Project Management Development – Practice and Perspectives : First International Scientific Conference on Project Management in the Baltic Countries, Riga, University of Latvia, 2012
This paper examines the elite discourse on technology in Iran. The paper examines how concepts su... more This paper examines the elite discourse on technology in Iran. The paper examines how concepts such as progress (taraqqi), civilization (tamaddon), and modernity (tajaddod), and later notions such as backwardness (‘aqab-mandegi), authenticity (isalat), and “Westoxication” (gharbzadegi) have articulated an elite discourse of technology in Iran. The paper argues that a utilitarian view of technology dominates the elite discourse. Although intellectuals view modernity with ambivalence, their outlook on technology remains utilitarian in their discourse of authenticity.
Managing risk effectively is central to the success of construction projects. In this context, th... more Managing risk effectively is central to the success of construction projects. In this context, the first step towards managing risks is to identify the most critical risks and allocate resources to deal with them accordingly. Evidence demonstrates that design-related risks and issues associated with the design stage play a crucial role in the failure of construction projects in the Iranian construction industry. Despite such a salience, to date no noteworthy effort has been made to investigate this area within the Iranian context. To address such a gap in the body of knowledge, this study intends to determine and rank the most crucial risks associated with design on construction projects in Iran. To this end, a survey questionnaire consisting of 14 design-related risks was administered to elucidate the perspectives of construction project managers in Iran, which resulted in 87 duly completed questionnaires. Statistical analysis of the data revealed the main design-related risks affecting Iranian construction projects. These were 1) design changes by the owner or other non-technical stakeholders during the construction; 2) errors in design documents; and 3) delays in updating and finalising design documents during construction. The findings of the present study contribute to the field through identifying the most critical design-related risks affecting Iranian construction projects. In practical terms, the findings will assist project managers and policy makers to allocate resources more effectively in dealing with potential design-related risks by targeting the risks with the most detrimental impact.
A review of literature on BIM reveals a bias towards focusing on large companies and overlooking ... more A review of literature on BIM reveals a bias towards focusing on large companies and overlooking SMEs in South Australia. This paper explores the main barriers hampering the widespread adoption of BIM among SMEs within the South Australian construction industry building upon the theories of innovation diffusion. To achieve this questionnaire survey was administered and 41 responses were received from construction SMEs. Afterwards, semi-structured interviews with seven experts were conducted to compensate for the small sample size and to cross-validate the survey data. The findings brought to light that current knowledge of BIM in SMEs is negatively biased with an inclination towards underlining challenges and overseeing the advantages. The most influential barriers to BIM turned out to be associated with a lack of demand from clients and perception of unviability of setup costs of BIM for small sized projects. The study contributes to the field by providing an illuminating insight into the main barriers to adoption of BIM in SMEs in South Australia. Policy makers in other states and countries can also benefit from the findings in order to overcome the barriers and promote BIM adoption in SMEs.
Project Management Development – Practice and Perspectives : First International Scientific Conference on Project Management in the Baltic Countries, Riga, University of Latvia, 2012
This paper examines the elite discourse on technology in Iran. The paper examines how concepts su... more This paper examines the elite discourse on technology in Iran. The paper examines how concepts such as progress (taraqqi), civilization (tamaddon), and modernity (tajaddod), and later notions such as backwardness (‘aqab-mandegi), authenticity (isalat), and “Westoxication” (gharbzadegi) have articulated an elite discourse of technology in Iran. The paper argues that a utilitarian view of technology dominates the elite discourse. Although intellectuals view modernity with ambivalence, their outlook on technology remains utilitarian in their discourse of authenticity.
Managing risk effectively is central to the success of construction projects. In this context, th... more Managing risk effectively is central to the success of construction projects. In this context, the first step towards managing risks is to identify the most critical risks and allocate resources to deal with them accordingly. Evidence demonstrates that design-related risks and issues associated with the design stage play a crucial role in the failure of construction projects in the Iranian construction industry. Despite such a salience, to date no noteworthy effort has been made to investigate this area within the Iranian context. To address such a gap in the body of knowledge, this study intends to determine and rank the most crucial risks associated with design on construction projects in Iran. To this end, a survey questionnaire consisting of 14 design-related risks was administered to elucidate the perspectives of construction project managers in Iran, which resulted in 87 duly completed questionnaires. Statistical analysis of the data revealed the main design-related risks affecting Iranian construction projects. These were 1) design changes by the owner or other non-technical stakeholders during the construction; 2) errors in design documents; and 3) delays in updating and finalising design documents during construction. The findings of the present study contribute to the field through identifying the most critical design-related risks affecting Iranian construction projects. In practical terms, the findings will assist project managers and policy makers to allocate resources more effectively in dealing with potential design-related risks by targeting the risks with the most detrimental impact.
A review of literature on BIM reveals a bias towards focusing on large companies and overlooking ... more A review of literature on BIM reveals a bias towards focusing on large companies and overlooking SMEs in South Australia. This paper explores the main barriers hampering the widespread adoption of BIM among SMEs within the South Australian construction industry building upon the theories of innovation diffusion. To achieve this questionnaire survey was administered and 41 responses were received from construction SMEs. Afterwards, semi-structured interviews with seven experts were conducted to compensate for the small sample size and to cross-validate the survey data. The findings brought to light that current knowledge of BIM in SMEs is negatively biased with an inclination towards underlining challenges and overseeing the advantages. The most influential barriers to BIM turned out to be associated with a lack of demand from clients and perception of unviability of setup costs of BIM for small sized projects. The study contributes to the field by providing an illuminating insight into the main barriers to adoption of BIM in SMEs in South Australia. Policy makers in other states and countries can also benefit from the findings in order to overcome the barriers and promote BIM adoption in SMEs.
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Papers by Nafiseh Hamidi