Padmi Nagirikandalage, Cherifa Lakhoua, Arnaz BInsardi, Nektarios Tzempelikos and Christopher Kerry
Although the metaverse has been widely adopted in developed countries, there has not been any research investigating the implantation of this highly transformative technology in…
Abstract
Purpose
Although the metaverse has been widely adopted in developed countries, there has not been any research investigating the implantation of this highly transformative technology in emerging economies and disadvantaged regions, such as Tunisia. This paper aims to critically explore the factors influencing the adoption of metaverse for cultural heritage experience and discusses how will it disrupt the future of the hospitality industry.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 44 semi-structured interviews were conducted in the Tunisian hospitality industry who provided their expert opinions during in-depth interviews. The interviews were then analysed using thematic analysis.
Findings
The findings indicate that the metaverse presents benefits, success factors and challenges for offering cultural heritage experiences in the hospitality industry and that its adoption in poor and less developed countries is nuanced.
Practical implications
The findings of the study help hospitality managers identify opportunities and challenges in metaverse, fostering an understanding of the cultural environment and its socio-economic development as key requirements to enhance visitor experience via metaverse.
Social implications
Leveraging the metaverse for cultural enrichment can be a powerful tool for the socio-economic development of underprivileged regions, provided that it is implemented inclusively to include underprivileged labour, whose work in the industry lies on the bottom of the economic pyramid.
Originality/value
This paper further explains the impacts of metaverse on cultural heritage experience provided in the hospitality industry rooted in the previous literature relating to technology-enhanced experience.
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Mahesh Babu Purushothaman, Funmilayo Ebun Rotimi, Samadhi Samarasekara and Ali GhaffarianHoseini
This paper aims to highlight the factors affecting health and safety (H&S) and the SMART Technologies (ST) used to mitigate them in the construction industry through a range of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to highlight the factors affecting health and safety (H&S) and the SMART Technologies (ST) used to mitigate them in the construction industry through a range of selected papers to encourage readers and potential audiences to consider the need for intelligent technologies to minimize the risks of injuries, illnesses and severe harm in the construction industry.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper adopts a double systematic literature review (SLR) to analyse studies investigating the factors affecting H&S and the ST in the construction industry using databases such as Google Scholar, Scopus, Science Direct and Emerald Insight publication.
Findings
The SLR identified “fatal or focus five factors” that include objects Fall from heights (FFH) and trapped between objects; Falls, Trips and slips (FTS); Machinery/Equipment Malfunction and Moving Equipment; Pollutants: Chemicals, Airborne Dust, Asbestos; and Electrocution. The ST includes Safety Boots/SMART Glasses/SMART Helmet/SMART Vests/SMART PPE/SMART Watch, Mobile Apps, Building Information Modelling (BIM), Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality (VR/AR), Drones/Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Wearable Technology/Mobile Sensors help mitigate the risk posed by “Fatal five”. However, other factors within the scope of ST, such as Weather Conditions, Vibrations, Violence, Disease and illness, Fire and Explosion and Over Exertion, are yet to be adopted in the field.
Research limitations/implications
SLR methodology limitations of not obtaining the most updated field knowledge are critical and are offset by choosing 72% of H&S and 92% of SM review literature post-2017. Limitations to capturing articles because of the restriction of database access: only English language search and journals that are not a part of the databases selected are acknowledged. However, key database search that recognizes rigorous peer-reviewed articles offset these limitations. The researcher’s Bias is acknowledged.
Practical implications
This paper unravels the construction H&S factors and their interlinks with ST, which would aid industry understanding and focus on mitigating associated risks. The paper highlights the Fatal five and trivial 15, which would help better understand the causes of the H&S risks. Further, the paper discusses ST’s connectivity, which would aid the organization’s overall H&S management. The practical and theoretical implications include a better understanding of all factors that affect H&S and ST available to help mitigate concerns. The operating managers could use the ST to reduce H&S risks at every construction process stage. This paper on H&S and ST and relationships can theorize that the construction industry is more likely to identify clear root causes of H&S and ST usage than previously. The theoretical implications include enhanced understanding for academics on H&S factors, ST and gaps in ST concerning H&S, which can be expanded to provide new insights into existing knowledge.
Originality/value
This paper highlights all factors affecting H&S and ST that help mitigate associated risks and identifies the “Fatal five” factors. The paper is the first to highlight the factors affecting H&S combined with ST in use and their interactions. The paper also identified factors within the ST scope that are yet to be explored.
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Monia Castellini, Caterina Ferrario and Vincenzo Riso
Since the 1980s, New public management has fostered the introduction of managerial approaches similar to those of the private sector in public administrations. Recently, the…
Abstract
Purpose
Since the 1980s, New public management has fostered the introduction of managerial approaches similar to those of the private sector in public administrations. Recently, the advantages of performing risk management in the public sector have been recognized; however, to the best of our knowledge, research on risk management in public administrations is underdeveloped, and there is a need to understand how risk management is performed. This paper addresses these issues and investigates whether and how risk management is performed in Italian public administration.
Design/methodology/approach
This study focused on a sample of 503 Italian municipalities and used a mixed research method. Through a qualitative content analysis of documents published on municipalities’ websites, data and information were collected and elaborated using quantitative indicators.
Findings
The main results are that a high percentage of large Italian municipalities perform risk management and comply with theoretical provisions on risk management, sometimes displaying isomorphic behavior in risk management practices.
Originality/value
This study provides a new perspective on risk management in Italian municipalities, contributes to filling a gap in the literature and suggests a theoretical perspective on municipalities’ approaches when introducing new managerial practices.
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Rakia Ishra, Saif Sharif, Jeffrey Soar and Rasheda Khanam
Since the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on all facets of civilisation around the world, including food safety, this study aimed to determine and compare the pre-COVID…
Abstract
Purpose
Since the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on all facets of civilisation around the world, including food safety, this study aimed to determine and compare the pre-COVID and post-COVID food safety knowledge of Bangladeshi consumers and their association with sociodemographic variables.
Design/methodology/approach
The current study performed a cross-sectional survey of 503 consumers who prepared food at least 2–4 times per week through a validated questionnaire, selected through convenience sampling from two metropolitan cities and two rural districts in Bangladesh. The non-parametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Mann–Whitney U tests, Kruskal–Wallis H and binary logistic regression were used for statistical analysis.
Findings
Although an increased percentage of consumers showed a better level of overall food safety knowledge in the post-pandemic (38.2%) than the pre-pandemic (28.8%), there is a low level of awareness of the appropriate duration of handwashing, foodborne pathogens, consuming raw milk or eggs, safe storage and temperature control of food. University graduates, families with few children and urban consumers had a good understanding of food safety both pre- and post-pandemic.
Originality/value
This study compares consumers’ pre- and post-COVID-19 food safety knowledge previously unknown in Bangladesh. The findings have significantly contributed to existing food safety knowledge in Bangladesh to adopt policies and structure training programmes for consumers in the country.
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Abstract
Purpose
Prefabricated building projects (PBPs) require multiple stakeholder collaboration due to the strong linkages between the design, production and installment of the precast components. Current contractual governance fails to foster a trusting environment for stakeholder collaboration, leading to conflicts of interest, cost overrun and delays in project schedules. Previous studies revealed that terminating shortcomings in contractual governance can be mitigated by implementing relational governance mechanisms. This study aims to explore the configurational effects of contractual and relational governance mechanisms on stakeholder collaboration in PBPs and identifies the practical configurational conditions to achieve high stakeholder collaboration.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 39 experts through semi-structured interviews and analyzed to explore the configuration effects on stakeholder collaboration in PBPs through fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA).
Findings
Our study reveals that stakeholder collaboration requires configurational conditions of multiple governance elements (i.e. historical working experience and risk-sharing, reward, selection, authorization, trust, commitment and communication mechanisms). Four equivalent configurational strategies were identified for achieving high stakeholder collaboration in PBPs. These included three configurational strategies dominated by relational governance mechanisms and one configurational strategy complementary to contractual and relational governance mechanisms. The configurations dominated by relational governance mechanisms were developed with communication mechanisms and historical working experiences as core conditions; the configurational strategy with complementary contractual and relational governance mechanisms was centered on risk-sharing, reward and trust mechanisms as core conditions.
Originality/value
Our study enriches the literature on the antecedents of stakeholder collaboration in the PBPs by testing the significance of the relational governance mechanism, which expands the implications of relational contract theory. It also expands the implications of stakeholder theory in PBPs by exploring the asymmetric causal relationship between project contractual governance and stakeholder collaboration. Meanwhile, this study recommends countermeasures for managers to improve stakeholder collaboration by providing four practical configurational conditions in PBPs.