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Various studies around the globe indicate lack of soft skills in engineering students, graduating from universities, although the bulk of studies in various disciplines indicate an improvement in various skills through implementation of a problem-based learning (PBL) approach. The purpose of this paper is therefore to identify and determine the effects of PBL in improving and developing soft skills, conflict resolution traits and aspects of enhancing group learning in undergraduates.

A study with mixed methods was used, involving questionnaire, observation and document analysis. A total of 57 students from different faculties participated in the semester-long study. Pre-tests and post-tests were administered at the beginning and end of the study. The researcher attended all the classes to observe systematically the teaching-learning process and its outcomes.

The findings revealed that PBL has a significant effect on improving students’ soft skills and enhancing group learning, including overcoming communication conflicts.

Practical implications of the study involve the enhancement of generic skills of the engineering graduates with the student-centered and interactive methodologies like PBL and e-learning applications.

This research endeavor stands unique due to its usage of e-learning tools in the PBL classroom learning such as Schoology, Padlet, videos, internet surfing. Another unique feature of this research is the holistic nature of the study, i.e. the measurement of a number of soft skills, traits and group learning skills that are not focused in other studies of engineering.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of corporate sustainability reporting on firm performance in four Asian countries – Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and India – and to find out whether there is any significant difference between developed and developing countries of Asia with respect to the impact of such reporting on firm performance.

The study is based on 36 listed nonfinancial companies from Japan, 28 from India, 26 from South Korea and 21 from Indonesia respectively, from 2009 to 2014. Content analysis (binary −0 and 1) is used to calculate the disclosure score of sustainability performance, based on Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) format. The outcome of the content analysis is further used to examine the impact of corporate sustainability reporting on firm performance employing a logistic regression model.

The study finds that the average level of disclosure is more in the case of Japanese companies (90 per cent), followed by India (88 per cent) and South Korea (85 per cent). On the other hand, the average level of disclosure is only 72 per cent for Indonesian firms. Regression results depict a significant positive association between sustainability reporting and firm’s performance. The study further finds that the relative impact of sustainability reporting on firm performance is more in developed countries than in developing countries of Asia.

This is the first comprehensive study in Asian context to examine the impact of the level of corporate sustainability disclosure on the firm performance by using the logistic regression model. The outcome of this study would not only help the corporate managers but also the policymakers to make a valuable decision, which will eventually contribute to the objectives of sustainable development.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the disclosure pattern of corporate sustainability (CS) and the influence of sustainability reporting on firm performance of four countries in Asia – Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and India.

The authors have collected the sustainability reports and annual reports of 111 firms from four Asian countries for a period of six years. Based on the framework of Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI, 3 and 3.1), content analysis is used for calculating the disclosure score of corporate sustainability performance (CSP). These scores are further used to examine the impact on firm performance by employing a panel data regression model.

The study finds that the average level and quality of disclosure are the highest for Japanese firms, followed by India and South Korea. However, in the case of Indonesia, the average score is very low. Further, the study finds a significant difference in the disclosure of overall sustainability as well as components of sustainability between the countries. The regression results indicate the positive impact of CSP (both in terms of level and quality) on MBR. Specifically, the outcome of the regression model reveals that both the level and quality disclosure of CS are crucial for enhancing firm value for both the developed and developing countries of Asia. Moreover, the relative influence of CSP (both in terms of level and quality) on firm performance is found to be more in developed countries than the developing countries of Asia.

This is the first comprehensive study in the Asian context to investigate the disclosure pattern of CSP and also examine the association between CSP and firm performance by employing the panel data model. The outcome of this study is useful for policy implication.

This paper aims to develop a cultural diversity management (CDM) framework to enhance the performance of architecture design firms (ADFs) in Egypt.

A research methodology consisting of literature review, case studies and survey questionnaire was designed to achieve the abovementioned aim. First, literature review was used to investigate the concepts of globalization, international construction, diversity, diversity management (DM) and organizational performance. Second, four case studies were presented and analyzed. The first two cases explored the role of CDM towards enhancing the performance of ADFs, while the last two cases showed initiatives carried out by NGOs to integrate architects of color into their communities through training programs that enhanced their skills and uplifted their societies. Third, a survey questionnaire was carried out with a representative sample of ADFs in Egypt to investigate their perception and application of DM towards enhancing organizational performance. Based on the results of the above, the research developed a framework to enhance the performance of ADFs through managing culturally diverse workforces.

Literature review showed that diversity is not limited to race and gender; however, it includes other types such as disability, socioeconomic status, thinking style, culture, personality, life experience, religious and spiritual beliefs. Despite the benefits that diversity brings to ADFs such as stimulating creativity and increasing productivity, poor management of diverse workforce leads to dysfunctional conflicts, frustration and confusion. Results of case studies showed that ADFs that adopt a CDM approach succeeded in enhancing their performance. In addition, training initiatives carried out by NGOs succeeded to integrate architects of color into their communities and uplifting their societies. Results of data analysis identified the barriers to integrating diverse workforce in ADFs. These barriers include “Poor communication and spirit of collaboration between diverse workforce”, “Resistance to change”, “Lack of maintaining wage equity and promotion between different workforces based on gender”, “Poor organization culture” and “Lack of Senior Management involvement”. This necessitated taking action towards developing a framework to overcome these barriers to manage diverse workforces towards enhancing the performance of ADFs in Egypt.

Because of the conceptual nature of the proposed framework, it has to be tested and validated to ensure its capability to overcome the barriers of managing culturally diverse workforces as an approach for enhancing the performance of ADFs in Egypt.

This research presents a practical solution to enhance the performance of ADFs in Egypt through managing cultural workforce diversity.

The research identified and analyzed the barriers that obstruct the integration of diverse workforces in ADFs. The research tackled a topic that received scant attention in construction literature with particular emphasis on Egypt. In addition, this paper proposed a CDM framework to enhance the performance of ADFs in Egypt, which represents a synthesis that is novel and creative in thought and adds value to the body of knowledge.

This study employs Stein Rokkan's methodological approach to analyse state formation in the Greater Middle East. It develops a conceptual framework distinguishing colonial, populist and democratic pacts, suitable for analysis of state formation and nation-building through to the present period. The framework relies on historical institutionalism. The methodology, however, is Rokkan's. The initial conceptual analysis also specifies differences between European and the Middle Eastern state formation processes. It is followed by a brief and selective discussion of historical preconditions. Next, the method of plotting singular cases into conceptual-typological maps is applied to 20 cases in the Greater Middle East (including Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey). For reasons of space, the empirical analysis is limited to the colonial period (1870s to the end of World War 1). Three typologies are combined into one conceptual-typological map of this period. The vertical left-hand axis provides a composite typology that clarifies cultural-territorial preconditions. The horizontal axis specifies transformations of the region's agrarian class structures since the mid-19th century reforms. The right-hand vertical axis provides a four-layered typology of processes of external intervention. A final section presents selected comparative case reconstructions. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first time such a Rokkan-style conceptual-typological map has been constructed for a non-European region.

The paper aims to propose an optimized handover necessity estimation scheme for a mobile terminal (MT) traversing from a third-generation (3G) cellular network into the wireless local area network (WLAN) cell for reducing the number of handover failures and unnecessary handovers.

The proposed optimized handover necessity estimation scheme comprises of two algorithms – a “travelling time prediction” reliant on consecutive received signal strength (RSS) measurements and MT’s velocity, and a “time threshold estimation” depending on the handover latency, WLAN’s cell radius, tolerable handover failure probability and the tolerable unnecessary handover probability.

Our performance analysis reveals that the suggested mechanism effectively minimizes the number of handover failures and unnecessary handovers by 60 per cent as compared to the already proposed schemes in the literature.

The convergence of Internet and wireless mobile communication accompanied by a massive increase in the number of cellular subscribers has led mobility management to emerge as a significant and challenging domain for wireless mobile communication over the Internet. Mobility management enables serving networks to locate roaming terminals for the call delivery (location management) and ensures a seamless connection as MT enters into the new service area (handover management). In this manuscript, an optimized handover necessity estimation scheme has been envisaged for reducing the probability of handover failures and unnecessary handovers from 3G cellular networks to WLANs to provide optimal network utilization along with an enhanced user satisfaction. Performance analysis reveals that the suggested scheme yields enhanced results as compared to the schemes already proposed in the literature.

This study aims to examine the determinants of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) sustainability practices in New Zealand from the triple bottom line (3BL) perspective. Unlike large companies and government agencies whose sustainability practices are driven by regulations and attempts to legitimise business operations, little is known about the drivers of SMEs’ sustainability practices.

A cross-sectional survey approach was adopted for the data collection. The analysis was mainly descriptive, while the covariates’ effects were measured based on partial least squares structural equation modelling.

This paper identified that SMEs’ 3BL practices are significantly influenced by local bylaws, voluntary adoption of 3BL operational policies and company size. This paper finds that the SMEs’ industry type is not statistically significant as a determinant of their 3BL practices. This implies that regulation and operational policies increase sustainability practices in the SME sector.

These findings provide insights to SMEs’ managers on the importance of sustainability policies adoption and bylaws. Government departments and local government councils could adopt the findings in developing regulatory policies that support SMEs’ 3BL.

This study provides support for economically, environmentally and socially sustainable business practices amongst SMEs.

A dearth of studies on SMEs sustainability practices exists in the extant literature, particularly in New Zealand. The study focusses on SMEs sustainability in the viewpoint of 3BL practices based on an empirical analysis.

The study aims to understand the way metaverse might revolutionize the governance format – precisely the e-government concept – besides underlining the challenges leaving suggestive contours for further research in this realm.

An inductive research approach included the content analysis of relevant literature to identify patterns and generalize them into areas and approaches. Developing a conceptual framework seeks to systematically organize knowledge on metaverse government and provide an understanding of its contributions to enhancing the e-government maturity models.

The authors identified three general areas and approaches – content and data lifecycle management; platforms, tools and services; and infrastructure and computing resources – that shape how challenges of enterprise architecture layers should be resolved in a future research agenda. Integration of these government metaverse areas and approaches is linked with four enterprise architecture layers (technology, applications, data and business) that advance a new e-government meta stage of e-government maturity and the related challenges.

Hitherto, metaverse literature has hinged itself on the benefits and challenges of metaverse in the private sector. However, the exact dimensions have not been probed in the public sector and its e-government domain – the present study seeks to plug this gap.

An audit committee (AC) whose members hold multiple directorships can adversely affect a firm’s earnings management (EM) behavior due to a lack of time that can prevent members from performing their responsibilities effectively. This paper aims to investigate the moderation role of foreign ownership (FOWN) on audit committee multiple directorships (ACMD) as it relates to accrual EM.

Using a sample of 528 observations for Palestinian listed companies over 2009–2019, this research used panel data regression to explore the specified relationships. Additionally, the study conducted a regression analysis using alternative measurements of the ACMD and the extended modified Jones model (2006) to assess robustness. Furthermore, generalized method of moments and a two-stage least squares method were used to address potential endogeneity concerns.

The results show that multiple directorships lead to a scarcity of time that can adversely affect efficient management oversight and documented an adverse association between FOWN and discretionary accruals. The results are consistent with agency theory that FOWN brings in expertise and experience from countries with strong governance to benefit local firms and thus recover control, lower agency costs, raise a firm’s value and thus alleviate EM.

This study provides unique explanations and recommendations for restraining excessive ACMD because this practice decreases managers’ ability to decrease EM. The mixed outcomes in earlier literature on the AC characteristics and EM also indicate a contingent role that may clarify this inconsistency.

Academic scholars have tested students’ entrepreneurial intention (SEI) through the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). Still, the link between entrepreneurial intention and career is missing in previous studies. An extensive literature review developed the rationale that existing theories in the entrepreneurial discipline have limitations in linking entrepreneurial intention with career. This research is conducted to develop a comprehensive model for the relationship between entrepreneurial university support, student entrepreneurial intention, behavior and career. Stimulus-Organism-Behavior-Consequence (SOBC) paradigm from organizational behavior research is borrowed to entrepreneurship literature.

The cross-sectional data was collected from Pakistani university students enrolled in business incubators. A sample of 100 responses was tested with a partial least square–structural equation modelling approach.

The study established that by the underpinning of SOBC, entrepreneurial university support influences students’ entrepreneurial intention. It is also found that the students’ entrepreneurial intention strongly influences their entrepreneurial behavior, leading them to entrepreneurship careers.

The policies influencing students’ entrepreneurial intention and behavior can be developed using the SOBC paradigm. Higher education institutions can improve students’ entrepreneurial intentions and behavior to lead them to entrepreneurship careers.

This research introduced the SOBC paradigm in entrepreneurial intention and behavior literature. SOBC underpinning explored a new dimension of entrepreneurial intention and behavior literature.