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The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of Project Management Office (PMO) functions on project performance in businesses in Lower Middle-Income Countries (LMIC) using Partial Least Square–Structural Equation Modelling (PLS–SEM).

Utilizing close-ended questionnaires in a cross-sectional survey, 256 project professionals from 10 business sectors in Ghana views were elicited. The questions were developed through a comprehensive literature review and involved 27 PMO functional measures grouped into 6 and 19 project performance measures grouped into 6. Data collected was then analysed using the PLS–SEM to validate the hypothetical relationship.

The PLS–SEM model supported 13 (t > 1.65) out of 36 hypotheses investigating the relationship between PMO functions and project performance. Variations in the PMO functions moderately (R2 = 0.34) explained the performance of projects. The aggregate activities of the PMO had the highest significant influence on environmental performance (R2 = 0.467). The topmost PMO function was identified as monitoring and controlling project performance, and it was significantly associated with cost (ß = 0.265, p < 0.05), quality (ß = 0.291, p < 0.05) and project scope (ß = 0.265 p < 0.05) performance.

This research has brought more illumination to the functions of PMOs and its influence on project performance. The results suggest that PMO activities, when tailored to the business context, can significantly change project performance variables.

Most research on PMO and project performance has been limited to developed countries or a single sector. This study uniquely expands the business sectors and focuses on LMICs.

The construction sector is recognized for subjecting its workers to various psychological pressures and mental stressors. As a result, it is crucial to explore and discover effective strategies to support these workers in managing and enduring these demanding circumstances. Mental toughness is a concept that has been advocated to aid individuals in coping and adapting to pressures and challenges. Therefore, it is imperative to explore strategies critical to developing mental toughness among construction professionals. Thus, the purpose of this study is to identify critical strategies for the development of mental toughness among construction professionals.

A comprehensive literature review was conducted using Google Scholar, Scopus, ScienceDirect and PubMed databases to identify the strategies for the development of mental toughness. These identified strategies were used to develop a structured closed-ended questionnaire to aid in data collection. Of the 317 questionnaires distributed, 207 were collected and used for data analysis. The data were analysed using mean score ranking and one sample t-test.

The study highlighted 12 critical strategies for the development of mental toughness among construction professionals. These include recognizing and rewarding achievements, taking time for self-care, organizing mental training programs, using positive self-talk, embracing a growth mindset, providing social support/developing a strong support network, creating a challenging training environment, engaging in regular physical exercise, fostering a mastery motivational climate, setting clear but challenging goals, practicing mental imagery and practicing reflection on setbacks and failures. The analysis results indicated that all of the strategies, except one (which involves practicing reflection on setbacks and failures), displayed significance. By incorporating these strategies, construction firms and the industry as a whole can empower their workforce to cope and/or overcome the various demands and stressors that work and life places on them.

The study highlights the significance of recognizing and rewarding achievements, fostering a growth mindset and implementing mental training programs to cultivate mental toughness among construction professionals. Moreover, promoting self-care practices and offering social support are essential strategies for enhancing mental resilience in the construction industry. By adopting these evidence-based approaches, construction organizations can create a mentally tough workforce capable of handling the challenges and demands of the industry effectively.

This study contributes significantly to the general body of knowledge in mental health management among employees in the construction industry. It does set the pace for the development of the general well-being of construction professionals in the achievement of mental toughness goals.

Though there is literature on green collaboration to supplier selections, there are hardly any empirical studies that analyze collaborative networks toward green supplier selection (GSS) from the perspective of green relational capital (GRC). Therefore, this study aims to fill this research gap by analyzing the development of collaboration toward GSS through the lenses of GRC. Also, this study explores how collaboration between institutions and their relevant green stakeholders, framed through the lens of GRC influences the selection of green suppliers.

This study uses an exploratory case study approach involving public universities in Ghana. This study is based on interviews conducted with 27 key respondents across seven universities. A purposive sampling technique was used in selecting respondents who were interviewed face-to-face with a semi-structured interview guide. Atlas ti software was used to generate themes for discussion.

This study’s findings suggest that the reason green criteria are not integrated into supplier selection is due to an insufficient collaboration among relevant green stakeholders. Through green training workshops, conferences, continuous professional development and affiliation with professional bodies, procurement practitioners can develop a collaborative network among themselves to promote the integration of green sustainability into supplier selection. Constructs that help to establish strong collaborative network identified in this study include trust and consistency, mutual benefits, obvious intentions and effective communication.

This study identified constructs promoting effective green collaboration toward the adoption of GSS. These constructs as identified in this study, provide a clear means of developing green collaboration among relevant stakeholders. By fostering and developing collaboration, the main construct of GRC, institutions can successfully integrate green sustainability into their supplier selection process, leading to long-term benefits for both the environment and the institution.

Collaboration toward integration of green sustainability into supplier selection necessitates engagement with various relevant green stakeholders, including suppliers, customers, government bodies, colleagues in sister institutions and environmental advocacy groups. This fosters a sense of shared responsibility and collective action toward sustainability goals.

This study offers empirical evidence on the impact of collaboration on supplier selection and green sustainability performance, contributing to the existing body of literature. By analyzing collaboration, a perspective of GRC, toward the integration of green sustainability into supplier selection is considered as a novel study.

Workforce diversity is essential for success from the perspectives of economic development and intellectual property. However, the construction industry is losing out on these gains due to the low diversity among them. The study aims to identify challenges impeding workforce diversity in construction literature through a mixed review approach.

The study desk reviewed 188 relevant construction peer-reviewed articles and conference papers with no restrictions on the time range. The study adopted the mixed methodology review approach through bibliometric and systematic content analyses.

The study identified 67 challenges and further classified them into 4 broad categories. These were industry-related, organisational-, personal or attitudinal- and health-related challenges. Organisational challenges were the most prevalent challenges of diversity uptake in the construction industry. The publications' most influential sources, countries/regions and annual trends were also discussed.

Classifying the challenges hindering diversity contributes to the existing knowledge base. The framework's interrelationships among categorised barriers will enable construction professionals to make informed decisions in promoting diversity in the industry.

This study has a broad geographical reach, allowing the findings to be widely applicable to the diverse practice of the worldwide construction sector.

The construction business is widely recognised for its inherent complexity and dynamic nature, which stems from the nature of the job involved. The industry is often regarded as one of the most challenging industries globally in terms of implementing environmental, health and safety (EHS) practices. However, in the absence of EHS, the construction industry cannot be considered sustainable. Therefore, this study aims to identify the trends, knowledge gaps and implications of EHS research to enhance construction activities and knowledge.

The study adopted a science mapping approach involving bibliometric and scientometric analysis of 407 construction EHS publications from the Scopus database with the VOSviewer software. The study is based on journal articles from the Scopus database without restriction to any time range.

The main focus of construction EHS research identified in the study includes sustainability-related studies, risk-related, environmental issues, EHS management, integrated management systems studies, health and safety related and EHS in the construction process. Some emerging areas also identified include productivity, design, culture, social sustainability and machine learning. The most influential and productive publication sources, countries/regions and EHS publications with the highest impact were also determined.

Documents published in the Scopus database were considered for analysis because of the wider coverage of the database. Journal articles written in English language represent the inclusion criteria, whereas other documents were excluded from the analysis. The study also limited the search to articles with the engineering subject area.

The research findings will enlighten stakeholders and practitioners on the focal knowledge areas in the EHS research domain, which are vital for enhancing EHS in the industry.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this review-based study is the first attempt to internationally conduct a science mapping on extant literature in the EHS research domain through bibliometric and scientometric assessments.

This study aims to identify in literature the role of construction stakeholders in the implementation of circular economy (CE) in the construction industry (CI). This study also sought to identify the status quo and research trend, “hot themes”, areas requiring more research and future research direction of stakeholders’ role in CE implementation in the CI.

A literature search was conducted using the Scopus search engine, augmented by Google Scholar to produce 50 relevant articles for the identification of stakeholders’ roles using content analysis. The scientometric study was undertaken using VOSviewer on 42 articles obtained from Scopus search to identify the status quo, “hot themes”, knowledge gaps and future research direction of the role of stakeholders in CE implementation.

Through content analysis, the identified roles of government as a stakeholder are to develop efficient policy instruments, legislation support and financial investment in research and development activities that will promote the smooth implementation of CE. The role of academia/research is to engage in research aimed at investigating both the short-term behaviour and the durability of recycled materials and products. In addition, the roles of professionals in the consultant/design/procurement team are to design with life cycle assessment and reused materials, design for deconstruction and disassembly, etc. The role of the user/consumer is to ensure knowledge diffusion and awareness exchange that recognize the available opportunities for long-term material usage (including repair, reuse, refurbishment and recycling). The research status quo identified from the scientometric analysis include how stakeholders can come up with innovative ways in demolition that will ensure that more of the materials can be reused. Stakeholders should focus on enacting policies and laws that can promote the use of recycled materials in buildings, etc. Research that focuses on how to engage the various construction stakeholders to come up with specific public policy that will promote CE implementation, identifying the specific roles to be played by stakeholders during policy enactment as well as managing the environment, laws and legislations towards CE implementation. The role of stakeholders in the extension of the life span of projects, the use of strategies to minimize waste generation and standardization of building materials, components and connectors with the purpose of simplifying disassembly are the research gaps and areas for future research studies. Some of the research “hot themes” include “circular business models in the CI”, “environmental sustainability policy implementation”, “environmental, economic and social sustainability”, “policy, laws and legislations on waste management” and “environmental and industrial economics” towards CE implementation.

The findings from this study serve as a valuable reference for construction stakeholders to assess their specific roles as stakeholders and to identify the status quo and research trend, “hot themes”, areas requiring more research and future research directions on stakeholders’ roles in CE implementation in the CI.

Identifying the role of stakeholders for CE implementation is one bold step towards the achievement of CE implementation in the CI.

This study aims to assess the awareness and knowledge level of procurement officers (POs) in Ghanaian tertiary educational institutions regarding sustainability in general and specifically on environmental sustainability in the Public Procurement Act 2003 (Act 663) as amended.

Through purposive sampling technique and face-to-face interviews using semi-structured open-ended questions, qualitative data was collected from 19 POs who are well vested in the procurement profession and willingly agreed to partake in the research. The qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis technique to help organize and elicit meaning from the data collected and to draw realistic conclusions from it.

The results showed that most POs were aware of the Public Procurement Act 2003 (Act 663) as amended, primarily through seminars and workshops organized by the Public Procurement Authority. The interviewees demonstrated a good understanding of sustainable procurement, considering its social, environmental and economic aspects. However, one respondent primarily associated sustainability with only environmental issues. The POs were, however, of the view that the Amended Act 914 (2016) does not give detailed highlights on environmental sustainability, making implementation very difficult, especially regarding the procurement of goods. Overall, the findings indicate a positive level of environmental sustainability awareness and knowledge among the interviewed POs regarding the Public Procurement Act 2003 (Act 663) as amended.

The findings from the study could be used by policymakers to strategize educational campaigns by using the POs’ knowledge and awareness to the implementers of Act 663 (2003) as amended to effectively ensure environmental sustainability in procurement practices. The findings from the study have also contributed to the literature on procurement policy by drawing the attention of policy formulators to give equal attention to all the sustainability pillars, i.e. social, economic and environmental. This would consequently help the implementers to contribute to achieving sustainable development.

This study is one of the few empirical qualitative types of research seeking the views of POs in tertiary educational institutions in Ghana on sustainability and environmental sustainability as enshrined in the Public Procurement Act 2003 (Act 663) as amended. The findings give positive feedback to policymakers on the knowledge and awareness level of the POs on environmental sustainability and highlight the importance of awareness programmes and educational initiatives by the Public Procurement Authority and other stakeholders to ensure compliance with the Act.

Emiratisation, dual bottom-line, destination policy making and strategic development, ecosystem perspective and human capital.

This case is suitable for undergraduate and postgraduate students studying policy; strategy and human resources. Practitioners from the human resource industry, government sector and destination marketing may also benefit from the case.

ATIC is an investment company with a dual bottom line mandate. This means besides the financial objective it has for its investors (which is largely the Government of Abu Dhabi), it must contribute to socio-economic objectives outlined by the Abu Dhabi Vision 2030. For this perspective, ATIC had developed a unique approach looking at the “Ecosystem” perspective. Some key areas are destination development as an advanced technology hub and human capital development or “Emiratisation”. All these are key to long-term success of the country as the Middle East North Africa region has one of the youngest populations and an increasing unemployment rate. Most government organizations are saturated and it is vital that nationals start working and performing in the private sector. This case outlines the plans and efforts of ATIC towards those goals.

Management of “Emiratisation” at policy and implementation; scenario planning and strategy management especially looking at advanced technology sector; organizational values – development and implementation at recruitment and marketing; destination marketing and policy looking at the case of Abu Dhabi, stakeholder management.

Teaching notes.

Expected learning outcomes: To respond to the case question, students would analyze macro- and microeconomic differences to determine HC Securities’ preferred global strategy and appropriate market entry mode. The case demonstrates how instability in a local market, in this case Egypt, can force a company to go global. It also demonstrates how two superficially similar markets, Singapore and Hong Kong, provide different opportunities for HC Securities and require different global strategies: Singapore provides a jumping-off point to its predominantly Muslim neighbors Malaysia and Indonesia, whereas Hong Kong gives access to China and could provide a new customer base of Asian investors willing to invest in Africa and the Middle East.

Brief overview of the case: The case introduces the Egyptian investment company HC Securities, which is facing challenges related to Egypt’s political instability and economic slowdown. HC Securities’ CEO, Mr. Choucri, feels expansion to one of the Asia-Pacific countries could help with the company’s growth and stability. He identifies Hong Kong and Singapore as the most compelling locations because of their sophisticated economies and growth potential in the investments industry. This case provides information about each market, allowing students to respond to the question “What should Choucri do to assure a market-based solution for his company?”

Student level and proposed courses: The case is appropriate for use in undergraduate courses in international business or strategic management.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

International Business.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the experiences of a teacher education program in the United Arab Emirates to demonstrate how a program can best balance the particular needs of a country's educational system with the requirements of international recognition, including benchmarking to international standards and undertaking formal third‐party accreditation.

The process begins first with the self‐reflection or analysis, reviewing the program terms of curriculum, assessment, clinical practice, faculty and operational indicators, coupled with a formal review of the market and economic drivers to determine future directions for the programs' offerings. After a year‐long analysis, the program was able to look at its operations personally, through the eyes of an external agency familiar with it, and those of an external expert in the field. This triangular process parallels the process that accrediting agencies employ to determine the health or effectiveness of the program to meet its mission.

After a process of deliberation, the program decided upon the Teacher Education Accreditation Council as the most appropriate agency to pursue accreditation with.

Many times international institutions must sacrifice or modify their existing programs to accommodate the traditional requirements of the outside accrediting agency. However, the paper shows that by thoroughly reviewing and investigating the agencies and their criteria, an institution can determine which agency will serve its needs and provide for a meaningful and successful partnership in the quest for accreditation and recognition.