The paper presents a new conceptual model for not-for-profit international development projects that identifies different sets of success criteria and factors in the project life-cycle phases and then provides the dynamic linkages among these criteria and factors. The model can serve as a basis to evaluate the project status and to forecast the results progressively throughout the stages. Thus, it helps the project management team and the key stakeholders prioritize their attention and scarce development resources to ensure successful project completion. Empirical data from a field survey conducted in selected Southeast Asian countries confirm the model's validity and also illustrate important managerial implications.

A two‐phase decomposition method is proposed for the optimal design of new looped water distribution networks as well as for the parallel expansion of existing ones. The main feature of the method is that it generates a sequence of improving local optimal solutions. The first phase of the method takes a gradient approach with the flow distribution and pumping heads as decision variables and is an extension of the linear programming gradient method proposed by Alperovits and Shamir (1977) for nonlinear modeling. The technique is iterative and produces a local optimal solution. In the second phase the link head losses of this local optimal solution are fixed, and the resulting concave program is solved for the link flows and pumping heads; these then serve to restart the first phase to obtain an improved local optimal solution. The whole procedure continues until no further improvement can be achieved. Some applications and extensions of the method are also discussed.

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Purpose -The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of information and communication technology (ICT) adoption on hotel performance in Thailand. Design/methodology/approach -The elements for measuring the level of ICT adoption include: availability of ICT components, integration of ICT components, and intensity of ICT usage. Operational productivity and customer satisfaction were used for measuring hotel performance. To control for the influence of location and employee and management characteristics on hotel productivity, data were collected solely from three star hotels operating in the same location, Phuket, Thailand. Operational productivity was calculated by using data envelopment analysis. A five-point Likert type scale was employed to measure customer satisfaction. Multiple regression analysis was utilized to assess the relationship between ICT adoption and hotel performance. Findings -The findings indicate that ICT adoption has a significant positive relationship with hotel performance. However, ICT adoption influences operational productivity more than customer satisfaction within three star hotels. ICT availability and ICT integration have a significant positive relationship only with operational productivity, while the intensity of ICT usage has a significant, positive relationship with both operational productivity and customer satisfaction. Practical implications -The findings will benefit the hotel industry by providing critical information to management in deciding on the areas in which ICT should be adopted, such as room division or food and beverage division, as well as the specific technologies that would improve hotel performance. It also contributes valuable information to ICT marketing personnel. Originality/value -This study fills a gap in terms of the requirement for more studies investigating the impact of ICT on hotel performance in general, and in developing countries in particular. This helps in understanding the topic from a developing country's perspective.

Purpose -The purposes of this study are to present an operational definition of information technology (IT) infrastructure flexibility and to provide a framework for assessing its components. Design/methodology/approach -A comprehensive review of the relevant literature was conducted along with expert interviews to determine what experts considered to be the characteristics of IT infrastructure flexibility. A questionnaire was then developed, and 388 IT personnel with a wide range of experience verified the proposed framework. Factor analysis was conducted to reveal the common aspects of IT infrastructure flexibility. Findings -The results expand on the four recognized components (connectivity, compatibility, modularity and IT personnel competency) from the literature by revealing five further components (scalability, continuity, rapidity, facility and modernity).Research limitations/implications -The issue of external validity should be a concern because the samples were collected only from IT personnel in the financial service industry in Thailand. The improvement of the instrument to fit additional contexts is recommended. Practical implications -Practitioners may now consider their IT infrastructure profiles and determine which components need more attention. Researchers may expand on this paper's results by conducting further investigations with other organizational measurements. Originality/value -This study is the first to provide empirical evidence from the context of a developing country, which fills a significant gap in the literature. Although this study reports different findings from the literature, the results still complement rather than contradict the existing research framework.