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The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to investigate project management dimensions while constructing the Panama Canal from the end of ninetieth century to the start of twentieth century and then benchmarking against the Palm Diera Island at the lapse of a century. Second, to highlight issues of project management, specially the risk management with its economic, social and political domains at the construction site and in France and America.

The case study research method of qualitative research has been adopted when comparing two mega projects executed in different time and space. For the Panama Canal project documentation investigation was performed. However, a semi-structured interview data collection method was adopted for the Palm Diera Island project. A comparative study of two projects helps in deeper understanding of cross-project management dimensions.

The research reveals that the French team failed to complete the Panama Canal construction project due to inadequate planning, inappropriate design, lack of risk management, health and safety of the staff and non-availability of finances. However, the Americans successfully completed construction of the canal within budget and time and this was due to the support of change in the purpose of the canal construction adding to achieve its commercial objectives and at the same time strengthen its naval presence. American took its construction as a national objective than the individual enterprise as executed by the French team.

Data collection for the Panama Canal was limited to only historical data available from the literature as documentary investigation. The researchers visited the canal to get in-depth understanding of the construction practices and the scale of construction. However, for the Palm Diera project, data collection was limited to three key personnel interviews.

The Americans were successful in completing the canal due to the US Government control on management and finances of the canal construction and lessons learned during the French construction period. The paper serves as a benchmark for project management dimension in two different regions in different times. The paper bears economic implications for the construction of the mega projects both in South America and the Middle East. Cost overrun construction of the Panama Canal during the French period influenced political spectrum in France resulting into the defeat of the government. During the American period of construction first time out of country visit by the sitting president of the USA reflects its economic and social importance. The valley of death was converted into the valley comfort during the American period resulting into social welfare of the workers. Completion of the canal by the Americans helped them secure operations of the Panama Canal for the next 100 years, contributing to its economic and naval strength.

The paper reveals that safety and social implications for the work place in two different regions and at two different times. The impact of safe and improved working conditions at Palm Diera Island resulted into no injury or loss of life, however, during the Panama Canal construction more than 30,000 workers died affecting not only families of the respective workers but their nations as well. The impacts of both the projects on the society were also significant. The public opinion against the construction of the canal during the French period of construction was so significant that they had to abandon their construction equipment at the site. On the contrary, completion of construction of the Panama Canal during the French period helped secured political mileage for President Roosevelt and his party.

The paper benchmarks two different mega projects with different scope executed in two different regions at the lapse of a century. No such research work was found to have compared project management dimensions of two mega projects at the lapse of a century and in two different regions.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of ethical leadership on two important employee extra-role behaviors; organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) and creative performance (CP). Drawing on social exchange and organizational support theories, psychological contract fulfillment (PCF) was proposed as the mediating mechanism explaining this relationship.

Data were collected via questionnaire from 248 employee-supervisor/colleague dyads employed in a large fast-moving consumer goods multinational company in Pakistan. The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling.

Supervisors’ ethical leadership style (ELS) was positively related to employees’ OCBs and CP. The predicted mediating role of PCF in the relationship between ELS and extra-role behaviors was also supported.

While it benefitted from dyadic data, a significant limitation of this study is the cross-sectional nature of the data. A noteworthy implication of the findings is the important role that supervisors’ ELS plays in employees’ behaviors within the organization. Furthermore, it appears that ethical leadership is a significant factor in employees’ evaluations of PCF and their ensuing behavioral responses.

This study contributes to addressing the inconsistent findings in prior research on ethical leadership. An additional novel contribution is that it identifies PCF as an underlying mechanism linking ethical leadership and employees’ extra-role behaviors.

The purpose of this paper is to benchmark national culture in the context of decent work practices in project-based industry of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This should help in achieving successful short-term migration. The study also aims to validate the decent work practice indicators for Bangladeshi, Chinese, Indian and Pakistani construction labourers working in the UAE.

This study takes an ethnographic approach in its qualitative research methodology. The research involves observational methodology for its data collection during the execution of construction projects, semi-structured interviews to confirm the data collection during observational approach and a narrative methodology for the data collection within the labour camps, grassy fields and town streets. The qualitative data were expressed in quantitative terms to signify statistically the effect of the national culture in the context of decent work practices in this industry. Hence, the research involved triangulation in its data collection and analysis.

The study reveals that the national cultures of the migrant construction labourers in this context are not the same as identified by Geert Hofstede about four decades earlier. It was found that Indians were high in uncertainty avoidance, Pakistani construction labourers were high in masculinity, Bangladeshi construction labourers were low in long-term orientation (LTO) and individualism and Chinese labourers were found to have high individualism and LTO. This study verified decent work practice indicators for Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi construction labourers and identified different decent work practice indicators for Chinese construction labourers in the UAE than Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi construction labourers.

The study was limited to the construction labourers in the UAE. The data were collected during observation while execution construction projects and limited to visiting construction labour camps, grassy fields and town streets.

The differences in the national culture of the migrant construction labourers and the decent construction practices in the UAE have economic, social and environmental implications for construction labourers in the Arab world, for both migrant sending and receiving countries. Understanding and managing various national cultures and improving prevalent decent work practices would help to improve economic and social condition of the migrant construction labourers and help to arrest the advance of looming health problems.

The study identifies the national cultures of the migrant construction labourers in the context of decent work practices in the UAE. Improvement in the decent work practices of the migrant sending countries and the UAE and understanding of the culture of the migrants will help in preparing effective migration policy by both migrant sending and receiving countries. No study was found to have identified national cultures in the context of decent work practices and assessed the need for improvement in this regard.

This chapter highlights a case study at the University of Wyoming (UW) to explore the role of integrating ecotourism and eco-entrepreneurship into higher education at the bachelor’s level. The university has developed a modern, comprehensive curriculum, and practical learning opportunities with local communities, conservation organizations, and industry stakeholders through a state-funded initiative. The program equips students with essential knowledge and eco-entrepreneurial skills for the sustainable development of ecotourism, outdoor recreation, and tourism industries. The chapter presents a pedagogical model as a replicable framework for other institutions aiming to incorporate sustainable, eco-centric curricula into their programs. The findings can guide policymakers, educators, and stakeholders in designing programs that synergize environmental sustainability and eco-entrepreneurial innovation to promote global sustainable development and successful higher education experiences.

The aviation industry plays a vital role in supporting tourism and international businesses by providing the fastest transportation network in the world and also boosting economic growth and creating employment. However, it harms the environment, mainly through air pollution due to aircraft engines emitting heat and gases that contribute to global warming, acid rain, smog, and ozone depletion. Air travel has increased considerably over the years, and therefore aircraft emissions have contributed to the build-up of greenhouse gases (GHG), with the resultant changes in weather patterns leading to global warming and environmental deterioration. Although aviation contributes to economic and environmental development, it is a double-edged sword because it is thought to be the most challenging industry for formulating sustainable policies, based on the direct conflict between environmental impacts and economic development. This chapter explores different types of problems associated with the negative impacts of aviation carbon emissions and the carbon footprint of tourism. The chapter will also reflect on policy, regulations, and governance approaches currently in place to combat these negative impacts as well as challenges involved in policy interventions.

In the contemporary 21st century context, the issues of pollution, climate change and over tourism have emphasized that destination management organizations should focus on experiences and quality of life (QoL) of both locals and tourists. Concurrently, local community are actively seeking avenues for improving health and attaining inner peace, which has led to a notable inclination towards travelling to destinations rich with natural environment. This research paper aims to delve into the two intriguing dimensions of QoL, i.e. health and environment. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the influence of the natural environment in urban tourism destinations on the QoL of local communities.

This research adopts a descriptive and exploratory approach, employing qualitative methods through semi-structured interviews with respondents. Thematic analysis, assisted by NVivo (12), was used to fulfil the aim of the study.

The findings of the study unveiled the themes, namely, aesthetic and recreational opportunities, elevated health and well-being, community cohesion, which highlight the influence of natural environment on QoL of community.

Since the inception of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a growing emphasis in research on the significance of the natural environment for individual well-being. Moreover, factors such as health, happiness and QoL contribute substantially to the overall ambiance of a destination.

As the human race moved from the Paleolithic to the current phases of the Neolithic period, the learning process developed from inscriptions on stones to clay tablets, from papyrus to papers and, ultimately, to digital technology. From ancient times to the present, public libraries have become open universities that are more democratic in the provision of educational and information services and the preservation of cultural heritage, regardless of gender and belief. This study attempts to understand reading trends and the use of citizens’ resources in public libraries in the age of technology as an open university.

The data for this study on regular visitors, permanent library members, and information on the library inventory was collected from each public library administration through personal visits and interviews. In addition, data on regional population and literacy rates were collected from the Government of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Bureau of Statistics. The authors used descriptive statistics to analyze data for comparative studies.

The results show that daily visitors, regular library members and their use of library resources are decreasing compared to the literacy rate in each district. It was also concluded that, due to a lack of education and training in the area of information and digital literacy, the accessed database resources are not used properly. Moreover, each densely populated district relies on a single public library to meet general education and information needs.

The results of this study will help the government expand the network of public libraries at the union council level with competent working staff to increase general motivation to improve reading and resource usage trends. Given the current literacy and population growth in each district, the law on the public library can also be amended and implemented to support the existing library system better and create more libraries in the public interest.

This study was conducted for the first time to determine the current state of public libraries in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and to help public library authorities improve their existing public library service status based on the results.

This chapter will examine two questions. First, how can art and cultural heritage contribute to the health and well-being of a place within the context of the tourism industry? More specifically, can cultural tourism be a driver for community sustainability, that is, not only environmental sustainability but also social empowerment, cultural preservation, and economic vitality? To explore these questions, the author begins by establishing the ways art and environment are closely intertwined, while pondering how cultural production generally – along with the cultural tourists it attracts – can be a driver for sustainability in tourism settings. The benefits that the arts draw from the environment as well as the ways the environment benefits from the arts will be examined. In the next section, the author unpacks how cultural tourism, and more specifically art production, can be drivers for environmental sustainability through social and eco-entrepreneurship and the creation of a shared social value. In the third section, the author identifies some of the challenges inherent in government regulation and preservation of cultural heritage sites. The author argues that communication, cooperation, and relationship building, not just between governing bodies and private stakeholders, but with residents and tourists, should be prioritized in destination management and marketing strategies. In the end, the author proposes that this type of strategy is vital in order to move toward greater cultural, environmental, social, economic, and other kinds of sustainability in the tourism industry.

Surveying the growth of public libraries in Pakistan prior to and following independence, this paper shows that development has been at best a piecemeal affair and at worst non‐existent. Although some libraries seek to fulfil their goal of providing quality service to the public, most are hampered by overwhelming economic, social and educational problems. Notwithstanding this gloomy scenario, it is suggested that library planning based on awareness of indigenous needs and with realistic aims can achieve far more than has been the case in the past. Six factors are suggested as essential in any effective public library planning process in Pakistan; these may be valid in other developing countries as well.

This paper aims to explore the flow of nanofluid over bi-directional stretching sheet in the presence of magnetic field and linear thermal radiation.

In this study, water is taken as a base fluid, and copper is diluted in the base fluid. Further, four different shapes of nanoparticles are considered for the analysis. The governing nonlinear partial differential equations are transformed into the system of ordinary differential equations after using the feasible similarity transformations. Solution of the model is then performed by means of Runge–Kutta scheme.

Influence of the emerging dimensionless parameters on velocity, temperature, skin friction coefficient and local rate of heat transfer are studied with the help of graphs.

The study is presented in this paper is original and has not been submitted to any other journal for the publication purpose. The contents are original, and proper references have been provided wherever applicable.