Component inspection is an important part of the facilities management process, especially as repair projects play an increasing role in the life of public facilities management organizations. The decisions facility owners make with regard to component inspection effect the eventual success of their major facility repair projects. This thesis uses a total cost approach to evaluate the effect component inspection methods have on facility repair projects. This problem is examined by comparing the penalty cost of inadequate component inspection to the costs of alternate component inspection methods that could have minimized the penalty cost. A general framework is developed to classify the errors that occur in component inspection and predict the penalty costs. Six major facility repair projects in which inadequate component inspection led to penalty coasts are presented and analyzed. The evidence from these cases shows that owners should pursue more costly and more accurate component inspection methods. The reduction in penalty costs due to increased accuracy outweighs the added cost so that the total cost is less. These cases also point to the usefulness of automated non-contract component inspection strategy by facility owners that considers alternate component inspection methods as part of the design of facility repair projects. An understanding of the penalty cost concepts presented here will be useful to owners in the design of a component inspection strategy. Keywords: Theses; Case studies; Contract administration; Defect analysis; Concrete bridge decks; Airfield pavements. (kr).

Component inspection is an important part of the facilities management process, especially as repair projects play an increasing role in the life of public facilities management organizations. The decisions facility owners make with regard to component inspection effect the eventual success of their major facility repair projects. This thesis uses a total cost approach to evaluate the effect component inspection methods have on facility repair projects. This problem is examined by comparing the penalty cost of inadequate component inspection to the costs of alternate component inspection methods that could have minimized the penalty cost. A general framework is developed to classify the errors that occur in component inspection and predict the penalty costs. Six major facility repair projects in which inadequate component inspection led to penalty coasts are presented and analyzed. The evidence from these cases shows that owners should pursue more costly and more accurate component inspection methods. The reduction in penalty costs due to increased accuracy outweighs the added cost so that the total cost is less. These cases also point to the usefulness of automated non-contract component inspection strategy by facility owners that considers alternate component inspection methods as part of the design of facility repair projects. An understanding of the penalty cost concepts presented here will be useful to owners in the design of a component inspection strategy. Keywords: Theses; Case studies; Contract administration; Defect analysis; Concrete bridge decks; Airfield pavements. (kr).

Masters Theses in the Pure and Applied Sciences was first conceived, published, and disseminated by the Center for Information and Numerical Oata Analysis and Synthesis (CINOAS) * at Purdue. University in 1957, starting its coverage of theses with the academic year 1955. Beginning with Volume 13, the printing and dissemination phases of the activity were transferred to University Microfilms/Xerox of Ann Arbor, Michigan, with the thought that such an arrangement would be more beneficial to the academic and general scientific and technical community. After five years of this joint undertaking we had concluded that it was in the interest of all con cerned if the printing and distribution of the volumes were handled by an interna tional publishing house to assure improved service and broader dissemination. Hence, starting with Volume 18, Masters Theses in the Pure and Applied Sciences has been disseminated on a worldwide basis by Plenum Publishing Cor poration of New York, and in the same year the coverage was broadened to include Canadian universities. All back issues can also be ordered from Plenum. We have reported in Volume 33 (thesis year 1988) a total of 13,273 theses titles from 23 Canadian and 1 85 United States universities. We are sure that this broader base for these titles reported will greatly enhance the value of this important annual reference work. While Volume 33 reports theses submitted in 1988, on occasion, certain univer sities do report theses submitted in previous years but not reported at the time.

The deteriorating condition of federal facilities poses economic, safety, operational, and environmental risks to the federal government, to the achievement of the missions of federal agencies, and to the achievement of public policy goals. Primary factors underlying this deterioration are the age of federal facilities-about half are at least 50 years old-and decades of inadequate investment for their maintenance and repair. These issues are not new and there are no quick fixes. However, the current operating environment provides both the impetus and the opportunity to place investments in federal facilities' maintenance and repair on a new, more sustainable course for the 21st Century. Despite the magnitude of investments, funding for the maintenance and repair of federal facilities has been inadequate for many years, and myriad projects have been deferred. Predicting Outcomes of Investments in Maintenance and Repair of Federal Facilities identifies processes and practices for transforming the current portfolio of federal facilities into one that is more economically, physically, and environmentally sustainable. This report addresses ways to predict or quantify the outcomes that can be expected from a given level of maintenance and repair investments in federal facilities or facilities' systems, and what strategies, measures, and data should be in place to determine the actual outcomes of facilities maintenance and repair investments.

Cost is considered a crucial factor in much decision-making in private and public organisations. Therefore, the ability to calculate total estimated costs for different alternatives is important. However, such total cost analysis is a challenging task. Providing students with the knowledge and skills needed for total cost analysis is therefore relevant in several disciplines within higher education. Within logistics management, total cost analysis is for decades by several scholars regarded as a ‘cornerstone’, a fundamental part of the discipline. However, except for describing the basic steps and presumptions, the literature does not give much support concerning how to conduct such analyses, or which the difficulties associated with total cost analysis are. This blank space in literature is not limited to the logistics discipline, it stretches throughout many disciplines. Neither does literature cover how to teach to support students’ learning of total cost analysis. Hence, to address the lack of research, the purpose of this thesis was formulated as follows: To contribute to the understanding of conducting, learning, and teaching total cost analysis. Three research questions were shaped to address each part of the purpose: conducting, learning and teaching. RQ1 What challenges are connected to the process of conducting total cost analysis? RQ2 What thresholds are there for learning how to conduct total cost analysis? RQ3 How can total cost learning be supported by suitable educational methods? The research questions are connected to each other in the sense that the challenges of conducting total cost analysis (RQ1) indicate within which areas total cost learning is difficult, and thereby where thresholds are to be investigated (RQ2). Further, knowledge about the learning thresholds is needed to discuss suitable educational activities (RQ3). The research was conducted by a combination of literature reviews and multiple case studies at four Higher Education Institutions, where both teachers and students were approached. The findings for RQ1 were developed in an abductive procedure walking back and forth between literature and cases. A twelve-step process for total cost analysis was defined, and specific challenges associated for each of these steps. Regarding learning thresholds (RQ2), perceived difficulties with learning total cost analysis were identified in the case studies. These difficulties were then analysed against threshold characteristics available in literature. This resulted in the identification of four total cost learning thresholds. Literature on constructivist-based teaching was used to suggest teaching methods to support learning (RQ3). These types of activities proved to match the ones most appreciated by teachers and students in the studied cases. The twelve-step process provides a more structured and holistic view of total cost analysis than previously available in the logistics literature. The description of challenges with conducting total cost analysis is novel, not only within logistics, but also generally, why this is a major contribution from this research. Aspects regarding teaching and learning connected to logistics, and to total cost analysis, are very sparsely addressed in literature, which makes the findings concerning learning thresholds and teaching methods valuable. The findings are believed to be useful for different stakeholders. First and foremost, teachers can use the findings for designing programs, courses, and course modules which cover the important aspects of total cost analysis with help from educational activities supporting the students’ learning. Second, for organisations where total cost analyses are conducted, the suggested process with its steps and associated challenges can be used to achieve better total cost analyses, and in turn more substantiated decisions. In the longer perspective, better education on total cost analysis at Higher Education Institutions will further strengthen the total cost competence in organisations, thereby improving the total cost-related decision making. Total cost analysis is not unique for the logistics discipline. Although focus in the study has been on Higher Education Institutions providing logistics courses, the findings are to a high extent believed to be relevant also for other disciplines dealing with total cost analysis.