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In the construction industry, an under researched area of study is how main contractor (MC) sub-contract design responsibilities to sub-contractor (SC). This lack of knowledge is particularly serious in the context of delivery methods such as design and construct where design responsibilities are pushed down the supply chain. In this study, it is aimed to explore which level of design responsibility MCs sub-contract to SCs, for what reasons, and what the impact of sub-contracting decisions is on projects.

A qualitative in-depth multiple case study was conducted. Six sub-contracting cases were examined in two civil engineering projects. In each project, the MCs sub-contracted pre-fabricated beams, reinforcement and railing to SCs. Data collection included document analysis and interviews. A within-case and cross-case analysis was conducted to examine emerging empirical patterns. These patterns were used to elaborate theory and develop propositions.

MCs sub-contracted design responsibilities to SCs as suggested by literature. However, despite that sub-contracting was in keeping with literature, several problems were reported in the cases where MCs involved SCs no earlier than in the construction stage. This is not to be expected according to theory.

This study adds value to the sub-contracting field as it provides new insights in relationships between the level of design responsibilities sub-contracted and the impact of that on projects. The study also revealed new factors such as building information modelling (BIM) interoperability that should get more attention in sub-contracting.

The purpose of this paper is to identify barriers that prevent local governments from applying PPPs in their road development projects.

Based on insights from a literature review, interviews were held with relevant staff to identify barriers. These were verified and their relative significance was determined through the use of a questionnaire, before being reflected upon and compared with literature findings.

The research identified 37 barriers to local governments using PPPs in road development projects and showed that four barriers consistently stand out. First, the application of PPPs requires local governments to adapt their current working methods, which amounts to a large impediment to local governments applying PPPs. Second, local government employees believe that applying PPPs might effectively exclude local contractors from involvement in projects. Finally, local governments experience the whole PPP approach (the third barrier) and the PPP contract (the fourth) as overly complicated.

To increase the use of PPPs for infrastructure provision at the local level, one has to focus on removing dominant local barriers as identified in this research.

Although local-level PPPs have seen increasing interest, this is one of the first studies paying attention to the barriers to using PPPs for local road development projects.

High divorce rates have coincided with higher rates of remarriage. Although remarriages are more susceptible to dissolution than first-order marriages, less research has focused on factors that promote vulnerabilities among remarried couples. In the current study, the authors focused on whether predictors of divorce differ by the number of times someone has been married. The authors examined some of the most common reasons for divorce, as identified by parents who completed a state-mandated divorce education course (n = 8,364), while also controlling for participant sociodemographic characteristics. Participants going through their first divorce were more likely to identify growing apart and infidelity as reasons for seeking a divorce. Conversely, those going through a subsequent divorce were more likely to list problems with alcohol/drug abuse, childrearing differences, emotional/psychological/verbal mistreatment, money problems, physical violence, and arguing. Multivariate analyses indicated that sociodemographic factors were stronger predictors of divorce number than commonly listed reasons for divorce for both male and female participants. Implications for remarital and stepfamily stability and directions for future research are discussed.

This study examined the impact of a brief seminar series on positive parenting (Selected Triple P) on behavioural and emotional problems in pre‐adolescent children and on inter‐parental conflict, parenting style, relationship quality, parental adjustment and parental confidence. Two hundred and forty‐four parents with children aged four to seven years were assigned to one of three conditions: (a) partial exposure condition involving attendance at a single introductory seminar; (b) full exposure (attendance at all three seminars); or (c) a waitlist control group. Analyses were completed for the 109 participants for whom full data were obtained. There was a significant reduction in parental reports of problem child behaviour and dysfunctional parenting styles with the introductory seminar alone. However, exposure to all three seminars was associated with significant improvements in all dysfunctional parenting styles and in the level of inter‐parental conflict. There were no significant differences between conditions at post‐intervention on parental reports of depression, anxiety, stress, relationship quality or parental confidence. This study provides preliminary support for the efficacy of a brief universal parenting intervention in improving child behaviour and parenting variables associated with the development and maintenance of child conduct problems. The findings also offer preliminary support for the notion that positive outcomes for both parents and children can be achieved through the delivery of brief preventive parenting interventions that require minimal time commitments from parents.

The paper discusses a range of aspects of the spread of sportswashing within top-flight football, identifies the motivations of its proponents, what is on offer to football clubs, their followers and local communities and the ways in which it coheres with the nature of the modern game.

A range of disparate literature, both academic and non-academic, is synthesised to provide a broad-ranging introduction to the spread of sportswashing within top-flight football.

Sportswashing is likely to increase within top-flight football in future years as a result of its resonance with aspects of the game's evolving nature. Resistance to its continuing spread presently appears improbable.

As relatively recent development within football, the sportswashing topic has produced a limited literature to which this paper contributes.

There is a growing interest in measuring emotions evoked by food products to gain additional insights in how consumers perceive and choose food products. The aim of this study was to investigate if consumers' emotions are influenced by flavour, gender, consumption habits, actual tasting or consumer attitude towards a product. Chocolate was chosen as the product under study as its consumption is associated with evoking several emotions.

During a between-subjects experiment at a local food fair, consumers (n = 910) evaluated either the name “chocolate”, plain dark chocolate or raspberry flavoured dark chocolate. Participants rated the intensity of 24 emotions and answered the 24 statements of the Attitude to Chocolate Questionnaire.

The results showed that sensory characteristics have a significant influence on the emotional profiles whereas no difference was found between tasting and not tasting. Gender and prior liking had little to no influence. Finally, the results suggested that consumption frequency and attitudes towards chocolate did have an influence on the emotional profiles.

The results show that producers should try to evoke positive emotions which could be emphasised through marketing. Gender differences for emotional profiling advocate that future research should not only analyse global results but also separately analyse by gender. Moreover, usage frequency and attitudes towards chocolate had an impact on the emotions meaning that future research should consider those when setting up research.

This study further contributes to the growing literature on emotions. It examines the added value of actual tasting chocolate while prior research focuses either just names or just sensory evaluation. Also, this paper further explores to which extent flavour, gender, consumption habits and attitude impact the emotional associations of chocolate.