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Article
Publication date: 18 August 2023

Peng Nie, Kalani C. Dahanayake and Nipuni Sumanarathna

This paper aims to explore UAE's transition towards circular economy (CE) through construction and demolition waste (CDW) management in the pre-construction stage. The extent of…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore UAE's transition towards circular economy (CE) through construction and demolition waste (CDW) management in the pre-construction stage. The extent of circularity is assessed by five key aspects of CE, such as policies and strategic frameworks, design for waste prevention, design for disassembly or deconstruction, use of prefabricated elements and CDW management plans.

Design/methodology/approach

Multiple case studies were conducted in the context of the Dubai construction industry (UAE). Three significant and unique construction projects were selected as the cases. Semi-structured interviews were carried out to collect data, and the thematic analysis technique and NVIVO 12 software were used for data analysis.

Findings

Findings reveal several positive initiatives towards CE in the UAE context; yet it is identified that the transition is still at the initial stage. Selected case studies, the best-case scenarios of UAE (i.e. influential cases), demonstrated adequate measures in relation to four key CE aspects out of five. For instance, (a) policies and strategic frameworks such as lean standards, green building standards and standards developed by the local authorities, (b) design for waste prevention (e.g. adherence to the 3R principle, and construction planning with BIM), (c) use of prefabricated elements and application of innovative construction technologies (e.g. 3DPC, DfMA) and (d) CDW management planning such as 3R principle were evident. However, the selected cases hardly showcase designing for disassembly or deconstruction.

Research limitations/implications

The existing CDW practices are mostly conventional, as most constructions in UAE are procured through conventional building materials and methods. Therefore, there is a necessity of encouraging CE principles in CDW management. Even though the transition towards CE was evident in four key CE aspects out of five, the UAE construction industry has yet to adopt more effective CE-based CDW management practices to accelerate the circularity. Hence, it is necessary to enforce standard waste management guidelines, including the 3R principle, to standardise CDW management in UAE and encourage construction practitioners to adhere to CE principles.

Originality/value

The findings of this study provide valuable insights for decision-making processes around CDW management towards a CE. This paper contributes to the literature by bridging the CE concept with CDW management in the pre-construction stage. The study provides insights for industry practitioners for planning CE in terms of policies and strategic frameworks, CDW management planning, construction planning and application of innovative construction technologies.

Details

Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, vol. 13 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-6099

Keywords

Content available
Book part
Publication date: 30 April 2024

Natalie Wall

Abstract

Details

Black Expression and White Generosity
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80382-758-2

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 16 April 2024

Katherine E. McKee, Haley Traini, Jennifer Smist and David Michael Rosch

Our goals were to explore the pedagogies applied by instructors that supported Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) student learning in a leadership course and the…

Abstract

Purpose

Our goals were to explore the pedagogies applied by instructors that supported Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) student learning in a leadership course and the leadership behaviors BIPOC students identified as being applicable after the course.

Design/methodology/approach

Through survey research and qualitative data analysis, three prominent themes emerged.

Findings

High-quality, purposeful pedagogy created opportunities for students to learn. Second, a supportive, interactive community engaged students with the instructor, each other and the course material to support participation in learning. As a result, students reported experiencing big shifts, new growth and increased confidence during their leadership courses.

Originality/value

We discuss our findings and offer specific recommendations for leadership educators to better support BIPOC students in their leadership courses and classrooms and for further research with BIPOC students.

Details

Journal of Leadership Education, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1552-9045

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 May 2024

Xueyuan Wang and Meixia Sun

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), inherently vulnerable entities, prompting a pivotal question of how to enhance SMEs’…

Abstract

Purpose

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), inherently vulnerable entities, prompting a pivotal question of how to enhance SMEs’ organizational resilience (OR) to withstand discontinuous crises. Although digital innovation (DI) is widely acknowledged as a critical antecedent to OR, limited studies have analyzed the configurational effects of DI on OR, particularly stage-based analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

Underpinned by the dynamic capabilities view, this study introduces a multi-stage dynamic capabilities framework for OR. Employing Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), digital product innovation (DPI), digital services innovation (DSI) and digital process innovation (DCI) are further deconstructed into six dimensions. Furthermore, we utilized fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to explore the configuration effects of six DI on OR at different stages, using data from 94 Chinese SMEs.

Findings

First, OR improvement hinges not on a singular DI but on the interactions among various DIs. Second, multiple equivalent configurations emerge at different stages. Before the crisis, absorptive capability primarily advanced through iterative DPI and predictive DSI. During the crisis, response capability is principally augmented by the iterative DPI, distributed DCI, and integrated DCI. After the crisis, recovery capability is predominantly fortified by the iterative DPI, expanded DPI and experiential DSI. Third, iterative DPI consistently assumes a supportive role in fortifying OR.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the extant literature on DI and OR, offering practical guidance for SMEs to systematically enhance OR by configuring DI across distinct stages.

Details

European Journal of Innovation Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-1060

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 March 2024

Yasmine Chahed, Robert Charnock, Sabina Du Rietz Dahlström, Niels Joseph Lennon, Tommaso Palermo, Cristiana Parisi, Dane Pflueger, Andreas Sundström, Dorothy Toh and Lichen Yu

The purpose of this essay is to explore the opportunities and challenges that early-career researchers (ECRs) face when they seek to contribute to academic knowledge production…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this essay is to explore the opportunities and challenges that early-career researchers (ECRs) face when they seek to contribute to academic knowledge production through research activities “other than” those directly focused on making progress with their own, to-be-published, research papers in a context associated with the “publish or perish” (PoP) mentality.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing broadly on the notion of technologies of humility (Jasanoff, 2003), this reflective essay develops upon the experiences of the authors in organizing and participating in a series of nine workshops undertaken between June 2013 and April 2021, as well as the arduous process of writing this paper itself. Retrospective accounts, workshop materials, email exchanges and surveys of workshop participants provide the key data sources for the analysis presented in the paper.

Findings

The paper shows how the organization of the workshops is intertwined with the building of a small community of ECRs and exploration of how to address the perceived limitations of a “gap-spotting” approach to developing research ideas and questions. The analysis foregrounds how the workshops provide a seemingly valuable research experience that is not without contradictions. Workshop participation reveals tensions between engagement in activities “other than” working on papers for publication and institutionalized pressures to produce publication outputs, between the (weak) perceived status of ECRs in the field and the aspiration to make a scholarly contribution, and between the desire to develop a personally satisfying intellectual journey and the pressure to respond to requirements that allow access to a wider community of scholars.

Originality/value

Our analysis contributes to debates about the ways in which seemingly valuable outputs are produced in academia despite a pervasive “publish or perish” mentality. The analysis also shows how reflexive writing can help to better understand the opportunities and challenges of pursuing activities that might be considered “unproductive” because they are not directly related to to-be-published papers.

Details

Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-3574

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 2 May 2024

Val Meneau

This paper intervenes in the consequences of a myth propagated in academic discourse about the dancesport world, according to which half of the men in Latin dancesport are gay. I…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper intervenes in the consequences of a myth propagated in academic discourse about the dancesport world, according to which half of the men in Latin dancesport are gay. I challenge two assumptions that surround this myth: that cisgender gay men do not contribute to the reification of the heteronormative gender binary, and that the dancesport scene is inclusive of gay people. These assumptions are based on a blatant lack of understanding of the position of gay men within the dancesport world – that is, the ways in which subjects are constituted through the effects of power.

Design/methodology/approach

This work is based on empirical research I conducted in the dancesport community, including ethnographic and autoethnographic fieldwork, extant documents (e.g. books, blogs, Judging Regulations) and interviews with experts and participants of the dancesport scene (2021/2022). To analyse the data, I relied on the principles of dispositive analysis, grounded theory and dance analysis.

Findings

I show that gay dancers have turned to assimilation as their only available strategy. I discuss the negative consequences of assimilation as a political strategy and how it impacted queer dancers – between invisibilisation, residual shame and a failure to challenge the heteronormative gender binary. This led gay dancers to rationalise and perpetrate harm based on the systems of oppression they had internalised.

Social implications

I conclude the paper by highlighting a way beyond assimilation for queer dancers.

Originality/value

This paper addresses a critical gap in research on LGBT + inclusion in dancesport.

Details

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, vol. 43 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-7149

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 March 2024

Ibrahim Yahaya Wuni

Sustainable construction re-engineers the conventional project lifecycle to integrate sustainability solutions. The additional sustainability requirements introduce new layers of…

Abstract

Purpose

Sustainable construction re-engineers the conventional project lifecycle to integrate sustainability solutions. The additional sustainability requirements introduce new layers of complexity, challenges and risks that if unaddressed, can derail the gains in sustainable construction projects. This study developed a multidimensional risk assessment model for sustainable construction projects in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Design/methodology/approach

The research activities a comprised comprehensive literature review to shortlist relevant risks, an analysis of the probability – impact rating of the shortlisted risks – and the development of a risk assessment model for SC projects in the UAE. The model is developed based on the multicriteria framework and mathematical formulation of the fuzzy synthetic evaluation approach.

Findings

The developed model quantified the overall risk level in sustainable construction projects to be 3.71 on a 5-point Likert scale, indicating that investment in SC projects in the UAE is risky and should be carefully managed. The developed model further revealed that each of the risk groups, comprising management (3.82), technical (3.78), stakeholder (3.68), regulatory (3.66), material (3.53) and economic risks (3.502), presents a significant threat to realizing outcomes typical of SC projects.

Originality/value

This study developed a multidimensional risk assessment model capable of objectively quantifying the overall risk level and provides decision support to project teams to improve risk management in sustainable construction projects.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 25 March 2024

Heather Yaxley

Informal conversational encounters are explored using free indirect discourse (FID) as a novel storytelling method to gain a multi-generational understanding of the experiences of…

Abstract

Informal conversational encounters are explored using free indirect discourse (FID) as a novel storytelling method to gain a multi-generational understanding of the experiences of women working in public relations (PR) in 1960s/1970s Britain.

Echoing a literary tradition, anonymised transcripts of recordings provide impressionist accounts that immerse the reader in the thoughts and feelings of novelistic characters. An informal network of women narrate their stories with a much younger listener enabling exploration of intergenerational relationships and the intersection of gender and age.

This unstructured approach develops a complex yet natural flow to create unique withness-understandings. The author/narrator introduces a conception of informal conversational encounters, supporting an organic approach of interweaving storying, everyday performance, situated accountings, narrative unfoldings and inside/outside points of view.

An interplay of multiple female voices reveals a degree of symmetry in fractal patterns of women's early career experiences over the duration of a generation. Facilitation of sense-making through intergenerational conversations connects with Mannheim's theory of generational unity.

Women's beginnings of PR careers in 1960s/1970s Britain demonstrate a liberal feminist perspective in taking responsibility for their careers and enjoyment beyond the workplace in a man's world.

Article
Publication date: 15 December 2023

Xuening Duan, Yu Chang, Wei Huang and Md Moynul Hasan

A shared cognitive schema is the fundamental source of tacit understanding within a team. This study aims to address how such a shared cognitive schema emerges and evolves in an…

Abstract

Purpose

A shared cognitive schema is the fundamental source of tacit understanding within a team. This study aims to address how such a shared cognitive schema emerges and evolves in an interdisciplinary research team.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses an exploratory single case study to analyze the emergence and evolution of a shared cognitive schema in an interdisciplinary research team systematically. The authors spent more than two years collecting data from the IAM team via semistructured interviews, archival data and observation. Subsequently, a framework for the resulting mechanism model was developed by analyzing the data using a three-step process.

Findings

This study shows that as the interdisciplinary research team develops, the shared cognitive schema passes through three stages: overlapping cognitive schema, complementary cognitive schema and synergetic cognitive schema. The mechanisms of overlap, complement and synergy play important roles. The convergent roles of partner-based recruiting, knowledge categorization and following the existing institution facilitate the overlapping of knowledge structures. Complementary cognitive schema sharing is facilitated by interdisciplinary member selection, knowledge stock expansion and the effects of accomplished mentors. The synergetic behaviors of group voice, interactive cognition and adaptive learning facilitate synergetic cognitive schema sharing.

Originality/value

This study is the first to discuss the emergence and evolution of a shared cognitive schema at the microlevel of knowledge structure and belief structure. It offers a new theoretical perspective on the development rules of scientific research teams and provides practical enlightenment regarding the establishment and operation of interdisciplinary research teams.

Details

Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 37 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0953-4814

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 July 2023

Olusegun F. Adebowale and Oluwaseun Solomon Omotehinse

The main objective of this study is to determine the patterns of suicidal ideation among undergraduate students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State.

Abstract

Purpose

The main objective of this study is to determine the patterns of suicidal ideation among undergraduate students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State.

Design/methodology/approach

The study examined the pattern of suicidal ideation among undergraduate students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. The study adopted a survey research design. The study population comprised all the 28,673 undergraduate students of the university out of which 800 students were selected by stratified random sampling for the study. A questionnaire was used in gathering data for this study. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics, cluster and factor analyses. The study concluded that the patterns of suicide ideation among undergraduate students of Obafemi Awolowo University are passive. It is recommended that Obafemi Awolowo University students adopt the physical and online counselling services provided by the institution to aid their mental and psychological well-being.

Findings

Findings revealed that the prevalence of suicidal ideation among the students was low (89.9%). Result also showed that pattern of suicidal ideation was passive (85.2%). In addition, result showed that social isolation (31.3%), hopelessness (29.4%), disappointment with school result (26.5%) and unmet expectation (12.9%) were possible factors of suicidal ideation among undergraduate students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

Research limitations/implications

This study only established the patterns of suicidal ideation among students of Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, without any reference to treatment of students with suicidal ideation. Since the patterns of suicidal ideation had been established, it is suggested that further research be conducted on the treatment and prevention of suicide among the students.

Originality/value

The research was conducted by the researchers, and data were adequately collected and prepared following research ethics and guidelines. Results were presented as revealed by the analysis of the data.

Details

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, vol. 16 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-7003

Keywords

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