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The failure rate of international construction joint venture (ICJV) projects has been noted to be high in developing countries due to the complexity and risky nature of construction projects in the international market. The purpose of this study is to identify and evaluate the risks facing ICJV projects in Ghana.

A risk register was developed through a comprehensive literature review. The identified risks were then used in a questionnaire survey involving local and foreign partners in ICJV projects in Ghana.

From a total of 74 risks identified, categorized into country-level risks, market-level risks and project-level risks, the “top ten” risks found to be the most critical risks facing ICJV projects in Ghana include unstable currency exchange rates, inflation, design changes, high-interest rate, budget overrun, cash flow problems of the client, economy fluctuation, difficulty in obtaining approval of projects from host government authorities/bureaucracy, potential financial distress of JV partner and bribery and corruption.

This study provides a comprehensive list of risks ICJV partners are likely to encounter on their projects in developing countries. Furthermore, this study improves on one of the major limitations of previous ICJV studies by collecting data from both partners of the ICJV, appropriate for cross-cultural examination and comparison.

Equitable risk allocation is important for the effective management of inevitable risks in International Construction Joint Venture (ICJV) projects. Previous studies have documented risks facing ICJV projects. However, there is a dearth of studies on the risk allocation preferences that take into consideration the opinions of both the local and foreign partners. This study aims to fill this gap by ascertaining the risk allocation preferences of the partners of ICJV projects for effective risk management.

Through a survey, data on risk allocation preferences were collected from both local and foreign partners of ICJV projects using a comprehensive register of 74 risks.

Following analysis, six risks were allocated to the local partner, 11 were allocated to the foreign partner, 51 risks were shared, four were allocated to a third party and two were to be negotiated based on the specific circumstances of the project. Practically, the study’s findings will help ICJV partners in drafting their ICJV contracts to adequately allocate risks and reduce contract negotiation time considerably.

The findings from this study will help partners in drafting their joint venture contract agreement and also reduce the period for contract negotiation. Knowledge of the preferred risk allocation is important in allocating risks in the contract agreement to the relevant partner for effective management.

This study, to the best knowledge of the authors, is one of the early studies to ascertain the risk allocation preferences of ICJV project partners in the Ghanaian construction industry – a departure from previous studies which focused on the identification and evaluation of risks. This study is also different from previous studies by considering the allocation preferences of both partners of the ICJV. The collection of data from both partners of the ICJV helped to consider their perceptions on risk allocation and evaluation, essentially leading to cross-cultural and optimal risk allocation preferences.

The use of the concept of “agency,” in the sense of action that is to some extent free of “structural” constraints, has enjoyed enormous and growing popularity in the sociological literature over the past several decades. In a previous paper, we examined the range of theoretical rationales offered by sociologists for the inclusion of the notion of “agency” in sociological explanations. Having found these rationales seriously wanting, in this paper we attempt to determine empirically what role “agency” actually plays in the recent sociological literature. We examine a random sample of 147 articles in sociology journals that use the concept of “agency” with the aim of identifying the ways in which the term is used and what function the concept serves in the sociological explanations offered. We identify four principal (often overlapping) uses of “agency”: (1) purely descriptive; (2) as a synonym for “power”; (3) as a way to identify resistance to “structural” pressures; and (4) as a way to describe intelligible human actions. We find that in none of these cases the notion of “agency” adds anything of analytical or explanatory value. These different uses have one thing in common, however: they all tend to use the term “agency” in a strongly normative sense to mark the actions the authors approve of. We conclude that “agency” seems to serve the purpose of registering the authors' moral or political preferences under the guise of a seemingly analytical concept.

The Metaverse, a dynamic convergence of real and digital spaces powered by Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), presents a transformative frontier for businesses to expand consumer engagement. It offers a three-dimensional web-powered realm where users can immerse themselves in real-life scenarios and simulations from the convenience of their own devices, fostering real-time interaction and uninterrupted business operations. Integrating technologies like VR, AR, Cloud, Blockchain, and IoT, the Metaverse has already made significant strides across industries, providing consumers with unique digital experiences. Businesses can leverage this to enhance their brand awareness, establish stronger customer connections, and provide immersive shopping experiences, making traditional advertising appear antiquated. Major global companies have already embraced this technology, and the Metaverse represents an innovative digital platform with limitless possibilities, rapidly evolving with enabling technologies. This chapter delves into the potential of the Metaverse to bolster brand development and its recent growth, exploring the practical applications for businesses in the near future.

This study examines how assurors make sense of sustainability assurance (SA) work and how interactions with assurance team members and clients shape assurors’ sensemaking and their actual SA work.

To obtain detailed accounts of how SA work occurs on the ground, this study explores three SA engagements by interviewing the main actors involved, both at the client firms and at their Big Four assurance providers.

Individual assurors’ (i.e. partners and other team members) sensemaking of SA work results in the crafting of their logics of action (LoAs), that is, their meanings about the objectives of SA work and how to conduct it. Without organizational socialization, team members may not arrive at shared meanings and deviate from the team-wide assurance approach. To fulfill their objectives for SA work, assurors may engage in socialization with clients or assume a temporary role. Yet, the role negotiations taking place in the shadows of the scope negotiations determine their default role during the engagement.

Two options are available to help SA statement users gauge the relevance of SA work: either displaying the SA work performed or making it more uniform.

This study theoretically grounds how assurors make sense of SA work and documents how (the lack of) professional socialization, organizational socialization and socialization of frequent interaction partners at the client shape actual SA work. Thereby, it unravels the SA work concealed behind SA statements.

This study aims to examine the literature on accounting ethics education to capture and synthesise the characteristics of scholars dedicated to this area of research.

Using a combination of PRISMA systematic literature review methods and research profiling, the study collects a sample frame consisting of 278 articles published in peer-reviewed academic journals from 1970 to 2023. The articles were analysed to identify key authors of accounting ethics education research, the institutions conducting this research and the journals publishing this research.

The results indicate that research in accounting ethics education is not dominated by any single institution but is distributed across 225 institutions in 36 countries, with a significant concentration in the United States. Additionally, most articles were published in accounting or business journals, rather than in education-focused journals.

The findings provide insights into the ranking of researchers in accounting ethics education and establish benchmarks among the institutions involved in this research area. Further studies could explore the implications of these findings on future research directions.

This study offers valuable information for academics and institutions seeking to understand the landscape of accounting ethics education research and highlights areas for potential collaboration and development.

This paper addresses a gap in the literature by providing a comprehensive synthesis of the existing research on accounting ethics education and the scholarly community surrounding it.

Effective leadership in public health organisations is essential for achieving positive outcomes and ensuring the quality of healthcare services. This review aimed to identify the competencies that nurse leaders of organisations working in the field of public health need to perform their tasks effectively.

A descriptive method with a scoping review was used, searching the PubMed, ScienceDirect, and CINAHL databases. A total of 16 references were suitable for the final analysis. A summative literature analysis was conducted, identifying leadership competencies (N = 69) across various sources. The identified competencies were analysed by qualitative approach.

Competencies were categorised in 11 groups: Identifying Needs and Continuous Improvement; Strategic Planning in Line with Vision and Mission; Ensuring Professional Development; Maintaining Motivation; Delegating and Managing Tasks; Communication Skills; Building and Maintaining Relationships with Decision Makers; Problem Solving and Conflict Management; Tracking Professional Trends and Using Accurate Information; Resource Management and Human Resource Management; Organising Work.

The 11 groups of leadership competencies for nurses in public health organisations provide a content direction for educational activities aimed at nurse leaders and summarise the most important competencies required for effective leadership in public health organisations. Competent leadership is vital for the success and effectiveness of public health organisations in delivering quality healthcare services and addressing the evolving healthcare needs. Further research within specific field in public health is recommended to identify additional, field-specific competencies essential for effective leadership in diverse organisational settings.

The process of knowledge creation is recognized as an essential process for organizational learning and innovation. Creating knowledge to solve the problems and complexities of today's world is like opening a black box. Hence, the higher education system and universities are exploring ways to overcome the complexities and cope with global changes. In this regard, interdisciplinary collaborations and activities are crucial in creating knowledge and innovation to counter these changes. This study aimed to know the experiences of Shiraz university interdisciplinary researchers in the field of humanities and also design and explain the conceptual model of knowledge creation in interdisciplinary research teams in the field of humanities.

In this qualitative research, grounded theory was implemented based on Strauss and Corbin's systematic approach. The sampling method was purposeful, and the participants included sixteen faculty members of shiraz university who had at least one experience of performing an interdisciplinary activity in one of the humanities fields. The first participant was selected as a pilot, and the rest were selected by snowball sampling. Semi-structured interviews were also used to collect data and continued until theoretical saturation was attained. After collecting the available information and interviewing the people, the data were organized and analyzed in three stages, open coding, axial coding, and selective coding, using the proposed framework of Strauss and Corbin. Finally, the researcher reached a final and meaningful categorization.

In this research, the results were presented as a paradigm model of knowledge creation in the interdisciplinary research teams in the field of humanities. The paradigm model of the study consists of causal factors (internal and external factors), main categories (specialized competencies, scientific discourse, understanding of knowledge domains), strategies (structuring and synchronizing), context (individual and organizational), interfering factors (leadership, industry, and society), and consequences (individual and group achievement).

The present study aimed to explore the experiences of researchers in the interdisciplinary humanities research teams on knowledge creation in qualitative research. The study used Strauss and Corbin's systematic approach to recognize the causal factors of knowledge creation and the contexts. Discovering the main category of knowledge creation in interdisciplinary research teams, the authors analyze the strategies and consequences of knowledge creation.

Science fiction analogies have been shown to be an effective vehicle for disseminating scientific knowledge and building a better understanding of scientific principles. Toward this end, this study aims to use the Star Trek universe as a lens in an effort to remove barriers to understanding the science of service research.

This study synthesizes research on using science fiction narratives in sparking dialogue within and beyond scientific communities, draws parallels between the Star Trek universe and the service research domain and uses these insights to identify pertinent ways forward.

In the service research domain, science fiction analogies and dramaturgical metaphors can challenge researchers to reflect beyond the domain’s traditional boundaries. In fact, the Star Trek universe lends itself as visionary backdrop to assess leadership principles, understand the evolution of scientific paradigms and inspire future service research.

This article contributes to the service research literature by introducing the notion of drawing on science fiction analogies to facilitate key dialogues in a scientific context and demonstrates how such analogies can be used to provide guidance in moving the service research discipline forward.