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There is a general assumption that the early involvement of the contractor contributes to value in construction projects. While early contractor involvement (ECI) may improve the value, some studies identify challenges with ECI. This paper aims to identify the main parameters that can be used to determine the optimal time for contractor involvement and examine how these parameters can be used by clients to develop a systematic method for finding the optimal timing for involvement.

Literature studies, interviews, workshops and focus-group meetings identified six main parameters essential for developing a method to determine the ideal timing for ECI.

The six identified parameters are activity, complexity, criticality, technical competencies, relational competencies and uncertainty. These parameters can be used to identify the gap between the available competency in the project team and the needed competency to perform an activity.

Although clients have ways to identify the optimal time for contractor involvement, these ways are mainly subjective and based on in-house practice. By evaluating these six parameters, a more systematic and objective method for early involvement can be developed.

The aim of this study is to broaden the understanding of the set of knowledge, skills, attributes and experience (KSAE) that teams should demonstrate and the necessary roles they need to play within the team in Relational Contracting (RC). This research seeks to answer three questions: first, what KSAEs are required in a team operating under RC, second, which of the identified KSAEs are more important to enable an integrated team to perform effectively and third, how do these required KSAEs correspond to the major role clusters identified in Belbin’s team role model?

In-depth interviews with 25 experts and key management representatives in infrastructure construction in Australia were conducted to enable detailed discussion of the research questions.

Sixteen behavioural traits and four knowledge and experience areas were identified. The findings highlight that in RC, team members and especially leaders and managers need to be competent in people-oriented roles, above all others.

This research mainly captured the perspectives of personnel working in state government infrastructure departments. Further research is recommended to explore the perceptions of employees in private construction companies.

By aligning the roles required for RC with the team role clusters of the Belbin’s team roles assessment tool, this study will be useful for identifying suitable members to form high-performance project teams.

The findings of this paper can inform government infrastructure organisations and construction companies as to which roles are more critical when selecting fit-for-purpose teams to successfully deliver large infrastructure projects procured under the RC method.

The rostrum of a paddlefish provides hydrodynamic stability during feeding process in addition to detect the food using receptors that are randomly distributed in the rostrum. The exterior tissue of the rostrum covers the cartilage that surrounds the bones forming interlocking star shaped bones.

The aim of this work is to assess the mechanical behavior of four finite element models varying the type of formulation as follows: linear-reduced integration, linear-full integration, quadratic-reduced integration and quadratic-full integration. The paper also presents the load transfer mechanisms of the bone structure of the rostrum. The base material used in the study was steel with elastic–plastic behavior as a homogeneous material before applying materials properties that represents the behavior of bones, cartilages and tissues.

Conclusions are based on comparison among the four models. There is no significant difference between integration orders for similar type of elements. Quadratic-reduced integration formulation resulted in lower structural stiffness compared with linear formulation as seen by higher displacements and stresses than using linearly formulated elements. It is concluded that second-order elements with reduced integration are the alternative to analyze biological structures as they can better adapt to the complex natural contours and can model accurately stress concentrations and distributions without over stiffening their general response.

The use of advanced computational mechanics techniques to analyze the complex geometry and components of the paddlefish rostrum provides a viable avenue to gain fundamental understanding of the proper finite element formulation needed to successfully obtain the system behavior and hot spot locations.

The gig economy has rapidly grown due to economic trends supporting flexible work and digital platforms, leading to increased demand for corporate gig workers. Although numerous studies have explored various aspects of the gig economy, research on the motivational and engagement factors of gig workers remains relatively rare. This study aims to investigate the factors that influence corporate gig workers’ motivation and engagement in the geographical context of Sri Lanka. Specifically, job autonomy, remuneration, social connection and technology and investigated here.

A quantitative study, employing a deductive research approach, was conducted with data gathered through a survey designed using a five-point Likert scale questionnaire. Respondents were conveniently selected from Sri Lankan corporate gig workers. A total of 397 responses were obtained through a snowball sampling technique. The collected data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling, providing a robust framework for evaluating the hypothesized relationships.

The findings revealed that job autonomy, remuneration, social connection and technology significantly influence corporate gig worker motivation, whereas motivation significantly influences the engagement of corporate gig workers in Sri Lanka.

This study faced common limitations. Due to challenges in identifying the framework for the population, a snowball sampling technique was employed. One key limitation is the study’s narrow focus on motivation factors within the Sri Lankan context, which may affect the generalizability of the findings. Additionally, the geographic focus and uneven sample distribution could limit the broader applicability of the conclusions. Future research should adopt a cross-cultural approach to explore the influence of social commerce adoption, enhancing the generalizability of the results.

A comprehensive understanding of the factors that influence the corporate gig worker motivation and engagement is provided, facilitating, the decision-makers to gain insight to enhance worker motivation and engagement by adapting strategies. This can lead to higher productivity and job satisfaction among gig workers.

Examination of the motivational and engagement factors specific to corporate gig workers in Sri Lanka, a context that has received limited attention in previous research. Also, it contributes to the existing literature by providing a deeper understanding of the gig economy and gig work, particularly in a non-Western setting.