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This paper aims to investigate green buildings and individual productivity, specifically within the context of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) within green certified office buildings. The purpose of the research was to determine how self-assessed productivity levels were influenced by the indoor environment of the office building.

Qualitative data analysis was conducted via semi-structured interviews in two financial services companies (FSCs), both based in green certified office buildings in South Africa. Thematic analysis was conducted to extract common themes from the data. Furthermore, the data were compared to previous research to identify new potential pathways or provide support for existing pathways.

The main findings were that physical components, such as temperature, lighting, ventilation and noise, contribute depending on the respondent to individual productivity, engagement, organisational commitment and psychological wellbeing. Safety, underpinned by location and amenities, was a new component not previously considered that subtly contributed to individual productivity.

The research provides valuable insight into the contributing factors that impact individual productivity within a green certified office building, as previous researchers have yet to reach a consensus on the relationship between individual productivity and IEQ in green certified office buildings.

The purpose of this study is to conduct a systematic review on encumbrances facing the implementation of GBP in selected African countries. Green building practices (GBP) implementation is germane and promotes the development of a green environment and buildings. Many studies have been conducted on the encumbrances faced with GBP implementation, especially in developing countries. But evidence of a comprehensive study that investigates and analyses these hindrances from different developing countries is missing. Therefore, a systematic review is conducted systematically reviewing the current literature on encumbrances facing the implementation of GBP in selected African countries. Also, the study proffers possible drivers for stakeholders to promote GBP in African countries.

A total of 38 published papers were identified from the Web of Science, Scopus database and supported with materials from Google Scholar related to Africa’s GBP. The continent was divided into five regions, and each region covered three countries.

Two themes emerged from the analysed review – encumbrances facing GBP implementation and possible drivers for stakeholders to promote GBP in African countries. A total of 18 encumbrances and 18 drivers were identified from the analysed literature and grouped into 6 sub-themes.

Current empirical articles were reviewed to suggest the drivers for stakeholders to promote GBP that emerged from this paper. Thus, to enrich the results from this paper, primary source data of regional studies of GBP in Africa’s context should be carried out via the mixed-methods design.

A total of 18 drivers were identified for stakeholders to promote GBP in Africa and form part of the paper’s implications. Also, the paper findings would serve as a treasured suggestion for the stakeholders (policymakers, construction practitioners, clients and academics) who are fascinated by the promotion of GBP across African nations.

This is possibly the foremost analysed systematic review study on GBP implementation in Africa. Therefore, it fills the theoretical gap and proffers possible drivers for stakeholders to promote GBP in the African context.

This chapter is devoted to sustainable human resource management that leads to sustainable competitiveness. It features the ways human resources can be managed to carry out sustainable goals and the impact of sustainability on employees' attitudes and behaviours. The aim of this study is to explore the complex objectives of sustainability and human resource management and empirically investigate the dynamic relationship between human resources in science and technology and sustainable competitiveness in the case of 35 European countries. Our contribution emphasizes this interrelationship and its causality. For this research, we applied a vector auto-regression (VAR) model, and the Granger causality method to examine the relationship between human resources in science and technology and sustainable competitiveness. A panel data included 314 observations between 2012 and 2021. The panel VAR for analysing the impulse response function was enriched with the 5% and 95%, using Monte Carlo simulations. The research results revealed bidirectional causality in the European countries between human resources in science and technology and sustainable competitiveness. Human resources in science and technology trigger sustainable competitiveness and vice versa. As an element of originality, our study demonstrates that human resources in science and technology contribute to sustainable performance, and, on the other hand, a more competitive and sustainable environment contributes to the development of human resources in science and technology. Thus, the chapter outlines the role of human resources in science and technology with regard to sustainable human resource management (HRM), and how to navigate these objectives so that they can positively influence sustainable competitiveness.

The primary purpose is to investigate the dynamic relationships among urbanization, energy use and environmental pollution in the context of India from 1971 to 2018. The paper also examines the validity of Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis in the present Indian context.

The study uses a nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag cointegration test (Shin et al., 2014) to investigate the dynamic relationship among the mentioned variables. The Wald test is also used to statistically check the presence of asymmetry. Additionally, the VECM test is applied to examine the causality among the variables.

This study documents that urbanization in India is good for environment in the long run, whereas energy consumption is bad for the environment. It also finds that positive and negative shocks of energy and urbanization exert asymmetric impacts on ecological footprint. Furthermore, the results could not validate the EKC hypothesis for India.

The outcome of the study suggests designing an environmental policy which considers the nonlinearity of the investigated relationships and bearing in mind the use of comprehensive indicator like ecological footprint is equally important to address the wide-ranging problem of the environment. Policy reorientation towards the production and consumption of green energy, investment in research and development, and use of efficient technology is very crucial to achieve sustainable outcomes in the long run.

In this study, the researchers use the ‘ecological footprint’ variable to obtain a more accurate and comprehensive assessment of environmental deterioration. The mentioned dynamic relationships are investigated using an improved methodology of the NARDL model, which assumes the asymmetric impact of the explanatory variables on the response variable. The novelty of this study lies in examining the non-linear impact of urbanization and energy on ecological footprint which is inadequately addressed in the context of Indian economy.

The overall goal of science is to build a valid and reliable body of knowledge about the functioning of the world and how applying that knowledge can change it. As personnel and human resources management researchers, we aim to contribute to the respective bodies of knowledge to provide both employers and employees with a workable foundation to help with those problems they are confronted with. However, what research on research has consistently demonstrated is that the scientific endeavor possesses existential issues including a substantial lack of (a) solid theory, (b) replicability, (c) reproducibility, (d) proper and generalizable samples, (e) sufficient quality control (i.e., peer review), (f) robust and trustworthy statistical results, (g) availability of research, and (h) sufficient practical implications. In this chapter, we first sing a song of sorrow regarding the current state of the social sciences in general and personnel and human resources management specifically. Then, we investigate potential grievances that might have led to it (i.e., questionable research practices, misplaced incentives), only to end with a verse of hope by outlining an avenue for betterment (i.e., open science and policy changes at multiple levels).

The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of the life of the musician Brian Wilson from five different perspectives.

The authors used a mixed method of collaborative autoethnography, psychobiography and digital team ethnography to try and better understand the life and contributions of Brian Wilson.

Each of the five contributors provides different insights into the life and music of Brian Wilson.

While the focus of this paper is on a single individual, a case study, the long and distinguished life of Brian Wilson provides much material for discussion and theorising.

Each individual presenting to mental health services has a complex biography. The five different contributions articulated in this paper could perhaps be taken as similar to the range of professional opinions seen in mental health teams, with each focusing on unique but overlapping aspects of the person’s story.

This account shows the importance of taking a biological-psychological-social-spiritual and cultural perspective on mental illness.

This multi-layered analysis brings a range of perspectives to bear on the life and achievements of Brian Wilson, from developmental, musical, psychological and lived experience standpoints.

Environment concerns and climate changes have led organizations to reorient their processes with a focus toward sustainability. Organizations recognize that incorporating greening in HR practices has the potential to address environmental concerns. The present study aims to focus on investigating the relationship between green human resource management (GHRM) practices and environmental performance (EP). It is premised that the adoption of green human resource practices facilitates the development of a green organizational culture (GOC) that helps the organization to gain strategic business advantage with respect to the competitors. The literature suggests that the adoption of green human resource practices among organizations is at a nascent stage. The present study focusses on understanding the mediating role of three dimensions of GOC, that is, degree, diffusion and depth in the relationship between green human resource practices and EP that has not been addressed in the empirical literature.

The present study developed a model consisting of GHRM practices as an independent variable, the three dimensions of culture (degree, diffusion and depth) as mediators, and EP as the dependent variable. The study followed a quantitative exploratory research approach. The sample consisted of 278 employees from private and public sector organizations located in India. The hypothesized model was analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM).

The study found the green human resource practices to be significantly related with EP of the organization. Results of parallel mediation confirmed that the “degree” dimension of GOC played a significant mediating role in the relationship between green human resource practices and EP of the organization. The other two dimensions of GOC, diffusion and depth, did not have a significant mediating role in this relationship. The findings of the study have been explained in the context of social identity theory, resource based view and ability–motivation–opportunity theory.

The study provides practical insights for researchers and managers who seek to adopt sustainability objectives in the organization. The findings have the potential to encourage human resource managers to adopt green human resource management practices toward promoting a culture of greening in the organization. The importance of developing and measuring EP targets for industry leadership is also emphasized.

The originality of the study lies in classifying and understanding GOC in terms of three dimensions, that is, degree, diffusion and depth, following the model proposed by Harris and Crane (2002). The three dimensions help in assessing the current level of GOC. This assessment promotes the judicious application of resources by the organization and adopts green practices to foster the organizational EP.

The main objective of this study is to evaluate the driving forces behind the adoption of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) principles in building designs from the perspectives of Nigerian quantity surveying firms.

A quantitative approach was used which involved administering a well-structured questionnaire to a sample of 114 quantity surveyors. The collected data were analyzed using various statistical methods, including frequencies, percentages, mean item scores, Kruskal–Wallis test and exploratory factor analysis.

The top five ranked drivers were climate change mitigation, conservation of natural resources, reduction of waste and pollution, use of sustainable building materials and development of new materials and building systems. Based on the factor analysis, the study identified five clusters of drivers: (1) health and well-being drivers (2) economic drivers (3) environmental drivers (4) innovation and technology drivers and (5) regulatory drivers.

The findings from this study suggest that to effectively integrate IEQ principles, quantity surveying firms should consider developing comprehensive guidelines and checklists that align with the identified drivers and clustered categories. These resources can serve as practical tools for project teams, facilitating a structured and holistic approach to the incorporation of IEQ factors throughout the project lifecycle.

The study’s identification of the top drivers and the subsequent clustering of these drivers into five distinct categories contributes to the existing body of knowledge on IEQ. This approach provides a structured framework for comprehensively understanding the factors influencing IEQ adoption, offering a valuable tool for researchers, policymakers and industry practitioners.