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The purpose of this paper is to examine how effectively the cost appraisal system proposed measures the cost of poor quality (COPQ) in a construction project. The paper first formulates how COPQ can be measured and later clarifies the relationship between COPQ, labor productivity, and profitability.

In order to measure COPQ, the researchers prepared data entry forms for recording COPQ items on a daily basis and formulated the cost contribution of lost material, lost man-hours, lost machinery hours, and lost overhead on the overall COPQ for the project. The proposed method was then applied in a case study.

The results showed that, for the 60-days study period, COPQ decreased by about 24 percent while labor productivity and profitability increased by about 17 and 11 percent, respectively, after the implementation of COPQ measuring system. This study further supports the use of the COPQ system in construction projects as a mechanism to facilitate continuous improvement.

COPQ is a major cost that is often ignored in construction projects due to the difficulty of measuring it. This paper presents a COPQ measuring and recording system capable of identifying COPQ. The implementation of the system is shown to increase productivity and profitability as demonstrated by the project used for the case study.

The study was designed to examine the predictors of information literacy self-efficacy skills (IL skills) of medical students.

The study was quantitative in nature and was carried out by using survey research method. Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS) and Information Literacy Self-Efficacy Scale for medical students (ILSES-M) were used to collect the data. Data was collected randomly from 223 out of 526 undergraduate medical students on proportionally random basis according to the number of students available in each year. PLS-SEM analysis was run with the help of SmartPLS 3.2.

The findings of the study revealed that three subconstructs for emotional intelligence (EI), that is, self-emotions appraisal, others-emotion appraisal, use of emotions, had a statistically significant positive impact (p < 0.05) on information literacy (IL) self-efficacy of the medical students. The findings further confirm that English language proficiency and frequency of attended IL instruction sessions also have a significant positive impact on IL self-efficacy of medical students.

The exploration of EI in relation to IL is comparatively a novel area. The study observed the influence of EI level on IL self-efficacy of medical students. The study will be a significant contribution to the IL literature. The results may help the information professionals/librarians, particularly those who are engaged in teaching and designing IL programs.

The purpose of this paper is to boost the existing literature on adaptive market hypothesis (AMH) as it first time links predictability of gold, silver and metal returns with AMH which permits the predictability of returns to vary over time.

To know whether commodity (gold, silver and metal) market is efficient or not, the commodity returns are observed by using appropriate linear time series tests (variance ratio test, runs test and auto-correlation test). To capture the varying efficiency of three commodities, the study employs subsamples of five years and all sub-samples are exposed to linear econometric tests to reveal how market efficiency (independency of returns) has behaved over time.

It is found that the commodity market (gold, silver and metal) is adaptive because fluctuation is observed in the market efficiency. Returns of all three commodities go under the periods of efficiency and inefficiency. Thus, AMH is the better description of behavior of commodity markets than traditional efficient market hypothesis.

Choice of sub-sample in the study is the first limitation as the authors employ a sub-sample comprising five years. Second, commission, fee and taxes (transection cost) are ignored in the study. Finally, the results are reported on the basis of linear econometric tests. In future, longer time period sub-sample analysis is suggested by the study to explore the varying nature of the commodities. Moreover, rolling window analysis may be a more appropriate method to elucidate the idea of AMH in further research. It is further suggested that the method used in the study could be helpful and adapted to examine other commodities (metal and agriculture), bonds and equity markets around the world.

The study will provide a better investment model which can enable the investors to seek more returns in future. Moreover, this research can be extended to explore multiple issues like adaptive behavior of returns from crypto currencies, bonds, stocks and real estate investment trusts.

As all the linear tests reveal that almost all the commodities show inefficient behavior in full sample period, it is clear that past prices widely would be helpful to predict the future prices at NYSE; furthermore, investors can use the time-varying information to reduce the risk of investment at NYSE. The study is helpful for individual investors as well as portfolio managers and brokers to forecast the prices on the bases of findings.

The paper identifies the need to study why behavior of commodity returns varies over time.

Using the Shanghai pilot free trade zone (SPFTZ) as the testing ground for further reform and opening up,the links between global value chain (GVC) and pilot free trade zone (PFTZ) programs are mutually reinforcing. GVC creates opportunities for companies to use PFTZ to reduce their costs and increase their competitiveness, while PFTZ can facilitate the movement of goods within GVC and promote the development of GVC by attracting foreign investment. Overall, in SPFTZ, the industrial structure is promoted due to trade and investment facilitation, innovation promotion, and comprehensive service platform inside SPFTZ.

This study examined industrial upgrading in GVC (IUGVC) using five indicators under three quantitative dimensions: product, process, and skill upgrading. Difference-in-Differences (DID) model is employed for the impact assessment of SPFTZ. Parallel trend analysis and Granger causality analysis are performed to check the reliability of DID outcome. Finally, robustness test using exogenous control variables are carried out.

A positive impact of SPFTZ is found on IUGVC, which is due to promoting effect of SPFTZ on foreign direct investment and technological innovation. Based on the study's findings, policy recommendations are given, such as providing business support to enterprises operating inside a PFTZ.

From a GVC perspective, the impact of theSPFTZ establishment on IUGVC cannot be ignored, and is so far missing in the literature.

In the age of global warming where there is a need to go green in various sectors of life, it is also an urgent need for different IT industries and companies to incorporate green agenda. The green agenda is also dependent on human behavior. Therefore, it is equally important to explore the factors that positively affect green computing behavior. In this regard, contextual considerations are important. Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore the green computing intent and behavior of heavy IT users, i.e. librarians underpinning the theory of planned behavior.

The study was based on a quantitative research design. A total of 181 survey-based online questionnaires were filled by Pakistani university librarians. The proposed hypothetical model was tested using structural equation modeling in SmartPLS v3.2.

The study findings confirm that attitude and perceived behavioral control have a significant positive impact on the intention to adopt green computing behavior (GC behavior) among academic librarians. The findings further reveal that green computing awareness proved a strong predictor of green computing behavior, as it not only affects GC behavior but also impacts positively on attitude and perceived behavioral control that ultimately affects GC behavior through intention.

The study argues that green computing behavior is dependent on several predictors that can be deployed to develop a positive behavior towards green computing. The study is important as it is the first time conducted on one of the heavy IT user groups, i.e. librarians.

Knowledge management in the public sector is relatively an ignored avenue of research and practice that has recently been given attention. Knowledge management initiatives in the public sector are now not limited to the developed countries anymore. The public sectors of various developing countries including Pakistan have developed knowledge management functions to address the problems of low organizational commitment (higher turnover rates) and knowledge-workers’ performance. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to examine the mediation role of organizational commitment in the relationship between knowledge management practices and knowledge-worker performance.

The data were gathered from 341 knowledge workers of the public sector health department of Punjab Province, Pakistan, where knowledge management unit initiative has been taken. It was then analyzed using the structural equation modeling.

Organizational commitment partially mediates the relationship between knowledge management practices and knowledge-work performance.

The public sector policy makers are strongly advised to implement knowledge management units and practices in order to enhance knowledge-work performance as well as organizational commitment.

First, the model on the mediating role of organizational commitment has never been examined before. Second, the data collection from the public Health Department of Pakistan, a developing country, is relatively rare because the public sector knowledge management studies have mostly been conducted in developed countries. Finally, this study extends the literature on knowledge management in the public sector that is the developing theme in knowledge management discipline while adding knowledge management as a toolkit to enhance knowledge-workers’, organizational commitment and knowledge-work performance.

This paper investigates gender disparity in investment decisions within the popular American TV show Shark Tank.

The research uses a comprehensive dataset of 925 pitches from 14 seasons and 316 episodes, covering August 2009 to May 2023.

Contrary to previous studies, the findings indicate that female entrepreneurs do n'ot face discrimination in terms of their pitching success rates, regardless of their industry affiliation. However, the authors did observe that female entrepreneurs tend to receive lower valuations, both self-assessed and in final deals. This suggests a self-imposed gender gap in venture capital and angel investing, likely stemming from lower entrepreneurial aspirations among women.

To tackle this issue, the authors propose promoting female venture capital by increasing the representation of female entrepreneurs and business angels on Shark Tank. Such role models can inspire aspiring women in these fields. Additionally, the authors believe that mixed-gender founder teams, comprising both men and women, can play a significant role in developing promising startups with viable business models.

This study aims to synthesize the rich knowledge on spiritual intelligence (SI) research within the framework of human resource development (HRD) research.

Based on the search of multiple electronic databases authors conducted thematic review of the literature on SI and HRD. Themes associated with SI and HRD are extracted while employing the content analysis technique.

Five major themes emerged through the process of content analysis on the body of the reviewed literature. The themes which described the presence of SI-related research within the field of HRD, included: Conceptual connections between SI and HRD; SI Holistic Mechanism; SI and Leadership development, SI measurement tools and, finally, the impact of SI on sustainability.

The inclusion and exclusion criteria are that the search for this review has been limited to peer-reviewed journals that are published SI-related articles. This paper excluded all articles on SI that `do not explicitly discuss the valuable role of human resources. The key words used are spiritual intelligence (SI) and HRD.

This paper offered new-fangled value and insightful understanding on SI and its implications for other areas, more specifically HRD. It suggests that SI is an important component for organizational development. Such interventions nurture the human resources that can lead to better performance as a whole.

Following a crucial COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, the coronavirus has affected every academic institution, particularly libraries and information centres. To address this unprecedented scenario, libraries’ staff has decided to provide their services via digital access while staying close to the users. To predict users’ intention to use digital libraries after COVID-19, the authors combined the technology acceptance model (TAM), the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and perceived risk.

Data were collected via a paper-based questionnaire using a convenient sampling method which was distributed at two major libraries; Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh Muslim University and Dr Zakir Husain Library, Jamia Millia Islamia in India.

Empirical findings suggested that all the proposed hypotheses were supported, and the integrated model had strong explanation power as the proposed model explained a 74.5% variance in users’ intention to use digital libraries after COVID-19.

This study offers substantial information to librarians, digital libraries, universities, institutes and other stakeholders and sheds light on the potential for a developing nation to transition to an economy with a strong digital infrastructure. The scope of the study is constrained to the users in India only, hence, leading to the possibility that it may be challenging to generalize the findings.

According to the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is one of the few studies to predict users’ intentions for using digital libraries after COVID-19 by applying the integrated model of TPB and TAM in an emerging economy. It helped understand the users’ attitudes towards using the digital services and resources available at the respective libraries. It also contributed considerably to the argument that users have grown accustomed to harnessing digital libraries during the post-COVID-19 period.

The knowledge cloud links people and ideas while also providing worldwide resources for putting them into action. This paper aims to see how the knowledge cloud affects the stimulation of subordinate creativity. The impact of the knowledge cloud on transformational leadership and its impacts on subordinate creativity are examined in this investigation. Also, this study checks out the influence of knowledge cloud on motivational goal orientation and the impact of motivational goal orientation on subordinate creativity. It investigates the influence of knowledge cloud on self-efficacy and feelings of it on subordinate creativity. Moreover, this research examines the impact of the knowledge cloud on employee empowerment and its impact on subordinate creativity.

Knowledge sharing is known as a human rationale for information. It promotes learning, human performance, decision-making and problem-solving at the job; thus, innovation and creativity need novel knowledge. Knowledge cloud is a knowledge source that provides a base for knowledge co-creation. This investigation explores the structural relationships among knowledge cloud, transformational leadership, motivational goal orientation, self-efficacy, employee empowerment and subordinate creativity. Here, a model is improved and experimentally examined based on the knowledge cloud, transformational leadership, motivational goal orientation, self-efficacy and employee empowerment to improve subordinate creativity using partial least squares (PLS) and data from car factories' employees in Beijing.

The study results show that knowledge cloud, transformational leadership, motivational goal orientation, self-efficacy and employee empowerment are strongly related to subordinate creativity. In addition to using the Sobel test, all four variables' mediating role (transformational leadership, motivational goal orientation, self-efficacy and employee empowerment) is confirmed.

A knowledge cloud can improve the stimulating subordinate creativity of employees through transformational leadership, motivational goal orientation, self-efficacy and employee empowerment. First, the human resources department must have some programs to improve the knowledge cloud's incentive. Second, creating an atmosphere of cooperation and trust among employees should enhance the knowledge cloud's effects.

To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study that addresses the knowledge cloud's role in subordinate creativity in firms. This investigation also assists the creativity literature by testing the mediating effect of motivational goal orientation, transformational leadership, feelings of self-efficacy and employee empowerment.