ASSIGNMENT: From Chapter 3, page 89, WEB-BASED CASE. Read the following case and answer all questions. BBC DIGITAL MEDIA INITIATIVE REVISITED. 1. Webcor is one of the highest and richest commercial construction contractor company. This webcor has located its headquarters at San Francisco, California. This webcor has many branches at many locations and at regional areas as well and as a well familiar construction contractor company it also holds as many clients, those clients are also the world’s top most business companies. Therefore it holds such clients with their work and satisfying them by fulfilling their perfect construction webcor used to grow day by day. Thus the Webcor which, construction is it’s main work, take up the projects and make construction of them using many kind of new technologies involved in the work for the fast and perfect completion of work. Building information modeling is one of the technologies used in the construction work of Webcor and another technology is virtual design construction also used for the work clarification. That means, building information modeling is used to visualize the details and important information that related to the building as in the form of blue print that it helps in the construction to the managers, so that they can make the construction with the help of workers in the design they used to wish. Virtual design and construction also the same that used to create a awareness of the constructing project to the employees who involved in the construction. So that building information modeling which is known as technology used to give information about the building going to be constructed, this helps in giving a clear picture of construction to the employees, so maintain such clarified information they use 3D technology process for this plan of construction. 3D technology which would be very easy and clear to understand help the employees to understand as soon as possible. Virtual design and construction which helps to have a view on the surroundings of the place where the construction to be started, thus they can have an idea about the around situations of the project site. These are the main and most important technologies used in the constructions those done by the Webcor contractor company.. Not just the 3D is used but also 2D, 4D and all so on are used for the purpose of blue print of the plan for the constructing project (Kam, 2006).
2. As webcor is known for taking up construction contracts and make constructions regarding the clients needs and according to their preference. So as it takes up the project from big heads in the business world, it also uses some technologies related to gather the information and to store the gathered information for future reference and future usage. So the information gathering is done by using the technology know as Application performing Interfaces in the short cut API, this app helps the webcor in collecting necessary information. Here, API is used as the mediator between the data input and the the information output, it means the data is sent to the server and information that server gives is displayed over the screen. For example, any data you entered into your PC for collecting some related data or information, that data entered by search engine is sent to server and the related details or information server gives back as a result is shown up on the screen, thus API is useful for this way. But it is to be noticed that not all the information of system or PC you used for search engine is never completely open up to the server, same vice versa the information given by server is not displayed directly but there will be filleted process in between takes place. So that IT development is also important for many purposes that, the task at a time can be done by one PC using some software knowledge is equal to the ten employees working for few days to complete the same task. The disadvantages of these are it takes time for the development of the program into the system, as the results it will be expensive for the development of the project, as that it will be the expensive one it is not that possible for estimating the costs that required for the development of the program of the project (Kopochinski, 2000).
3. The IT systems are necessary to change themselves to the change their performance and develop their capability towards the work and all. So it’s better for them to be innovative in ideas for the success of the plan that to be implemented rather than using the old and already used techniques for some situation in the past by some other employees may be in the same company or any other company. Because already implemented or applied techniques are not always recommended for the problems raised at present but not the problems all the time but the in the development of the capability of the company in the sense the new ideas are necessary for the position development. As the well known and repudiated construction company the Webcor also needs to develop the API in itself for the advanced better performance that which already existed in the company which is also a best one till now. So the IT development for the Webcor is needed for the purpose of the time management, to make things happen in time with ease rather that being delayed for the execution of plans an making them known to the teams working in the project. Thus the IT will be friendly to the employees in reducing their burden of work and helps them to maintain the smart work with limited employees involved in the development program (Yankov, 2001).
References
Kam, C. K. H. (2006). Dynamic Decision Breakdown Structure: Ontology, Methodology, and Framework for Information Management in Support of Decision-Enabling Tasks in the Building Industry (Doctoral dissertation, Stanford University).
Kopochinski, L. (2000). Millennium Contractor: Webcor Builders. Interview with Andy Ball]. California Construction Link,(May 2000), 36.
Yankov, L., & Kleiner, B. H. (2001). Human resources issues in the construction industry. Management Research News, 24(3/4), 101-105.
