• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.11-19
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• 2014

The Construction industry is a labor-intensive industry that its labor cost takes up about 30~40% out of the whole construction cost. However, due to a stereotype that on-site work is a 3D job there is a shortage of the labor forces. Modular construction method is to produce modular units in the plant so that workers could work stably. Also, after delivering the module from plant to the site, there will be only installment to be required that shortens construction duration. Even though the modular market is currently expanding based on military facilities in Korea, its best strengths are not demonstrated well which are shortened construction period and low cost. It also causes labor problem of production due to minimum utilization of the modular construction method. Multi-skilled labor means a technician that is able to perform more than two kinds of work with more than two techniques. Multi-skilled labor can proceed smoothly by figuring out the connectivity between the precedent and following operations. Therefore, this research is to apply the concept of Multi-skilled labors, suggest solutions and allocate manpowers efficiently. As a result, it helps to decrease idle manpowers during the operation and the total labor forces can be saved. Low cost is the original strength of the modular which can stand out so the modular market is expected to expand.

• Architectural research
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.85-92
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• 2010

In recent years, construction projects have been forced to cope with lack of skilled labor and increasing hazard circumstance of human operations. A construction robotic system has been frequently accomplished as one alterative for overcoming these difficulties in increasing construction quality, enhancing productivity, and improving safety. However, while the complexity of such a system increases, there are few ways to carry out an assessment of the system. This paper introduces a knowledge-based multi-criteria decision-making process to assist decision makers in systematically evaluating an automated system for a given project and quantifying its system performance index. The model employs linguistic terms and fuzzy numbers in attempts to deal with the vagueness inherent in experts' or decision makers' subjective opinions, considering the contribution resulted from their knowledge on a decision problem. As an illustrative case, the system, called Robotic-based Construction Automation, for constructing steel erection of high-rise buildings was applied into this model. The results show the model's capacities and imply the application to other extended types of construction robotic systems.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.15 no.9
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• pp.555-561
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• 2015

The construction industry is a labor-oriented and quality, cost, and schedule performance is effected by technicians. However, the construction industry have faced a labor shortage problem. Therefore, technician graying and no new workers inflow cause labor shortage and decline of worker's skill level. The utilization of foreign technicians instead of domestic technicians has been increased in the construction industry. This paper performed questionnaire survey for 43 managers on 14 project fields to determine the current status and problems of construction technicians and to propose a improvement plan. As a result, most foreign technicians are carpenters and iron workers, but the skill levels are generally lower than domestics. The major problems for foreign technicians are communication and non-skilled. Then, labor productivity and accident rates of foreign technicians are higher than domestics. This paper proposes that skill training programs, language lessons, and multi-cultural programs are effective to improve foreign workers' problems.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.273-282
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• 2021

This study investigates for skills mismatching of the IT service sector in the flows of fast technology changes. It was conducted through an in-depth interview method for professional groups. There were differences in demand for skilled labor by business organizations and educators as providers of skilled labor. A five-point Likert scale was used. The degree of importance of 3.7 average point and the degree of satisfaction of 3.4 average point were responded for the set items in case of matching. In addition, the degree of importance of 3.79 average point and the satisfaction of 3.12 were responded in case of non-majored education students for IT. The skills desired from business organizations included multi-dimensional competencies and soft-skill items. For the reason of skills mismatching, business organizations presented ineffective specifications or divisions of the industrial manpower structure, and educational institutions selected the mismatching of time. Professional groups forecasted that the mismatching gap would expand in the future. To solve the gap, the participated professionals selected an industry-university institute collaboration course and gave an opinion to seek a method to foster manpower in the long-term perspective.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.5 no.4 s.20
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• pp.122-129
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• 2004

The purpose of this study is to propose a way that improves the construction management for remodeling of building. The study attempts to deal with the case study for application and suggests some positive and negative lessons. The main contents and results of the study are as follows. (1) Through the repetitive joint meetings among the various participants, decision making for the remodeling process can be speeded up. (2) Clear work order and communication for work scope can be accomplished by using perspective drawing in design phase. (3) Reliable construction planning and scheduling for remodeling of building can be proposed through case study. (4) By a sound survey, conflict elements can be resolved in advance. Also reasonable procurement plan of equipments and multi-skilled labor can be important factors to keep a construction schedule in time. (5) Through the comparison a case project with other sites having a similar work scope, improvement effect in a time and cost aspect was analyzed quantitatively. The study also recommends that, as a future research, the remodeling process model be developed for more general applications in remodeling of building.

• Magazine of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.28-35
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• 2008

The Burj Dubai Project will be the tallest structure ever built by man; when completed the tower will be more than 700 meter tall and more than 160 floors. While the early integration of aerodynamic shaping and wind engineering considerations played a major role in the architectural massing and design of this multi-use/residential tower, where mitigating and taming the dynamic wind effects was one of the most important design criteria, the material selection for the structural systems of the tower was also a major consideration and required detailed evaluation of the material technologies and skilled labor available in the market at the time Concrete was selected for its strength, stiffness, damping, redundancy, moldability, free fireproofing, speed of construction, and cost effectiveness. In addition, the design challenges of using concrete for the design of the structural system components will be addressed. The focus on this paper will also be on the early planning of the concrete works of the Burj Dubai Project.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.148-162
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• 1993

There is much speculation that modern capi-talist society is undergoing fundamental and qualitative chnge towards flexible specialization. The purpose of this study is to examine this hypothesis. This paper focusses on: the idea of flexible specialization; the significance of this transition; industrial district; and the implicati-ons of this new production system for Korean industrial space. Main arguments of this study are as follows: First, as all different groups of researchers apply the idea of flexible specialization according to their own specifications, the current debate on this topic is not much fruitful. Not surpri-singly, the concept of flexible specialization has overlapped with subocontracting. This intergration of subcontracting into flexible specialization systems, however, is inappropriate because the two concepts have different historical contexts. The other cause of this controversy is its inherent weekness, conceptual ambiguity. Thus, today's flexibility becomes tomorrow's rigidity. Secondly, transition towards flexible speciali-zation has only been partially achieved even in advanced capitalist countries. The application of dualistic explanatory framework, such as rigidity versus flexibiity, mass production versus small-lot multi-product production, and de-skilling versus re-skilling, has resulted in great exaggeration of the transformation, from Fordism to post-Fordism. There is no intermediary part between two places. Considering that the workers allocated to the Fordist mass production assembly line are not as large as one might imagine, the shift from mass to flexible production has only limited implications for the transformation of capitalist economy. Thirdly, 'industrial district' contorversy has contributed to highlighting the importance of small firms and areas as production space. The agglomeration of small firms in specific areas is common in Korea, but it is quite different from the industrial district based on flexible specialization. The Korean phenomenon stems from close interactions with its major parent firm rather than interactions between flexible, specialized, autonomous and technology-intensive smll firms. Most Korean subcontractors are still low-skilled, labour-intensive, and heavily dependent on their mojor parent firms. Thus, the assertion that the Seoul Metropolitan Area adopts flexible specialization has no base. Fourthly, the main concern of flexible speciali zation is small firms. However, the corporate organization that needs product diversification and technological specialization is oligopolistic large corporations typified by multinational corporations. It is because of this that most of these organizations are adoptiong Fordist mass production methods. The problem of product diversification will be resolved naturally if economic internationalization progresses further. What is more important for business success is the quality and price competitiveness of firms rather than product diversification. Lastly, in order to dispel further misunderst-anding on this issue, it is imparative that the conceptual ambiguity is resolved most urgently. This study recommends adoption of more speci-fied and direct terminology (such as, factory automation, computer design, out-sourcing, the exploitation of part-time labor, job redesign) rather than that of ideological ones (such as, Taylorism, Fordism, neo-Taylorism, neo-Fordism, post-fordism, flexible specialization, peripheral post-Fordism). As the debates on this topic just started, we still have long way to go until consensus is reached.