Search results

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.

Advancements in enhancing regional port connectivity are crucial to fostering global maritime transport. The objective of this paper is to explore the complex relationship between infrastructure connectivity and the regional port of Thailand, specifically within the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

This paper utilised fuzzy logic in exploratory factor analysis and introduced a new factor based on shipping networks, port operations, trade and emerging innovations. This can enhance the regional port and facilitate infrastructure connectivity in the RCEP. The results of this study have been successfully applied in specific contexts involving port authorities and private shipping companies.

The study’s findings indicate key factors for enhancing regional ports in Thailand. These factors include integrating connectivity, creating spare hubs, addressing service issues, optimising logistics and supply chains, considering market components and leveraging the digital market. These factors are also crucial for promoting infrastructure connectivity within the RCEP framework.

This research presents a strategic framework for enhancing regional ports in Thailand and improving international infrastructure. This is the first attempt to examine the influence of infrastructure connectivity on regional ports by applying fuzzy exploratory factor analysis to modernise infrastructure, which is key to unlocking the region’s maritime potential.

This paper aims to reduce the cost of experiments required to test the efficiency of materials suitable for artificial tissue ablation by increasing efficiency and accurately forecasting heating properties.

A two-step numerical analysis is used to develop and simulate a bioheat model using improved finite element method and deep learning algorithms, systematically regulating temperature distributions within the hydrogel artificial tissue during radiofrequency ablation (RFA). The model connects supervised learning and finite element analysis data to optimize electrode configurations, ensuring precise heat application while protecting surrounding hydrogel integrity.

The model accurately predicts a range of thermal changes critical for optimizing RFA, thereby enhancing treatment precision and minimizing impact on surrounding hydrogel materials. This computational approach not only advances the understanding of thermal dynamics but also provides a robust framework for improving therapeutic outcomes.

A computational predictive bioheat model, incorporating deep learning to optimize electrode configurations and minimize collateral tissue damage, represents a pioneering approach in interventional research. This method offers efficient evaluation of thermal strategies with reduced computational overhead compared to traditional numerical methods.

The construction industry has long been criticized for unethical conduct. The owner usually manages the contractor's opportunistic behaviors by employing a professional supervisor, but there is a risk of covert collusion between the supervisor and contractor. Based on the principal–agent theory and collusion theory, this paper aims to investigate optimal collusion-proof incentive contracts.

This paper presents a game-theoretic framework comprising an owner, supervisor and contractor, who interact and pursue maximized self-profits. Built upon the fixed-price incentive contract, cost-reimbursement contract, and revenue-sharing contract, different collusion-proof incentive contracts are investigated. A real project case is used to validate the developed model and derived results.

This paper shows that the presence of unethical collusion undermines the owner's interests. Especially, the possibility of agent collusion may induce the owner to abandon extracting quality information from the supervisor. Furthermore, information asymmetry significantly affects the construction contract selection, and the application conditions for different incentive contracts are provided.

This study still has some limitations that deserve further exploration. First, this study explores contractor–supervisor collusion but ignores the possibility of the supervisor abusing authority to extort the contractor. Second, to focus on collusion, this paper ignores the supervision costs. What's the optimal supervision effort that the owner should induce the supervisor to exert? Finally, this paper assumes that the colluders involved always keep their promises. However, what if the colluders may break their promises?

Several collusion-proof incentive contracts are explored in a project management setting. The proposed incentive contracts can provide the project owner with effective and practical tools to inhibit covert collusion in construction management and thus safeguard construction project quality.

This study expands the organization collusion theory to the field of construction management and investigates the optimal collusion-proof incentive contracts. In addition, this study is the first to investigate the effects of information asymmetry on contract selection.

This article seeks to discuss trust within the context of public health crises using an autopoietic systems perspective that positions communication as one of its core concepts. This article will explore trust studies conducted during public health crises in this Millennium (from SARS to COVID-19 pandemics), including their problems; briefly summarize Luhmann's concept of Vertrauen; and use this concept to analyze trust issues during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This article will explore trust studies conducted during public health crises from SARS to COVID-19 pandemics, including their problems. The perspective used is an explication of Niklas Luhmann's theory regarding Vertrauen which was derived as a framework for reading empirical facts on trust issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research design and exploration stages were inspired by the theory of autopoiesis systems by Niklas Luhmann.

From a systems perspective, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the extraordinary complexity of the linkages between social systems. Trust will continue to evolve dynamically as new variants emerge in society. Consequently, the pandemic has provided the momentum necessary for maximally exploring the concept of trust. Indonesia thus experienced significant obstacles when making and implementing disaster mitigation policies. Owing to the lack of a trust system, greater emphasis was given to control and power. There has been little preparedness to create and reinforce public trust, and this in turn has stifled efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19.

This study of trust, communication and public health crises has provided space to reflect on the development of trust within the social system. This study shows that trust can prove to be a very important factor in resolving a crisis. However, the complexity of the interrelationships of the social system can affect the quality of trust. The context of Indonesia's social system which is very complex due to population density and the dynamics of the development of its social system which is very diverse as an archipelagic country has contributed to the originality of the study of trust in times of crisis in a growing contemporary society.

This study aims to investigate the effects of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on Italian hospitality sector. The investigation attempts to explain whether hotel performance drops when the perceived economic uncertainty increases in the period 2018–2022.

The study examines the impact of EPU on hotel performance in a sample of 661 Italian luxury hotels. To establish the relationship between EPU and hotel performance, we employ the generalized estimating equations (GEE) technique on 3,305 hotel-year observations.

The results show that EPU has a negative impact on hotel performance. More specifically, the analysis reveals that EPU is negatively and significantly related to the revenue per available room (REVPAR), average daily rate (ADR) and hotel occupancy (OCCR). We also look at the role of hotel brand chain affiliation and the moderating effect of conference space and hotel wellness services on the relationship between EPU and hotel performance.

Results provide new evidence for academics to critically evaluate the behavior of luxury hotels under uncertain economic conditions. The investigation offers valuable information also for government, tourism policymakers, tourist hotel owners, hoteliers and tourism managers in their decision-making.

This study provides strategic implications for practitioners and operators in hospitality industry to evaluate the factors ensuring hotel profitability in periods of EPU.

This paper provides interesting insights into the characteristics and practices of profitable hotels in Italy. Few econometric studies empirically explored the effects of EPU in the hospitality field so far and no prior study investigated this topic in the Italian hospitality sector. Therefore, this paper tries to close an important gap in the existing literature improving the understanding of EPU in the Italian hospitality industry.

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 study investigates the effect of economic policy uncertainty on the firm profitability through moderating role of logistics infrastructure index using US non-financial firms listed at NASDAQ.

We used secondary data set which includes firm-level indicators of 2,323 non-financial US firms listed at NASDAQ over the period of 1998–2018. Ordinary least squares regression with multiple fixed effects used to analyze the data and estimate hypotheses.

The results show that economic policy uncertainty negatively impacts the firm’s profitability whereas the logistics infrastructure positively moderates the negative impact of EPU on the firm’s profitability.

Economic policy uncertainty is a significant challenge for managerial decision making and a direct threat to a firm’s profitability. The results of this study imply that the state of logistics infrastructure must be considered as an important policy tool by the senior management to mitigate the negative impact of economic policy uncertainty and to safeguard a firm’s profitability.

This study highlights that logistic infrastructure plays an important role in alleviating the adverse effect of economic policy uncertainty on the profitability of a US non-financial firm.