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The Internet of Things (IoT) cloud platforms provide end-to-end solutions that integrate various capabilities such as application development, device and connectivity management, data storage, data analysis and data visualization. The high use of these platforms results in their huge availability provided by different capabilities. Therefore, choosing the optimal IoT cloud platform to develop IoT applications successfully has become crucial. The key purpose of the present study is to implement a hybrid multi-attribute decision-making approach (MADM) to evaluate and select IoT cloud platforms.

The optimal selection of the IoT cloud platforms seems to be dependent on multiple attributes. Hence, the optimal selection of IoT cloud platforms problem is modeled as a MADM problem, and a hybrid approach named neutrosophic fuzzy set-Euclidean taxicab distance-based approach (NFS-ETDBA) is implemented to solve the same. NFS-ETDBA works on the calculation of assessment score for each alternative, i.e. IoT cloud platforms, by combining two different measures: Euclidean and taxicab distance.

A case study to illustrate the working of the proposed NFS-ETDBA for optimal selection of IoT cloud platforms is given. The results obtained on the basis of calculated assessment scores depict that “Azure IoT suite” is the most preferable IoT cloud platform, whereas “Salesman IoT cloud” is the least preferable.

The proposed NFS-ETDBA methodology for the IoT cloud platform selection is implemented for the first time in this field. ETDBA is highly capable of handling the large number of alternatives and the selection attributes involved in any decision-making process. Further, the use of fuzzy set theory (FST) makes it very easy to handle the impreciseness that may occur during the data collection through a questionnaire from a group of experts.

This introductory chapter begins by outlining the background of this book: how the concept of excessive teacher entitlement took shape and was progressively enriched through my collaborative work with Cheryl J. Craig. Our ongoing informal dialogues gave rise to an invisible college where we co-created new meanings to deepen the understanding of professional inertia. We saw professional inertia as a manifestation of excessive teacher/faculty entitlement constantly adrift in a yin and yang relationship with their best-loved self. This insight came from challenging the narrow mainstream view of the notion of excessive entitlement as a purely volitional act of autonomous individuals which leads to blaming and pathologizing teachers/faculty. Instead, a Vygotskian cultural-historical perspective is proposed. This perspective facilitates a more complex historicized view of the phenomenon by directing attention to the historically and culturally mediated nature of excessive teacher/faculty entitlement and the means to alleviate it. The healing touch to excessive teacher/faculty entitlement repeatedly surfaces as humanizing pedagogy. This involves helping teachers/faculty develop empowered entitlement and work towards realizing their dreams, their best-loved self. Finally, this introductory chapter provides a brief overview of the 15 chapters that follow. They explore the notion of excessive teacher/faculty entitlement in diverse sociocultural contexts and examine promising approaches to address this problem from different theoretical and methodological angles. You are invited to join us in this rich journey of inquiry and transformation.

Effective safety supervision plays a crucial role in ensuring safe production within coal mines. Conventional coal mine safety supervision (CMSS) in China has suffered from the problems of power-seeking, excessive resource consumption and poor timeliness. This paper aims to explore the Internet+ CMSS mode being emerged in China.

The evolution of CMSS systems underwent comprehensive scrutiny through a blend of qualitative and quantitative approaches. First, evolutionary game theory was used to analyze the necessity of incorporating Internet+ technology. Second, a system dynamics model of Internet+ CMSS was crafted, encompassing a system flow diagram and equations for various variables. The model was subsequently simulated by taking the W coal mine in Shanxi Province as a representative case study.

It was revealed that the expected safety profit from the Internet+ mode is 296.03% more than that from the conventional mode. The precise dissemination of law enforcement information was identified as a pivotal approach through which the Internet+ platform served as a conduit to foster synergistic collaboration among diverse elements within the system.

The outcomes of this study not only raise awareness about the potential of Internet+ technology in safety supervision but also establish a vital theoretical foundation for enhancing the efficacy of the Internet+ CMSS mode. The significance of these findings extends to fostering the wholesome and sustainable progress of the coal mining industry.

This research stands out as one of the limited studies that delve into the influence of Internet+ technology on CMSS. Building upon the pivotal approach identified, to the best of authors’ knowledge, a novel “multi-blind” working mechanism for Internet+ CMSS is introduced for the first time.

This paper aims to create a comprehensive framework for selecting alternative materials in construction projects, integrating building information modeling (BIM) and the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. Materials comprise 60%–65% of the total project cost, and current methods require significant time and human resources.

A prototype framework is developed that considers multiple criteria to optimize the material selection process, addressing the significant investment of time and resources required in current methods. The study uses surveys and interviews with construction professionals to collect primary data on alternative materials selection.

The results show that integrating BIM and the PSO algorithm improves cost optimization and material selection outcomes.

This comprehensive tool enhances decision-making capabilities and resource utilization, improving project outcomes and resource utilization. It offers a systematic approach to evaluating and selecting materials, making it a valuable resource for construction professionals.

This paper explores Lean Six Sigma principles and the DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve, control) methodology to propose a new Lean Six Sigma 4.0 (LSS 4.0) framework for employee occupational exams and address the real-world issue of high-variability exams that may arise.

This study uses mixed methods, combining qualitative and quantitative data collection. A detailed case study assesses the impact of LSS interventions on the exam management process and tests the applicability of the proposed LSS 4.0 framework for employee occupational exams.

The results reveal that changing the health service supplier in the explored organization caused a substantial raise in occupational exams, leading to increased costs. By using syntactic interoperability, lean, six sigma and DMAIC approaches, improvements were identified, addressing process deviations and information requirements. Implementing corrective actions improved the exam process, reducing the number of exams and associated expenses.

It is important to acknowledge certain limitations, such as the specific context of the case study and the exclusion of certain exam categories.

The practical implications of this research are substantial, providing organizations with valuable managerial insights into improving efficiency, reducing costs and ensuring regulatory compliance while managing occupational exams.

This study fills a research gap by applying LSS 4.0 to occupational exam management, offering a practical framework for organizations. It contributes to the existing knowledge base by addressing a relatively novel context and providing a detailed roadmap for process optimization.

The primary aim of this study is to identify and analyze the key digital transformation areas and determine their impact on technological unemployment in the textile sector. In addition, this study explores whether digital transformation contributes to neo-Luddism or Robot Breaking.

The advent of digital transformation has raised significant concerns, particularly concerning technological unemployment. This study focuses on conducting an analytical hierarchical process (AHP) analysis to determine the impact of different disciplines within digital transformation on technological unemployment. The investigation specifically delves into the ongoing transition to Industry 4.0 within the textile industry. This study uses a mixed-method approach, consisting of a literature review, bibliometric analysis, eight expert phenomenological interviews, and AHP.

This study revealed that artificial intelligence, machine learning and deep learning are the most crucial disciplines that will affect the concept of neo-Luddism. The fact that technological unemployment in the textile sector is examined with AHP Analysis makes this study unique.

This study contributes to Industry 4.0 literature by examining the nexus of technological unemployment in textile manufacturing and the emergence of neo-Luddism.

The involvement of clients in service encounters and service development has become a central principle for contemporary health and social care organizations. However, in day-to-day work settings, the shift toward client involvement is still in progress. We examined how health and social care professionals, together with clients and managers, co-develop their conceptions of client involvement and search for practical ways in which to implement these in organizational service processes.

The empirical case of this study was a developmental intervention, the client involvement workshop, conducted in a Finnish municipal social and welfare center. The cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) framework was used to analyze the development of client involvement ideas and the modes of interaction during the intervention.

Analysis of the collective discussion revealed that the conceptions of client involvement developed through two interconnected object-orientations: Enabling client involvement in service encounters and promoting client involvement in the service system. The predominant mode of interaction in the collective discussion was that of “coordination.” The clients' perspective and contributions were central aspects in the turning points from coordination to cooperation; professionals crossed organizational boundaries, and together with clients, constructed a new client involvement-based object. This suggests that client participation plays an important role in the development of services.

The CHAT-based examination of the modes of interaction clarifies the potential of co-developing client-involvement-based services and highlights the importance of clients' participation in co-development.

This research investigates the capabilities of Cloud-based Building Information Modelling (CBIM) in managing quality asset information, drawing upon software engineers' perspectives. Compelling statistics highlight the relationship between building information and environmental sustainability. However, despite the growing utilisation of CBIM in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry, a significant knowledge gap remains concerning its effectiveness in maintaining quality asset information.

This study employed an exploratory qualitative approach, utilising semi-structured interviews with thirteen software engineers actively developing technological solutions for the AEC industry. Following thematic analysis, the findings are categorised into four dimensions: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and technological limitations. Subsequently, these findings are analysed in relation to previously identified information quality problems.

This research reveals that while CBIM improves project coordination and information accessibility, its effectiveness is challenged by the need for manual updates, vulnerability to human errors and dependency on network services. Technological limitations, notably the absence of automated updates for as-built drawings and the risk of data loss during file conversions in the design phase, coupled with its reduced capability to validate context-specific information from the user's viewpoint, emphasise the urgent need for managerial strategies to maximise CBIM's capabilities in addressing information quality problems.

This study augments the understanding of CBIM, highlighting the managerial implications of a robust information management process to safeguard information integrity. This approach fosters sustainable practices anchored in reliable information essential for achieving desired outcomes. The findings also have broader managerial implications, especially for sectors that employ CBIM as an instrumental tool.

In the current highly volatile and uncertain economic environment, recovery strategies that emphasise attributes and skills are essential for an enterprise to recover and adapt to disruptions. Based on the resource-based view (RBV), this study aims to understand how organisational resilience functions and its outcomes. Specifically, this study establishes links between organisational resilience and internal capabilities in information technology (IT) applications, exploitation-exploration activities and organisational leadership, which are represented by IT competencies, organisational ambidexterity and paradoxical leadership, respectively. The study also analyses the role of government digital transformation policies after the COVID-19 pandemic as an external resource.

This study provides empirical evidence of the dynamic relationships between organisational resilience, ambidexterity and performance under the interactions IT competencies, digital transformation policies and paradoxical leadership by using data collected from 336 small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Vietnam and the partial least squares-structural equation modelling technique.

IT competencies and organisational ambidexterity strengthen organisational resilience, reduce missed opportunities and increase organisations’ responsiveness to market volatility. Increasing organisational ambidexterity and resilience enhances the business performance of SMEs. Paradoxical leadership favours organisational ambidexterity and resilience and their outcomes. Digital transformation policies from the government can support SMEs’ IT competencies and resilience.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study based on the RBV is the first to show how integrating external resources with dynamic capabilities such as organisational ambidexterity and resilience can help SMEs build and maintain a sustainable competitive advantage in highly uncertain environments. This research emphasises the vital role of organisational resilience in improvising changes in working processes in response to unexpected events and the importance of a strategy for developing the capability to anticipate a wide variety of situations and seize opportunities quickly.

This paper investigates the impact of green construction procurement practices (GCPPs) on circular economy (CE) success by identifying environmentally sustainable procurement practices that can promote a CE in the construction industry. The goal was to promote circularity in construction through GCPPs.

A quantitative research approach was adopted and purposively selected 100 respondents for a cross-sectional questionnaire survey. Data from the questionnaire survey were analysed using mean score ranking, One-sample t-test and regression analysis.

The study found that using on-site systematic waste management, project stakeholder commitment and support for green practices and environmental requirements in technical specifications, significantly impact CE success in construction, with a 12.8% variance in CE when green procurement is practised. This implies that GCPPs have positive repercussions on CE success, where the CE success is expected to change as GCPPs levels increase.

The study provides insights into green procurement, promoting its use in infrastructure development and aiding clients, particularly in the government sector with insights into the challenges and practices involved in green procurement. Practitioners can also benefit from better implementing CE strategies to draft and manage contracts for infrastructure projects that prioritize circularity.

The limited impact of GCPPs on advancing CE principles in construction suggests policy and practice must strengthen procurement requirements to fully leverage spending and drive the sector’s transition towards a circular model. Also, novel insight is provided into the most effective types of GCPPs for promoting CE success, aiding policymakers in optimizing construction procurement strategies.