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Organizations are full of contradictions and leadership dilemmas. Managers often face challenges such as selecting between two contradicting options such that which one is more important can hardly be judged. To manage contradicting dynamics, today’s managers can adopt the paradoxical leadership approach. We build a theoretical model to investigate the influence of paradoxical leadership on multi-dimensional project agility (proactivity, adaptability, and resilience), and multi-dimensional project success (management, investment, and ownership success).

Drawing on survey-based data from the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) megaproject (N = 209), we performed covariance-based structural equation modeling to test the conceptual model.

The findings show that (1) paradoxical leadership has a significant positive impact on megaproject success, (2) paradoxical leadership has a significant positive influence on project agility, (3) project agility has a significant positive effect on megaproject success, and (4) project agility has a significant effect that mediates the link between paradoxical leadership and megaproject success. This research provides a theoretical and practical comprehension of paradoxical leadership with a new perspective on megaprojects.

This study provides an extension of the existing studies on paradoxical leadership and identifies the role of contradicting dynamics and their impact on multiple facets of megaproject success. It not only clarifies the relationship between paradoxical leadership and megaproject success, but also identifies the mediating role of project agility that can play an effective role in mobilizing success in megaprojects.

Failures in both followership and leadership become inevitable as mega construction projects are directed and controlled by toxic leaders. Consequently, team member's desire for knowledge hoarding silence is triggered and goal alignment between the leader and team members suddenly fades away to realize success in mega projects. Considering the growing importance of these rarely examined constructs and fragmented literature on toxic leadership (TL), team silence and mega project success (PS) in the global construction industry, the present study aimed to examine the effects of TL and project team member's silence (PTMS) on the success of mega construction projects. Moreover, the mediating influence of PTMS to link TL and mega construction PS has also been explored.

Drawing on survey data of 326 project professionals directly associated with mega construction projects worth US$62bn under the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the conceptual model was tested with covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) using Mplus program. Scales were adapted from previous research to measure TL (with its five-dimensions including abusive supervision, authoritarian leadership, self-promotion, narcissism and unpredictability), PS (with its three-dimensions including project management success, project ownership success and project investment success) and project team members' silence. Reflective–formative second order assessments were specifically applied to measure the multi-dimensional nature of TL and PS, respectively.

Mplus estimations revealed that TL negatively influences PS, besides forcing a culture of silence among project team members. Interestingly, the relationship between TL and PS is also negatively mediated by the PTMS.

The present study's findings are derived from data of project professionals (N = 326) to examine success in megaprojects under the CPEC. Hence, these findings may be re-validated through future studies on similar megaprojects (e.g. China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) worth US$8tn) that may also be predicated by TL tendencies, silent cultures and high-stakes involved to seize PS.

Policymakers, construction practitioners and other key stakeholders (e.g. departmental heads/supervisors) can take advantage of this new evidence to better interpret the success paradox in mega projects, and to reduce the spread and long-term damage of TL on team members and eventually create opportunities for PS.

The present study's novelty is manifested within this first empirical evidence on TL that breeds team silence in underperforming mega projects. Notably, present study offers alarming evidence on mega projects that can be easily derailed from success, as they continue to suffer from team silence and TL.

As more owners seek to develop sustainable buildings, the construction industry is adapting to new requirements in order to meet owners' concerns. Recently, a significant change in the construction industry has been the increased interest in sustainable materials. Sustainable materials are the potential resource to mitigate the impact on the environment and bring significant economic, social, and environmental benefits. For an efficient materials selection process, the content of information should match decision makers' needs and requirements. Although the availability of various information sources on sustainable materials is increasing, researchers have not agreed upon a clear designation, often leading to imprecise definition of the term and its usage. This paper seeks to address these issues.

This study attempts to understand sustainability by concentrating on how this term is reflected in construction materials' images and perceived by design and construction students and practitioners. A measurement instrument is developed based on a literature review and further tested with web‐based evaluation of brick to measure user‐based assessment of product sustainability.

Results of exploratory factor analysis are used to refine the instrument and indicate the main sustainability factors which may be used as guidelines for information developers to present suitable information in materials' databases.

This paper fulfils an identified need to study how perceptions may affect decision making to increase the understanding of issues affecting knowledge in product sustainability and awareness of sustainable materials.

This systematic literature review (SLR) aims to critically analyze the current academic research on the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in supply chain management (SCM) and develop a theoretical framework and future research agenda.

Through a comprehensive review of 68 relevant papers, this study synthesizes the findings to identify key themes based on extended technology-organization-environment (TOE) theory.

This study analyzes AI integration in SCM based on the TOE framework, identifying drivers (technological, organizational, environmental and human), barriers (technical, organizational, economic and human) and outcomes (operational, environmental, social and economic) of AI adoption. It emphasizes AI's potential in improving SCM practices like resilience, process improvement and sustainable operations, contributing to better decision-making, efficiency and sustainable practices. The study also provided a novel framework that offers insights for strategic AI integration in SCM, aiding policymakers and managers in understanding and leveraging AI's multifaceted impact.

The originality of the study lies in the development of a theoretical framework that not only elucidates the drivers and barriers of AI in SCM but also maps the operational, financial, environmental and social outcomes of AI-enabled practices. This framework serves as a novel tool for policymakers and managers, offering specific, actionable insights for the strategic integration of AI in supply chains (SCs). Furthermore, the study's value is underscored by its potential to guide policy formulation and managerial decision-making, with a focus on optimizing SC efficiency, sustainability and resilience through AI adoption.

This study aims to address Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies that can improve the research and implementation of lean supply chain management (LSCM) and the enhanced LSCM subfields in I4.0 technologies.

The authors conducted a systematic literature review to detect, categorize and assess recent data, highlighting patterns and providing suggestions for potential research in this field, to investigate I4.0 literature and its effect on LSCM. The authors examined 79 published types of research from the Scopus database that were published between 2010 and 2021 and classified them into four LSCM fields: logistics, production, supply chain and marketing.

The authors can emphasize the fact that the literature on this topic is in progress, from early German academic research to the current creation of new effects around the world. The majority of the potential effects investigated were discovered to improve specific areas that ultimately enhance the practices of the four LSCM domains as well as performance outcomes. The authors were also able to assess the extent to which present and upcoming I4.0 technologies can improve LSCM research and implementation.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of its kind. Although some research looked into various areas of I4.0 and LSCM topics, there has been no research specifically looking into the impact of I4.0 on LSCM. The originality of this study lies in the treatment of the main fields and sub-fields of LSCM, which can benefit from the technologies of I4.0. Academic scholars interested in the research topics may benefit from the findings of this study. Organizations in various industrial sectors, particularly manufacturing, where lean thinking is used, business professionals specialized in lean operations and supply chain management, along with anyone else who wants to learn more about the interrelationships between I4.0 and LSCM.

Locating disaster response centers is one of the key elements of efficient relief operations. The location and infrastructure of the candidate facilities usually conform to the required criteria at different levels. This study aims to identify the criteria for the main and local distribution center location problem separately and prioritize each candidate distribution center using a hybrid multiple criteria decision-making approach.

The proposed model incorporates analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solutions (TOPSIS) under interval type-2 fuzzy sets (IT2FSs) to overcome the uncertainty of experts` judgments and expressions in the evaluations of candidate distribution centers. In the proposed approach, weights of the criteria are determined using type-2 fuzzy AHP and the candidate distribution centers are prioritized using type-2 fuzzy TOPSIS.

Transportation, cost, infrastructure and security are determined as the main criteria for the main distribution center location criteria. Cost, warehouse facilities and security are the main criteria for local distribution center location selection. Prioritization enables decision-makers to assess each alternative accordingly to be able to select the best locations/facilities for efficient disaster response operations.

This study proposes new multi-criteria decision support models for prioritizing disaster response distribution centers. IT2FSs are used to be able to reflect both the complexity and vagueness of disaster environment and expert opinions. Different support models are suggested for main and local distribution centers considering their different missions. The proposed methodology is applied in Istanbul city, Turkey, where a high-magnitude earthquake is expected.

Increasingly, universities are adopting social media as a strategy to improve their competitive advantage. However, little is known of whether or not stakeholders are actually engaging with universities in such online environments. The purpose of this paper is, first, to analyze the level of stakeholders’ engagement via social media, particularly Facebook, in European and US universities. Second, to examine the influencing factors that boost online interactions, in particular, “location,” “transparency,” “size,” “academic performance” and “activity.”

An engagement index and a multivariate regression analysis were carried out. Regarding the sample, European and US universities belonging to the “Top 100” of the Academic Ranking of World Universities were analyzed.

Despite the large online community that US universities possess, European universities attain the higher level of online engagement from its stakeholders. In particular, the greatest level of engagement is achieved by European universities of greater size, in terms of students, with lower academic performance and a lower level of online activity.

This study contributes to existing literature by identifying the actual social impact of social media to build successful relationships with the stakeholders of higher education entities.

This paper can contribute to the current scarcity of literature concerning social media to improve new models of accountability in higher education entities with different managerial models.

Colombia presents with one of the largest armed conflicts in the world. Children exposed directly or indirectly to armed conflicts live the emotional footprints left by war. This paper aims to identify mental health problems among children survivors of Colombia’s armed conflict and associated factors.

A cross-sectional study with (n = 80) children aged 7 to 11 years (M = 9.8 years; SD = 1.4) was conducted using the Child Behavior Checklist, Family APGAR and MOS social support survey adaptation to children. Linear regression analyses were also performed with emotional and behavioral problems as the outcomes and related factors as the predictors.

Clinical levels of emotional and behavioral problems were found in 56.3% of children. Internalizing problems (63.7%) were more common than externalizing problems (51.2%). Older children had greater emotional problems at the trend level, and those with higher functioning families had lower emotional problems. Children with higher perceived social support had lower behavior problems at the trend level.

This study includes a sample facing multiple risks and uses a holistic approach to consider family and social resources that may support children who are survivors of the armed conflict in Colombia. These results provide a foundation for future promotion and prevention programs related to children’s mental health problems to support peacebuilding within the framework of the Colombian post-conflict process.

To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to collect empirical data on the mental health of children survivors of Colombia’s armed conflict focused in the Atlantic Department.