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Persisting construction performance shortcomings in the Saudi Arabian construction industry requires engendering project management competencies in construction professionals’ roles and responsibilities. The purpose of this study was to determine significant construction project management competencies for Saudi Arabian construction professionals.

A cross-sectional questionnaire survey used project managers’ competencies from the literature. Construction professionals participated in the survey. Normalisation was used to determine the critical individual competencies. Statistically significant differences due to designations and organisations were analysed. Factor analysis revealed the relationships among significant competencies.

The most critical individual competencies included communication, team building and leadership skills. However, Project managers and all other construction professionals had statistically significant differences in insights on some of the critical competencies. The results revealed seven components: behaviour and attitude-related competencies; fundamental project management-related competencies; pro-active, knowledge and creativity-related competencies; political and organisational-related competencies; stakeholder management and experience-related competencies; management-related competencies; and confidence, commitment and negotiation-related competencies.

Evidently, inculcating project management competencies is essential for construction professionals to enhance project performance. The failure to get insights from the National Project Management Office officials was a limitation; however, views from construction professionals were sufficient as they are the most affected stakeholders.

The study determined project management competencies necessary for Saudi Arabian construction professionals to improve their project delivery performance.

This paper aims to identify the most suitable location for a university campus in Egypt based on governorates’ social needs by employing the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The paper, then, reflects the findings retrieved from the Egyptian context on the Japanese context to reveal how different countries deal with the location-allocation decision problem for university campuses.

The AHP is employed to evaluate and rank Egyptian governorates based on 13 distinct criteria obtained from governmental open-source databases. These criteria measure the social needs of each governorate, guiding the decision on the location of new university campuses.

The results expose a disparity between Egypt's current campus development plan and recommendations derived from AHP analysis. The location-allocation decision for new university campuses appears to be influenced by subjective assessments, indicating a gap between planned developments and identified social needs. Additionally, contextual social and cultural differences between developing and developed countries impact the identification and fulfilment of the demand for a new university campus.

This paper contributes by offering decision-makers a robust location-allocation framework. It serves as a valuable tool for policy formulation in establishing new public universities in both developing and developed countries. Comparative analysis with the Japanese context enriches the understanding of how countries address the location-allocation decision problem for university campuses, emphasising the significance of context-specific considerations in such decisions.

Prefabricated building (PB) has high technical requirements and is susceptible to safety accidents, and its construction occupational health and safety (OHS) problems should not be ignored. To promote the better development of PB, this study aims to measure their construction safety management level and propose corresponding countermeasures.

By systematically combing the relevant literature, this study extracts the influencing factors that appear frequently in several studies and categorizes them according to six dimensions: people, materials and components, technology, mechanical equipment, environment and system. Combining expert opinions, the measurement index system, including 6 primary indexes and 24 secondary indexes, is constructed. The structural entropy weight (SEW) method is applied to calculate the index weights. The cloud matter element (CME) model based on the weights is constructed to determine the level of construction occupational health and safety management (COHSM). A project case of a training building is used to verify it. The results obtained from the model are compared with those from other measurement models to verify the feasibility of the model in measuring the level of COHSM for PB.

The calculated weights show that technology is the most important for the COHSM of PB. The management level of the project in terms of people, materials and components, technology, machinery and equipment, environment and system is Level II good. The overall safety management level is also Level II, which is good. The model of this study is consistent with other model measurements. The methodology of this study yields reasonable and realistic results.

This study is the first to include occupational health dimensions in the research on the construction safety management of PB, which not only covers the key elements in traditional construction safety management but also considers the impact of the construction process, material use and technology of PB on safety management, making the measurement index system more scientific. Meanwhile, the introduction of the CME model based on the SEW method effectively solves the deficiencies of the traditional method in dealing with ambiguity and uncertainty and provides practitioners with more accurate and comprehensive measurement results. It helps practitioners formulate a more scientific management plan in combination with the actual situation and provides a guiding idea and practical path for the COHSM of similar projects.

Traditional procurement approaches are no longer sufficient amidst dire environmental challenges caused by the construction sector. Yet, it is unclear from existing studies what factors could encourage alternatives such as circular procurement (CP). Thus, this study aims to investigate the determinants of CP adoption in the global construction industry.

The study employs a mixed-method approach involving focus group interviews with circular experts and engaging 194 international construction professionals using a questionnaire survey. Multiple statistical techniques, including exploratory factor analysis and fuzzy synthetic modelling, were employed to analyze the data.

The study identified fourteen key benefits that drive the adoption of CP practices in construction, with “Waste management throughout the construction lifecycle,” “Integration of supply chains” and “Opportunities from new business models” as the three most significant. However, a deeper analysis of the interconnections between these drivers revealed four clusters of principal benefit drivers (PBDs). The four principal groups were “lifecycle cost optimization,” “climate impact mitigation,” “circular capability and waste reduction” and “supply chain collaboration.” Through fuzzy synthetic modeling, it was predicted that three out of four PBDs exerted high levels of influence and should be prioritized for developed economies, while all four PBDs had significant levels of influence in developing regions.

The findings provide a useful reference point for policymakers, practitioners and researchers in formulating strategies to accelerate the adoption and implementation of CP practices in different construction industries.

The study provides a novel perspective on CP adoption through understanding and promotion of its benefits. This offers a valuable framework for decision-making in two regional contexts.

This study examines the drivers of consumers’ intentions to adopt mobile wallets in Pakistan’s hospitality industry. Specifically, it proposes and tests a model of non-user consumer intention to adopt mobile wallets for hospitality in Pakistan.

A conceptual framework grounded in the mobile technology acceptance model (MTAM) integrating personal innovativeness in IT, mobile perceived compatibility, perceived critical mass, perceived enjoyment, mobile perceived risk and mobile perceived wireless trust was used as a theoretical model of the study. Using structural equation modeling, we tested the research model and its relevant hypotheses on a sample of 310 mobile wallet nonusers.

Findings from the expanded model demonstrate that only four of the suggested hypotheses were insignificant in this study and require additional examination. Overall, the modified model explained 63% of the variance in the behavioral intention to adopt mobile wallets. This paper concludes with key implications and directions for future work concerning the limitations of this study.

This study contributes to a theoretical understanding of the factors that explain nonusers’ behavioral intention to use a mobile wallet in the hospitality context.

Evaluating project success within the construction industry presents challenges due to the unique characteristics of the sector, the complexity of projects, and the involvement of diverse stakeholders. Conducting a bibliometric analysis, this paper aims to unravel the major research themes and methodologies utilised by researchers in studying the critical success criteria for construction projects, as well as extracting these success criteria.

The researchers systematically searched and screened 95 papers from Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases. This study conducted research focus parallelship network (RFPN) analysis and keywords co-occurrence network (KCON) analysis using BibExcel and Gephi to cluster the papers, illuminate the relationships among keywords within each cluster, and identify the primary research directions.

Using the RFPN analysis, this study classified the papers into three distinct clusters: infrastructure and public projects success, risk and knowledge management, and contractors and procurement management. Statistical techniques such as structural equation modelling (SEM) and multi-criteria decision-making methods such as analytic hierarchy process (AHP) have been used to analyse project success in the construction industry.

Considering the intensified demand for streamlined digital interactions and the increasing emphasis on sustainability and safety performance, construction companies are recommended to allocate greater investments toward the automation and digitisation of their products and processes. Prioritising modular construction and embracing transformative technologies alongside data science is crucial for enabling well-informed decision-making, and enhancing project success.

This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by conducting a quantitative and systematic evaluation of the literature on project success criteria in the construction industry and uncovering key research areas. It addresses the pressing need to understand the complexities of construction projects amidst evolving industry dynamics and emerging disruptions. Moreover, by highlighting the implications of digital innovations and modular construction, this study urges deeper exploration into their impact on project performance and stakeholder satisfaction. This research sets a comprehensive framework for investigating the interplay between project complexity, technological advancements, and sustainable practices in the construction sector, paving the way for strategic advancements in the field.

The paper presents the findings of a study assessing the progress of implementing the European Green Deal (EGD) strategy goals across the EU-27 countries. The research aimed to evaluate individual countries' implementation of the strategy, considering its multidimensional nature.

A research methodology was devised, incorporating 18 indicators that characterize various dimensions pertinent to the EGD strategy. Evaluation of the strategy’s goals relied on the European Green Deal Index (EGDI), determined using the combined compromise solution (CoCoSo) method and a hybrid approach to weigh the indicators. Three analytical methods – criteria importance through intercriteria correlation (CRITIC), statistical variance, equal weights – and the Laplace criterion were utilized to ascertain the final weights of these indicators. The EGDI values for the years under scrutiny (2019–2021) served as the basis for assessing the EU-27 countries' progress towards the goals of the EGD.

The survey results indicate that from 2019 to 2021, the highest EGDI values – exceeding 2 – were achieved by Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands. Austria also recorded very strong results. In contrast, the “new EU-13” countries generally exhibited lower levels of implementation of the EGD, as reflected in their EGDI values. Bulgaria and Cyprus, in particular, had the weakest results over the study period, with EGDI values below 1.5. Consequently, the “old EU-14” countries performed significantly better in implementing the EGD compared to the “new EU-13” countries. Among the “old EU-14” countries, Ireland recorded the weakest performance.

The originality of the research is highlighted by several key factors. Firstly, it addresses a significant research gap by assessing the initial positions and efforts of EU countries toward the EGD goals, providing a benchmark for effectiveness and strategy development. Secondly, it pioneers an authoritative and universal multi-criteria evaluation approach through the Green Deal Index (GDI), offering a robust methodology for assessing EGD implementation. Lastly, the study’s holistic approach incorporates energy, environmental and socioeconomic dimensions, significantly expanding knowledge and contributing to informed decision-making and policy formulation.

This review paper aims to provide a comprehensive retrospective analysis of the research landscape in the Halal industry through a threefold approach, including bibliometric analysis, latent theme identification and examination of driving factors of research citations.

A total of 2,510 research documents, identified from the Scopus through a systematic search, were considered for review. The review methods included bibliometric analysis of the domain, application of the machine learning structural topic modeling (STM) to identify latent themes and negative binomial regression to estimate the impact of paper, author and geographical characteristics on citation rates.

In addition to bibliometric insights, the STM uncovered 10 key topics within the Halal industry literature, including certification processes, dietary practices, consumer behavior, ethical considerations, supply chain management, market dynamics, Halal tourism, verification methods, regulatory frameworks and Halal food production and marketing. Positive associations with citation rates were found for abstract length, number of keywords, paper age, number of references, funding, number of authors and international collaboration, while a negative association was observed for authorship from Malaysia.

This paper, besides providing insights into research dynamics and citation patterns, also guides future research avenues in the Halal industry.

This study aims to improve the stiffness of as-printed handles by finding appropriate printing orientations.

First, a series of benchmark handles is designed using Taguchi method. Then, for each uniformly sampled printing orientation, every benchmark handle is sliced and undergoes stiffness evaluation (i.e. displacement and mean stress) by using finite element analysis (FEA). This generates a substantial batch of handle-orientation-stiffness samples. With the data, an effective stiffness-prediction network is developed based on the artificial neural network. Finally, using the developed network, the particle swarm optimization is adapted to determine the optimized printing orientation for each input handle, aiming to improve its stiffness.

Compared with the common slicing software, the printing orientations proposed in this study, based on FEA, result in varying degrees of improvement in stiffness for four handles. Specifically, the displacement and mean stress are reduced by 16.86% and 18.14% on average. The experiments show that the approach has the potential to effectively improve the stiffness of a handle.

Although the anisotropic property in mechanics is unavoidable and difficult to formally describe in 3D printing, the proposed approach can effectively characterize the relationship between the stiffness and the printing orientation for each handle. And, it also can determine an optimized printing orientation for each handle to enhance its stiffness after printing.

This paper aims to investigate the impact of gender equality in boardrooms, managerial positions and executive roles on firm financial performance. It specifically examines the moderating effect of fair remuneration on this relationship.

This study uses ESG metrics from CSRHub and data from Bloomberg to analyze 279 Malaysian public listed companies from 2013 to 2022. It uses regression analysis to assess how gender diversity – represented by women on boards, in managerial and executive positions – affects firm performance. The analysis includes fair remuneration to evaluate its moderating effects on the gender diversity–firm performance relationship.

The results indicate that greater female representation on boards and in managerial and executive positions significantly boosts firm performance. Additionally, the findings confirm that fair remuneration moderates the relationship between gender diversity and firm performance, although it introduces unintended effects that slightly reduce the overall benefits of increased female representation. This highlights the need for a strategic approach to integrate gender diversity initiatives with compensation policies to ensure they work together effectively for optimal outcomes.

This study broadens the literature by examining female representation not only on corporate boards but also in managerial and executive positions. The authors propose a new model promoting gender balance and fair remuneration, designed to boost the recruitment of female employees and advance workplace gender equality, offering a vital framework for organizations seeking to merge financial performance with social objectives.