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The predominant narrative is that contemporary organisations, motivated by economic-rationalist aspirations, adopt cloud applications on the premise of achieving cost-savings and efficiency gains. However, how they actually adopt and rollover such new or emerging technologies may be influenced by acts, patterns and processes of institutional legitimacy. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore the dynamics surrounding decisions on how specific cloud applications are adopted from the context of institutional theory, with a particular focus on the concepts of coupling and decoupling.

To examine this phenomenon, two qualitative case studies, using a reflexive research approach, of an Australian and a Swedish university have been undertaken, both of which adopted commercial cloud applications for e.g. e-mail, collaboration and storage (as examples of software as a service) at different points in time. One of the universities was known for its early adoption of cloud applications, but had decelerated further deployment of such services, while the other, despite its conservative reputation, has made rapid strides in this regard.

The findings of the dual case studies reveal that organisations, contrary to economic-rationalist claims, may or may not decide to adopt particular commercial cloud-based offerings for the support of core operations, on the basis of how they perceive their institutional legitimacy being affected by a complex network of influential actors, both internally and in the external spaces. Therefore, this paper offers an institutional theory-based discourse and rich illustrations on how the role of technology is played out in enhancing relationships between an organisation and such actors in terms of legitimacy focusing acts of coupling and decoupling.

In the analysis and findings the authors, in a novel way, illustrate how organisations strive for: institutional legitimacy through acts of coupling, and the revelations of consequential decoupling. The value is based on a rich case description, analysis and application of institutional theory.

Timely removal of formwork is one of the crucial aspects of construction management that directly influences the safety and quality of the structure as well as the economy of the project. Code recommendations in this regard are not widely practiced because of the difficulties in their implementations. Also, such code recommendations are not robust for all the possible construction conditions. The present paper proposes an IoT-enabled system that notifies the minimum striking time of vertical formwork based on a specified target compressive strength.

An IoT device is proposed for the timely removal of vertical formwork by monitoring of early age concrete compressive strength in real-time. The maturity method is utilized for this purpose. The implementation of the proposed system is demonstrated on three concrete columns. The proposed system is found to be suitable for any construction condition.

The proposed system is a novel, cost-effective, IoT-enabled real-time monitoring system which includes features like cloud connectivity and remote monitoring. This system can be easily implemented at the site without any human intervention.

The study explores the development of an IoT device for the timely removal of vertical formwork which will ensure quality, safety and productivity in concrete construction.

This paper is the first attempt to determine the minimum striking time of vertical formwork using IoT-based technology.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the causal relationship between economic development and financial sector development for 28 countries at different stages of their development. The authors specifically focus on the nature of causality during economic boom and tranquil cycles.

The study uses quarterly time series panels of 17 developed and 11 emerging countries, during 1993Q1-2014Q4 with each having three sub-panels – full sample, a period of the economic uptrend (UP), and period of the economic downtrend. The authors use a univariate analysis for initial screening followed by panel unit root test, panel co-integration and causality test proposed by Toda–Yamamoto to examine the causal relationship.

The principal results suggest that for developed economies, there is a causal flow from financial sector to real sector in line with the “supply-leading” hypothesis, whereas for emerging economies, it is from real sector to financial sector, in line with the “demand-following” hypothesis. This overall relationship is strong for both emerging and developed economies during economic boom or UP cycles, but becomes weak during economic downturns or tranquil periods.

This study is different from previous studies on this issue and contributes to the existing literature in a number of ways. First, the focus of this paper revolves around identification of differential patterns in causal flows between real and financial sectors for different economies, across different economic cycles. Second, to present a robust representation of financial sector, the authors consider both banking sector and stock market parameters as the proxy for financial sector development. Third, the authors address the “stock-flow problem” in the measurement of financial variables a typical criticism of some of the previous studies. Finally, the authors use a rich sample size comprising of about 2,500 quarterly observations for each variable, with about 1,500 observations from developed and 1,000 from emerging economies.

The disconnect between producers and consumers is a fundamental issue causing irregularities, inefficiencies and leakages in the agricultural sector, leading to detrimental impacts on all stakeholders, particularly farmers. Despite the potential benefits of Metaverse technology, including enhanced virtual representations of physical reality and more efficient and sustainable crop and livestock management, research on its impact in agriculture remains scarce. This study aims to address this gap by identifying the critical success factors (CSFs) for adopting Metaverse technology in agriculture, thereby paving the way for further exploration and implementation of innovative technologies in the agricultural sector.

The research employed integrated methodology to identify and prioritise critical success criteria for Metaverse adoption in the agricultural sector. By adopting a mixed-method technique, the study identified a total of 15 CSFs through a literature survey and expert consultation, focusing on agricultural and technological professionals and categorising them into three categories, namely “Technological”, “User Experience” and “Intrinsic” using Kappa statistics. Further, the study uses grey systems theory and the Ordinal Priority Approach to prioritise the CSFs based on their weights.

The study identifies 15 CSFs essential for adopting Metaverse technology in the agricultural sector. These factors are categorised into Technological, User Experience-related and Intrinsic. The findings reveal that the most important CSFs for Metaverse adoption include market accessibility, monetisation support and integration with existing systems and processes.

Identifying CSFs is essential for successful implementation as a business strategy, and it requires a collaborative effort from all stakeholders in the agriculture sector. The study identifies and prioritises CSFs for Metaverse adoption in the agricultural sector. Therefore, this study would be helpful to practitioners in Metaverse adoption decision-making through a prioritised list of CSFs in the agricultural sector.

The study contributes to the theory by integrating two established theories to identify critical factors for sustainable agriculture through Metaverse adoption. It enriches existing literature with empirical evidence specific to agriculture, particularly in emerging economies and reveals three key factor categories: technological, user experience-related and intrinsic. These categories provide a foundational lens for exploring the impact, relevance and integration of emerging technologies in the agricultural sector. The findings of this research can help policymakers, farmers and technology providers encourage adopting Metaverse technology in agriculture, ultimately contributing to the development of environment-friendly agriculture practices.

In this paper, we present a modified k‐ε model capable of addressing turbulent weld‐pool convection in the presence of a continuously evolving phase‐change interface during a gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process. The phase change aspects of the present problem are addressed using a modified enthalpy‐porosity technique. The k‐ε model is suitably modified to account for the morphology of the solid‐liquid interface. The two‐dimensional mathematical model is subsequently utilised to simulate a typical GTAW process with high power, where effects of turbulent transport can actually be realised. Finally, we compare the results from turbulence modelling with the corresponding results from a laminar model, keeping all processing parameters unaltered. The above comparison enables us to analyse the effects of turbulent transport during the arc welding process.

Ores and minerals are extracted from the earth’s crust depending on the type of deposit. Iron ore mines come under massive deposit patterns and have their own mine development and life cycles. This study aims to depict the development and life cycle of large open-pit iron ore mines and the intertwined organizational design of the departments/sections operated within the industry.

Primary data were collected on the site by participant observation, in-depth interviews of the field staff and executives, and field notes. Secondary data were collected from the literature review to compare and cite similar or previous studies on each mining activity. Finally, interactions were conducted with academic experts and top field executives to validate the findings. An organizational ethnography methodology was employed to study and analyse four large-scale iron ore mines of India’s largest iron-producing state, Odisha, from January to April 2023.

Six stages were observed for development and life cycle, and the operations have been depicted in a schematic diagram for ease of understanding. The intertwined functioning of organizational set-up is also discovered.

The paper will benefit entrepreneurs, mining and geology students, new recruits, and professionals in allied services linked to large iron ore mines. It offers valuable insights for knowledge enhancement, operational manual preparation and further research endeavours.

Self-healing concrete is a revolutionary building material that will generally reduce the maintenance cost of concrete constructions. Self-healing of cracks in concrete structure would contribute to a longer service life of the concrete and would make the material more durable and more sustainable. The cementitious mortar with/without incorporating encapsulates at different percentages of slag replacement with the cement mix improves autogenous healing at different ages. Therefore, this study’s aim is to develop a self-healing cementitious matrix for repair and retrofitting of concrete structures.

In the present work, waste straw pipes are used as a capsule, filled with the solution of sodium hydroxide (NaOH), sodium silicate (Na₂SiO₃) and colloidal nano-silica as self-healing activators. An artificial micro-crack on the control and blended mortar specimens at different percentages of slag replacement with cement (with/without encapsulation) is developed by applying a compressive load of 50% of its ultimate load-carrying capacity. The mechanical strength and ultrasonic pulse velocity, water absorption and chloride ion penetration test are conducted on the concrete specimen before and after the healing period. Finally, the self-healing activity of mortar mixes with/without encapsulation is analysed at different ages.

The encapsulated mortar mix with 10% of slag content has better self-healing potential than all other mixes considering mechanical strength and durability. The enhancement of the self-healing potential of such mortar mix is mainly due to hydration of anhydrous slag on the crack surface and transformation of amorphous slag to the crystalline phase in presence of encapsulated fluid.

The self-healing activities of the slag-based cementitious composite are studied for a healing period of 90 days only. The strength and durability performance of the cracked specimen may be increased after a long healing period.

The outcome of the work will help repair the cracks in the concrete structure and enhances the service life.

This study identifies the addition encapsulates with a self-healing activator fluid that can recover its strength after minor damage.