Steven McCabe | Birmingham City University (original) (raw)
Papers by Steven McCabe
Centre for Brexit Studies Blog, Mar 31, 2021
In a news agenda dominated by Covid-19 it's almost refreshing to report on a crisis that's taken ... more In a news agenda dominated by Covid-19 it's almost refreshing to report on a crisis that's taken place in one of the world's major shipping lanes, the blockage of the Suez Canal by Ever Given, a Japanese-owned container ship. At 1,300 feet long and capable of carrying 20,000 containers, usually 40 foot long, it's a huge vessel.
Benchmarking in Construction
Benchmarking in Construction
This paper reviews critically the existing literature that is associated to Design Thinking and c... more This paper reviews critically the existing literature that is associated to Design Thinking and contributes to the limited scholarly understanding of this relatively new academic field, whilst broadening the field of Innovation. The aim of this paper is to investigate Design Thinking, and critically review the evolution of the concept to its current form. This paper will also specifically address and attempt to unify the dichotomous design thinking themes that run parallel in the fields of business, management and design. Not only does our research contribute to field of design thinking, it also adds value and supports researchers and practitioners in the fields innovation and innovation management by establishing what is anecdotal and what is scholarly. This paper will be refined and developed further leading up to the final submission of the BAM Conference, where we also to welcome feedback on specific areas.
Benchmarking in Construction
Benchmarking in Construction
Feminist Community Engagement
Benchmarking in Construction, 2001
The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 2002
Construction Management and Economics, 1998
Economic downturns generally disrupt the employment landscape and lead to economic restructuring.... more Economic downturns generally disrupt the employment landscape and lead to economic restructuring. The purpose of this article is to explore how the recent financial crisis has impacted on UK construction employment. The analysis reveals a number of emerging disparities in terms of age, gender, employment status, and employment conditions. Specifically, the disparities point to increasing marginalization of youths in recruitment into the sector, resilience of women in weathering unemployment, proliferation of non-traditional forms of employment relationship and decline of working conditions. Comparisons are made with a number of European countries to illustrate how political differences can contribute to distinctions in labour market trends. Thus, questions are raised on the adequacy of the UK government's response to the financial crisis. Arguably, the perpetuation of neoliberal policies serves only to further dismantle the traditional employment relationship, replaced by more flexible labour markets that in turn threaten long-term prospects for the construction industry.
The need for organisations to seek continuous improvement has, over the last decade, become a man... more The need for organisations to seek continuous improvement has, over the last decade, become a mantra for those who seek to commentate on construction 1 . As such, commentators suggest organisations in electronics and automotive production industries have accrued benefits that allow both enhanced customer satisfaction and the achievement of greater efficiency. Therefore, it is usually argued, if this can occur elsewhere, why cannot construction do the same?As this paper will explain, the need to engage in improvement is well accepted in the construction industry. Initiatives such as quality assurance, total quality management and supply chain management have been operating for some time. However, and as the case study of Morrison indicates, the desire to achieve radical change resulting in significant improvement is only possible by benchmarking against organisations which are 'excellent'. As we will describe, the accepted test of excellence is demonstrated by the use of th...
Brexit Negotiations After Article 50: Assessing Process, Progress and Impact
This paper reports a research finding that some Quality Managers in the construction industry are... more This paper reports a research finding that some Quality Managers in the construction industry are attempting to institute Total Quality (TQ) Management. Having established Quality Assurance (QA) systems, these managers have realised that the benefits to be gained from this bureaucratic approach are limited. They now aim to transform the culture of the industry, making it less adversarial and more customer centred. Using an sociological analysis based on the forms of legitimation of power identified by Max Weber, the institutional situation of Quality Managers is examined and their consequent ability to introduce innovation is assessed. Weber suggests that there are three forms of authority: traditional, charismatic and rational. These are considered in the light of some modern organisation theory and with reference to the particular problem of cultural change. It is argued that managers have the best hope of successfully introducing TQ when they can establish a measure of charismati...
Centre for Brexit Studies Blog, Mar 31, 2021
In a news agenda dominated by Covid-19 it's almost refreshing to report on a crisis that's taken ... more In a news agenda dominated by Covid-19 it's almost refreshing to report on a crisis that's taken place in one of the world's major shipping lanes, the blockage of the Suez Canal by Ever Given, a Japanese-owned container ship. At 1,300 feet long and capable of carrying 20,000 containers, usually 40 foot long, it's a huge vessel.
Benchmarking in Construction
Benchmarking in Construction
This paper reviews critically the existing literature that is associated to Design Thinking and c... more This paper reviews critically the existing literature that is associated to Design Thinking and contributes to the limited scholarly understanding of this relatively new academic field, whilst broadening the field of Innovation. The aim of this paper is to investigate Design Thinking, and critically review the evolution of the concept to its current form. This paper will also specifically address and attempt to unify the dichotomous design thinking themes that run parallel in the fields of business, management and design. Not only does our research contribute to field of design thinking, it also adds value and supports researchers and practitioners in the fields innovation and innovation management by establishing what is anecdotal and what is scholarly. This paper will be refined and developed further leading up to the final submission of the BAM Conference, where we also to welcome feedback on specific areas.
Benchmarking in Construction
Benchmarking in Construction
Feminist Community Engagement
Benchmarking in Construction, 2001
The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 2002
Construction Management and Economics, 1998
Economic downturns generally disrupt the employment landscape and lead to economic restructuring.... more Economic downturns generally disrupt the employment landscape and lead to economic restructuring. The purpose of this article is to explore how the recent financial crisis has impacted on UK construction employment. The analysis reveals a number of emerging disparities in terms of age, gender, employment status, and employment conditions. Specifically, the disparities point to increasing marginalization of youths in recruitment into the sector, resilience of women in weathering unemployment, proliferation of non-traditional forms of employment relationship and decline of working conditions. Comparisons are made with a number of European countries to illustrate how political differences can contribute to distinctions in labour market trends. Thus, questions are raised on the adequacy of the UK government's response to the financial crisis. Arguably, the perpetuation of neoliberal policies serves only to further dismantle the traditional employment relationship, replaced by more flexible labour markets that in turn threaten long-term prospects for the construction industry.
The need for organisations to seek continuous improvement has, over the last decade, become a man... more The need for organisations to seek continuous improvement has, over the last decade, become a mantra for those who seek to commentate on construction 1 . As such, commentators suggest organisations in electronics and automotive production industries have accrued benefits that allow both enhanced customer satisfaction and the achievement of greater efficiency. Therefore, it is usually argued, if this can occur elsewhere, why cannot construction do the same?As this paper will explain, the need to engage in improvement is well accepted in the construction industry. Initiatives such as quality assurance, total quality management and supply chain management have been operating for some time. However, and as the case study of Morrison indicates, the desire to achieve radical change resulting in significant improvement is only possible by benchmarking against organisations which are 'excellent'. As we will describe, the accepted test of excellence is demonstrated by the use of th...
Brexit Negotiations After Article 50: Assessing Process, Progress and Impact
This paper reports a research finding that some Quality Managers in the construction industry are... more This paper reports a research finding that some Quality Managers in the construction industry are attempting to institute Total Quality (TQ) Management. Having established Quality Assurance (QA) systems, these managers have realised that the benefits to be gained from this bureaucratic approach are limited. They now aim to transform the culture of the industry, making it less adversarial and more customer centred. Using an sociological analysis based on the forms of legitimation of power identified by Max Weber, the institutional situation of Quality Managers is examined and their consequent ability to introduce innovation is assessed. Weber suggests that there are three forms of authority: traditional, charismatic and rational. These are considered in the light of some modern organisation theory and with reference to the particular problem of cultural change. It is argued that managers have the best hope of successfully introducing TQ when they can establish a measure of charismati...