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This paper aims to propose a new deep learning technique to detect the type of material to improve automated construction quality monitoring.

A new data augmentation approach that has improved the model robustness against different illumination conditions and overfitting is proposed. This study uses data augmentation at test time and adds outlier samples to training set to prevent over-fitted network training. For data augmentation at test time, five segments are extracted from each sample image and fed to the network. For these images, the network outputting average values is used as the final prediction. Then, the proposed approach is evaluated on multiple deep networks used as material classifiers. The fully connected layers are removed from the end of the networks, and only convolutional layers are retained.

The proposed method is evaluated on recognizing 11 types of building materials which include 1,231 images taken from several construction sites. Each image resolution is 4,000 × 3,000. The images are captured with different illumination and camera positions. Different illumination conditions lead to trained networks that are more robust against various environmental conditions. Using VGG16 model, an accuracy of 97.35% is achieved outperforming existing approaches.

It is believed that the proposed method presents a new and robust tool for detecting and classifying different material types. The automated detection of material will aid to monitor the quality and see whether the right type of material has been used in the project based on contract specifications. In addition, the proposed model can be used as a guideline for performing quality control (QC) in construction projects based on project quality plan. It can also be used as an input for automated progress monitoring because the material type detection will provide a critical input for object detection.

Several studies have been conducted to perform quality management, but there are some issues that need to be addressed. In most previous studies, a very limited number of material types were examined. In addition, although some studies have reported high accuracy to detect material types (Bunrit et al., 2020), their accuracy is dramatically reduced when they are used to detect materials with similar texture and color. In this research, the authors propose a new method to solve the mentioned shortcomings.

Using the upper echelons theory, this study aims to investigate the moderating effect of managerial discretion (MD) on the impact of dynamic managerial capabilities (DMCs) on established firms’ (EFs) response strategies to disruptive innovation (RStDI).

A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online questionnaire to collect data from senior management of sample firms, targeting the population of professional service firms (PSFs) operating in the Emirate of Dubai. After receiving 491 responses, data was analyzed using IBM packages (SPSS and Amos) through a covariance-based structural equation modeling technique.

As proposed, the underpinnings of DMCs (managerial human capital, managerial social capital and managerial cognitive perceptions) were associated with EFs’ strategies for responding to DIs. Surprisingly, despite theoretical predictions, MD did not moderate the relationship. These findings provided support to the main propositions of the upper echelons theory, however, not for its contextual moderator (MD).

The cross-sectional approach to testing the research model limits the identified significant effects that should be further investigated. The research sample was restricted to PSFs operating in Dubai, UAE, thus limiting the generalizability of the findings to the examined context.

The findings of this investigation are valuable to managers and hiring teams. They provide empirically supported insights on the critical role of managerial dynamic capabilities underpinnings (human capital, social capital and cognitive perceptions) in facilitating organizational RStDI. The findings also provide significant insights to policymakers, notably on the importance of innovative and well-crafted policies and regulative frameworks that enhance MD.

This study provides one of the first empirical quantitative analysis to assess MD and test its effects as a moderator, thus contributing significantly to the existing theoretical arguments on MD. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first to quantify the relationship between DMCs and organizational RStDI.

There are currently no tools to diagnose the extent to which the existing climate in the public institution is suitable for innovation. This paper aims to propose an instrument for measuring the extent to which the environment around teams is conducive to innovation – being original in presenting it in two dimensions: stimulating exploitation (incremental improvement) and stimulating exploration (disruptive innovation). The proposal’s basic framework is a legal instrument from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The proposed methodological approach consisted of an instrument (survey) proposed by the authors to analyze the extent to which the environment around teams is conducive to innovation (types and depths of innovations stimulated) using an analytical framework based on academic literature and the Declaration on Public Sector Innovation (OECD, 2019). This methodological approach was applied to a Brazilian public organization (Special Secretariat of the Federal Revenue of Brazil).

The application of the methodological proposal in the Brazilian public organization showed the potential of the instruments used to diagnose the types and depths of innovations stimulated by middle management. The sample analyzed showed satisfactory results in terms of the reliability and convergent validity of the proposed model.

In addition, the analytical framework and methodological procedures proposed in this work make it possible to highlight the positioning of the existing environment in public sector organizations and the respective innovations stimulated by it. There are limitations diagnosed in this study, such as analysis of only one body and one position (one-off); use of part rather than all of the Team Climate Inventory questions (Anderson and West, 1996, 1998); classification of the environment for exploitative or explorative innovations, with several intermediate gradations made up of both types and depths of innovation. However, these limitations are also related to the lack of studies on the facets of innovation in the public sector. It is therefore believed that with further studies, using the proposed instrument, these incentives for innovation and their results – in the public sector – can be better understood.

The research findings indicate that exploitative innovations are being prioritized to the detriment of explorative ones in the agency. Concentrating on already consolidated internal knowledge – without deeply exploring unusual ideas or innovations and/or involving external partnerships is incompatible with the instability of the environment that currently surrounds the public sector.

In general, in public institutions, exploitative innovations contribute to the performance of one of the internal processes in the organization, however, their benefits cannot be quantified by the public, e.g. time taken between the start and end of a demand from the end user, time taken to fill in a mandatory declaration, queues for service or digital services offered. This disadvantage makes it difficult for society to promote accountability and monitoring of spending and the benefits of innovations in public bodies.

The analytical framework and survey proposed for the analysis of the extent to which the environment around teams is conducive to innovation (types and depths of innovations stimulated) – in public organizations – seek to offer an original and specific methodological instrument for examining the conditions for explorative and exploitative innovation in the public sector.

This paper aims to explore the evolution of the electric vehicles (EVs) supply chain eco-system from the lens of economy, enterprises, environment and strategy. The paper highlights the opportunities and gaps in the supply chains of EVs and further explores the evolution of the EV supply chain in the context of Asia, and other developing regions, which are transitioning towards sustainable consumption practices.

The paper presents a literature review triangulated with primary research, specifically focusing on the case study of two focal organizations and associated frameworks in the domain of electric mobility, investigating the change led by electric mobility supply chain dynamics and how it has transformed the underlying supply chain ecosystem.

To this end, the paper presents key opportunities and challenges posed in the EV ecosystem, presenting a comprehensive framework of transitioning from internal combustion engines-based vehicles to EVs. The paper also presents a worldwide analysis of the economic and technological readiness of the countries in EVs domain. The paper also presents an EV market classification framework based on geopolitical factors.

The paper opens horizons for further empirical studies (quantitative or qualitative) to understand the nuances of electric mobility.

The paper also presents implications for practicing managers in the domain of the electric supply chain to better understand the ecosystem, opportunities and mitigate challenges posed by this disruptive technology.

With the world working towards a zero-carbon future, understanding the challenges and opportunities in this field is important to support this global shift. The paper presents and an original and novel understanding of the EV supply chain ecosystem.

This research is designed to explore the relationship between social media addiction, student engagement and student retention. Social media addiction is dealt with as an independent variable student engagement acts as a mediating variable and student retention as a dependent variable.

This is a cross-sectional and quantitative research. Primary data are collected from 600 respondents (university students) with the help of a structured questionnaire. Multistage sampling techniques, i.e. simple random sampling and judgment sampling, are used for the selection of respondents.

Results indicate that for direct relationships, social media addiction has a significant positive impact on student engagement and student retention, respectively, while student engagement is partially mediating the relationship between social media addiction with student retention.

In the future, these kinds of research may also be conducted on students of different universities in Pakistan, which are located in other cities of Pakistan besides Lahore. This research provides a practical framework for the higher authorities of the universities of Pakistan and explains how the use of media positively fosters the levels of student retention directly and indirectly through the path of student engagement. It is commonly believed that media addiction is bad but the result of this research indicates that anything is not dangerous but depends upon its use, media addiction itself is not bad but if someone uses this for a good purpose in limitation then it has better outcomes. The result indicates that the media addiction of students has a positive impact on student retention. This means that if someone uses media for a positive purpose then he/she will use it as a supporting tool for success. Longitudinal research on these variables will also help to check the status after a specific interval of time.

The current study will help the practitioners or policymakers (Managers) of higher education institutions by providing practical insights into the positive use of media by students for increasing their knowledge and grades. This research can also help practitioners or policymakers to focus their students on the positive use of social media for fostering the levels of student retention.

To the best of the researcher’s knowledge, no previous study has been done to incorporate social media addiction and student engagement in a single model in the Pakistani cultural context. Similarly, the relationship of variables social media addiction with student engagement is rarely checked empirically because the research of Wang et al. (2011) proposed that social media addiction has a relationship with student engagement so that is why this is the rationale of the research is to check this empirically. Moreover, this study is an initial effort to check the mediating effect of student engagement in the relationship between social media addiction and student retention. This research is also proposing the framework of social media addiction, student engagement and student retention based on the social exchange theory (SET).

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship of gamification design elements on social play habit and we-intention to continue playing in a mobile multiplayer game context. The study further intends to reveal the mediating role of social play habit in the relationship between gamification design elements and we-intention to continue playing.

The proposed model was empirically evaluated using survey data collected from 292 PUBG users based in Malaysia. PLS-SEM analysis was used to assess the model since it includes formative and reflective constructs.

The results indicated that gamification design elements significantly affect social play habit in a positive direction. In the simultaneous condition, social play habit also significantly affects the we-intention to continue playing the mobile multiplayer game. However, these three elements of gamification design did not significantly affect the formation of we-intention to continue playing in the context of mobile multiplayer games. Notably, social play habit was found to fully mediate the relationships between immersive-related interaction, achievement-related interaction, social-related interaction and we-intention to continue playing.

This study highlights the importance of social play habits as a factor linking the relationship between gamification design elements and we-intention to continue playing. In addition, this study also provides significant insights for the game creators to emphasise the gamification design elements so that the sustainability of the game can be secured from the perspective of retaining the current users through the social play habit element.

The study is noteworthy because it is the first attempt to use gamification design elements to explain how social play habit affect the formation of we-intention to continue playing in the setting of a mobile multiplayer game environment. In addition, the findings may add to the body of knowledge in the field of gamification theory.

This research investigates the trajectory of Gulf region, focusing on the interplay between environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors and key elements – digital economy, green economy (GE), green finance, green energy and green innovation. This study aims to provide a nuanced understanding of how Gulf economies align their developmental pursuits with sustainability principles amidst the rapid evolution of digital technologies.

A data set of 95 listed companies from six Gulf Cooperation Council countries – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – from year 2016 to 2022 was compiled from reputable sources. Using fixed effect regression techniques, this study explores relationships, accounting for individual and time-specific variations.

This study indicates that key factors – digital economy, GE, green energy and green innovation – significantly influence ESG performance across Gulf nations underscoring the potential for strategic integration of these elements to enhance sustainable practices. However, the nonsignificant impact of green finance highlights a need for further exploration and refinement of financial mechanisms to effectively contribute to ESG goals in the Gulf region.

The findings underscore the importance for Gulf policymakers to prioritize ongoing support and policy formulation fostering digitalization and green initiatives. Businesses in the region can enhance ESG performance by integrating sustainable practices, promoting long-term resilience and reputation. Investors and financial institutions can use these insights to guide investment decisions, prioritizing projects contributing to environmental sustainability and social responsibility.

Amidst the current sustainability imperative, this research holds unique value in its timely exploration of the Gulf region’s sustainable landscape, providing crucial insights into the interplay between ESG factors and digital and green initiatives.

There has been a dramatic rise in the use of online food delivery apps (FDAs) services since the COVID-19 pandemic. Though online FDAs have contributed significantly to the rise in demand for products from the gourmet industry, little is known regarding the factors that inspire customers to order from online FDAs, subsequently influencing customers’ satisfaction. Considering the knowledge gap, this study utilizes the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model to conceptualize the factors: stimuli (eWOM, online reviews and online deals as external stimuli, and late-night craving and convenience as internal stimuli) that determine the organism level (i.e. customers’ inspiration) to subsequently generate the response (i.e. customers’ satisfaction).

We collected the data from 388 users and analyzed it via partial least squares – structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

The results reveal that online reviews, deals, late-night food cravings and convenience positively determine customers’ inspiration and satisfaction. In contrast, eWOM fails to impact customers’ inspiration directly and indirectly, affecting customers’ satisfaction through inspiration. Besides, customers’ inspiration positively mediates the relationship between stimuli (e.g. online reviews, online deals, late-night cravings and convenience) and customers’ satisfaction.

This study is novel in that it explores the impact of internal (late-night craving and convenience) and external (eWOM, online reviews and online deals) stimuli on customer inspiration and subsequently predicts customer satisfaction. We also expand prior studies on food delivery apps by studying customer inspiration as a mediating mechanism between internal and external stimuli and customer satisfaction.

Green finance aims to promote sustainable financial activities, environmental conservation and ecological balance. This study examines how renewable energy consumption (REN), technological innovation (TEC) and green finance (GRF) influence CO2 emissions in Vietnam from 2000 to 2022.

We utilize a novel three-stage methodology including quantile-on-quantile regression, wavelet coherence and wavelet-quantile regression to explore the relationship in the structure of intercorrelation in terms of quantile, time and frequency.

The findings show that Vietnam will increase environmental quality for higher green development. Specifically, there is a negative influence of TEC, REN and GRF on CO2 emissions across different quantiles and timescales.

The study recommends policies that support green development and reduce carbon emissions, such as increasing the use of renewable energy and conducting well-planned research to achieve a carbon-free, sustainable environment.

This article looks into the effects of GRF, TEC and REN on CO2 emissions in Vietnam. Some studies argue that green development in underdeveloped nations is insufficient to reduce CO2 emissions, thereby limiting the sample to a few advanced economies. Adopting diverse methodologies demonstrates the varied and intricate nature of understanding CO2 drivers. Additionally, our work makes detailed policy implications for Vietnam to meet its net-zero emission target and achieve sustainable development by 2050.

As a little research has been conducted to understand the factors influencing users’ intentions to adopt blockchain-based telemedicine (BBT), it is important to investigate BBT acceptance as incorporation of blockchain technology can solve telemedicine-related issues. Accordingly, this study aims to investigate the factors influencing behavioral intentions (BI) to adopt BBT.

An integrated model comprising the constructs taken from technology–organization–environment framework, technology acceptance model, unified theory of acceptance and use of technology and theory of planned behavior based on their relevance to the context and the objectives of the study has been used for this research. A quantitative approach has been used to test the hypotheses, for which the data was collected from 324 respondents through a self-administered questionnaire. Partial least squares structural equation modeling has been used to test the hypotheses.

The results of the study show that relative advantage, perceived usefulness, trust and perceived ease of use have a significant impact on BI to adopt BBT, whereas regulatory support, subjective norms and facilitating conditions do not have any significant impact on the same.

As the concept of BCT in Pakistan is at its nascent stage and literature regarding this technology’s adoption is also limited, researchers and scholars can apply it to several other fields in Pakistan. For example, this study can be extended to explore the factors influencing blockchain adoption in areas such as education, logistics, transportation, finances and management. This research only considers the direct effects of constructs on BI to adopt BBT and does not consider any mediation and moderations constructs. Future researchers can also study the influence of mediation and moderation constructs on BI to adopt BCT.

Although studies on the acceptance of telemedicine exist, there is a gap concerning the acceptance of BBT, which the current study helps to bridge. From a practical standpoint, the current study makes a highly valuable contribution toward understanding acceptance factors for BBT projects, leading to help policymakers devise policies to promote telemedicine.