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The quest for improved facilities management (FM) delivery is receiving immense focus through the incorporation of innovative technologies such as cyber-physical systems (CPS). The system’s high computational capabilities can aid in the abatement of some of the challenges plaguing FM functions. However, the requisite ingredients for the uptake of the system for FM have still not gained scholarly attention. Because performance measurement is a vital index in determining the outcome of FM methods, this study aims to investigate the influence of performance measurement indicators that are influential to the uptake of CPS for delivering FM functions.

A qualitative technique was adopted using the Delphi technique. The panel of experts for the study was selected through a well-defined process based on stipulated criteria. The experts gave their opinions in two rounds before consensus was attained on the identified performance measurement indicators, whereas methods of data analysis were measures of central tendency, inter-quartile deviation and Mann–Whitney U test.

Results from this study showed that 11 of the performance indicators were of very high significance in the determination of the uptake of CPS for FM functions, whereas 5 of the indicators were proven to be of high significance. Furthermore, there was no statistical difference in the opinions of the experts based on their affiliation with academic institutions and professional practice.

The findings of this study contribute practically by aiding policymakers, facility managers and relevant stakeholders with the vital knowledge of delivery mandates for efficient FM services that can spur the uptake of digital technologies such as CPS.

This study contributes to the body of knowledge as it unveils a roadmap of the expected performance output and its accompanying evaluation that would drive the adoption of a promising technology such as CPS in the delivery of FM tasks.

This paper aims to present an assessment of the challenges of using building information modeling (BIM) in the facilities management (FM) practice in Saudi Arabia.

A review of the relevant literature was conducted, resulting in identifying 31 potential challenges to BIM utilization in FM, which were grouped into five main categories. These challenges were used to design a five-point Likert scale questionnaire survey to obtain the feedback of experts in the FM domain in Saudi Arabia. The professionals that participated in the survey consisted of facilities managers, maintenance managers and BIM experts. The results obtained were analyzed based on the Effect Index (EI) approach. The questionnaire also contained an open-ended section for more qualitative data.

The results of the EI revealed that the top most influential challenges include “integration of the building systems design with BIM”, “definition of handover requirements and integration requirements between FM and BIM” and “getting appropriate and accurate information”. The category with the highest EI was the “challenges pertaining to the execution of BIM in FM”.

The paper outlines the critical challenges influencing the utilization of BIM in FM in Saudi Arabia and, as a result, could facilitate the development of implementation plans for BIM utilization. Thus, the study results have practical implications for stakeholders in the building industry.

The study contributes to the building industry through its discussion of the challenges of BIM utilization in FM and thus has the potential to increase the level of awareness of stakeholders in the industry.

This study aims to investigate the adoption and use of electronic health record systems (EHRS) in Tanzanian public primary healthcare institutions. The study’s objectives include understanding the factors that affect EHRS adoption, identifying implementation challenges and evaluating the effect of EHRS usage on healthcare delivery. By addressing these research goals, the study aims to contribute insightful information on the current level of EHRS adoption in Tanzanian primary healthcare facilities and contribute to developing strategies to improve EHRS deployment and healthcare in the nation.

This study combined quantitative and qualitative data using a mixed-methods methodology. Both data types were collected and analysed concurrently using a concurrent triangulation approach. The study aimed to comprehend the variables that affect the adoption and use of EHRS in Tanzanian public primary healthcare institutions. Eleven regions spanning various geographic locations and urban–rural dynamics were chosen as research sites. A survey of 122 healthcare employees was conducted with a sample of 31 healthcare facilities. The questionnaire had closed-ended and open-ended questions to gather quantitative and qualitative data. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used in data analysis. Throughout the investigation, ethical standards and confidentiality precautions were observed.

Several factors affect the adoption and use of EHRS. Perceived usefulness and use, support and training, interoperability, data security and privacy, business culture and leadership are all factors. Inadequate infrastructure, power interruptions, duplication of effort and a lack of data analytic expertise were among the difficulties. Among the effects were improvements in data management, service delivery and coordination, productivity and efficiency, medical supply inventory control, billing and revenue collection.

This study, which complements earlier research that has concentrated chiefly on specialised healthcare settings, gives new insights by investigating the adoption and utilisation of EHRS, especially in primary healthcare institutions. The findings give policymakers and healthcare professionals in Tanzania and other nations vital information to help them decide whether to embrace and use EHRS in primary healthcare.

This study examined the influence of income and health insurance on the health-seeking behaviour of rural residents, addressing the concerns of endogeneity and heterogeneity bias.

A two-stage residual inclusion was utilised to correct self-selection-based endogeneity problems arising from health insurance membership.

This study provides support for Andersen's behavioural model (ABM). Income and health insurance positively stimulate rural residents' use of modern healthcare services, but the effect of insurance risks a downward bias if treated as exogenous. Further, the effect of health insurance differs between males and females and between adults and the elderly.

This study advances the literature, arguing that, within the ABM framework, enabling (i.e. income and insurance) and predisposing factors (i.e. age and gender) complement each other in explaining rural residents' use of modern health services.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-03-2023-0223

The study aims to explore the utilisation of Clinical Decision Support (CDS) tools in Tanzanian healthcare facilities by identifying the tools used, the challenges encountered and the adaptive strategies employed by healthcare practitioners. It utilises an Activity Theory (AT) approach to understand the dynamic interactions between healthcare providers, CDS tools and the broader healthcare system.

The research adopts a qualitative approach in two prominent regions of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam and Dodoma. It involves semi-structured interviews with 26 healthcare professionals and key stakeholders across ten healthcare facilities, supplemented by document reviews. The study employs AT to analyse the interactions between healthcare professionals, CDS tools and the broader healthcare system, identifying best practices and providing recommendations for optimising the use of CDS tools.

The study reveals that Tanzanian healthcare practitioners predominantly rely on non-computerised CDS tools, such as clinical guidelines prepared by the Ministry of Health. Despite the availability of Health Information Systems (HIS), these systems often lack comprehensive decision-support functionalities, leading practitioners to depend on traditional methods and their professional judgement. Significant challenges include limited accessibility to updated clinical guidelines, unreliable infrastructure and inadequate training. Adaptive strategies identified include using non-standardised tools like Medscape, professional judgement and reliance on past experiences and colleagues’ opinions.

The investigation was constrained by access limitations because it was challenging to get some respondents to share information. However, a sufficient number of individuals participated in the interviews, and their knowledge was very beneficial in understanding the procedures and tools for clinical decision support.

This study contributes to AT by extending its application to a low-resource healthcare setting, uncovering new dimensions of the theory related to socio-cultural and technological constraints in healthcare facilities in Tanzania. It provides valuable insights into the practical barriers and facilitators of HIS and CDS tool implementation in developing countries, emphasising the need for context-specific adaptations, robust training programs and user-centred designs. The findings highlight the resilience and imagination of healthcare practitioners in adapting to systemic limitations, offering recommendations to enhance clinical decision-making and improve patient care outcomes in Tanzania.

Higher education institutions are the citadel of knowledge and are heavily involved in formulating building regulations and building infrastructure designs that must conform to the building regulations. The study aims to identify university infrastructures compliant with disabled access from the perspective of the built environment students in Ghanaian universities.

Questionnaire surveys were administered to 500 built environment students across ten technical universities in Ghana with a total population of 3066; 341 were expected based on the formula used. However, upon several reminders, 176 responded. Data collected were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences.

The findings show that all university facilities are not fully compliant with disabled access. Structures found to be least compliant are the laboratories, canteens, hall of residence, toilet facilities, football fields, places of worship and transport stations. The facilities with high compliance are the administration block, library, hospital building, lecture halls, department offices and ATM areas. The leading causes for this non-compliant are lack of enforcement of the building regulations, low level of disabled students’ enrolment, age of the building, lack of knowledge and poor building designs.

Compliance with disabled access makes universities world class and creates safe learning spaces for individuals with disabilities, enforcing the right to education for all individuals, particularly those with disabilities. Lack of compliance with disabled access will hamper the full utilisation of these facilities, thereby affecting quality education delivery to people with disabilities.

The findings are essential to the Ghanaian built environment, the lives of disabled individuals and universities. The results provide knowledge on areas of improvement for complete access to structures and facilities by disabled individuals.

This study aims to examine the positive impact of strategies on the viability of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in times of crisis. Specifically, it investigates the influence of resource utilization as an initial survival strategy on innovation practices and SMEs’ performance. It further assesses the potential impact of government aid and partnerships on the relationship between resource utilization and innovation.

This study used a mixed-method approach that integrates phenomenology and quantitative research. This phenomenological study conducted in-depth interviews with 23 SME owners. Based on qualitative findings, a quantitative research design was developed, and this study surveyed 352 SMEs. Structural equation modeling was used for hypothesis testing.

Resource utilization as an initial survival strategy has a positive effect on increasing organizational innovation practices and ultimately affects business performance. Furthermore, government support and external partnerships significantly enhance the relationship between resource utilization and innovation.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought a crisis for businesses but has provided many positive transformations. SME entrepreneurs should sustain their survival strategies and seize external support to enhance their potential. Due to the pandemic, various efforts have created innovations, honed business resiliency and increased competitiveness.

SMEs struggled with the crisis and responded by utilizing many retrenchment strategies. This study is among the first to provide empirical evidence of an emergency response that has resulted in fruitful impacts. The findings can be generalized to represent the behavior of SMEs, especially in emerging countries.

Through its advanced computational capabilities, cyber–physical systems (CPS) proffer solutions to some of the cultural challenges plaguing the effective delivery of facilities management (FM) mandates. This study aims to explore the drivers for the uptake of CPS for FM functions using a qualitative approach – the Delphi technique.

Using the Delphi technique, the study selected experts through a well-defined process entailing a pre-determined set of criteria. The experts gave their opinions in two iterations which were subjected to statistical analyses such as the measure of central tendency and interquartile deviation in ascertaining consensus among the experts and the Mann–Whitney U test in establishing if there is a difference in the opinions given by the experts.

The study’s findings show that six of the identified drivers of the uptake of CPS for FM were attributed to be of very high significance, while 12 were of high significance. Furthermore, it was revealed that there is no significant statistical difference in the opinions given by experts in professional practice and academia.

The study’s outcome provides the requisite insight into the propelling measures for the uptake of CPS for FM by organisations and, by extension, aiding digital transformation for effective FM delivery.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, evidence from the literature suggests that no study has showcased the drivers of the incorporation of CPS for FM. Hence, this study fills this gap in knowledge by unravelling the significant propelling measures of the integration of CPS for FM functions.

This study assessed students' intrinsic motivation (basic psychological needs) as predictor of their usage of library facilities in the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria.

The study adopted the quantitative case study approach. The population of this study consisted of all undergraduate students in the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria. The systematic random sampling was used in selecting a sample of 129 students. A research question and four hypotheses were raised in the study. Two instruments were adapted and used for data collection: the “Intrinsic Motivation Inventory” (IMI) and “Students' Usage of Library Facilities Scale,” with Cronbach’s alpha reliability indexes of 0.87 and 0.78, respectively. The collected data were analysed using descriptive (frequency counts and percentages) and inferential statistics (linear regression and correlation) at 0.05 alpha level.

Findings of this study revealed that the extent of usage of library facilities in the university is low; the three basic psychological needs—perceived competence, autonomy and relatedness—significantly predict students' usage of library facilities; significant relationship exist among gender, perceived autonomy and usage of library facilities.

This study is limited to undergraduate usage of library facilities in the Federal University Oye-Ekiti. The quantitative case study research type was adopted, with a sample of 129 students. Data were collected using adapted questionnaires and analysed quantitatively using the SPSS.

The results of this study have implied that the three basic psychological needs influence students' usage of library facilities. Therefore, it is paramount that management of universities and university librarians foster students' intrinsic motivational variables for their enhanced academic performances. Also, faculties and academics by the outcome of this study are to maintain and sustain a functional social network, social interactions and collaborative works among students, while inculcating and improving the levels of students' competences, autonomy and relatedness. Further, the study has hinted the need for university management, librarians and academics to be professionally trained on promoting and sustaining students' competences, autonomy and relatedness. The universities are to continuously organise orientation and enlightenment programmes for both the old and the newly admitted students on the import, impact and usage of university libraries amidst its facilities.

Few studies have been carried out on students' usage of academic libraries especially with regard to their attitudes; however, the challenge of underutilisation of library facilities by students are yet unresolved. There is a dearth of literature regarding the influence of intrinsic motivation (the basic psychological needs) on usage of library facilities among tertiary learners, especially in Nigeria.

Modular capacity units enable rapid reconfiguration, providing tactical flexibility to efficiently meet customer demand during disruptions and ensuring sustainability. Moreover, the Physical Internet (PI) enhances the potential of modular capacity in addressing efficiency, sustainability, and resilience challenges. To evaluate the sustainability and resilience advantages of the PI-enabled reconfigurable modular system (PI-M system), this paper studies a PI-enabled sustainable and resilient production-routing problem with modular capacity.

We develop a multi-objective optimization model to assess the sustainability and resilience benefits of combining PI and modular capacity in a chemical industry case study. A hybrid solution approach, combining the augmented e-constraint method, construction heuristic, and hybrid adaptive large neighborhood search, is developed.

The experimental results reveal that the proposed solution approach is capable of obtaining better solutions than the Gurobi and the existing heuristic in a shorter running time. Moreover, compared with the traditional system, the PI only and traditional with modular capacity systems, PI-M system has significant advantages in both sustainability and resilience.

To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to integrate the PI and modular capacity and investigate sustainability and resilience in the production-routing problem.