartments with their own brand names. They don't have, however, differentiated marketing strategies based on unique brand awareness. Rather, virtual absence of marketing strategies has brought about unfiltered introduction of architectural elements of the competition and excessive advertising efforts. Consequently confusion is at hand for consumers' purchase decision since they are not aware of the differences between the apartments. The purpose of this study is to make consumers have clear brand awareness by presenting appropriate brand strategies based on sound marketing theories for construction firms.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2022.06a
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• pp.11-17
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• 2022

Design-bid-build (DBB) is the most common project delivery method among highway projects. State Highway Agencies (SHAs) usually apply a low-bid approach to select contractors for their DBB projects. In this approach, the Federal Highway Agency suggests SHAs heighten contractors' competition to lower bid prices. However, these attempts may become ineffective due to collusive bidding arrangements among certain contractors. One common strategy is the rotation of winning bidders of a group of contractors who bid on many of the same projects. These arrangements may also be specific to a particular region or vary in time. Despite the practices' adverse effects on bidding outcomes, an effective model to detect red-flag bidding patterns is lacking. This study fills the gap by proposing a novel framework that utilizes pattern mining techniques and statistical tests for unusual pattern detection. A case study with historical data from an SHA is conducted to illustrate the proposed framework.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2015.10a
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• pp.481-485
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• 2015

Indonesian construction companies are currently facing high competition both among themselves and with global construction companies. In order to address this issue, the Government of Indonesia has enacted specific regulations and policies relating to the development and implementation of quality management systems (QMSs) ISO 9001 based in construction, acknowledging that the consistency of construction project quality requires a formal quality system as a guarantee to raise quality standards at all project stages. The research has been undertaken to examine the effectiveness of the regulations and policies against several key performance indicators (KPIs) of the ISO 9001 Indonesian construction companies. A comprehensive review of the relevant regulations and policies together with interviews with the Government and National Construction Services Development Board recommend possible additional guidelines and supporting quality system, which intends to measure contractors' project output against defined standards as well as to assess their performance among other similar service providers. The outcomes of the research contribute to the development of the Indonesian own construction industry quality measurement and assessment system.

• International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.279-293
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• 2023

This study investigates network effects to measure how strongly the early adopters affect the brand choice of the potential consumer. By using the Gumbel-Hougaard (GH) copula, this study checks the magnitude of network effects varied from country to country. To consider consumer heterogeneity and network effects in the growth market, this study proposes the multi-brand Gamma/Shifted-Gompertz (m-G/SG) model based on the GH copula. Out of eighteen Western European cellular phone market data and South Korea smartphone data sets, the m-G/SG model provides an improvement in the estimation accuracy over the Libai, Muller, and Peres model. The results show that network effects enhance (i) the polarization of brand choice probabilities as time elapses; (ii) the dominance of the more preferred and the earlier entered brand; and (iii) the deceleration of category-level diffusion. Potential followers can analyze their relationship with earlier entrants through the m-G/SG model and also establish an optimal market entry strategy.

• International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.136-148
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• 2024

In recent years, public attention to health and wellness issues has increased. The integration of smart fitness hardware and innovative technologies have made the development of smart fitness a trend. The number of fitness applications in the market has surged, and demand for an optimal experience is increasingly high. This study selects Sweatcoin, Home Workout, Six Pack in 30 Days, and Fitness Coach & Diet as research subjects from the top ten global mobile health and fitness apps in 2022 based on download rankings. The research is based on eight gamification elements: motivation, challenge, achievement, relationships, sharing, reward, level, and competition, identified through preliminary studies. We distributed a total of 166 questionnaires to users and collected 163 valid responses for data analysis. The Kano Model was used to study the desires of fitness enthusiasts using fitness apps. To reduce the limitations of the research results, the Better-Worse Method was employed for satisfaction index analysis. Based on the final analysis, we propose suggestions for improvement for the four fitness apps to better meet user needs and create a more attractive and efficient application experience.

• International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.85-97
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• 2024

In recent years, the Guochao style of virtual idols has proliferated, and the virtual idol market in China has witnessed gradual growth. As Guochao combines traditional Chinese culture with modern aesthetics, it shapes a distinctive visual identity for Chinese virtual idols. We address the current research gap by exploring the characteristics of Guochao style in virtual idol design through literature analysis, semiotics, and comparative studies. We examine how Guochao virtual idols represent the convergence of Chinese culture and modern technology, reflecting cultural characteristics of the era. Through our analysis of virtual idol design, we identify key design features of Guochao virtual idols, bridging a theoretical void in this area. We propose recommendations to foster a more dynamic and culturally enriched virtual idol industry in China. Our research provides new insights into integrating Guochao elements into virtual idol design as an approach to differentiate amid competition while promoting traditional Chinese culture through digital media. We demonstrate how this design approach enhances the uniqueness and cultural value of Chinese virtual idols, contributing to the field's theoretical foundation and practical applications.