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Total risk score (TRS) is considered one of the main indicators for risk evaluation. Several studies attempted to employ different types of risk indices for the evaluation of cost overrun causes. Hence, this study aims at performing a comparative analysis to evaluate the efficiency of three different approaches for TRS calculation.

Thirty-eight unique causes of cost overrun in urban-related construction projects were identified and a survey was conducted among construction professionals in Iran. The TRS for each cost overrun cause is calculated using single-attribute (SA), double-attribute (DA), and multiple-attribute (MA) approaches, and eventually, causes were ranked. Furthermore, principal component analysis (PCA), logistic regression analysis (LRA), and K-means clustering are utilized to compare the differences in the generated TRS using different approaches.

The results revealed that the TRS generated through the MA approach demonstrated the highest efficiency in terms of generating correlation between causes and their identified latent constructs, prediction capability, and classification of the influential causes in the same group.

The originality of this study primarily stems from the adoption of statistical approaches in the evaluation of the recently introduced TRS calculation approach in comparison to traditional ones. Additionally, this study proposed a modified application of the relative importance index (RII) for risk prioritization. The results from this study are expected to fulfill the gap in previous literature toward exploring the most efficient TRS calculation approach for those researchers and practitioners who seek to utilize them as a measure to identify the influential cost overrun causes.

The growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI)–enabled marketing has led to motivating customers purchase goods and services where they are ‘nurtured’ or ‘groomed’ to make a purchase decision. Consumer grooming as the name suggests involves changing or influencing an individual's behaviour and decision-making abilities by repeated personalised messaging. We have entered an era where AI is driving marketing in almost all industries and influencing customer decision-making. The healthcare industry is quite a concern as it involves the health of the poor and vulnerable impacted by AI decision-making, also deeply affecting the conventional doctor–patient relationships. AI in healthcare marketing involves using marketing gimmicks by marketing organisations where individuals are targeted with individualised medical messaging, changing the trust dynamics between patients and doctors. The marketing gimmicks often impact the healthcare decision-making of patients, leading to induced healthcare purchases through these marketing messages, rather on advisory of doctors or other healthcare professionals. As a result of this constant patient grooming or medical brainwashing, patients end up making a wrong decision regarding their healthcare. Therefore, it is required that stakeholders in the health ecosystem prioritise more transparency, authenticity and patient empowerment to mitigate the challenges of patient grooming in the healthcare sector. The establishment of more stringent controls on medical marketing techniques, the development of health literacy, and the cultivation of open communication channels within the healthcare ecosystem are all necessary because of this. In the end, AI-driven marketing presents prospects for personalised healthcare experiences; yet its unregulated expansion raises substantial ethical and patient safety issues.

In the era of climate change, the need to ensure that buildings are energy efficient cannot be overemphasised. Studies have shown that building retrofitting can improve energy efficiency (EE) and sustainability. There may be hindrances to retrofitting for energy efficiency. Extant literature and policy documents on Zimbabwe suggest a better framework to help stakeholders manage their existing buildings by addressing challenges and policy inconsistencies. This study appraises and critically discusses the challenges facing retrofitting Zimbabwe’s buildings for energy efficiency.

The research adopted a quantitative research design using a questionnaire survey distributed to the respondents knowledgeable in building retrofitting and energy efficiency in Zimbabwe. The data were analysed through various statistical approaches (descriptive and inferential). The inferential tests include the Shapiro–Wilk test, Kruskal–Wallis H-test, exploratory factor analysis and heterotrait-monotrait ratio analysis to develop the structural equation model that validated the challenges for retrofitting buildings.

The results revealed the challenges of retrofitting buildings for EE in Zimbabwe, and a structural equation model was developed that clustered the key challenges into three main groups. This includes inadequate finance to invest in energy, outdated building by-laws and the unavailability of raw materials to achieve energy efficiency.

By appraising the challenges facing retrofitting buildings for energy efficiency in Zimbabwe, this study provides insights into the contextual factors that can enhance energy efficiency and sustainability in other developing countries. The study’s practical implications will positively impact the Green Building Council and other stakeholders interested in improving energy efficiency in the built environment.

This chapter describes the possibilities for fusing ethnography and evaluation to transform educational inquiry and educational entities (programs, systems, and policies). The central question explored is, how do we best pursue work connecting evaluation and ethnography to fulfill our commitments to diversity, justice, and cultural responsiveness in educational spaces, to make tangible transformative change? With 40 years of literature on ethnography-evaluation connections as a foundation, this chapter describes three coalescing themes: transformative, intersectional, and comparative. These themes are proposed as valuable for guiding contemporary educational inquiry that serves social justice. The transformative theme denotes educational inquiry in which the researcher or evaluator ethically collects data, makes defensible interpretations, and facilitates social change in collaboration with others. Doing transformative work that meaningfully fuses ethnography and evaluation rests on essential factors like time, values engagement, collaboration, and self-work. The intersectional theme describes intersectionality as an evolving analytical framework that promotes social problem-solving and learning via investigating the significance of intersecting social identities in (a) how people's lives are shaped, (b) their access to power across circumstances, and (c) their everyday experiences of subordination and discrimination. Finally, the comparative theme refers to sensibilities and practices gleaned from the interdisciplinary and transnational field of comparative education, including developing comparative cultural understanding and analyzing complex systems in one's inquiry projects. Across themes, this chapter emphasizes positionality, responsibility, and theory-bridging to make sense of the uses of ethnographic concepts and practices in transformative evaluation work in educational spaces.

In this study, the moderator effect of the use of big data by Turkish banks on the innovation performance of the intellectual capital components, human capital, structural capital, and relational capital is discussed.

In the research, 618 survey data applied to bank employees and weighted according to population in seven regions were used. The data were analyzed through the structural equation model.

According to the empirical results, intellectual capital components and big data usage explain 65% of the variance in innovation performance. It has been determined that the other two components of intellectual capital, except structural capital, have a statistically significant effect on innovation performance. According to the Standardized Regression Weights, one unit change in human capital affects innovation performance by 0.162, and one unit change in relational capital affects innovation performance by 0.244. In addition, a one-unit change in big data usage affects innovation performance by 0.480. It has been understood that the use of big data significantly affects the innovation performance of banks with a rate of 0.480.

Although this study is important, it could have been done with senior managers instead of being based on a survey. Instead of a survey, it could have been done with a data set taken from banks' balance sheets and tables. Additionally, the use of big data has been considered as a moderator but can be reconsidered as a mediator or external construct. Moreover, this study was conducted on a sample of participants working in the developing Turkish commercial banking sector. Therefore, the results of the study can be done in different countries and at different development levels.

The study is one of the first studies to examine the moderating effect of intellectual capital by considering its subcomponents in a developing country. In addition, it is thought that the results will contribute to managers, policy makers and researchers who want to increase competition and market share in the sector, as well as filling the gap in the literature.

This study aims to examine the association between workplace spirituality (WPS) and individual’s work engagement (WE) and also the mediating effect of individual’s psychological conditions [psychological meaningfulness (PSYM), psychological safety (PSYS) and psychological availability (PSYA)] on this relationship.

Grounded on Kahn’s personal engagement theory, a model has been developed with WPS as an independent variable, individual’s psychological conditions (PSYM, PSYS and PSYA) as the mediators and individual’s WE as the dependent variable. Based on the online responses from 510 millennial employees working in Fortune 500 manufacturing and service industries operating in India, analysis has been undertaken using confirmatory factor analysis, Pearson correlation and PROCESS macro of Hayes (2017).

WPS has been noted to influence individual’s WE positively and there is a partial mediation of PSYM, PSYS and PSYA on this relationship.

The present study is able to extend the scope of Kahn’s personal engagement theory.

Leaders and HR administrators can use the framework to ensure positive engagement levels for the millennial workforce. It will also help to reduce job dissatisfaction and burnouts at the workplace.

The present study contributes to understanding WE through the lens of WPS. It adds to the existing knowledge by explaining the mediation of the psychological conditions between spirituality and WE among millennials working in India. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study can be considered one of the first studies that has attempted to understand the role of WPS and psychological conditions on WE levels of millennials.

Technological innovations have affected and modified practically every element of human life and work. Education is one of the areas that has been greatly influenced by its dynamism. Technology has created an ecosystem in which education can be delivered via e-modes. The objective of this chapter is to study the impact of personalized learning on the student’s concentration level. The research methodology is top-down and includes both primary and secondary data sources. The sample was drawn using a probability-random sampling procedure with a response distribution of 50%, a margin of error of 10%, and a confidence level of 90%. The inquiry was carried out in various Indian states throughout the academic year 2020–2023. A 419-student sample was used in the study, and they were evaluated in two rounds using a pre-tested questionnaire. The association was determined for the experiencing group utilizing SPSS Version 25 and the analytic methods of factor analysis. This chapter presents options for higher education institutions, governments, and regulators to embrace and adapt. We are convinced that the study’s various recommendations will contribute to the development of a long-term strategy and plan to achieve the aim of ‘education for all, work for all’. The study investigates how the existing education model might adapt in the near future to keep up with the shifting paradigm and the arrival of Education 5.0.

Despite the recurrence of earthquakes, responses are usually triggered afterwards, lacking mitigation strategies to diminish risks. Damaged dwellings cannot be immediately reinforced to continue inhabitation, generating disruption. Repairs are usually costly, as large numbers of affected constructions make damage assessment difficult, and post-earthquake reconstruction programmes often lack a heritage-specific approach. This research seeks to address these issues through a methodology based on high-end documentation technologies applied to built heritage and local community engagement.

The methodology proposed combines different recording tools to capture social and built environment data, such as interviews, mapping, drone capture, photography and 3D laser scanning, in the pilot case study of Bela, a historical settlement in the seismic region of Kutch in Gujarat, India, affected by the 2001 Bhuj earthquake. This paper particularly discusses aspects of community engagement around data capture and representation processes.

The introduction of advanced documentation technologies can help speed up the process of damage assessment, analyse social aspects that are key to a respectful re-construction, and enhance community engagement through visual representations, which are relevant to social acceptance and understanding towards a meaningful introduction and sustained use in earthquake risk management.

The methodology proposed can inform similar cases in seismic areas and enhance engagement, helping to develop a sense of awareness in the community regarding the need for preparedness in the face of earthquakes. However, there are technical challenges in using advanced recording technologies in terms of equipment accessibility, skills, knowledge and future uses of the data. Social and cultural aspects, such as caste and gender divisions, also implied disparity in accessing the data and relating it to the research team, bringing forward the need to tailor public engagement to achieve inclusivity.

This study has practical implications. The most relevant one is how the process of carrying out the research served as a way to raise awareness for future seismic events. In this regard, local academic institutions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are critical mediators in reaching the community in greater depth, from which to bridge to external and/or governmental agencies based on existing links and trust.

This study also shows social implications. As a case study-based research, the link developed with the local community will help coordinate actions in case an earthquake occurs and increase cohesion within the community towards a joint aim, in this case, to reduce the risk of disasters due to seismic events.

This paper accounts for a novel approach to documenting buildings in heritage settlements prone to earthquakes that uses the digital record as (1) a basis to assess and intervene in the built environment and better understand how it supports the local community’s ways of living and maintaining buildings; and (2) a platform for local engagement and agency in planning and re-construction as a post-disaster mitigation measure.

The construction industry has been recording a high number of accidents without any sign of abating, the majority of which have been linked to poor health and safety practices. To reduce this menace, this study aims to evaluate the factors affecting health and safety practices on construction sites to improve health and safety practices.

First, this study reviewed previous studies to derive the factors affecting health and safety practices on construction sites, and based on the literature review, the 50 factors identified were used in developing the questionnaire that was administered to construction professionals. The returned questionnaire was then analysed using fuzzy synthetic evaluation (FSE).

According to the FSE results, inadequate safety planning has the highest critical value, followed by management failure, inadequate safety promotion, safety ignorance, poor supervision and enforcement, a casual attitude towards safety and insufficient experience. The analysis showed that the overall criticality of the factors to the Malaysian construction industry is high, suggesting that if addressed, the health and safety practices of the industry will be improved.

The study provides a holistic approach to the factors affecting health and safety practices in the construction industry using a method that has not been used by previous researchers. The findings will furnish decision makers in the construction industry with practical approaches to adapt and reinforce in the industry to improve health and safety practices.

The social acceptance of wind energy is increasingly conditioning the Italian Government and regions to authorize the construction of these plants. The proposal of offshore wind farm in the south-west of Sardinia has raised many perplexities both from the marine environmental point of view and from concern about increasing the electricity production in a region that already exports electricity to the peninsula. The purpose of this study is to evaluate what are the factors that most affect the coastal residents’ acceptability of an offshore wind farm.

The data is based on a Sardinia-wide in-person survey with about 512 participants in the period between May and June 2023. Respondents were selected randomly from five different locations in Carloforte region. Multiple regression analysis investigates the factors that influenced acceptability to construction and development of offshore wind power plant. Four independent variables were selected in the regression models such as (i) interest towards wind energy, (ii) attitude towards renewable energy production, (iii) perceived regional energy policy and (iv) attitude towards offshore wind farm. The dependent variables are the rates of coastal local residents’ acceptance of offshore wind farm for respondents in five coastal towns.

Fishermen and summer tourism operators’ respondents expressed significant reluctance to accept the new project because they perceive a strong risk of environmental impact on both tuna fishing and marine recreational activities in the vicinity. The distance between the turbines at sea and local residents along the coast and surrounding small islands does not have an influence to accept wind energy. The energy policy of the Region of Sardinia, which is perceived by respondents as an expansive energy policy in the production of electricity that exceeds their needs, not being accompanied by a scenario of reducing that from fossil fuels, is the variable that led about 70% of respondents to express a negative opinion towards this project.

A potential problem associated with the survey is that local response produced sample selection bias. The proportion of respondents with secondary education and no school certificate is quite high. It is possible that respondents who provided valid questionnaires were more low-educated and therefore, the sample may be biased towards lower-educated people. While this does not invalidate the results of this study, it is important to note that the sample was on average less educated than the overall population in Italy. In addition, people with lower incomes were more likely to complete the questionnaires; the results are more representative of a portion of the population with incomes below the national average.

Results showed how coastal communities are in favour of wind energy within their island, but not within a marine protected area that is considered unique for its beauty and marine ecosystem. Wind energy developers should, before submitting a proposal for an offshore wind farm project, consider among other things the long approval time and understand the activities carried out by local communities and their attachment to those places. Politicians and developers should develop a coherent energy transition policy based on a long-term vision of zero emissions, because according to the findings of this study, it was the regional energy policy that is the most controversial reason for residents to reject the project.

The contribution of this study is to fill a part of the research gap linking to ongoing energy transitions. In particular, this study analysed for the first time in Italy the acceptability level of an offshore renewable energy project considering the environmental implications and risks in the fragile marine ecosystem of Carloforte waters. This study also made it possible to analyse the impact of the regional energy policy on the acceptability of residents towards the development of offshore wind farms, which is scarcely discussed in the literature.