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The purpose of this paper is to develop a model for generic competencies based on lifecycle orientation of projects to support infrastructure managers (IMs) in India.

This study has reviewed literature on competency theories and their advancement of knowledge in management, construction and engineering projects. This study has applied exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to structure generic competencies founded on infrastructure practices in India. Further this study has applied confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test for confirmation on emerged dimensionality of the competence construct for IMs in India.

Using data collected from 175 usable questionnaires of managers serving in infrastructure firms in India for EFA followed by CFA, six generic competencies have been established in the domains of strategic, analytical, personal, managerial, professional and leadership dimensions significantly impacting competent performance.

This study has applied plausibility sampling and it presents only generic competencies for executives working in the infrastructure sector alone.

Due to the growth in number of executives to be employed in infrastructure firms in India, academic institutions in this subcontinent have gained momentum in offering programmes covering the field of infrastructure management. These institutions are believed to be covering domains of strategic, analytical, personal, managerial, professional and leadership dimensions for assuring competent performance of IMs in India.

Attention to these generic competencies can help IMs to contribute towards better performance, academic institutions to design curriculum, recruiters to acquire talent and executives to advance professionally.

Extant academic studies relating to generic competencies are available mostly in project and construction domains. There is a paucity of such academic studies in the domain of infrastructure.

The purpose of this paper is to establish the importance of land records for urban development. The study focuses on how traditionally land records were managed and presently what are the important parameters impacting the land record management systems in India.

The framework adopted for the study was as follows: 1) literature study: aim to study the historical issues, to study global systems across the globe, various government reforms. 2) Present system of land management: to study the administrative, legal, economic issues, problems and potential in the present system. 3) Technology interventions: to study how technology can help to make the system more robust and trustworthy. 4) Conclusion: to study how the recommended technological measures will work and how to implement it in the system. Several pilot interviews were carried out to understand how the present system of land record management works in India, and important parameters were established through the pilot interviews of various stakeholders in the system.

The study brings out certain striking facts about the inefficiencies in the system since centuries, which are still being carried forward. Any reforms by the authorities have not been able to solve the issues and reduce the number of litigations because digitisation was only a step forward to replicate the wrong entries of records in digitised format. Thus, a paradigm shift in technology is required to bring a considerable change in the present management system.

Various studies worldwide have been done in several countries regarding land records, but all the studies are in piecemeal basis. Very less literature is available on the study that how land records effect large scale urban development projects. This study is an attempt to study impact of land records on urban development and to bring back transparency in the system to reduce the number of litigations on the most important ingredient of built environment, which is land.

This study investigated how students of the Faculties of Humanities and Education and Social Sciences at a Caribbean University sought information during the COVID-19 pandemic, identified challenges they experienced in seeking information for academic tasks and how satisfied they were with the Library's provision of electronic resources and services during this period.

A quantitative survey design was adopted for this study. Data were collected using an online questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data.

This study revealed that undergraduates relied upon lecture notes to complete assignments during the COVID-19 pandemic. Undergraduate students have developed a definite information-seeking pattern, which did not change during the pandemic. They tend to use information channels that require the least effort. Postgraduate students used a variety of Library information channels but primarily used electronic journals. On the whole, students experienced challenges while seeking information via the channels provided by the Library. Students were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with the Library's provision of electronic resources and services.

The study used non-probability sampling and only included students from two faculties at one university. As a result, the findings may not be generalized to the entire student population or all Caribbean universities.

The results of this study can be used to identify the difficulties students are having in accessing information from the Library and gauge service delivery.

This paper contributes to the scholarship from the Caribbean written to show whether students' information-seeking behaviour changed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The purpose of this paper is to attempt to verify the quality of the survey instrument of office investors in rationalising green office building investment in the city of Kuala Lumpur using the Rasch measurement method. It investigates whether the quality of the data obtained from the survey is statistically acceptable and aims to ensure that the scales used are based on the same measurement model and fit with the Rasch model.

In achieving this objective, a questionnaire survey was developed consisting of six sections. Some 394 questionnaires were distributed, and in total, 106 responses were received from office investors who own and lease office buildings in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. The data obtained from this survey were entered into Rasch software, and the analysis aims to consider three main parameters, specifically: point measure correlation 0.32 < x < 0.8; outfit mean squared 0.5 < y < 1.5; and outfit z-standard −2 < z < 2. It also provides a separable or independent measurement instrument for the parameters of the research object.

The analysis performed using the Rasch model confirmed that all items in the questionnaire construct were statistically reliable and valid. The Rasch analysis consists of, namely, the summary statistics; item unidimensionality to provide interval measures of item endorsements and fit statistics on persons involved; and items for further investigation. Unidimensionality, as a pre-requisite to the Rasch analysis, provides statistics on whether the items are on the same latent variable intended by the instrument. The results were also supported by Cronbach’s alpha at 0.91 which showed excellent reliability for person data. The results showed that the summary statistics, unidimensionality and item fit analysis were excellent.

This paper introduces the application of the Rasch analysis as a provision for a new dimension and technique in examining data reliability and validity of the instrument.

The theoretical and empirical literature stipulated that exchange rate shocks do influence the domestic price of imports. Hence, this paper aims to investigate the underlying relationship between the exchange rate and prices known as the exchange rate pass-through.

The paper uses a structural vector auto-regression (SVAR) model, drawing on Bernanke (1986) and Sims (1986), to empirically examine and analyze the pass-through of exchange rate fluctuations to domestic prices in Egypt.

The empirical results of the monthly data between 2003 and 2015 revealed that the exchange rate pass-through in Egypt is fairly substantial but incomplete and slow in the three price indices [IMP, producer price index and consumer price index (CPI)]. However, the impact is more prominent for consumer prices than for any other price index. This finding could be attributed to the fact that the CPI in Egypt is composed of a relatively large number of subsidized commodities and goods with administered prices as well as the authorities’ behavior in manipulating prices (i.e. export ban). This is expected to weaken the transmission of exchange rate shocks.

The result has interesting implications for Egypt’s ability to attain an effective inflation targeting regime.

The study contributes to the literature by assessing the effect of changes in the exchange rate (the Egyptian £ vis-à-vis the US$) on prices using an updated time series from 2003 to 2015. It addresses the limitations of the study of Nafie et al. (2004), which found no strong relationship between the exchange rate and inflation rate in the Egyptian context. One of these limitations was using the CPI, as the only price index.

Purpose – The numbers of health care transparency initiatives are increasing. Despite the growing availability of quality data, there seems to be a shortage of evidence about the effects and effectiveness of such initiatives. The aim of this systematic review is to document the effects of transparency, defined as the public release of quality performance data, on hospital care outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach – Through a review of the literature, we chose 46 keywords to use in our searches and focused on empirical studies published in English between 2010 and 2015. The use of combinations of these keywords in searches of four databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library) generated 13,849 publications. The removal of duplicates and exclusion of studies that were not empirical or not relevant to transparency and quality resulted in 39 studies to be reviewed.

Findings – Our review of the literature confirmed the growth of health care transparency efforts, led by the United States, and found mixed results regarding the effects of transparency on hospital care outcomes. For example, mortality, the most frequently researched performance measure (n = 15), exhibited this mixed pattern by having studies showing a reduction (n = 4), increase (n = 1), mixed findings (n = 4), and no significant relationship (n = 6) as a result of public release. We also found a limited number of articles related to unintended consequences of public reporting. When compared with earlier systematic reviews, there seems to be a trend in the reduction of unintended consequences. Therefore, we recommend exploration of this potential trend in future studies empirically.

Practical Implications – The research findings summarized in this systematic review can be used to understand the results of existing transparency efforts and to develop future transparency initiatives that may better enhance hospital quality performance.

Originality/value – This is the latest and most comprehensive systematic review summarizing the effects of transparency of quality metrics on hospital care outcomes.

Public hospitals have long been major players in the US health care delivery system. However, many public hospitals have privatized during the past few decades. The purpose of this chapter was to investigate the impact of public hospitals' privatization on community orientation (CO). This longitudinal study used a national sample of nonfederal acute-care public hospitals (1997–2010). Negative binomial regression models with hospital-level and year fixed effects were used to estimate the relationships. Our findings suggested that privatization was associated with a 14% increase in the number of CO activities, on average, compared with the number of CO activities prior to privatization. Public hospitals privatizing to for-profit status exhibited a 29% increase in the number of CO activities, relative to an insignificant 9% increase for public hospitals privatizing to not-for-profit status.

This study aims to get rid of non-degradable polyvinyl chloride (PVC) waste as well as sunflower seed cake (SSC) waste by preparing eco-friendly composites from both in different proportions to reach good mechanical and insulating properties for antimicrobial and antistatic applications.

Eco-friendly composite films based on waste polyvinylchloride (WPVC) and SSC of concentrations (0, 10, 20, 30 and 40 Wt.%) were prepared using solution casting method. Further, the effect of sunflower seed oil (SSO) on the biophysical properties of the prepared composites is also investigated. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope, mechanical, thermal, dielectric properties were assessed. Besides, the antimicrobial and biodegradation tests were also studied.

The crystallinity increases by rising SSC concentration as revealed by XRD results. Additionally, the permittivity (ε′) increases by increasing SSC filler and SSO as well. A remarkable increase in dc conductivity was attained after the addition of SSO. While raw WPVC has very low bacterial activity. The composite films are found to be very effective against staphylococcus epidermidis, staphylococcus aureus bacteria and against candida albicans as well. On the other hand, the weight loss of WPVC increases by adding of SSC and SSO, as disclosed by biodegradation studies.

The study aims to reach the optimum method for safe and beneficial disposal of PVC waste as well as SSC for antistatic and antimicrobial application.

Despite the significance of donations (Sadaqah) via mobile payment in Islamic countries, little is known about the variables influencing continuance intention toward using m-payment for donations (Sadaqah). Based on the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model, this research explores the influence of perceived quality (i.e. system, information, service) as a stimulus on customer satisfaction, engagement and delight as organisms, which then affects continuance intention toward using m-payment for donations (Sadaqah) as a response. Moreover, the study investigates the moderating role of Islamic religiosity.

Using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), a representative data sample of 419 Egyptian Muslims was analyzed to test hypotheses.

The findings revealed that all perceived quality constructs significantly positively affect customers' satisfaction. Customer satisfaction, in turn, positively affects customer engagement and delight. Moreover, customer engagement, delight and Islamic religiosity significantly positively affect continuance intention toward using m-payment for donations (Sadaqah). The findings also revealed that Islamic religiosity moderates the influence of customer engagement and customer delight on continuance intention toward using m-payment for donations (Sadaqah).

This is the first study to examine using m-payment for donations (Sadaqah) in an Islamic environment based on the S-O-R model.

Reviewing the existing literature in the field of e-learning success reveals a considerable number of studies that primarily investigate the causal relationships proposed by the DeLone and McLean (D&M) information system (IS) success model. However, the various relationships in the D&M model have found different levels of support or even contradictory results within the empirical literature. To synthesize the existing knowledge in the field of e-learning success, the authors have conducted a meta-analysis of e-learning success studies using D&M to combine the quantitative results and validate the model in this field. Furthermore, a moderator analysis involving user types was performed to examine the situation under which they may have different effects.

For this purpose, through a systematic review of the studies, 44 independent studies were selected from 29 qualified related journals. In order to analyze the quantitative results of the studies, the meta-analysis of the effect sizes of the casual relationships in the D&M model has been used.

The findings indicated that all relationships of the model were supported. It was also revealed that the extent of effect sizes of the examined relationships depends on the type of user. Except for one relationship (user satisfaction and net benefit), all effect sizes of employees were more than those of students and teachers.

This meta-analysis reviewed the relationships found in the literature on D&M constructs in e-learning contexts. This study better explains the e-learning success factors by consolidating contradictory findings in the past researches and contributes to the existing e-learning success literature. The findings can assist educational institutions and organizations in decision-making because the findings resulting from the meta-analysis are more consistent than previous primary researches.

Despite the widespread use of the D&M model in the field of e-learning success, no study has yet consolidated the quantitative findings of these studies and the current field abounds in some controversies and inconsistent findings. This paper integrates the results of empirical studies that examined the relationships within the D&M model. The main contribution of this paper, which is the first of its kind, is to apply meta-analysis to reconcile the conflicting findings, investigate the strengths of the relationships in the D&M model and provide a consolidated view.