Perceived Benefits of Using Value Engineering on Road Projects in Ghana

The need for Optimum Value benefit realization on Road Projects in developing countries has become topical. While the traditional Cost Control project management process only aligns actual costs with budgeted costs, Value Engineering (VE) is a sustainable and systematic innovative methodology for establishing the best functional balance among desired features of a project. A Value Engineering (VE) study was conducted with the aim of examining the benefits associated with its use on Road Projects in Ghana. This study employed a two-stage research procedure: desk study and field research. The literature review identified the Optimum Value benefits associated with VE road project management technique as increased Confidence Level in Contract Compliance, reliable Implementation Level of Construction Delivery and enhanced Effectiveness Level of Project Sustainability. A quantitative survey research design based on a purposive sampling technique of selecting respondents was adopted. Employing closed-ended questions, 40 sets of questionnaires were issued to professionals in Road Infrastructure and Support Agencies (RISA) under the Ministry of Roads and Highways (MRH) in the Eastern Region of Ghana. At a response rate of 85%, descriptive statistical analysis (Means, Standard Deviations and Variances) and inferential statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA) test were used to process the data and determine whether there was any significant difference between VE benefit parameters and the groups of respondents. The results revealed that road professionals are familiar with the VE process but solely use Cost Control project management technique. Road professionals recognized the high Optimum Value benefits of professionally ethical Contract Compliance, efficient Construction Delivery and functionally viable Project Sustainability on VE road project management process.

A Review on the Role of Risk Management (RM) and Value Engineering (VE) Tools for Project Successful Delivery

Both in developed and in developing countries, the construction industry is regarded as an economic investment activity without forgetting its significant relationship with national economic development due to its great contributions to the national gross domestic product (GDP) of the country. Concerning construction processes, both risk management (RM) and value engineering (VE) techniques have commonalities from the beginning up to the completion of the project due to enhancing the project value/quality, meeting the project deadline, and reducing overall project cost. VE includes resolving the uncertainty of project objectives and ensuring that the project is delivered in a value for money way. The key point of RM is to solve the uncertainty of the project itself and its results to ensure that the specifications are achieved within the prescribed time, cost, and quality constraints. This review work is comparatively and collectively focused on assessing the role of RM and VE tools for project successful delivery. It studies the points of difference and common features of the two aspects in terms of construction project delivery. So, this study concluded that in construction RM tool cannot be the chief aim of the all parties involved in the project execution because sometimes it produces itself negative results and reduces project management success. Therefore, RM needs a strong combination with VE due to the dependence of the target in identifying and assessing risks by considering the highest performance and lowest cost. The integration of RM and VE combination in a single study would avoid duplication of work and deliver better value for money thereby leading to better project outcomes.

Ecosystem Service Value of Jingtaichuan Electric Power Irrigation Engineering

The ecosystem service value of Jingtaichuan electric power irrigation engineering( referred to as Jingdian engineering) was divided into internal value( the value of farmland system,shelter forest system outside of farmland and wetland waters) and external value( the ecological service value of ecological migration to the vegetation restoration of the Qilian Mountains) firstly,and then it was analyzed by using the model method and the factor equivalent method. The results showed that the internal ecological service value of Jingdian engineering was 36. 3 ×10~8 yuan,which was 25. 0 times larger than the total annual cost. The external ecological service value was 40. 05 ×10~8 yuan,which was 27. 6 times larger than the total annual cost. Among the three functional systems,the ecological service value of farmland system was the largest. The ecological service value of farmland system was mainly reflected in waste disposal,wind prevention and sand fixation,and food production. The external ecological service value was mainly the ecological service value of migration to vegetation restoration in the Qilian Mountains. Jingdian engineering is the only highlifting project that raises water to the desert in China. It transfers water from outer basins to control desertification and provides a successful road for ecological migration and desertification control in arid areas.

A Value Engineering Analysis of Head Loss in Pumping Mains

With net zero carbon emissions targets approaching over the next 20 to 30 years, the water industry must act now to develop energy efficient techniques and designs to reduce emissions and reduce the carbon footprint of water utility providers. There is also the potential for significant energy and therefore financial savings to be realised from the adoption of more energy efficient designs approaches. Water utility providers account for a significant proportion of national electricity consumption. The purpose of this research is to determine if, over the long term, opting for a larger diameter pipe at design stage can lead to significant financial and emissions savings for water utility providers when considering pumping mains. Pumping mains are widely used throughout the water and wastewater industry where a gravity solution is not possible. 72 hypothetical water main design scenarios were analysed and the long term financial and environmental impact of each hypothetical water main was assessed. It was found across all design scenarios that larger diameter water mains were capable of delivering the same rate of flow of smaller diameter pipes at a much reduced velocity and requiring reduced pumping power. It was concluded that pumped mains of larger diameters can ultimately be more energy efficient and cost effective over the long term when selected in favour of smaller diameter pumped mains in otherwise identical design scenarios.

Application of Value Engineering in Construction Projects

The current economic conditions have entailed the use of rational method and techniques and research and application of new techniques by utilizing advancements in technology in the field of production as well as in every field. Excess cost control requires to be maintained throughout the project life of building beginning from the initial stages of design. Scrutinizing the project well and considering all possible alternatives particularly in design stage are important for achieving optimum cost. In this study, how the principles of VE （value engineering） are applied in construction projects is explained, and by covering Bregana-Zagreb-Dubrovnik Motorway construction in Croatia by BECHTEL -ENKA joint venture as the sample project, practices of VE in this project are described. The satisfactory results of time and cost saving are achieved by applying value engineering principles through the VE team during the project preparation phase and project revision phase. Approximately 43,000,0005 and 12 months of time were saved in total thanks to all these VE works. This saving provided builder company with 6% financial saving and 17% work time reduction.

Effect of Sea Level Variation on Tidal Characteristic Values for the East China Sea

Tidal waves in the East China Sea are simulated numerically with POM(Princeton Ocean Model) model for normal mean sea level, 30 cm higher, 60 cm higher, and 100 cm higher, respectively, and the simulated result is compared with the harmonic analysis result of hourly sea level data from 19 tide gauges for more than 19 years. It is indicated that the long-term mean sea level variation affects notably tidal waves in this region. Generally, the tidal amplitude increases when the mean sea level rises, but this relationship may be inverse for some sea areas. The maximal variation of tidal amplitude takes place in the zones near the Fujian coast and the Zhejiang coast, rather than the shallowest Bohai Sea. The maximum increase of M2 amplitude can exceed about 15 cm corresponding to the 60 cm rise of the mean sea level along the Fujian coast. The other regions with large variations of tidal amplitude are those along the Jiangsu coast, the south-east coast of Shandong, and the south-east coast of Dalian. The propagation of tidal waves is also related to mean sea level variation, and the tidal phase-lag decreases generally when the mean sea level rises. Almost all the regions where the tidal phase-lag increases with rising mean sea level are close to amphidromic points, meanwhile the spatial area of such regions is very small. Because the influence of mean sea level variation upon tidal waves is spatially marked, such spatial effect should be considered in calculation of the tidal characteristic value and engineering water level. In the region where the amplitudes of the major tidal constituents increase, the probable maximum high water level becomes higher, the probable maximum low water level becomes lower, and both design water level andcheck water level increase obviously. For example, the design water level at Xiamen increases by 13.5 cm due to the variation of tidal waves when the mean sea level rises 60 cm, the total increase of design water level being 73.5 cm.

The High Value CVT Concept--Cost Effective and Powerful

Based on the comprehensive comparison of vehicle performance in economy,engine power,driving smoothness,and efficiency cost as well as pollutant emission etc,the paper discussed the high value CVT concept from an angle of the cost effective and powerful for vehicle.In the paper,it researched the related technical detail in CVT.By means of realizing the continuous change in transmission ratio,it could obtain the optimal matching between transmission system and engine operating mode,and enhance the characteristic of fuel oil in economy,and also improve the convenience in manipulation for driver and make passenger comfortable.For easy to understand the concept,the paper made the comparison analysis in many aspects such as performance,transmission specification,high value CVT hybrid,orifice torque sensor,hydraulic system,high value CVT em,new chain portfolio and assessment of the high value CVT on the NEDC.Finally it showed the potential advantages of CVT technology development,and proposed future developing trends to realize technical scheme of high value CVT.

Innovation and practice of petroleum engineering synergetic management for the development of difficult-to-produce reserves

Due to engineering technology and development costs,a considerable amount of proven oil and gas resources in China are difficult to develop,becoming reserves difficult to produce.Based on the successful development of some domestic oil and gas reserves difficult to recover,this article summarizes the"four in one"petroleum engineering synergetic management model to promote the effective development of these reserves.This model draws on the essence of management theories,such as system theory,cybernetics and synergetic theory,and proposes the development idea of value creating and sharing for this type of reserves.By adopting the new management method of mechanism synergy,speciality synergy,process synergy and industrial chain synergy,this model effectively overcomes the decentralization of management responsibility,different management objectives,great risks of engineering and technological innovation,and the large number of uncertain factors in project construction,and can stimulate the vitality and power of active coordination of project participants,to effectively realize the synergetic innovation of engineering technology and synergetic cost reduction of the whole chain,reduction of the balanced oil price of the project,and dispersion of the project investment risk.By adopting this model,a large proportion of difficult-to-produce reserves have been liberated,realizing the effective utilization of the difficult-to-produce oil and gas resources,and making the reserves an important supplement to ensure national energy security.

Evaluation of Chinese Learning Efficiency of International Students in China

This paper investigates the related factors of Chinese learning engagement and performance of 377 students from three universities in Guangzhou of China,employs the value engineering method,and calculates the value coefficient of learning efficiency.From the value coefficient of Chinese language learning,it proves that over 60%of international students studying in China have a higher efficiency in learning Chinese.

Evaluation of Chinese Learning Efficiency of International Students in China:Comparing by Dimension

This paper introduces the Value Engineering method to calculate the value coefficient of Chinese learning efficiency for 377 international students by dimension.Results suggest that attention should be paid to male,European and American,rural,introverted,and“work or education needs”international students;Give full play to the driving role of the reference-type,explore the space for improving the learning efficiency of the improvement-type and attention-type,and pay attention to the problems of problem-type international students.

Validation of a Value Management Approach Developed for the Saudi Public Sector

A VM （value management） approach was developed that better suits the culture and the context of the SPS （Saudi Public Sector）. This approach provided a comprehensive assessment of VM at institutional, organizational and project levels. This paper illustrates the procedures that were used to validate the developed VM approach. For the institutional and organizational levels, the VM approach was validated by conducting telephone interviews with three experts from three organizations that use VM and with two senior managers from the MOF （Ministry of Finance）. Mainly, it was found that the MOF should be supported by experts to set up a centre of excellence that can set VM policy, guidelines and standards for the promotion of VM in the SPS, in order to ensure achieving value for money spent in SPS projects. The developed VM approach, as it would be applied at the project level, was presented to 11 experts, all of whom completed a validation questionnaire and presented their comments. Subsequently, the questionnaires were analyzed and the VM approach was amended to reflect the inputs provided by these experts. It was concluded that VM should be applied at least twice on SPS projects. Firstly, it is to review and structure strategic and project briefs to sort out soft issues, and secondly, it is to optimize project designs and sort out hard issues.

The Expanding Analysis of Enterprise＇s Human Capital Investment Value

Value is the scale that appraises whether the comparison between a certain thing and its realization which we need to consume is rational. The paper appraises the investment value and incomes of human capital by applying value engineering method. It elaborates the investment structure and contents of human capital first, and then analyzes and summarizes various functions of enterprise＇s human capital. It educes the production function and the optimum equilibrium solution of human capital on this basis. Finally, it appraises the investment value of human capital by applying VE method. Thus we will apply a new method in the human capital field.

Importance Analysis of a Multi-state System Based on Direct Partial Logic Derivatives and Multi-valued Decision Diagrams

Importance analysis quantifies the critical degree of individual component. Compared with the traditional binary state system,importance analysis of the multi-state system is more aligned with the practice. Because the multi-valued decision diagram( MDD) can reflect the relationship between the components and the system state bilaterally, it was introduced into the reliability calculation of the multi-state system( MSS). The building method,simplified criteria,and path search and probability algorithm of MSS structure function MDD were given,and the reliability of the system was calculated. The computing methods of importance based on MDD and direct partial logic derivatives( DPLD) were presented. The diesel engine fuel supply system was taken as an example to illustrate the proposed method. The results show that not only the probability of the system in each state can be easily obtained,but also the influence degree of each component and its state on the system reliability can be obtained,which is conducive to the condition monitoring and structure optimization of the system.

基于VE方法的高速公路特大桥工程成本控制研究

高速公路桥梁工程因其造价高、技术复杂、施工难度大等特点,常被视为关键控制性工程,其成本的有效控制一直是施工企业关注的重点。本文依托沈遂高速公路泉河特大桥工程,运用价值工程理论对工程成本及功能进行研究分析,并提出相应的优化改进方案,降低了工程成本,提高了工程价值,为同类工程的成本控制提供了一定的参考,文末提出的关于价值工程理论后续研究的思路也可为其他学者提供一定借鉴。

基于AHP&VE的混凝土耐久性分析

由于耐久性不足造成工程损伤现象日益严重,在设计方案时进行耐久性评估是必要的。以提高混凝土经济性、可持续性为目的,开展了基于AHP&VE的混凝土耐久性分析。首先,结合层次分析法系统分析混凝土耐久性影响因素及其权重值,建立基于AHP&VE混凝土耐久性分析模型,通过一致性检验得到混凝土耐久性影响因素权重向量合集,消除价值工程判断的主观性;其次,针对不同寿命的耐久性方案,构建不同结构可靠度的全生命周期成本分析模型;最后,在耐久性影响因素权重向量集合基础上进一步计算功能系数和价值系数,筛选最优方案,并以案例对模型进行实证。结果表明该模型一致性检验通过,模型可行。

Fault Diagnosis for Manifold Absolute Pressure Sensor(MAP) of Diesel Engine Based on Elman Neural Network Observer

Intake system of diesel engine is a strong nonlinear system, and it is difficult to establish accurate model of intake system; and bias fault and precision degradation fault of MAP of diesel engine can＇t be diagnosed easily using model-based methods. Thus, a fault diagnosis method based on Elman neural network observer is proposed. By comparing simulation results of intake pressure based on BP network and Elman neural network, lower sampling error magnitude is gained using Elman neural network, and the error is less volatile. Forecast accuracy is between 0.015？0.017 5 and sample error is controlled within 0？0.07. Considering the output stability and complexity of solving comprehensively, Elman neural network with a single hidden layer and with 44 nodes is presented as intake system observer. By comparing the relations of confidence intervals of the residual value between the measured and predicted values, error variance and failures in various fault types. Then four typical MAP faults of diesel engine can be diagnosed： complete failure fault, bias fault, precision degradation fault and drift fault. The simulation results show： intake pressure is observable and selection of diagnostic strategy parameter reasonably can increase the accuracy of diagnosis;the proposed fault diagnosis method only depends on data and structural parameters of observer, not depends on the nonlinear model of air intake system. A fault diagnosis method is proposed not depending system model to observe intake pressure, and bias fault and precision degradation fault of MAP of diesel engine can be diagnosed based on residuals.

Quantifying the Indirect Benefits of Transport Infrastructures and Value Capture Ways in Transportation

Urban transportation is closely related to land use. The changes of transportation cost and accessibility have a direct impact on land use and land prices. Land exploitation and land use play a role of redistributing traffic flow in the urban districts. Real property values are regarded as a sole comprehensive index representing all the benefits generated by transport investment. We have applied the theory of time value on transportation to land price model to evaluate the increased value of real estate resulting from improved accessibility. Agency responsible for the development of urban transport infrastructure can capture part of the financial benefit gained by real estate development through a variety of value capture. This enables us to transfer indirect benefit of transport infrastructure construction to transport enterprise and achieve a benign cycle between urban transport investment and land exploitation.

Agile Practices: An Assessment of Perception of Value of Professionals on the Quality Criteria in Performance of Projects

Deliver high quality software in accordance with deadlines has become a major challenge for the software industry and more organizations adopt agile practices as a mean to achieve quality in their products. This paper analyzes, through a survey, the perception of software professionals, working in different fronts of the development process, the relationship between the use of agile practices and quality of software products. The result shows agile practices that can contribute to quality in three aspects: bigger involvement of the staff, agile management of the requirements proposed and code developed.

Sustainability Index： An Application into Sustainable Engineering Infrastructure Management and Assessment

A proper infrastructure assessment in the contemporary engineering world has become very crucial due to the palpable resources challenges. Therefore, from the design, construction, operation and maintenance stages of the built infrastructural systems; cognizance must be taken of the associated factors and their significance. In considering these indices, the experts will save lots of resources wastage thereby integrating new technologies into the full life cycle of the infrastructure. In this paper, two sets of building infrastructure professionals were assessed. These are the corporate building organization （CBO） and the Operators from two shopping malls within the UK. Thirty-four factors regarding the sustainable building infrastructure appraisal were identified through literature reviews. These characteristics were accordingly classified into two factors （group I and II） and a comparative analysis of their influence conducted. Priority rating of the factors assessment on building infrastructure was through structured, administered survey amongst professionals within these organizations. Information of this survey revealed that the experts maintained a strong concordance in rating these factors. As a result, the associated factors have relatively substantial degree of influence in this context. Further indications of the result in groups I and II are that the CBO experts have indicated the infrastructure size, planning and design as the key factors. Also, the type of building characteristic was among others as the top and bottom marked cases. Similarly, the Operators too have maintained that a proper infrastructure design should incorporate a good policy framework for efficient energy saving fixtures and conservation. Additionally, the installation of quality equipment promotes cost savings of the resources and a just-in-time maintenance of the infrastructure at large. The maintain as-we-go philosophy characteristic was not strongly encouraged in this case.

Application of Earned Value Method in Project Cost Management and Schedule Management

At present,with the rapid development of China's economy,the development of the construction industry has made a new breakthrough.Project management requires the construction industry to continuously play its role and value in improving the ability of project management.Earned value method,which is an important way in the field of project management,enables whole project management to rise to a new height.The specific principle of earned value method will be elaborated by fully introducing the specific role of earned value method in engineering projects to provide a reference and basis for practitioners to improve their management ability.