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Oil and gas industries play a major role for the growth of world economy, and drilling operation is considered as most important and hazardous procedure at the same time for oil and gas drilling crew because of the lack of effectual and user-friendly safety and health teaching and learning aids with updated knowledge and training capability. According to the previous studies, there is an urgent industrial need for user interactive technological aid for enhancing the teaching and learning of oil and gas drilling crew and safety officials at onshore and offshore drilling domains to fulfill the requirements of fourth industrial and educational revolutions. Therefore, this proposed virtual reality (VR)-based Hazard Free Operation (HAZFO Expert 2.0) teaching and learning aid to reduce the workplace risk and hazards to enhance the vestibule and experiential learning performance of oil and gas drilling process at Pakistani drilling industries.

In this proposed product based study for interactive teaching and learning application for industry, sequential explanatory research design will be adopted to prevent the accidents according to the modern technologies in this era of IR 4.0. Whereas, for the development of VR-based educational aid for Pakistani oil and gas industries, Autodesk 3ds Max, visual studio and MySQL software’s will be used.

This new concept of VR-based interactive educational aid (HAZFO Expert 2.0) for accident prevention at oil and gas drilling industries will be based on potential hazards and their suitable controlling measures for onshore and offshore drilling sites.

VR-based interactive educational aid for oil and gas workforce will facilitate the health and safety professionals for the elimination of potential hazards associated with oil and gas drilling activities to the next level of identification of hazards which has been identified in HAZFO Expert 1.0 at onshore and offshore drilling sites.

This proposed VR-based interactive educational aid for safe drilling process will be the first visual teaching and e-learning technology which covers all onshore and offshore drilling operations in Pakistani oil and gas industries and provides effective hazard controlling strategies to overcome challenging industrial hazards.

Every year, hundreds of people have died and thousands have been injured because of insufficient management of well control at oil and gas drilling and production sites. Major causes which have been reported in previous studies included uncontrollable blowouts and failure of blowout preventers because of insufficient safety practices. These onshore and offshore blowout disasters not only harm the work force but also critically affect the environment and marine life. In this research paper, a detailed quantitative survey and qualitative risk assessments (RA) have been carried out for assessing the potentially hazardous activities associated with well control along with their appropriate controls and risk reduction factors and mitigating measures in Middle East and south East Asian countries.

The sequential explanatory research design has been adopted in this study. Whereas, descriptive statistical approach has been used for the quantitative data analysis of this study. While, in-depth interview approach has been used for qualitative data collection. Similarly, what-if analysis method has been adopted in this study for the identification of effective safety and health risk mitigating factors because it provides in-depth information from health and safety environment experts.

The cumulative quantitative results based on the response from Saudi Arabian drilling industry have indicated that the well control operation is highly hazardous then Malaysian and Pakistani oil and gas industries. Likewise, findings from what-if analysis approach demonstrate that the drilling crewmembers have repetitively faced life threatening hazards which occur (safety and chemical) during well control onshore and offshore operation because of oil base mud, confined space at site, pinch points and falling during working on blow out preventers. According to the overall result, respondents have highly recommended engineering and administrative hazard controlling factors as most suitable for the elimination of safety and chemical hazards during well control activities.

Besides, the developed methodological framework for the identification of suitable hazard controls can also be effectively used for potential hazards reorganization and identification of suitable hazard controls for other drilling and production industries and regions for accident prevention and safety and health management.

This is a first comparative research study which has been carried out in Malaysian, Saudi Arabian and Pakistani onshore and offshore oil and gas industries for well control health and safety management and reorganization of most effective hazards mitigating factors at drilling sites.

This proposed research study aims to focus on the development and implementation of a new safety and health educational management information system (hazard-free production operation [HAZ-PRO]) based on effective hazards controlling factors and mitigating measures for safe onshore and offshore oil and gas drilling operation in Saudi Arabian, Malaysian and Pakistani industries. According to previous studies, there is a sheer industrial need of an effective management information system for decision-making to prevent life-threatening accidents at oil and gas production sites based on innovative hazard controlling strategies from different production origins. Similarly, that safety and health management information system will also enhance the decision-making skills of oil and gas production crew through effective accident prevention strategies.

In this study, 100 drilling crew are randomly selected for quantitative research phase. Similarly, 3 safety experts are purposively selected for qualitative research from each drilling domain from Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Pakistan, whereas for the identification of hazard controlling measures, what-if analysis and thematic analysis approaches are adopted. Furthermore, the educational management information system (HAZ-PRO) for safety and health has been developed by using ADDIE Model based. Whereas, Visual Studio (2017) and MySQL software are used for the database and user interface development of the safety and health management information system for the safety and health of production crew.

This study proposes the research framework for the development and implementation of a new safety and health educational management information system (HAZ-PRO) based on identified effective hazard controls and mitigating measures in support of accident prevention and effective decision-making in hazardous events at Saudi Arabian and Pakistani onshore and offshore production domains. Whereas, this proposed safety and health management information system will assist and facilitate the safety professionals and production crew to prevent the injuries in hazardous work environments of onshore and offshore oil and gas industries according to international safety standards.

This safety and health management information system can be utilized by oil and gas industries (oil and gas production crew) in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Pakistan for accident prevention and suitable decision-making prior to the actual onshore and offshore operations. Also, the proposed system development framework will be useful as an effective source for the elimination of life-threatening drilling hazards associated with its activities in oil and gas industries. Similarly, the proposed framework can also be implemented in other oil and gas work-based accident prevention and effective decision-making designs.

This proposed safety and health management information system will be the first system for oil and gas production operation that covers all onshore and offshore operations for Saudi Arabian, Malaysian and Pakistani oil and gas industrial settings. Also, the system development methodology and design framework, which will be used, is novel and unique based on their characteristics and functionalities.

Annually, hundreds of drilling crew suffer from major injuries during performing oil and gas drilling operation because of the deficiency of an adequate hazard safety management system for real-time decision-making in hazardous conditions. According to previous studies, there is a sheer industrial need for an effective industrial safety management decision support system for accident prevention at oil and gas drilling sites at both drilling domains. Therefore, this paper aims to focus on the design and development of knowledge base decision support system (KBDSS) for the prevention of hazardous activities at Middle Eastern and South Asian origins’ onshore and offshore oil and gas industries during drilling operations.

In this study, data were gathered from safety and health professionals from targeted oil and gas industries in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan through quantitative and qualitative approaches. Based on identified data, KBDSSs (HAZFO Expert 1.0) were systematically developed and designed by adopting Database Development Life Cycle and Waterfall Software Development Life Cycle models. MySQL and Visual Studio 2015 software were used for developing and designing knowledge base and graphical user interface of the system.

KBDSS (HAZFO Expert 1.0) for accident prevention at onshore and offshore oil and gas drilling industries based on identified potential hazards and their suitable controlling measures aligned with international safety standards and regulations. HAZFO Expert 1.0 is a novel KBDSS that covers all onshore and offshore drilling operations with three and nine outputs, respectively, to achieve the current trend of Industry Revolution 4.0 and Industrial IoTs for workforce safety.

This industrial safety management system (HAZFO Expert 1.0) will be efficiently used for the identification and elimination of potential hazards associated with drilling activities at onshore and offshore drilling sites with an appropriate hazard controlling strategy.

Moreover, the developed KBDS system is unique in terms of its architecture and is dynamic in nature because it provides HAZFO Expert 1.0 data management and insertion application for authorized users. This is the first KBDSS which covers both drilling domains in Malaysian, Saudi Arabian and Pakistani industries.

In the current period quality assurance (QA) and technical vocational education and training (TVET) are known as the two comprehensively examined ideas in schooling, dependent on exceptional abilities in this modern era of Industrial Revolution (IR) 4.0. The incapability or need for QA of technology-oriented programs has been dissected by policy makers as a hindrance in accomplishing the TVET objectives. Consequently, the reason for this exploration paper was to contemplate over the impact and association of QA on TVET programs and level of preparedness of TVET teachers for the market of IR 4.0 in Pakistan.

In this study a quantitative research method with survey-based research has been used whereas, two research questions and hypotheses were structured and explained to lead the study. The research sample was 475 TVET teachers having technical competence for Pakistan using the random sampling technique. The instrument was an adapted questionnaire using five Likert scales. Moreover, mean and standard deviation was utilized while one-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation was used to test the hypothesis.

The findings of this study uncovered that there is no significant impact of QA of TVET programs to fulfill the need of IR 4.0 in Pakistan. But there is strong and positive association between QA of TVET programs as per the demand of IR 4.0 and level of preparedness of teachers toward it. The study suggested that in order to meet the labor market's requirements according to IR 4.0, future employment demand could be met by assuring their TVET programmers' QA and putting them into practice in accordance with the indicators and the TVET framework suggested in literature and by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which is widely accepted. The findings will also help to detect current trends in teaching, providing important insights in terms of QA and the focus of digitalization in TVET education.

The implication of this study is that in order to influence TVET's technological development, employment and national development, policy makers, TVET principals, coordinators and teachers must work on important aspects of their access that are very important on inclusion, financing and quality – the assurance of standards, as it meets the needs of the country according to the IR 4.0 labor market.

This is one of the unique studies of its nature which has focused on the QA on TVET programs for the digital employment market of IR 4.0 in Pakistan and South Asia.

This paper aims to explore the intention to adopt Islamic finance (ItIF) through the mediation of attitudes towards Islamic finance among microbusiness owners of Pakistan.

The study is co-relational and based on cross-sectional data. The authors gathered the data from microbusiness owners through a survey questionnaire. The authors used 236 valid cases to assume the outcomes.

The results through structural equation modeling reveal a significant positive effect of the perception of Shariah compliance (PoSC), knowledge of the Islamic financial system (KoIF), religious preferences (RP) and loyalty on ItIF. Furthermore, attitude towards Islamic finance (AtIF) is a potent factor in developing the relationship between PoSC, KoIF, RP, loyalty and ItIF.

The study’s findings would be helpful for planners and policymakers in developing policies that favourably enhance the attitudes and intentions among individuals towards Islamic financing. The results would inspire readers to go to Islamic finance and an interest-free financial system enriched with Shariah law or Islamic obligations. The study would provide implications for the financial institutions in Pakistan and the rest of the Muslim world.

The study offers an apparent thoughtfulness of the empirical evidence from microbusiness owners of Pakistan. The study would provide a plausible mediating contribution of AtIF.

The demand to reduce carbon emissions has become an increasingly important social factor due to the unprecedented impacts of climate change. However, most existing publications have focused on minimizing emissions during the operational phase of buildings. At the same time, there is a lack of comprehensive research conducted on carbon emissions, specifically during the construction phase. The purpose of this paper is to identify, review and classify current practices related to carbon emissions management in construction operations to gain greater insight into how to reduce and mitigate emissions and achieve more sustainable solutions.

This study reviewed the published literature on carbon emissions from construction. A total of 198 bibliographic records were extracted from the Scopus collection database and analyzed using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). PRISMA is used as a basis for reporting possible trends, research methods and strategies used in published literatures. A total of 99 papers related to carbon emissions in the construction operations were further reviewed and analyzed. This review paper draws on existing research and identifies current carbon management patterns in construction projects.

Data indicated an upward trend in the number of publications in carbon emissions research during the last few years, particularly in 2015, 2017 and 2019. The most significant contributions to the domain were reported from China, Europe and the USA. This paper found that most studies conduct the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method to estimate carbon emissions. This paper found that the primary studies have focused on construction machinery and equipment emissions. The strategies such as establishing uniform standards for carbon emissions policies and regulations, equipment and logistic planning and low carbon design material will potentially impact carbon emissions reductions.

This paper provides information that will be beneficial for the construction industry to design and manage construction operations. It will also be of interest to those looking to reduce or manage construction emissions.

Although there is a diversity of current thinking related to the practical estimation and management of carbon emissions in construction projects, there is no consolidated set of keys of standardized carbon emissions management in practice. By assessing the existing paradigms of carbon assessment methods and tactics in the construction industry, this study contributed to the existing knowledge base by providing insights into current techniques in the construction sector for monitoring and mitigating emissions.

Islamic banking is a financial institution that is concerned with the regulation of the Shariah guidelines. Several full-fledged and Windows-based Islamic banks in Pakistan have reported non-Shariah-compliant income (NSCI) due to various operational investment activities. Hence, this issue has attracted this study to examine the impact of NSCI, especially from the perspective of Islamic bank (IB) customers’ trust and commitment.

This study used trust-commitment theory as the underlying theory to examine customers’ trust and commitment. A total of 341 questionnaires have been distributed, and the data is analysed using the structural equation modelling (SEM) method.

The results show the commitment of IB customers has a significant relationship with the benevolence, trust and shared values of the top management of IBs. Meanwhile, the other two constructs, the ability and integrity of the top management, are found to be insignificant.

The gender diversity among banks’ customers in Pakistan is the main limitation in this study. There were difficulties in selecting a more representative sample due to gender domination issues in the country. Thus the data revealed that 62.8% were male respondents, which confirms the prior research on the gender disparity.

This study provides interesting insights into the context of Pakistan’s Islamic banking sector as it examines top management’s ability, integrity, benevolence and shared values to affect trust and commitment, and the role of trust as a mediator.

This paper is an empirical study of the effect of the characteristics of the Sharia supervisory board (SSB) on the financial performance of Islamic banks.

Using 42 Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Islamic banks outside the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and non-Islamic countries during the 2011/2018 period, a random-effects generalized lease square method for the regression analyzes is applied.

The obtained results show that the characteristics of the SSB affect the financial performance of Islamic banks. The results also affirm that a large-sized board of directors and the number of SSB meetings improve banking performance while the cross-mandate seems to destroy it. On the other hand, the SSB members’ competence and reputation and the proportion of women sitting in SSB have no impact on the financial performance of Islamic banks.

This paper gives a comprehensive literature survey on the effect of the characteristics of the SSB on the financial performance of Islamic banks.

This study offers insights into the practitioner and Islamic banking regulators interested in enhancing the legitimacy of corporate governance in Islamic financial institutions.

This paper is among the few studies that investigate the effect of the characteristics of SSB on the financial performance of Islamic banks in particular in Islamic banks in the MENA region outside the GCC and in non-Islamic countries.

The purpose of this study is to estimate different data models on house prices using statistical models and the variables which are controlled by real estate policy.

This study used several statistical techniques, such as Vector auto-regression (VAR), Johansen co-integration and variance decomposition, which aim to assess the significant effect of macroeconomic factors on Chinese house prices.

The results show that land supply and other variables have negative effects on house prices. The results also indicate that financial mortgages for real estate have positive effects on house prices and the area of vacant houses as well as the area of housing sold.

This study only covers three cities in China because of limitations of data for other cities.

This study proposes policy suggestions according to the empirical results obtained.