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Article
Publication date: 14 February 2024

Dickson K.W. Chiu and Kevin K.W. Ho

Abstract

Details

Library Hi Tech, vol. 42 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0737-8831

Article
Publication date: 1 February 2024

Innocent Chigozie Osuizugbo, Fidelis Okechukwu Ezeokoli, Kevin Chuks Okolie and Aduragbemi Deborah Olojo

The application of good buildability practices is vital for improving the performance of projects and businesses in the construction sector. Despite the plethora of research into…

Abstract

Purpose

The application of good buildability practices is vital for improving the performance of projects and businesses in the construction sector. Despite the plethora of research into buildability in construction in the previous years, there is little information concerning how buildability practice can be successfully implemented. This paper aims to develop a conceptual framework that explains how buildability practice can be implemented successfully in the construction industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses an integrative literature review method to synthesise literature from different domains to describe various themes by which buildability assessment can be successfully implemented in the construction industry.

Findings

The findings of the review of literature conceptualised a buildability implementation framework at four principal themes: buildability attributes for improving the practice of construction management, factors supporting the implementation of buildability assessment, measures for improving the buildability of building designs and factors impeding the implementation of buildability assessment.

Originality/value

The outcome of this study contributes to knowledge in three different ways. First, the framework emerging from this study provides guidance to stakeholders on strategies for the successful implementation of buildability. Second, the information gathered in this study is useful for the development of buildability assessment tool. Finally, the framework has a potential of improving the practice of embedding buildability into designs. The detailed descriptions of the relevant variables at each principal theme advance the understanding of buildability in the construction industry and are fundamental to developing buildability assessment tools for the industry.

Details

Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology , vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1726-0531

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 March 2022

Innocent Chigozie Osuizugbo, Kevin Chuks Okolie and Olalekan Shamsideen Oshodi

Improving buildability of building designs with the aid of buildability assessment is essential because of the effect of designs on construction. Despite the plethora of research…

Abstract

Purpose

Improving buildability of building designs with the aid of buildability assessment is essential because of the effect of designs on construction. Despite the plethora of research into buildability reported over the years, a review of the literature shown a dearth of research into the factors supporting the implementation of buildability assessment. Because buildability assessment has been confirmed to be highly beneficial to construction business, this study aims to investigate the factors supporting the implementation of buildability assessment as a tool for buildability improvement using Nigeria as a representative case.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey research method was adopted for the study. Questionnaires were administered to a purposively selected group of architects, engineers, builders and quantity surveyors involved in construction project delivery within client, consulting and contracting organisations in Nigeria. A total of 368 questionnaires were distributed among the sampled participants, out of which, a total of 219 representing 60% were sufficiently filled and returned. Data collected were analysed using inferential and descriptive statistics.

Findings

The results revealed owner’s commitment, clients’ awareness of the benefits of conducting buildability assessment on building design, unity amongst different professionals in the construction industry, designers consider buildability important, adequate coordination amongst different design disciplines, adequate channel for co-ordination and communication between designers and constructors at the design stage and adequate support from the government as the top most seven factors supporting buildability assessment implementation in construction sector of Nigeria. Secondly, the results from the research revealed that there is no statistically significant difference in factors supporting buildability assessment implementation in construction between clients and consulting and contracting construction organisations in Nigeria.

Originality/value

The findings provide in-depth insight of the factors supporting the implementation of buildability assessment in construction that can help principal stakeholders in construction to facilitate development of strategies required in supporting the adoption and implementation of buildability assessment tool for buildability improvement.

Details

Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology , vol. 22 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1726-0531

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 March 2024

Bing Xue, Rui Yao, Zengyu Ye, Cheuk Ting Chan, Dickson K.W. Chiu and Zeyu Zhong

With the rapid development of social media, many organizations have begun to attach importance to social media platforms. This research studies the management and the use of…

Abstract

Purpose

With the rapid development of social media, many organizations have begun to attach importance to social media platforms. This research studies the management and the use of social media in academic music libraries, taking the Center for Chinese Music Studies of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CCMS) as a case study.

Design/methodology/approach

We conducted a sentiment analysis of posts on Facebook’s public page to analyze the reaction to the posts with some exploratory analysis, including the communication trend and relevant factors that affect user interaction.

Findings

Our results show that the Facebook channel for the library has a good publicity effect and active interaction, but the number of posts and interactions has a downward trend. Therefore, the library needs to pay more attention to the management of the Facebook channel and take adequate measures to improve the quality of posts to increase interaction.

Originality/value

Few studies have analyzed existing data directly collected from social media by programming based on sentiment analysis and natural language processing technology to explore potential methods to promote music libraries, especially in East Asia, and about traditional music.

Details

Library Hi Tech, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0737-8831

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 January 2024

Lian Zhang, Qingtao Wang, Qiyuan Zhang and Kevin Zheng Zhou

Although the prior literature has identified the relevance of dealer participation for multinational enterprises (MNEs), it is unclear whether such participation could also be an…

Abstract

Purpose

Although the prior literature has identified the relevance of dealer participation for multinational enterprises (MNEs), it is unclear whether such participation could also be an important means for local dealers to learn from MNEs. By adopting local firms’ viewpoint, our study draws on organizational learning theory to examine how local dealers benefit from their participation with foreign suppliers in Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical setting is a combinative dataset of secondary data and primary survey of 164 small- and medium-sized local dealers with nine subsidiaries of a Chinese motorcycle company in six countries of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Findings

This research shows that dealer participation is positively associated with dealer performance, and this positive effect is stronger when local dealers operate in regions with low government corruption and high government support. However, the positive relationship is weaker when local dealers use the local tongue extensively but becomes stronger when their foreign suppliers have a high dealer coverage.

Originality/value

By taking a local-participant perspective, our study extends the participation literature to show how firms from a resource-constrained region may benefit from their proactive participation with foreign counterparts. Additionally, we identify the boundary conditions of institutional factors and strategic choices of local dealers and foreign suppliers, providing a nuanced understanding of firm behaviors in complex and uncertain markets.

Details

International Marketing Review, vol. 41 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-1335

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 April 2024

Ayse Ocal and Kevin Crowston

Research on artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential effects on the workplace is increasing. How AI and the futures of work are framed in traditional media has been examined…

Abstract

Purpose

Research on artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential effects on the workplace is increasing. How AI and the futures of work are framed in traditional media has been examined in prior studies, but current research has not gone far enough in examining how AI is framed on social media. This paper aims to fill this gap by examining how people frame the futures of work and intelligent machines when they post on social media.

Design/methodology/approach

We investigate public interpretations, assumptions and expectations, referring to framing expressed in social media conversations. We also coded the emotions and attitudes expressed in the text data. A corpus consisting of 998 unique Reddit post titles and their corresponding 16,611 comments was analyzed using computer-aided textual analysis comprising a BERTopic model and two BERT text classification models, one for emotion and the other for sentiment analysis, supported by human judgment.

Findings

Different interpretations, assumptions and expectations were found in the conversations. Three subframes were analyzed in detail under the overarching frame of the New World of Work: (1) general impacts of intelligent machines on society, (2) undertaking of tasks (augmentation and substitution) and (3) loss of jobs. The general attitude observed in conversations was slightly positive, and the most common emotion category was curiosity.

Originality/value

Findings from this research can uncover public needs and expectations regarding the future of work with intelligent machines. The findings may also help shape research directions about futures of work. Furthermore, firms, organizations or industries may employ framing methods to analyze customers’ or workers’ responses or even influence the responses. Another contribution of this work is the application of framing theory to interpreting how people conceptualize the future of work with intelligent machines.

Details

Information Technology & People, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-3845

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 November 2023

Urmila Jagadeeswari Itam and Uma Warrier

Teleworking, working from home and flexible work have gained popularity over the last few years. A shift in policies and practices in the workplace is required owing to the…

Abstract

Purpose

Teleworking, working from home and flexible work have gained popularity over the last few years. A shift in policies and practices in the workplace is required owing to the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating current trends in work-from-everywhere (WFE) research. This article presents a systematic literature review of WFE research from 1990 to early 2023 to understand the transformation of the field.

Design/methodology/approach

The Web of Science database was used to conduct this review based on rigorous bibliometric and network analysis techniques. The prominence of the research studied using SPAR-4-SLR and a collection of bibliometric techniques on selected journal articles, reviews and early access articles. Performance and keyword co-occurrence analysis form the premise of cluster analysis. The content analysis of recently published papers revealed the driving and restraining forces that help define and operationalize the concept of WFE.

Findings

The major findings indicate that the five established and accelerated trends from cluster analysis are COVID-19 and the pandemic, telework(ing), remote working, work from home and well-being and productivity. Driving and restraining forces identified through content analysis include technological breakthroughs, work–life integration challenges, inequality in the distribution of jobs, gender, shifts in industry and sector preferences, upskilling and reskilling and many more have been published post-COVID in the restraining forces category of WFE.

Practical implications

A key contribution of this pioneering study of “work from everywhere” is the linking of the bibliometric trends of the past three decades to the influencing and restraining factors during the pandemic. This study illustrates how WFE could be perceived differently post-COVID, which is of great concern to practitioners and future researchers.

Originality/value

A wide range of publications on WFE and multiple synonyms can create confusion if a systematic and effective system does not classify and associate them. This study uses both bibliometric and scientometric analyses in the context of WFE using systematic literature review (SLR) methods.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 45 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 February 2024

George Okello Candiya Bongomin, Elie Chrysostome, Jean-Marie Nkongolo-Bakenda and Pierre Yourougou

The main purpose of this paper is to establish the mediating effect of credit counselling in the relationship between access to microcredit and survival of micro small and…

Abstract

Purpose

The main purpose of this paper is to establish the mediating effect of credit counselling in the relationship between access to microcredit and survival of micro small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa post COVID-19 pandemic with data collected from rural Uganda.

Design/methodology/approach

Structural equation modelling (SEM) through SmartPLS 4.0 was used to generate the standardized parameters to test whether credit counselling mediates the relationship between access to microcredit and survival of MSMEs in developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa post COVID-19 pandemic with data collected from rural Uganda.

Findings

The SEM bootstrap results revealed that credit counselling enhances access to microcredit by 27% to promote survival of MSMEs in developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa post COVID-19 pandemic with data collected from rural Uganda.

Research limitations

The current study focused only on women MSMEs. Future studies may possibly collect data from all the MSMEs to draw better generalization of the findings within the sector.

Practical implications

The findings can help public finance policy to ensure provision of credit counselling to microentrepreneurs who borrow from different financial institutions to reduce the problem of loan defaults and delinquency rampant in lending. This could be done through conducting routine business education and counselling sessions for microentrepreneurs who often need credit to grow their businesses.

Originality/value

This study is amongst the first few studies to establish the mediating effect of credit counselling in the relationship between access to microcredit and survival of MSMEs in developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa in the aftermath of COVID-19 pandemic with data collected from rural Uganda. There is a dearth in literature and theory on the rehabilitative and preventive role of credit counselling in reducing repayment defaults amongst borrowers within the credit market to spur survival of MSMEs seen as the main enabler of economic growth, especially in developing countries. In fact, credit counselling acts as a safety net by substituting financial literacy and education to solve the rampant problem of overindebtedness amongst borrowers who are debt illiterate within the credit market.

Details

Journal of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2045-2101

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 April 2024

Jie Li, Zui Tao and Nadilai Aisihaer

This study investigates whether the visualization of agricultural products influences consumers’ purchase intentions in the context of farmer-assisted livestreaming in China…

Abstract

Purpose

This study investigates whether the visualization of agricultural products influences consumers’ purchase intentions in the context of farmer-assisted livestreaming in China. Moreover, it explores the moderating effect of packaging functionality and the mediating effect of consumer trust.

Design/methodology/approach

Consumers in China from multiple social media platforms participated in this survey, which yielded 333 valid responses for analysis.

Findings

The results revealed a positive relationship between the video presentation about the agricultural production process and consumers’ purchase intention, which is mediated by consumers’ trust. Meanwhile, packaging functionality moderates the relationship between agricultural product visualization and consumers’ purchase intentions as well as the indirect effect of consumers’ trust.

Originality/value

This study extends the application of the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) model to the field of farmer-assisted livestreaming. By building a more detailed model, this study adds to knowledge on the influencing mechanisms of consumers’ purchase intentions in farmer-assisted livestreaming.

Details

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-5855

Keywords

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