This book provides a comprehensive and unified approach to factor analysis and latent variable modeling and theory, providing a unified and coherent treatment from a statistical perspective. A general framework is presented to enable the derivation of the commonly used models. Updated numerical examples are provided as well as the software to carry them out. Written by leading experts in the field, Latent Variable Models and Factor Analysis: * Includes new topics such as, covariate effects and non-linear terms, multiple population analysis and univariate and bivariate margins. * Provides a new section on structural equation models (SEM) and Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods, along with illustrative examples. * Looks at estimation methods, goodness-of-fit, non-linear models, covariates, longitudinal data and multilevel modeling along with updated examples throughout. * Unifies many different streams of latent variable modeling and probability modeling. An introductory section is provided, which looks at the nature and interpretation of a latent variable, motivating discussions of closely related methods which make little or no explicit use of latent variables. Principal components are discussed in more depth, exploring its relationship to factor analysis in both historical and contemporary and theoretically and empirically. Furthermore, the book explores The Bonds' Model for abilities, a model which has a correlation structure which is identical to that of the factor model and hence cannot be distinguished from it and does not involve latent variables. No prior acquaintance with latent variable modeling is needed although a broad understanding of statistical theory is necessary.

This guide shows design practices and other construction professionals how to manage knowledge successfully. It explains how to develop and implement a knowledge management strategy, and how to avoid the pitfalls, focusing on the techniques of learning and knowledge sharing that are most relevant in professional practice. Expensive IT-based 'solutions' bought off-the-shelf rarely succeed in a practice context, so the emphasis here is on people-centred techniques, which recognise and meet real business knowledge needs and fit in with the organisational culture.

Knowledge is supplanting physical assets as the dominant basis of capital value and an understanding of how knowledge is acquired, shared and used is increasingly crucial in organisational success. Most business leaders recognise this, but few have yet succeeded in making it the pervasive influence on management practice that it needs to become; that has turned out to be harder than it looks.

Construction professionals are among those who have furthest to go, and most to gain. Design is a knowledge-based activity, and project managers, contractors and clients, as well as architects and engineers, have always learned from experience and shared their knowledge with immediate colleagues. But the intuitive processes they have traditionally used break down alarmingly quickly as organisations grow; even simply dividing the office over two floors can noticeably reduce communication. At the same time, increasingly sophisticated construction technology and more demanding markets are making effective management of knowledge ever more important. Other knowledge-intensive industries (such as management consultancy, pharmaceuticals, and IT), are well ahead in adopting a more systematic approach to learning and sharing knowledge, and seeing the benefits in improved technical capacity, efficiency, customer satisfaction and reduced risk.