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Public investment programming is a complex exercise and involves a number of factors. These include social, economical, environmental, technological and political factors. In addition, each of the factors depends on many subfactors. For example, the economic factor depends on project impact on local and national economy, number of beneficiaries, and opportunity cost of work lost. The Public Projects Programming System (3PS) is mainly a decision support system aimed at helping senior decision makers in the public sector to program the implementation of public investment projects. A multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) approach was used based on the weighted average multi‐criteria analysis (WAMA) model. The structure (database, model base, and user interface) of the 3PS is presented. A case study, in the northern suburbs of Beirut, shows the implementation of the system in a real post conflict reconstruction environment in Lebanon.

This study investigates trends in environmental leadership research in the MENA region from 2003 to 2023, highlighting the region’s unique environmental challenges and the increasing importance of sustainability governance.

A systematic review of 140 articles was conducted using VOSviewer and Biblioshiny to identify key theoretical landscapes, research streams and contextual factors. The findings are analysed within the PEST framework to explore the influence of political, economic, social and technological dimensions on environmental leadership.

Research activity in environmental leadership within the MENA region has significantly increased post-2012, driven by global sustainability initiatives and regional policies such as Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. Key themes include sustainability governance, corporate social responsibility and the application of ISO 14001 standards, reflecting the region’s strategic priorities amidst socio-political and economic complexities.

By addressing gaps in the literature, this study integrates the PEST framework to offer a nuanced understanding of environmental leadership, contributing to theoretical advancements and practical applications in sustainability governance.

The present paper presents the major causes of delays in the construction industry in Lebanon and the relative importance of these postponements. A survey of a randomly selected sample of 11 owners, 15 contractors and 10 architectural/engineering (A/E) firms from Lebanon was undertaken. The survey included 64 causes of delay, grouped into 10 major groups, in which the participants were asked to indicate their level of importance of each delay. The level of importance of the causes and the groups were measured and ranked by the importance index for owners, contractors and A/E firms. It was found that all three parties generally agreed on the ranking of the major categories of delay factors. Owners had more concerns with regard to financial issues, while contractors ranked contractual relationships highest, and finally, A/E firms ranked project management highest.

Sustainable construction is a way for the building industry to move towards achieving sustainable development, taking into account environmental, socio‐economic and cultural issues. Buildings, infrastructure and the environment are inextricably linked. Energy, materials, water and land are all consumed in the construction and operation of buildings and infrastructure. These built structures are also part of our living environment, affecting our living conditions, social well‐being and health. It is therefore important to explore environmentally and economically sound design and development techniques to ensure that buildings and infrastructure are sustainable, healthy and affordable. The objective of this paper is to investigate the role that the construction industry is playing in the sustainable development management globally and in Lebanon particularly. Survey questionnaires were distributed to main construction industry players: Contractors, Architects/Engineers and Owners/Developers. These questionnaires are designed to collect information on companies’ environmental awareness and social responsibilities and current practices that include land development, material selections, energy efficiency, construction operations, waste handling, storage facilities, sustainable designs and so on. The information is then analysed and recommendations are made on how to learn from socially responsible companies and how to improve the overall sustainable development of the construction industry in Lebanon.

This paper aims to propose a methodology to develop an organizational memory to benefit from team knowledge and to make the design of electromechanical devices processes more efficient.

Different frameworks and methods were analyzed from literature, obtaining key ideas to be included in the methodology developed and considering other approaches to apply in team knowledge about design processes. The research was conducted as a case study in a Mexican small and medium-sized enterprises dedicated to the manufacturing and installation of electromechanical devices where the methodology was implemented.

A five-stage methodology was developed which consisted of preparation, identification, capture & storage, dissemination & application and finally the evaluation & feedback stage. An implementation of the described processes was carried out, which was materialized into a technological tool that represents the organizational memory where knowledge was captured, organized and disseminated.

This study offers guidelines that can be applied in other organizations where team knowledge on design processes have not been adequately used for company’s improvement. The application of this methodology could be a strategy that enabled team knowledge to store their experience. This knowledge could then be consulted and recovered by the workgroup in an effective manner to solve new problems.

A methodological proposal to develop an organizational memory about team knowledge was developed. To evaluate the impact of the methodology implementation, a variety of indicators were proposed, which were classified as economic, organizational and performance indicators.

This research investigates the complex relationship between economic policy uncertainty (EPU), energy consumption and institutional factors in the Gulf region. The purpose of this study is to examine how institutional factors moderate the impact of EPU on energy consumption in Gulf countries.

This paper uses the dynamic panel autoregressive distributed lag (PARDL) method, over a period stretching from 1996 to 2021 in the Gulf countries.

The results show that, only in the long term, EPU has a positive and significant impact on energy consumption, suggesting that increased EPU leads to increased energy use. Furthermore, this study found that, only in the long term, government effectiveness and regulatory quality have positive and significant effect on energy consumption. Accordingly, the two institutional factors play a moderating role in the EPU−energy consumption nexus.

This study highlights the importance of considering the time dimension when formulating energy and economic policies in Gulf countries. Policymakers should take into consideration the nature of these relationships to make informed decisions that promote energy efficiency and economic stability in the region.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study examining the relationship between EPU and energy consumption in the Gulf countries while incorporating the role of institutional factors as potential mediators.

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of information technologies and technology-enabled social networks on the efficiency of knowledge management processes in the Middle Eastern audit and consulting companies.

Scientific literature analysis, structural equation modeling and expert evaluation (structured questionnaire) were used to develop the research model, collect data from the audit and consulting companies’ experts and test the research hypotheses.

The empirical results of this research supported the hypotheses stating that information technologies and social networks positively affect the knowledge management cycle, including five processes (acquisition, creation, storage, sharing and application) within the Middle Eastern audit and consulting companies.

The research results were generated from the Middle Eastern audit and consulting companies, which form a limitation concerning the geographical area and the business sector.

From the results of this study, audit and consulting companies, as well as organizations and society broadly, would benefit via the positive effect of information technologies and technology-enabled social networks on the whole knowledge management cycle, which has a further impact on organizational performance. These practical implications are related to a more open, sharing culture that drives organizational performance to the members and stakeholders of organizations, which, in turn, benefits society.

This research analyzes information technologies and technology-enabled social networks’ impact on knowledge management processes, particularly in the context of the Middle Eastern audit and consulting companies. While the phenomena have received some attention in the prior scientific research, the studied context so far remained under-researched, where a gap is found in studying the knowledge management cycle as a whole.

The aim of the paper is to analyze the different aspects of the motives and benefits of certified ISO 9001: 2000 companies in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

A total of 900 certified UAE companies were surveyed in April 2004 in UAE. The response rate was equal to 23.2 percent.

The paper finds that certified companies were more concerned by internal reasons like improving processes or products than by external reasons like pressure from customers or imitation of competitors. In addition, the certification process had generated more internal benefits than external ones.

These findings may indicate that the surveyed firms will sustain their quality efforts as continuous improvement is one of the cornerstones of ISO 9001: 2000 standard. In April 2004, when this survey was conducted, the number of certified companies listed in Dubai or in Abu Dhabi Stock Exchanges was still small. This limited the analysis of the certification's financial benefits.

This is one of the first papers trying to analyze the motives and benefits of ISO 9001: 2000 certified companies in the UAE. The selection of the motives and benefits were validated through statistical analysis and the relationship between expected and perceived benefits was discussed.

Delays and cost overruns are evidently frequent problems in the construction industries of many developed and developing countries. The purpose of this paper is to assess factors leading to time overruns (delays) and cost overruns in construction projects in the Gaza Strip. Since there appear to be additional special contributors to delays here, the relative perceptions of contractors, consultants and owners are compared, based on a listing of causal factors derived from previous studies elsewhere, together with other factors arising from special conditions in the Gaza Strip.

A survey of a randomly selected samples yielded responses from 66 contractors, 27 consultants, and 31 owners. The survey included 110 delay factors/causes which were grouped into 12 major groups. The same survey also included 42 cost overrun factors. The level of importance of the delays and cost overrun factors were measured and ranked by their importance indexes, according to the perspectives of contractors, consultants, and owners.

There seems to be a general agreement between contractors, consultants and owners regarding causes of delays and cost overruns. The main four causes of time delays included strikes and border closures, material‐related factors, lack of materials in markets, and delays in materials delivery to the site. Additionally, the main three causes for cost overruns included price fluctuations of construction materials, contractor delays in material and equipment delivery, and inflation.

The outcome of this paper will assist owners, contractors, and consultants in understanding the reasons for delays and cost overruns, thus eliminating or minimizing these causes. This could be achieved by better management of the projects and by finding new methods for storing the critical materials from the beginning of the project. Furthermore, the local government is advised to initiate legislation to overcome problems arising from monopolies in the supply of construction materials.