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The regulation of the construction industry remains a significant obstacle to economic progress in developing nations. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the efficacy of the legislative framework in the construction industry, focusing on Eswatini. The construction industry plays a critical role in the upliftment of the economy and an effective and efficient legislative framework is essential to ensure that as a developing country, Eswatini derives maximum benefits from the sector.

A phenomenological research design was used to explore stakeholders’ perceptions about the purpose of the legislative framework in the Eswatini construction industry and to establish the effectiveness of the current legislative framework in fulfilling its mandate. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions. A total of 45 participants occupying different positions within the construction industry were selected using purposive sampling. The data were analysed thematically.

The results reiterate that the legislative framework’s purpose is to regulate, control and guide sectoral operations, including enforcing compliance with statutes and payment of construction levies. However, the legislative framework does not effectively fulfil its purpose of addressing stakeholder needs. Overall, the findings indicate shortcomings and inefficiencies within the framework aimed at regulating the construction industry of Eswatini. The inefficiencies have a great potential of defeating the purpose of the entire framework.

Regarding implications for future research, the current study has set a new pathway for legislative framework analysis and evaluation. Therefore, future research on the topic can build on the current study and compare the legislative frameworks across developing countries. The purpose would be to establish the similarities and differences, and to identify strengths and weaknesses, possibly leading to established principles of what works in a given context. Other studies on the topic could focus on benchmarking against developed countries on how they measure the efficacy of the legislative framework within their constriction industry.

Based on the preceding, these findings may apply to similar developing countries at a similar stage of construction industry development. However, the findings should be considered within the limitations of the study. The focus was on developing countries, particularly the Eswatini context. Each country presents a unique context and challenges, so the findings should be cautiously generalized.

While other studies in different contexts focus on developing legislative frameworks, the current study evaluated an existing legislative framework using defined criteria. The current study made a unique contribution by streamlining the features of effective and ineffective legislative frameworks. Hitherto, such information was scattered in literature but has been consolidated and applied empirically. Thus, the study has set benchmarks for analysing and evaluating legislative frameworks in developing countries.

The green building (GB) market is maturing after years of practice; therefore, incentives for promoting GB should be adapted to reflect the market transformation. Adapting incentives can positively influence stakeholders' motives, which in turn change stakeholders' behavioural intention towards GBs. Hence, this study aims to examine the parameters influencing the decision to adopt GB and to ascertain how incentive mechanisms promote the uptake of GB in South Africa.

Using a scoping literature review and a sequential mixed research method, primary data were acquired from GB experts in four South African provinces. In analysing the quantitative data, the factors were ranked hierarchically using the mean ranking technique and factor analysis was computed to identify the underlying GB incentives. The qualitative data were analysed using content analysis.

The results indicate that incentive payment from a utility energy efficiency programme, rebates and discounts relating to environmentally friendly materials and products and providing grants to homeowners and developers to go towards certification were the most essential monetary incentives for promoting GB. In the category of non-monetary incentives, recognition of consultant team members and developers and free marketing/good publicity were the most important incentives. The incentive mechanisms were subsequently categorised as “Economic incentives” and “Reward scheme and technical support”.

This study was confined to four metropolitan areas in South Africa. Nevertheless, the outcomes have practical implications for GB projects in general and may serve as a good reference for other provinces in South Africa.

The findings of the study are a valuable resource for stakeholders such as the government, municipal assemblies, professional bodies and the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) in developing effective incentive mechanisms to promote GB adoption. This study adds to the body of knowledge relevant to GB incentivisation in South Africa.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the predictable effect of economic and non-economic factors regarded as the most important to stimulate stakeholders’ behavioural intentions to adopt green building.

The primary data was collected from 106 green building accredited professionals in both the public and private sectors registered with the Green Building Council of South Africa. The data analysis techniques adopted include descriptive and inferential statistics, namely, factor analysis and logistic regression model (LRM).

The LRM results revealed five predictors and two control variables made a unique statistically significant contribution to the model. The strongest predictor to enhance the intention to adopt green building was a financial benefit (FB), recording an odds ratio of 9.1, which indicates that the likelihood to adopt is approximately 9.1 times more if FBs is evident.

It is anticipated that the most significant facilitators/enablers identified by built environment stakeholders will create an enabling environment to enhance the adoption of green building.

This research has contributed to the existing knowledge by developing a decision support model. The decision support model provides predictive indicators for clients, consultants and contractors to harness their resources and identify significant parameters to improve their decision-making in adopting green building.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the level of collaborative working among project partners in South African construction. The construction industry is made up of a plethora of entities trading as consultants, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and manufacturers. The effort and contributions of these entities with the input of clients result in completed projects. However, the performance of the industry has continued to generate more negative, rather than positive, headlines. Typical headlines include defects, rework, delays, injuries and accidents, all of which are mostly blamed on the endemic fragmented nature of the industry.

The assessment was undertaken through a quantitative survey conducted among general contractor (GC) members of the Master Builders South Africa.

Selected findings relative to the research include short-term objectives and price-oriented approach are prevalent in the industry; poor problem-solving mechanisms exist between project partners; poor use of modularisation; significant numbers of irregular clients and rigid adherence to contents of contract data.

The research findings provide an insight rather than definitive information due to the limited response rate of the survey.

The paper concludes that contractors should embrace collaborative procurement methods to improve performance and promote innovation in the industry.Recommendations include the availability of a consistent work load for the supply chain members as well as the improvement of the relationship between project partners, especially between contractors and their subcontractors/suppliers.

This issue is a selected bibliography covering the subject of leadership.

Purpose – In this chapter, I present a systematic discussion of the relationship between social work (SW) and library and information science (LIS) and explore how SW can contribute to the education of LIS practitioners so that they become more than information facilitators and grow professionally to be true agents of change.

Design/Methodology/Approach – Using engagement with immigrant communities as a case in point and building on the empirical comparative study of public librarians in the Greater Toronto Area and New York City, I outline the current gaps and deficiencies of LIS curricula that can be rectified through blended education. I also integrate the potential contributions of SW into LIS through the case study of an immigrant member of a library community.

Findings – Building on the case study, I introduce a four-tiered model that can be applied to a wide array of courses in LIS programs and conclude with suggestions for taking steps toward blending SW perspectives into the LIS curriculum.

Originality/Value – I position the potential fusion of SW and LIS as “professional blendedness,” which serves as a catalyst for change, and also examine the concept of the blended professional as a change agent. I introduce the rationale for adopting theoretical, practical, and pedagogical approaches from SW in the field of LIS and focus on four specific contributions that can most benefit LIS:

• the person-in-environment approach;

• the strengths perspective and empowerment;

• the interrelated notions of cultural competence, diversity, and intersectionality; and

• the theory-mindedness approach (including theory and practice models).

the person-in-environment approach;

the strengths perspective and empowerment;

the interrelated notions of cultural competence, diversity, and intersectionality; and

the theory-mindedness approach (including theory and practice models).

This paper explores the experiences of Lebanese and Ukrainian diasporans on the Canadian island of Newfoundland by using the concepts of host-region and reflective domestic ethnicity. ¹ It is based on fieldwork among the descendants of Lebanese immigrants who settled at the turn of the twentieth century (Hirschfeld Shibley) and recent immigrants from Ukraine (Lesiv). Many studies of diasporas explore the notion of ethnicity. These explorations often take place in large and representative diasporic settings that, in turn, offer platforms for diverse public expressions of ethnic identities reinforced by vibrant diasporic institutions. Newfoundland is a comparatively small territory and has historically been an unpopular destination for immigrants. Furthermore, in Canada, the island is known for its distinct regional sense of identity. The generalised framework of ‘hostland’ frequently used to embrace entire countries or continents is unsuitable for the present study. Via a narrower regional prism, our findings show that, albeit for dissimilar reasons, Lebanese and Ukrainian diasporans engage with their ethnic heritages predominantly in domestic spheres. We explore domestic ethnicity formation processes focusing on select creative expressions, including material objects.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a selected bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy.

The paper introduces and annotates periodical articles, monographs, and audiovisual material examining library instruction and information literacy.

The findings provide information about each source, discusses the characteristics of current scholarship, and describes sources that contain unique scholarly contributions and quality reproductions.

The information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a selected bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy.

Introduces and annotates English-language periodical articles, monographs and other materials on library instruction and information literacy published in 2013.

Provides information about each source, discusses the characteristics of current scholarship and describes sources that contain unique scholarly contributions and quality reproductions.

The information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.

The chapter seeks to address a current gap in the literature: envisioning and justifying community outreach projects and turning such insights into best practices for managing such projects. Drawing heavily on informational interviews, the article highlights the importance of defining shared missions and strategic plans, identifying partners, researching needs and expectations, building trust and partnerships, setting and fulfilling communication expectations, offering tangible benefits to the partner, and evaluating outcomes. While focused on health sciences librarians and their community partners, these practices are broadly applicable to many library outreach programs and can enhance credibility, approaches, and impact, while increasing funding opportunities and users while creating sustainable collaborations.