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1 – 5 of 5Mónica Moreno, Rocío Ortiz and Pilar Ortiz
Heavy rainfall is one of the main causes of the degradation of historic rammed Earth architecture. For this reason, ensuring the conservation thereof entails understanding the…
Abstract
Purpose
Heavy rainfall is one of the main causes of the degradation of historic rammed Earth architecture. For this reason, ensuring the conservation thereof entails understanding the factors involved in these risk situations. The purpose of this study is to research three past events in which rainfall caused damage and collapse to historic rammed Earth fortifications in Andalusia in order to analyse whether it is possible to prevent similar situations from occurring in the future.
Design/methodology/approach
The three case studies analysed are located in the south of Spain and occurred between 2017 and 2021. The hazard presented by rainfall within this context has been obtained from Art-Risk 3.0 (Registration No. 201999906530090). The vulnerability of the structures has been assessed with the Art-Risk 1 model. To characterise the strength, duration, and intensity of precipitation events, a workflow for the statistical use of GPM and GSMaP satellite resources has been designed, validated, and tested. The strength of the winds has been evaluated from data from ground-based weather stations.
Findings
GSMaP precipitation data is very similar to data from ground-based weather stations. Regarding the three risk events analysed, although they occurred in areas with a torrential rainfall hazard, the damage was caused by non-intense rainfall that did not exceed 5 mm/hour. The continuation of the rainfall for several days and the poor state of conservation of the walls seem to be the factors that triggered the collapses that fundamentally affected the restoration mortars.
Originality/value
A workflow applied to vulnerability and hazard analysis is presented, which validates the large-scale use of satellite images for past and present monitoring of heritage structure risk situations due to rain.
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Abubakar Ahmed and Mutalib Anifowose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between corruption, corporate governance and sustainable development goals (SDGs) in Africa.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between corruption, corporate governance and sustainable development goals (SDGs) in Africa.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use panel data from 42 African countries over the period 2017–2020 and ordinary least square regression to test the research hypotheses. The authors also use alternative estimation techniques, including the fixed effect and random effect regressions and the generalized method of moment, to test the robustness of the results.
Findings
The results indicate that corruption negatively affects sustainable development (SD), whereas the effect of corporate governance is positive and significant. In addition, the positive influence of corporate governance on SD is stronger for countries with high corruption prevalence.
Practical implications
Policymakers may rely on the outcome of this study to formulate practical and implementable solutions around corruption and corporate governance that can help toward the achievement of the SDGs. Specifically, corporate governance mechanisms may be relied upon to achieve SD in countries with a high corruption prevalence.
Social implications
The social implication of this paper is that it demonstrates the adverse impact of corruption, which is rife in most African countries. Understanding corruption and the SDGs relationship will promote discussion with overarching implications for developing countries. Overall, the findings can sensitize society to the harmful effects of corruption and the positive effects of good corporate governance.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to literature and practice by demonstrating that corporate governance plays a significant role in the realization of national and global objectives such as the SDGs. This paper also provides novel evidence that corporate governance matters more in countries with a higher corruption incidence.
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Saad Zighan, Tala Abuhussein, Zu’bi Al-Zu’bi and Nidal Yousef Dwaikat
Business excellence relies heavily upon sustainable innovation. Still, sustainable innovation is an emerging concept in business practices and has yet to reach a common perception…
Abstract
Purpose
Business excellence relies heavily upon sustainable innovation. Still, sustainable innovation is an emerging concept in business practices and has yet to reach a common perception among small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This study aims to address sustainable innovation in SMEs and the factors driving sustainable innovation development.
Design/methodology/approach
An exploratory study was conducted to gain insight into the emerging concept of sustainable innovation in the SMEs’ context. Empirical evidence was collected from five case studies. Twenty-five interviews were conducted.
Findings
This study findings show that SMEs have different ways of understanding sustainable innovation, resulting in different approaches to integrate sustainable innovation into their business. In SMEs, sustainable innovation may not be a fixed concept due to its ambiguous boundaries and various ways of understanding. External and internal factors are driving SMEs’ sustainable innovation. It depends mainly on organizational culture and the capabilities of SMEs and their members in terms of cooperation and integration in work teams, conditions to achieve consensus, articulation of activities, coherence and commitment to the firms’ objectives. These factors collide and enhance each other and positively impact SMEs’ sustainable innovation.
Originality/value
The scientific relevance of this study lies in the integration of sustainable innovation research in the context of SMEs. There has been limited exploration of how SMEs perceive and engage in sustainable innovation and the factors that drive sustainable innovation development outside of large firms. This study empirically explored the concept of sustainable innovation in the context of SMEs to understand underlying factors related to sustainable innovation.
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Hazhar Faris, Mark Gaterell and David Hutchinson
The construction industry is a primary contributor to the development of emerging economies such as the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. However, the sector is underperforming, and…
Abstract
Purpose
The construction industry is a primary contributor to the development of emerging economies such as the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. However, the sector is underperforming, and products are not meeting expectations. A lack of collaboration is considered a significant contributor to these issues. Various researchers have identified factors to improve collaborative approaches. However, there is still a lack of clear frameworks to help implement collaboration in the construction industry, especially in emerging economies. Therefore, this study aims to develop a framework to implement collaboration in the construction industry.
Design/methodology/approach
This article utilises a review of literature, questionnaire and interviews with experts in the construction industry in order to develop a framework to achieve collaboration in construction projects.
Findings
The research presents a framework that distributes the factors of collaboration over the project lifecycle stages in accordance with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Plan of Work 2007. Each factor is divided into a set of enabling conditions which must be satisfied to ensure that the given specific factors are delivered. Additionally, the framework suggests appointing a collaboration champion at the beginning of the project to manage the process.
Originality/value
The research contributes to scarce literature about collaboration practices in the Kurdistan Region and in emerging economies in general.
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Zechen Guan, Tak Wing Yiu, Don Amila Sajeevan Samarasinghe and Ravi Reddy
The aim of this paper is to review and analyze the research literature on the health and safety issues of migrant workers in the construction industry from 2000 to 2022.
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to review and analyze the research literature on the health and safety issues of migrant workers in the construction industry from 2000 to 2022.
Design/methodology/approach
5 steps method is used to conduct a systematic review to achieve the objectives. After scanning two authoritative search engines “Web of Science” and “Scope”, 60 articles are selected from 225 publications for identification and review. These identified articles are classified by research fields, countries and time span.
Findings
The review finds that with the increasing influence of migrant construction workers, the number of publications on the health and safety of migrant workers has shown a rapid upward trend. Moreover, language barriers are the most dominant safety risk factors encountered by on-site migrant workers. This systematic literature review also summarizes the definition of migrant workers and solutions to reduce safety risk factors.
Originality/value
The research data on the health and safety issues and risk factors of migrant workers in the construction industry is still limited. This literature review summarizes the research trends and contributions of the literature in this field in the past 22 years and provides theoretical support for future research on the safety management of the migration construction field.
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