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The objective of this systematic literature review (SLR) is to outline the existing research in the field of infrastructure project finance (IPF). This paper aims to summarise the academic and practitioner research to highlight the benefits of adopting IPF structures in uncertain environments. By highlighting all conceptual and applied implications of IPF, the study identifies future research directions to develop a holistic understanding of IPF.

The SLR is based on 125 articles published in peer-reviewed journals during 1975–2019. After providing a brief overview of IPF, research methodology and citation, publication and author analysis, the SLR presents the various domains around which existing research in IPF is focussed and provides future research propositions in each domain.

The study found that despite the increased usage of IPF, academic and practitioner research in the field is lagging. Also, with increased usage of IPF in emerging and under-developed economies, IPF structure presents a perfect setting to understand how investment and financing are interlinked and how to overcome the institutional voids, socio-economic risks and inter-partner differences by IPF structures.

This literature review paper is based on the research in IPF between 1975 and 2019. To the best of the authors’ understanding, the SLR is the first focussed study detailing a methodical and thorough compendium of existing studies in the IPF domain. By focussing on various domains of IPF research, this paper presents future research avenues in the field.

Risks resulted from asymmetric information have become crucial barriers for commercial banks to implement supply chain finance (SCF) – mainly the inventory pledge financing (IPF). At the same time, online financial service providers (OFSPs) are emerging as strong competitors in the SCF market. As a result, commercial banks need to update their traditional SCF business models and alleviate their over-dependence on OFSPs.

The authors employ a multi-case-study method to investigate how the Internet of things (IoT) and blockchain technologies can be jointly leveraged to mitigate SCF risks. In-depth interviews were conducted to depict the business models and their novel ecosystem to reinforce traditional banks' ability in SCF services.

From the perspective of information asymmetry, the authors categorize IPF risks into three groups based on the principal-agent theory: collateral, warehousing and liquidity risk. The findings suggest that IoT can primarily improve traditional banks' information acquisition ability, and blockchain can facilitate credible information transformation, enabling banks to acquire knowledge from collaterals. Besides, the e-platform in the new architecture increases banks' involvement in the supply chain and builds a fair network to curtail warehousing risks. The employment of smart contracts and collaborative mechanism ensure process and outcome control in mitigating liquidity risks.

The research contributes to the literature by confirming the role of emerging technologies in reducing information asymmetry risks. Besides, the findings provide valuable insights for practitioners to promote effective practices and approaches in IPF.

Quality 4.0 (Q4.0) leverages new emerging technologies to achieve operational excellence and enhance performance. Implementing Q4.0 in digital manufacturing can bring about reliable, flexible and decentralized manufacturing. Emerging technologies such as Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), Blockchain and Interplanetary File Storage (IPFS) can all be utilized to realize Q4.0 in digital manufacturing. NFTs, for instance, can provide traceability and property ownership management and protection. Blockchain provides secure and verifiable transactions in a manner that is trusted, immutable and tamper-proof. This research paper aims to explore the concept of Q4.0 within digital manufacturing systems and provide a novel solution based on Blockchain and NFTs for implementing Q4.0 in digital manufacturing.

This study reviews the relevant literature and presents a detailed system architecture, along with a sequence diagram that demonstrates the interactions between the various participants. To implement a prototype of the authors' system, the authors next develop multiple Ethereum smart contracts and test the algorithms designed. Then, the efficacy of the proposed system is validated through an evaluation of its cost-effectiveness and security parameters. Finally, this research provides other potential applications and scenarios across diverse industries.

The proposed solution's smart contracts governing the transactions among the participants were implemented successfully. Furthermore, the authors' analysis indicates that the authors' solution is cost-effective and resilient against commonly known security attacks.

This study represents a pioneering endeavor in the exploration of the potential applications of NFTs and blockchain in the attainment of a comprehensive quality framework (Q4.0) in digital manufacturing. Presently, the body of research on quality control or assurance in digital manufacturing is limited in scope, primarily focusing on the products and production processes themselves. However, this study examines the other vital elements, including management, leadership and intra- and inter-organizational relationships, which are essential for manufacturers to achieve superior performance and optimal manufacturing outcomes.

To facilitate the achievement of Q4.0 and empower manufacturers to attain outstanding quality and gain significant competitive advantages, the authors propose the integration of Blockchain and NFTs into the digital manufacturing framework, with all related processes aligned with an organization's strategic and leadership objectives.

This study represents a pioneering endeavor in the exploration of the potential applications of NFTs and blockchain in the attainment of a comprehensive quality framework (Quality 4.0) in digital manufacturing. Presently, the body of research on quality control or assurance in digital manufacturing is limited in scope, primarily focusing on the products and production processes themselves. However, this study examines the other vital elements, including management, leadership and intra- and inter-organizational relationships, which are essential for manufacturers to achieve superior performance and optimal manufacturing outcomes.

The blockchain system is required for coordinating and managing the information across the organizations. The internal assurance of the information system is under threat and requires a defined and arbitrary system for protective information sharing. The primary analysis of defining and providing the access to the data or information is proposed in this article. The major challenge faced by organizations is providing and maintaining security to the cumulated data infrastructure, protecting the confidential data flow within the infrastructure and to ascertain ethical operations within the organization.

In this paper, a top-down approach is utilized to solve the issues faced during confidential data storage, track and alert internal malignant access. The web content management system (WCMS) market is growing and the challenging desideratum of solving security issues are incrementing. This research proposes a top-down security implementation methodology which alters the access control of the organization running the WCMS, it is a highly secure access-control with activity tracker that records who did what activity and who is responsible for malignant access tracker.

The upgraded access control system is implemented utilizing the most influential blockchain technology where the hash engendered by the Inter Planetary File System (IPFS) cloud is stored on the block to implement a confidential data tracker; a supplemental level of security is integrated to the admin by verifying its account ID by storing it on to the astute contracts and applying two-step authentication. A caliber of security is integrated during storage by integrating RHS encryption.

This system is proposed for the confidential student data storage (for e.g. educational documents, marks cards etc.) and tracking maleficent access.

The upgraded access control system is implemented using the most influential blockchain technology where the hash generated by the IPFS cloud is stored on the block to implement a confidential data tracker, an additional level of security is added to the admin by verifying its account ID by storing it on to the smart contracts and applying two-step authentication.

Performance is considered to be a multi-dimensional construct with three underlying dimensions such as Task Performance (TP), Interpersonal Facilitation (IPF), and Job Dedication (JD). Yet, these dimensions exhibit high inter-correlations in many studies. This study explores the dimensionality of performance as perceived by managers in Indian Public Sector Units (PSUs) and its implications on the sustainability of performance practices in these organizations.

Performance data of 588 PSU executives was obtained from their respective managers (162 in number) using a pen-paper survey. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) followed by a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was employed to test the dimensionality of the performance construct using SPSS 25 and AMOS 24.

The data obtained had best fit when performance was modelled as a second order factor with the three dimensions drawing on it as first order indicators. However, the measurement model with employee performance modelled as a one-dimensional first order factor had poor fit. This indicates that PSU managers do perceive an implicit differentiation between the performance dimensions, but the performance ratings do not explicitly reflect that differentiation.

To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first ever study in Indian context that explores the perception of PSU managers on performance dimensionality. It discusses if Indian PSUs could sustain the dynamism of the future workplace with the present performance management practices and makes relevant suggestions in that direction.

With human resource (HR) roles evolving to encompass wider responsibilities, HR decision-making in organizations has become more complex than ever. This has compelled researchers in the area to move beyond simplistic models to testing models that involve studying the relationship between multiple independent and dependent variables in the presence of moderators and mediators, in order to make relevant contribution to managerial decision-making. Thus, research in the field is heavily dependent on multivariate techniques that can run several regressions simultaneously and can study the influence of one variable on the other, in presence of the other variables in the model. Structural equation modeling is the most widely used multivariate technique and involves two phases – measurement model to test reliability and validity of study constructs and structural model that involves path diagrams to test the causal relationships between these constructs. At times, however, the researcher might run into trouble with validity issues of constructs in the measurement model; especially when dimensions of a larger construct are used as independent constructs in the study. Introducing a second-order construct in such a case could be the solution to proceed further. Using empirical data, this chater illustrates the case of such a problematic measurement model and details the research methodology of introducing and working with a second-order construct in a step-wise manner, starting with an exploratory factor analysis and subsequently, moving toward a confirmatory factor analysis, highlighting the best practices to be followed while using these statistical techniques.

The paper seeks to evaluate accuracy and efficiency of consensus forecasts for all property rents and total returns in the UK. The aim of the paper is to investigate whether consensus forecasts, containing a high degree of judgement, are better than forecasts produced by uncomplicated time‐series and econometric models that practitioners can easily estimate and use for forecasting.

This study estimates simple models of all property rents and returns and generates forecasts for one‐ and two‐year horizons on a rolling basis over the period 1999 to 2004. These forecasts are real time forecasts. That is they are made using information available to the analyst at the time of the forecast each year and no future knowledge is assumed. The forecasts made by these models are compared with the corresponding consensus forecasts. The comparative assessment is based on conventional tests for bias, variability and efficiency of forecasts.

If attention is focused on rents, the consensus forecast is ranked best for the one‐year horizon but it is outperformed by the regression model and a combination of the statistical models for the two‐year horizon. For the one‐year and two‐year forecasts of total returns a simple regression model with interest rates clearly improves upon the consensus forecasts. There is clear evidence that the consensus forecasts fail to incorporate the information contained in recent interest rate movements. Therefore subject to the sample period for this analysis the survey forecasts of total returns cannot be considered impartial. Analysts should include base rate information into their predictions.

This is one of the few attempts to formally evaluate consensus forecasts in the real estate field and perform a direct comparison with quantitative forecasts. It produces initial evidence suggesting that highly judgemental consensus forecasts do not necessarily outperform quantitative forecasts based on fundamentals. It prompts property forecasters and investors to engage in forecast evaluation and include missing information and past errors in their forecasts.

Although mass privatizations in Slovakia had the same starting point as those in the Czech Republic, mass privatisation in Slovakia led to a different ownership structure, which also partly reflects the different industry structure. Proximately to political decision making of the new management is close and explicit. The new structure lends itself to targeted industrial policy.

The pace of economic reforms in the emerging markets of Central and Eastern Europe through such measures as macro stabilisation policies, price liberalisation and currency convertibility has helped to demonstrate that economic transition can be achieved fairly rapidly. Certainly, the challenge for these economies has been to construct, through the new freedom afforded economic agents, (households and firms), an economy that can: (a) facilitate non‐inflationary economic growth, and (b) usher in improvements in social and economic welfare. It is the interconnection between the macroeconomic stabilisation measures (e.g. tight fiscal and monetary policies) and the desire to alter decades of economic decline which has prompted the commitment of these governments to fostering a greater reliance on market forces to improve the overall efficiency of resource utilisation (See Lipton and Sachs, 1990). The global impression is that the competitiveness and industrial restructuring efforts are beginning to alter the economic structure of these countries, which are being met with varying success; (see, for example, Hare and Hughes, 1991).