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This paper presents results from a study on Unauthorized Software Copying among a group of professional computer end users. The magnitude of the practice is measured. Attitudes of users towards the issue are identified.

Promoting positive mental health is increasingly being encouraged as the focus of research and policies on the mental health of construction personnel. Most measures of mental health, however, typically use negative indicators such as depression and anxiety and are not specifically developed for the construction workforce, especially those with a Global South background. These limitations have made it challenging to measure construction personnel’s positive mental health. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to develop a scale for measuring the positive mental health of construction personnel with a Global South background.

Guided by Keyes’ two-continua model of mental health, the study objectives were addressed through a mixed-methods study using the case of Ghana. Qualitative data collected from eight key stakeholder groups using 16 interviews and two rounds of focus group discussions were analysed thematically. Quantitative data were obtained through a survey of 425 construction personnel and analysed using confirmatory factor analysis and correlation analysis.

Thematic analysis revealed a four-dimensional structure of positive mental health, namely, emotional, psychological, social and spiritual. Confirmatory factor analysis and correlation analysis of the results indicated good instrument validity and reliability.

Existing measures of positive mental health are based on a three-dimensional model, i.e. emotional, social and psychological well-being. By including spiritual well-being, this study proposes a four-dimensional measurement model as a more comprehensive and promising measure to use in surveys of positive mental health among the construction workforce, especially those with a Global South background, and to develop suitable interventions for them.

The purpose of this study is to elicit the success factors from empirical evidence, as construction industry requires an improved understanding of factors for managing projects to positive outcomes. Increased stakeholder involvement, including the new technologies, achieving sustainability and safeguarding health and safety, whilst at the same time facing uncertainties, it is crucial to examine whether there are new factors that drive construction projects to succeed, especially from a value-driven perspective.

Using a systematic review approach, this research reviewed 172 studies published after 2004. When compared to a comprehensive project success factor framework presented by Chan et al. in 2004, 19 factors are considered new since 2004.

Though several scholarly outputs highlighted significant improvements to project operations and innovations in equipment and techniques, there has not been a comprehensive oversight since Chan’s et al. (2004) conceptual framework. This paper investigates 16 years of industry changes and identified two new success factors categories (innovation and sustainability) and 19 new factors that add to Chan’s et al. (2004) study. Consequently, a new framework of factors affecting project success was developed.

This paper was very specific in its attempt to find the new and additional success factors for managing construction projects. A new conceptual framework, which includes the newly identified factors, was then developed that will create a greater awareness of stakeholders’ concerns and ultimately contribute to significant improvement in developing project objectives and defining success measures.

This paper aims to explore augmented reality (AR) applications in construction safety academic literature and propose possible improvements for future scholarly works. The paper explicitly focuses on AR integration with Construction 4.0 technologies as an effective solution to safety concerns in the construction industry.

This study applied a systematic review approach. In total, 387 potentially relevant articles from databases were identified. Once filtering criteria were applied, 29 eligible papers where selected. The inclusion criteria were being directly associated with construction safety focused on an AR application and AR interactions associated with the Construction 4.0 technologies.

This study investigated the structure of AR applications in construction safety. To this end, the authors studied the safety purposes of AR applications in construction safety: pre-event (intelligent operation, training, safety inspection and hazard alerting), during-event (pinpointing hazard) and post-event (safety estimation) applications. Then, the integration of AR with Construction 4.0 technologies was elaborated. The systematic review also revealed that the AR integration has contributed to developing several technical aspects of AR technology: display, tracking and human–computer interaction. The study results indicate that AR integration with construction is effective in mitigating safety concerns; however, further research studies are required to support this statement.

This study contributes to exploring applications and integrations of AR into construction safety in order to facilitate the leverage of this technology. This review can help encourage practitioners and researchers to conduct further academic investigations into AR application in construction safety.

In the construction sector, site excavation is one of the most dangerous and challenging activities. Proper training can be an effective way to mitigate excavation hazards. Virtual reality (VR) has been used as an effective training tool to enhance safety performance in various industries. However, little attention has been paid to the potential of this technology for construction excavation safety training.

This study proposes an immersive VR training system for excavation safety and hazard identification. The proposed VR training system was compared with a health and safety manual via a controlled experiment.

Results based on scores obtained immediately after training indicate that VR training significantly enhanced practical performance, knowledge acquisition and self-efficacy. Results also show that knowledge was retained four weeks after training. In addition, VR training outperformed health and safety manuals regarding knowledge retention.

This study measures the practical performance to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed VR training system. Also, this study compares the VR training system with a traditional training method by measuring knowledge acquisition and retention. The results demonstrate the potential of VR as a training tool for excavation safety and hazards.

With growing concern about sustainable development and increased awareness of environmental issues, digital technologies (DTs) are gaining prominence and becoming a promising trend to improve productivity, sustainability and project performance in the construction industry. Nonetheless, the uptake of DTs in the construction industry has been limited and plagued with roadblocks. This study aims to identify critical barriers for construction organisations to adopt DTs and to demonstrate relationships between organisational characteristics and the perceived DTs adoption barriers.

This study adopted an explanatory sequential design by combining the advantages of quantitative and qualitative data. Data collection methods include literature review, a pilot study, questionnaire survey, and semi-structured interviews. Questionnaire data were analysed by using SPSS and multivariate regression technique. The interview data were processed by using content analysis to validate and supplement findings from the questionnaire.

Based on the survey and interview results, eight critical barriers were identified: the three top critical barriers are (1) “status quo industry standards”, (2) “lack of client interest” and (3) “lack of financial need/drive for using DTs”. The eight critical barriers were further classified into technical, environmental, and social dimensions to determine the major constructs that hinder DTs adoption. A theoretical framework articulating critical barriers with underlying components and root causes was also proposed. Furthermore, by using multivariate regression analysis, a model was developed to link the organisational characteristics with barriers to DTs adoption.

By referring to the framework and the model developed, academics, industry practitioners, and decision makers can identify pivotal areas for improvement, make informed decisions and implement remedial measures to remove the barriers to digitalisation transformation.

This study contributes to the literature on construction innovations by investigating barriers to DTs adoption holistically as well as perceptions of the impact of organisational attributes on these barriers. It establishes the groundwork for future empirical research into the strategic consolidation of movement of DTs adoption and diffusion.

Air freight transportation is an increasingly important element in the production supply chains of both developed and less-developed countries. This chapter looks at the particular features of air freight transportation that pertain to the developing world. In doing this, it is borne in mind that much of the trade involves international interactions with developed countries and this affects the technology and costs involved. The markets for the transportation of flower products is given particular attention.

Despite extensive academic research related to digital technologies (DT), their integration into architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) projects lags in practice. This paper aims to discover DT deployment patterns and emerging trends in real-life AEC projects.

A case study methodology was adopted, including individual case analyses and comparative multiple-case analyses.

The results revealed the temporal distribution of DT in practical AEC projects, specific DT products/software, major project types integrated with digital solutions, DT application areas and project stages and associated project performance. Three distinct patterns in DT adoption have been observed, reflecting the evolution of DT applications, the progression from single to multiple DT integration and alignment with emerging industry requirements. The DT adoption behavior in the studied cases has been examined using the technology-organization-environment-human (TOE + H) framework. Further, eight emerging trend streams for future DT adoption were identified, with “leveraging the diverse features of certain mature DT” being a shared recognition of all studied companies.

This research offers actionable insights for AEC companies, facilitating the development of customized DT implementation roadmaps aligned with organizational needs. Policymakers, industry associations and DT suppliers may leverage these findings for informed decision-making, collaborative educational initiatives and product/service customization.

This research provides empirical evidence of applicable products/software, application areas and project performance. The examination of the TOE + H framework offers a holistic understanding of the collective influences on DT adoption. The identification of emerging trends addresses the evolving demands of the AEC industry in the digital era.

In order to succeed in an action under the Equal Pay Act 1970, should the woman and the man be employed by the same employer on like work at the same time or would the woman still be covered by the Act if she were employed on like work in succession to the man? This is the question which had to be solved in Macarthys Ltd v. Smith. Unfortunately it was not. Their Lordships interpreted the relevant section in different ways and since Article 119 of the Treaty of Rome was also subject to different interpretations, the case has been referred to the European Court of Justice.