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As technology aspect of agriculture becomes more and more important with the time to increase agricultural productivity in a sustainable and smart way, agriculture practices become more interdisciplinary. Furthermore, agricultural practices are affected by urban and rural planning enabling urban and rural farming. Architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry can support food security through the integration of agricultural practices and technologies into the built environment, its interior design, and greenhouses supporting urban and rural farming. Based on the literature review, this chapter aims to investigate ways for enhancing AEC industry’s and its professionals’ contribution to food security and sustainable agricultural practices. This chapter highlights roles of the AEC industry in enhancing food security and sustainable agricultural practices. This chapter emphasizes the importance of undergraduate and graduate curriculums of future AEC industry professionals (e.g., architects, interior architects, civil engineers) to equip them with the skills and knowledge of sustainable agricultural practices and technologies integrated greenhouses, built environment and indoor environment, and interior design. For this reason, agricultural policies need to cover food security-related interdisciplinary education and training (e.g., renewable energy-based agriculture integrated built environment) of AEC industry professionals. Agricultural policies need to be designed with the contribution of and considering AEC industry professionals as they are among the main stakeholders of food security and renewable energy-based agriculture-integrated built environment. Furthermore, this chapter highlights how AEC industry, in compliance with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and countries sustainable and resilient development plans, can contribute to food security and sustainability. This chapter can be beneficial to all stakeholders of the sustainable agricultural practices.

This paper aims to examine the role of local/provincial government in influencing corporate social and environmental reporting (CSER) in China, and more specifically, how the underlying economic and political factors associated with local government have influenced the quality of CSER.

The authors used 234 environmentally sensitive companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges during 2013 and 2015 as the research sample to test the relationship between CSER and local government’s political connection and economic prioritisation and the potential mediating effect of local economic prioritisation.

The analysis provides evidence that local/provincial government’s political geographical connectedness with the central government has directly and positively influenced the level of CSER, while local prioritisation of economic development has a direct but negative effect on CSER in China. In addition, local/provincial prioritisation of economic development has mediated the relationship between local–central political geographical connectedness and CSER.

While local/provincial governments are heavily influenced by the coercive pressure from the central government, they also act in their own political and economic interests in overseeing CSER at the local level. This study raises the question about the effectiveness of the top-down approach to improving CSER in China and suggests that the central government may need to focus more on coordinating and harmonising different local/provincial governments’ interests to enable achieving a common sustainability goal.

The authors provide evidence revealing how the economic and political contexts of local government have played a significant role in shaping CSER in China. More specifically, this paper addresses a gap in the literature by highlighting the importance of local government oversight power for CSER development and how such oversight is determined by local prioritisation of economic development and political geographical connectedness of local and central governments.

This study aims to determine the influence of experiential value, authentic happiness and experiential satisfaction on the behavioral intention of luxury fashion.

Two hundred online questionnaires were collected from customers who rented or bought wedding dresses between 2015 and 2020, with at least one rental or purchase coming from an Indonesian bridal wedding brand that promotes the idea of marriage under Islamic law. The quantitative methodology used in this study was examined using the Structural Equation Model analysis method with the AMOS 22 software.

The results showed that all hypotheses were accepted with significant positive influences, including experiential value in halal fashion on authentic happiness, experiential satisfaction and luxury fashion behavioral intention, authentic happiness in luxury fashion behavioral intention and experiential satisfaction, as well as experiential satisfaction in the behavioral intention of luxury fashion.

The data were collected from respondents who have rented and/or purchased wedding dresses. However, the number of respondents who only rent or who only buy was not identified.

The value of experience in halal fashion needs to be increased. Based on the results of this study, it is hoped that marketers can create effective marketing policies and strategies by paying attention to the value of the consumer’s halal fashion experience because it will affect their authentic happiness, experience satisfaction and luxury fashion behavior intention.

This study has unique originality in measuring the variable of luxury fashion behavioral intention, which was adjusted to the object of research, namely luxury fashion.

Although many scholars have investigated different aspects of the notion of innovation ambidexterity, the conceptualization of examining this concept in a technological setting remained unclear, as no serious attempts have been made to figure out the core concept of innovation ambidexterity in a technological context, which is a critical concept for high-tech firms.

How does the regional institutional environment of China’s transitional economy influence the relationship between a firm’s R&D investment intensity and innovation performance? Based on the resource-based view and institution-based view, an empirical study was executed to identify the moderating effects of institutional environment variables from the Marketization Index of China’s Provinces: National Economic Research Institute (NERI) Report on the relationship between a firm’s R&D investment intensity and innovation performance. This paper aims to study how effectively improve the impact of R&D investment intensity on innovation performance under the influence of the institutional environment.

Against the background of China’s transitional economy, the authors present empirical evidence from panel data covering 374 Chinese A-share listed high-tech manufacturing firms on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchange to examine the relationship between R&D investment intensity and innovation performance.

Empirical results illustrate the following: The R&D investment intensity and innovation performance displayed an inverse U-shaped relationship, and R&D investment intensity had a lagged effect on R&D output according to the uncertainty and industrialization period of R&D activities. The level of financial market development can intensify the effects of R&D investment intensity on innovation performance. The degree of government intervention weakens the effect of R&D investment intensity on innovation performance.

Based on the background of China’s institutional environment during the transition period, combined with previous research and the Marketization Index of China’s Provinces: NERI Report, selecting financial market development, government intervention level and legalization level as moderating variables to study how effectively improve the impact of R&D investment intensity on innovation performance under the influence of the institutional environment. Due to the different ownership of firms during the transition period, the appropriate impact of the institutional environment on the relationship between R&D investment intensity and innovation performance will vary. Moreover, the level of legalization would impact on innovation insignificantly.

In the knowledge-based view, knowledge is a valuable source of enterprise success. Its transfer through expatriates is a key mechanism in the value proposition of outward foreign direct investment by multinational enterprises (MNEs). Unfortunately, individuals are not always willing to share what they know. Expatriates are crucial players in knowledge transfer, and their knowledge-hiding behavior can significantly inhibit enterprise success. This paper thus aims to explore the patterns and antecedents of knowledge hiding, as well as the underlying mechanisms in the hiding process by expatriates within MNEs.

This paper focuses on expatriates assigned to emerging economies in Chinese MNEs. It is based on a systematic qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with 24 expatriates from 16 companies across 25 countries.

Not all knowledge hiding should be perceived as a negative behavior, as moderate rationalized hiding can fulfil a positive purpose. Antecedents of expatriates’ knowledge hiding were identified within a framework covering knowledge, individual, organizational and cultural features. Three main scenarios of knowledge-hiding process were also disclosed to illustrate the internal generative logic.

The comprehensive analysis of knowledge hiding presented in this paper enriches the existing literature on cross-border knowledge management and provides novel theoretical insights to better promote knowledge transfer by expatriates. A practical framework of knowledge transfer within MNEs is developed to guide the management of expatriates, even a broader spectrum of knowledge workers.

This paper introduces a novel method to improve building safety management by leveraging building information modeling (BIM) and adaptive information retrieval techniques. The integration aims to overcome the limitations of traditional safety management methods in connecting construction processes with risk management efficiently.

The proposed method involves developing industry foundation classes (IFC) ontologies and integrating them with a safety document ontology to form a comprehensive BIM-based safety context framework. Custom reasoning rules and an inference engine are constructed to enable automatic context-aware safety information retrieval. The methodology is demonstrated through an adaptive information retrieval system using job hazard analysis (JHA) documents.

The implementation of the BIM-based adaptive information retrieval system shows significant improvements in identifying and managing construction risks. By mapping job-specific risks to corresponding safety measures, the system enhances risk detection and management tailored to particular construction tasks. The results indicate a marked improvement in the precision and accuracy of safety assessments and recommendations, aligning them closely with planned construction activities and conditions.

This paper offers an innovative approach to construction safety management through the development of a BIM-facilitated context-aware information retrieval system. This approach provides a more intelligent and automated framework for identifying and managing risks in construction projects. By focusing on specific job steps and related risks, the system enhances the effectiveness and accuracy of safety measures, contributing to better overall building safety management.

This chapter examines the way in which Industry 4.0 will revolutionize achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study provides insights on the relationship between global sustainability goals and cutting-edge technologies like automation, artificial intelligence and the internet of things; it looks at how Industry 4.0 may spur innovation, job creation and economic growth while tackling environmental issues. Also, this study analyses how Industry 4.0 can be used as a catalyst for positive change, in line with the larger vision of a sustainable and inclusive future, from navigating obstacles like job displacement and cybersecurity risks to presenting opportunities through policy frameworks and stakeholder collaboration. The results of this chapter shed light on the usage of technology in addressing global issues like poverty, inequality, climate change and sustainable economic growth and in turn the achievement of SDGs. The study discusses in detail about the implications for policymakers on the impact of Industry 4.0 on SDG 8 and SDG 12 and the risks associated with using Industry 4.0 to achieve the SDGs like job displacement, cybersecurity risks and ethical and legal challenges. The managerial implications of this study are numerous including increasing the skilled workforce and enhancing transparency, traceability and environmental performance across the whole supply chain. The study finally concludes by examining the potential prospects and future trends of Industry 4.0 and its integration with the SDGs.

The metaverse, a virtual space where one can build and explore with others using avatars, is drawing global interest. Then questions arise: What drives consumers to customize their avatars and purchase virtual items in the metaverse? Who customizes and purchases virtual items more than others? To find the answers, this study tested a research model that explains why consumers customize their avatars and buy virtual items in the metaverse.

Based on the stimuli-organism-response model, this study posits that metaverse characteristics (i.e. escapism, visual attractiveness, social interaction and autonomy) arouse consumers’ curiosity toward the metaverse, which in turn evokes avatar customization behavior and virtual item purchase intention. Survey data from 501 metaverse-experienced consumers in both the US and Korea are analyzed.

The result revealed that all four metaverse characteristics were found to stimulate consumers’ curiosity. Consumers’ curiosity enhances avatar customization behavior and purchase intention of the virtual items. Further, avatar customization behavior increases the purchase intention of virtual items.

The findings provide valuable insights into how metaverse platforms can effectively engage consumers by stimulating curiosity, especially through social interaction, and offering extensive avatar customization options and virtual items.

This study highlights how the metaverse’s open-ended experiences, user-driven customization and social interactions – unlike traditional online games – spark consumer curiosity. It emphasizes the pivotal role of curiosity in driving metaverse engagement and highlights the need to consider it as a central construct in future research. Additionally, this study provides managerial implications for virtual item purchases in the metaverse.

Due to the complexity and diversity of megaprojects, the architectural programming process often involves multiple stakeholders, making decision-making difficult and susceptible to subjective factors. This study aims to propose an architectural programming methodology system (APMS) for megaprojects based on group decision-making model to enhance the accuracy and transparency of decision-making, and to facilitate participation and integration among stakeholders. This method allows multiple interest groups to participate in decision-making, gathers various perspectives and opinions, thereby improving the quality and efficiency of architectural programming and promoting the smooth implementation of projects.

This study first clarifies the decision-making subjects, decision objects, and decision methods of APMS based on group decision-making theory and value-based architectural programming methods. Furthermore, the entropy weight method and fuzzy TOPSIS method are employed as calculation methods to comprehensively evaluate decision alternatives and derive optimal decision conclusions. The workflow of APMS consists of four stages: preparation, information, decision, and evaluation, ensuring the scientific and systematic of the decision-making process.

This study conducted field research and empirical analysis on a practical megaproject of a comprehensive transport hub to verify the effectiveness of APMS. The results show that, in terms of both short-distance and long-distance transportation modes, the decision-making results of APMS are largely consistent with the preliminary programming outcomes of the project. However, regarding transfer modes, the APMS decision-making results revealed certain discrepancies between the project's current status and the preliminary programming.

APMS addresses the shortcomings in decision accuracy and stakeholder participation and integration in the current field of architectural programming. It not only enhances stakeholder participation and interaction but also considers various opinions and interests comprehensively. Additionally, APMS has significant potential in optimizing project performance, accelerating project processes, and reducing resource waste.