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With a view to ensuring the effective and efficient delivery of construction projects, this study evaluates the critical success factors (CSFs) for the adoption of gamification principles by construction professionals in developing countries, with an emphasis on Nigeria.

This study adopted a post-positivism philosophical approach, using a questionnaire survey to obtain quantitative data from 126 construction professionals in Lagos State. The data obtained were analyzed using frequencies, percentages, mean item scores (MIS), Kruskal–Wallis H-test and principal component analysis (PCA) as part of the exploratory factor analysis (EFA).

The findings indicated that the most significant factors for the adoption of gamification principles in the construction industry were “clear game mechanics and rules,” “incentives and rewards for users,” “secure and reliable technology infrastructure,” “real-time progress tracking and feedback” and “clear and measurable objectives.” Employing factor analysis, these CSFs were subsequently grouped into three primary clusters, namely “relevance and user experience,” “technology and support” and “integration and process.”

These findings not only enrich the existing theoretical framework but also provide a solid foundation upon which researchers can build for further theoretical development. This study also offers valuable insights that can inform and improve practical applications of gamification within the construction industry.

While prior research has explored gamification in various contexts, the unique contribution of this study is the thorough investigation of CSFs for gamification adoption specifically within the construction industry. In essence, this study fills a critical gap in the literature by offering fresh perspectives and tailored solutions for the construction industry's specific gamification needs.

The decision to bid or not to bid for new projects determines contractors’ propensity for business success or failure. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that affect the decision of indigenous construction contractors to bid or not to bid in Nigeria.

Analysis was conducted on data from questionnaires received from 64 engineering management employees of leading construction companies which are members of Nigeria’s Federation of Construction Industry. The study identified 41 significant decision factors often considered by Nigerian indigenous contractors before the bid. Mean item scores were obtained for each of the factors. Principal component analysis was used to point out the most significant decision factors.

Results revealed significant orthogonal relationships between the factors. Only 11 of the 41 factors are statistically significant to influence contractors’ decision to bid or not to bid. Most of the significant items were amongst the least rated items by the participants. The post hoc decision factors include consultant’s interpretation of project specifications, previous relationship between the intending bidder and client, availability of other projects at the time of bidding, technological complexity of the project under consideration and prequalification requirements. Others include the propensity for resource price fluctuation, business capacity of partners, amount of own work vs subcontracted work, required rate of return on investment and difficulty in obtaining finance.

The practical implication of these findings are as follows: the orthogonal relationship between the decision factors implies non-linear relationship between the factors and actual decision to bid or not to bid, and that bid success is often not predictable by bid behaviour; many of the bid decision factors rated highest by indigenous contractors seldom impact the contractors’ actual bid decisions; local and international players can adopt the significant decision factors elicited in this study for managing their structures for inter-organizational partnerships.

This study aims to compare the social support among patients with schizophrenia or methamphetamine dependency with healthy individuals.

Using convince sampling, the authors recruited 80 patients (schizophrenia, n = 40; methamphetamine dependency, n = 40) and their companions (healthy individuals, n = 40) who were referred to a psychiatric hospital in a cross-sectional study in Sari, Iran. In in-person interviews, the authors collected data on demographic characteristics and measured social support using a standardized questionnaire.

The three groups were similar regarding age and marital status, but different in gender distribution (p = 0.001). The average social support score was 58.0 in the schizophrenia group and 42.3 in the methamphetamine-dependent group, both significantly lower than 63.6 in the healthy group (p = 0.001). The social support scores in schizophrenia and methamphetamine-dependent groups were significantly lower than those in the healthy group across all subgroups of gender (p < 0.04), age (p < 0.05) and marital status (p < 0.001). The methamphetamine-dependent group had the lowest score overall and across all demographic groups and social support subdomains.

This study had two main limitations. First, the study samples were from one city and one hospital in the north of Iran and so may not be generalizable to other population and settings. Second, the authors did not study the causes or predictors of low social support like social stigma which should be studied in future studies.

Despite the limitations, this study found low social support for people diagnosed with schizophrenia or methamphetamine dependency. Intervention to increase social support for them, especially for those with substance use, is required.