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The pre-tender estimation process is still a hazy and inaccurate process, despite it has been practiced over decades, especially in Malaysia. The methods evolved over time largely depend on the amount of information available at the time of estimation. More often than not, the estimate produced during the pre-tender stage is far more than the tender cost of the project and sometimes, it is perilously underestimated and caused major problems to the client in the monetary planning. The purpose of this paper is to determine the most influential factors on the deviation of pre-tender cost estimation in Malaysia by conducting a survey.

Fuzzy logic, combined with artificial neural network method (fuzzy neural network) was then used to develop an estimating model to aid the pre-tender estimation process.

The results showed that the model is able to shift the cost estimation toward accuracy. This model can be used to improve the pre-tender estimation accuracy, enabling the client to take the necessary early measures in preparing the funding for a building project in Malaysia.

To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study on tender price estimation standardization for a construction project in Malaysia. In addition, the authors have used factors from literature for the model, which shows the thoroughness of the developed model. Thus, the findings and the model developed in this study should be able to assist contractors in coming out with a more accurate tender price estimation.

Changes in economic markets have made it necessary to understand the psychology of individual investors. Conducting effective studies on the decision of investors to buy stock in the stock market can be useful. Therefore, it is necessary to identify and prioritize the factors affecting the decision-making of investors to purchase shares of the stock exchange. The purpose of this study was to analyze causal relationships and to weight effective factors on individual investment to purchase shares of Tehran Stock Exchange.

The present study is applied research in the term of its purposes and a descriptive-survey one in the term of data gathering methods. The data required in this study was collected through library and field studies. The study population included 35 investment experts. In present study, multi-criteria decision-making techniques in type-2 fuzzy environments have been used to analyze the causal relationships and weighing the factors affecting individual investment in purchasing stock in the stock market.

In the study, 4 indicators and 20 sub-indicators influencing individual investors’ decision to purchase shares of Tehran Stock Exchange were selected based on the literature review in the field of investment in the stock exchange, as well as interviews with experts. Analyzing the opinions of experts showed that they have much paid attention to financial index compare to the economic, political and psychological indicators of the market in determining the priority of indicators. In analyzing sub-indicators, it was identified that Iranian investors pay special attention to economic and political developments, political news and international economic developments.

The present study has been carried out in Iran, and therefore, is geographically limited to Iran. In thematic terms, it is limited to effective factors of individual investments in Tehran Stock Exchange. The statistical population of present study was limited to investing experts in Tehran Stock Exchange. The difference in financial, economic, social and political conditions of individuals was another limitation of present study. The main consequences of research were the explanation of causes of investors’ higher attention to financial factors than economic, political and mental factors of market in buying stocks.

Given the uncertainty in the market status, using multi-criteria decision-making techniques in financial analysis can help decision-makers to make better decisions. In addition, it would be possible to take into account many variables that do not have a mathematical aspect but are important in decision-making and lead to increased decision-making satisfaction. The research initially analyzed causal relationships of determinants of individual investment on stock exchange for buying stocks through a type-2 fuzzy approach.

This study explored whether the critical incident management systems (CIMS) model can predict the EMS performance in the COVID-19 context. Past research has established the significance of early detection and response (ER) in the context of Ebola virus disease (EVD), prompting a question of whether the model can also be helpful in the COVID-19 context. Consequently, the authors assessed whether ER influences the impact of communication capacity (CC), reliable information channel (RC) and environment (EN) on COVID-19 EMS performance. Assessing these relationships will advance emerging infectious disease (EID) preparedness.

The authors employed standardized measurement instruments of the CIMS model (CC, ER, RC and EN) to predict the performance of COVID-19 EMS using structural equation modeling (SEM) in a study of 313 participants from frontline responders.

The results show that the relationship of ER and EN with COVID-19 EMS performance is positive, while that of EN on CC is negative. The relationship between EN and COVID-19 EMS performance was insignificant. Contrary to the hypothesis, CC was negatively significant to COVID-19 EMS performance due to poor communication capacities.

The authors acknowledge some limitations due to challenges faced in this study. First, Data collection was a significant limitation as these questionnaires were built and distributed in June 2020, but the response time was prolonged due to the recurring nature of the pandemic. The authors had wanted to implore the inputs of all stakeholders, and efforts were made to reach out to various Ministry of Health, the local CDC and related agencies in the region via repeated emails explaining the purpose of the study to no avail. The study finally used the frontline workers as the respondents. The authors used international students from various countries as the representatives to reach out to their countries' frontline workers. Second, since the study was only partially supported using the CIMS model, future studies may combine the CIMS model with other models or theories. Subsequent research reassesses this outcome in other contexts or regions. Consequently, further research can explore how CC can be improved with COVID-19 and another future EID in the region. This may improve the COVID-19 EMS performance, thereby expanding the lesson learned from the pandemic and sustaining public health EID response. Additionally, other authors may combine the CIMS model with other emergency management models or theories to establish a fully supported theoretical model in the context of COVID-19.

The findings have practical implications for incident managers, local CDCs, governments, international organizations and scholars. The outcome of the study might inform these stakeholders on future direction and contribution to EID preparedness. This study unfolds the impact of lessons learned in the region demonstrated by moderating early detection and responses with other constructs to achieve COVID-19 EMS performance. The findings reveal that countries that experienced the 2013–2016 Ebola outbreak, were not necessarily more prepared for an epidemic or pandemic, judging by the negative moderating impact of early detection and response. However, these experiences provide a foundation for the fight against COVID-19. There is a need for localized plans tailored to each country's situation, resources, culture and lifestyle. The localized plan will be to mitigate and prevent an unsustainable EID management system, post-epidemic fund withdrawals and governance. This plan might be more adaptable and sustainable for the local health system when international interventions are withdrawn after an epidemic. Public health EID plans must be adapted to each country's unique situation to ensure sustainability and constantly improve EID management of epidemics and pandemics in emergency response. The high to moderate importation risk in African countries shows Africa's largest window of vulnerability to be West Africa (Gilbert et al., 2020). Therefore, they should be in the spotlight for heightened assistance towards the preparedness and response for a future pandemic like COVID-19. The West African region has a low capacity to manage the health emergency to match the population capacities. The COVID-19 outbreak in West Africa undoubtedly inflicted many disruptions in most countries' economic, social and environmental circumstances. The region's unique challenges observed in this study with CC and reliable information channels as being negatively significant highlight the poor maintenance culture and weak institutions due to brain drain and inadequate training and monitoring. This outcome practically informs West African stakeholders and governments on aspects to indulge when trying to improve emergency preparedness as the outcomes from other regions might not be applicable.

This study explored the relevance of the CIMS model in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, revealing different patterns of influence on COVID-19 EMS performance. In contrast to the extant literature on EVD, the authors found the moderating effects of ER in the COVID-19 context. Thus, the authors contribute to the COVID-19 EMS performance domain by developing a context-driven EMS model. The authors discuss the theoretical and practical implications.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of social media advertising features (interactivity, perceived relevance, informativeness and entertainment) on brand engagement in the fast food industry. It was also designed to identify the effect of brand engagement on purchase intention.

The data was gathered from 258 customers of fast food restaurants in United Arab Emirates using an online survey. The collected data was analyzed via the partial least square approach (PLS-SEM) to verify the hypotheses and reach at conclusions.

The findings indicated that social media advertising features have positive effects on brand engagement. In particular, it was found that interactivity, perceived relevance, informativeness and entertainment are positively associated with brand engagement. The results also confirmed that brand engagement has a positive effect on purchase intention.

This study provides a noteworthy contribution to the literature by examining the effect of four unique social media advertising features on consumer engagement. By looking at previous studies, it can also be observed there is a limited empirical research on the effect of perceived relevance and informativeness on brand engagement. It further focuses on covering existing gaps in the literature concerning the effect of brand engagement on purchase intention in the fast food industry setting. This is one of the earlier studies that collectively examined these factors in model; particularly, in fast food industry setting with empirical data from a Middle East country.

The purpose of this review paper is to provide a review of the most recent advances in the field of manufacturing composite sandwich panels along with their advantages and limitations. The other purpose of this paper is to familiarize the researchers with the available developments in manufacturing sandwich structures.

The most recent research articles in the field of manufacturing various composite sandwich structures were reviewed. The review process started by categorizing the available sandwich manufacturing techniques into nine main categories according to the method of production and the equipment used. The review is followed by outlining some automatic production concepts toward composite sandwich automated manufacturing. A brief summary of the sandwich manufacturing techniques is given at the end of this article, with recommendations for future work.

It has been found that several composite sandwich manufacturing techniques were proposed in the literature. The diversity of the manufacturing techniques arises from the variety of the materials as well as the configurations of the final product. Additive manufacturing techniques represent the most recent trend in composite sandwich manufacturing.

This work is valuable for all researchers in the field of composite sandwich structures to keep up with the most recent advancements in this field. Furthermore, this review paper can be considered as a guideline for researchers who are intended to perform further research on composite sandwich structures.

The purpose of this study is to fabricate and compare the mechanical and thermal properties of Sansevieria and Kaans fiber reinforced polyester matrices composites.

Treated Sansevieria and Kaans fiber was used as reinforcement for the fabrication of polymer matrix composites. Kaans fiber, which was available plenty in the delta region, but physical and mechanical properties of Kaans fiber were low when it compared with Sansevieria fiber. To make use of Kaans fiber for the fabrication of composite, the physical and mechanical properties have to be enhanced. So Egg shell powder was selected as a filler material to enhance the Kaans fiber reinforced composite. The selected fibers were properly weaved after alkali treatment. A three-layered (0°/45°/0°) Sansevieria fiber reinforced polymer (S-FRP) and Kaans fiber reinforced polymer (K-FRP) composite plates were fabricated using the compression molding method. As per American Society for Testing and Materials standards, the specimens were cut and mechanical, thermal and absorption properties of Sansevieria and Kaans fiber composites were investigated experimentally.

Tensile and flexural test reveals that K-FRP composite has good ductility and bending property than S-FRP composite plate. But from the other test results, S-FRP possesses high elongation capability than K-FRP. Thermo gravimetric analysis, moisture absorption and swelling test too done which clearly appeared S-FRP composite plate has prevalent execution than K-FRP composite plate.

This original research study enlists the mechanical, thermal properties and absorption properties of fabricated S-FRP and K-FRP composite plates.

The purpose of this paper is to utilise a “Wuli-Shili-Renli (WSR)” system approach to create models for complex smart building energy management and evaluate the establishment of a building energy management platform.

The complexity and diversity of the data and demands of the energy management platform mean that it is necessary to analyse comprehensively. This paper uses a WSR system approach to handle, and optimise, the relationship between demands and participants and improve the whole platform. Then, this paper establishes comprehensive evaluation models to analysis the current energy management platforms by using the best integration platform as the baseline.

The WSR conceptual model clarifies the relationship between the elements and elements of the energy management platform clearly and provides the appropriate analytical methods with which to resolve key platform construction issues. The comprehensive evaluation based on a WSR system approach can take into account the systematic effect, so it is more accurate.

The correlation degree between the layers of the energy management platform is rarely reflected.

This paper improves the modelling method used in the WSR system approach and demonstrates that the comprehensive evaluation based on the WSR system approach analyses the energy management platform for public buildings in a synthetic approach.

The reemergence of immersive virtual technology (IVR) provides both opportunities and challenges for workplace learning (WPL). The purpose of this study is to explore and develop knowledge about how gamification influences the WPL experience by addressing two research questions: RQ1. What characterizes a gamified immersive safety training experience with IVR technology? and RQ2. How does gamified immersive safety training with IVR technology impact the WPL experience?

The study adopted a mixed methods approach by combining a systematic literature review with a case study on an empirical project about immersive fire safety training for train operators that are used at the Swedish train operating company SJ. The case study included data from semistructured interviews, Web survey and observation studies. The data was analyzed in two stages combining inductive and deductive data analysis for identifying themes and categories.

The findings of the study are twofold: (1) themes that conceptualize the gamified immersive safety training experience based on outputs from both the literature review and the first round of data analysis; and (2) a framework with three overarching categories that are mapped with the identified themes, and which were deduced throughout the second round of data analysis.

The originality of the findings stresses the implications of how a body of knowledge that synthesizes gamification concepts with immersive safety training, can inform the design of WPL experiences that are facilitated with IVR technology. As such, the implications of the findings are targeted toward both the advancement of the IVR discourse in the WPL field, but also toward practical considerations for design of immersive learning experiences that enrich WPL practices and culture.

Compulsive buying continues to be a maladaptive behavior that draws the attention of both scholars and marketers. The present study aims to investigate the determinants of compulsive buying, which are conceptualized as impulsive and obsessive–compulsive buying, and the mediation effect of brand attachment.

Using purposive sampling, a self-administered questionnaire was completed by 600 young consumers in Malaysia. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized relationships.

The results show that materialism, utilitarian value, and brand attachment are positively related to impulsive buying, while materialism, hedonic value, and brand attachment have a positive effect on obsessive–compulsive buying. In addition, brand attachment is found to mediate the effect of materialism and utilitarian value on both compulsive buying.

The study provides new insights into brand management literature by examining the predictors of impulsive and obsessive–compulsive buying. Moreover, brand attachment is found to be a significant mechanism that induces negative buying behavior. However, due to the growth of online shopping, future research should consider different types of retailers to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the subject matter in the modern business landscape.

Being one of the few studies to address both impulsive and obsessive–compulsive buying behaviors among consumers, this study highlights the essential role of brand attachment as a mediator in the contemporary setting. Moreover, the interrelationships between self-congruence, materialism, hedonic value, utilitarian value, brand attachment, and compulsive buying behavior are examined in a holistic manner.