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This paper aims to present a financial valuation framework based on the real options theory to evaluate investments in toll road projects delivered under the two‐phase development plan.

The approach is based on applying the real options theory to evaluate investments in toll road projects. In particular, the risk‐neutral valuation method is used for pricing flexibility embedded in the two‐phase development plan. Risk‐neutral binomial lattice is used to model traffic uncertainty and to find the optimal time for the toll road expansion. Probabilistic life cycle cost and revenue analysis is conducted to characterize the investor's financial risk profile and determine the flexibility value of the expansion option.

The flexible, two‐phase development plan can improve the investor's financial risk profile in the toll road project through limiting the downside risk of overinvestment (i.e. decreasing the probability of investment loss) and increasing the expected investment value in a highway project.

Private and public sectors can benefit from this valuation framework and use tax dollars and users' fees effectively through avoiding overinvestment in toll road projects.

The framework consists of several integrated features, which distinguish it from existing investment valuation models. The risk‐neutral valuation method for pricing flexibility embedded in the two‐phase development plan is applied. This real options framework is capable of characterizing traffic boundary, at which it is optimal for the investor to expand the toll road. Further, this framework provides the likelihood distribution of when the investor may expand the toll road.

This paper aims to seek a greater understanding of the conceptualization of mega-event flagship (MEF) development as a point of departure to forge the much-needed organizational capacities in these regions. An MEF constitutes a temporarily themed venue for a mega-event and a transforming force on corresponding urban renewal. The unfailing demand for MEFs from emerging hosts after historical failures in the West draws attention to a glaring weakness of extant literature in wanting of evidence-based case studies.

Due to the explorative nature of research and the context-dependent complexities, the case study method is used for studying the case of Theme Pavilion – one of the four key flagships led by Expo 2010 to catalyze an ambitious urban renewal in Shanghai, China. The focus is on its conceptualization process (2004-2007) where different copying strategies were tested and consolidated to facilitate the post-event transformation. Data were collected mainly through participant observation in that duration.

For future Expo hosts, exhibition center developers and the event industry, the study concludes with eight constructive lessons, namely, clustering strategy, different integration, pre-post orientation, diversification for adaptation, development by stage, flexible mindset, the end crowns the work and building local capacity.

Given the qualitative nature of the study, some results may not be fully generalizable. While showing the possibility of sustaining MEF development given the right coping strategy, it also reveals implementation difficulties and emphasizes the importance of continued case studies.

The study will contribute fresh insights into forging better strategies to cope with transformation difficulties of MEF development and building greater capacity to accomplish affiliated renewals and other significantly comparable urban projects in emerging economies.

This paper aims to examine the identification and engagement of future inhabitants in urban planning processes using a new “public–private–people partnerships (4Ps)” participation method, where public, private and people are in partnership. This form of participation gives new information, related to consumers’ residential choice, unlike those environments produced by using other participation methods.

The empirical study is based in innovation theory where end‐users are primary stakeholders in the innovation process, and even innovators themselves. A case study of a new participation method based on a two‐phase internet questionnaire is used to research practical solutions in integrating end‐users into urban planning process.

This paper demonstrates that the widely used theory of communicative action in planning and its aim of increasing citizens’ activity in planning and development processes can be developed to the stage that it also includes future inhabitants as stakeholders. Thus urban planning processes become innovative and customer‐oriented through their openness, end‐user orientation and interpretative nature.

The case study findings indicate that the new participation method described here gives flexibility and benefits to all stakeholders and is a method to create consumer desirable neighborhoods. Engaging future inhabitants in planning processes opens previously unseen potential for including consumerist possibilities for cities and developers. This paper illustrates that this new 4Ps participation method makes comprehensive participatory planning and development possible through giving an opportunity to include consumers’ opinions and needs into an alternative to traditional communicative planning.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the identification and engagement of future inhabitants in planning processes for residential developments using a new “4Ps” participation method, where the 4Ps denote public, private and people are in partnership. This form of participation gives new information, related to consumers' residential choice, unlike those environments produced by using other participation methods.

The empirical study is based on innovation theory where end‐users are primary stakeholders in the innovation process, and even innovators themselves. A case study of a new participation method based on a two‐phase internet questionnaire is used to research practical solutions in integrating end‐users into urban planning process.

This paper demonstrates that the widely used theory of communicative action in planning and its aim of increasing citizens' activity in planning and development processes can be developed to the stage that it also includes future inhabitants as stakeholders. Thus urban planning processes become innovative and customer‐oriented through their openness, end‐user orientation and interpretative nature.

The case study findings indicate that the new participation method described here gives flexibility and benefits to all stakeholders and is a method to create consumer‐desirable neighbourhoods. Engaging future inhabitants in planning processes opens previously unseen potential for including consumerist possibilities for cities and developers. This paper illustrates that this new 4Ps participation method makes comprehensive participatory planning and development possible through giving an opportunity to include consumers' opinions and needs into an alternative to traditional communicative planning.

The strategic management literature emphasizes the concept of business intelligence (BI) as an essential competitive tool. Yet the sustainability of the firms’ competitive advantage provided by BI capability is not well researched. To fill this gap, this study attempts to develop a model for successful BI deployment and empirically examines the association between BI deployment and sustainable competitive advantage. Taking the telecommunications industry in Malaysia as a case example, the research particularly focuses on the influencing perceptions held by telecommunications decision makers and executives on factors that impact successful BI deployment. The research further investigates the relationship between successful BI deployment and sustainable competitive advantage of the telecommunications organizations. Another important aim of this study is to determine the effect of moderating factors such as organization culture, business strategy, and use of BI tools on BI deployment and the sustainability of firm’s competitive advantage.

This research uses combination of resource-based theory and diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory to examine BI success and its relationship with firm’s sustainability. The research adopts the positivist paradigm and a two-phase sequential mixed method consisting of qualitative and quantitative approaches are employed. A tentative research model is developed first based on extensive literature review. The chapter presents a qualitative field study to fine tune the initial research model. Findings from the qualitative method are also used to develop measures and instruments for the next phase of quantitative method. The study includes a survey study with sample of business analysts and decision makers in telecommunications firms and is analyzed by partial least square-based structural equation modeling.

The findings reveal that some internal resources of the organizations such as BI governance and the perceptions of BI’s characteristics influence the successful deployment of BI. Organizations that practice good BI governance with strong moral and financial support from upper management have an opportunity to realize the dream of having successful BI initiatives in place. The scope of BI governance includes providing sufficient support and commitment in BI funding and implementation, laying out proper BI infrastructure and staffing and establishing a corporate-wide policy and procedures regarding BI. The perceptions about the characteristics of BI such as its relative advantage, complexity, compatibility, and observability are also significant in ensuring BI success. The most important results of this study indicated that with BI successfully deployed, executives would use the knowledge provided for their necessary actions in sustaining the organizations’ competitive advantage in terms of economics, social, and environmental issues.

This study contributes significantly to the existing literature that will assist future BI researchers especially in achieving sustainable competitive advantage. In particular, the model will help practitioners to consider the resources that they are likely to consider when deploying BI. Finally, the applications of this study can be extended through further adaptation in other industries and various geographic contexts.

Underground logistics system (ULS) is recognized as sustainable alleviator to road-dominated urban logistics infrastructure with various social and environmental benefits. The purpose of this study is to propose effective modeling and optimization method for planning a hub-and-spoke ULS network in urban region.

Underground freight tunnels and the last-mile ground delivery were organized as a hierarchical network. A mixed-integer programming model (MIP) with minimum system cost was developed. Then a two-phase optimization schema combining Genetic-based fuzzy C-means algorithm (GA-FCM), Depth-first-search FCM (DFS-FCM) algorithm and Dijkstra algorithm (DA), etc. was designed to optimize the location-allocation of ULS facilities and customer clusters. Finally, a real-world simulation was conducted for validation.

The multistage strategy and hybrid algorithms could efficiently yield hub-and-spoke network configurations at the lowest objective cost. GA-FCM performed better than K-means in customer-node clustering. The combination of DFS-FCM and DA achieved superior network configuration than that of combining K-means and minimum spanning tree technique. The results also provided some management insights: (1) greater scale economies effect in underground freight movement could reduce system budget, (2) changes in transportation cost would not have obvious impact on ULS network layout and (3) over 90% of transportation process in ULS network took place underground, giving remarkable alleviation to road freight traffic.

Demand pairs among customers were not considered due to lacking data. Heterogeneity of facilities capacity parameters was omitted.

This study has used an innovative hybrid optimization technique to address the two-phase network planning of urban ULS. The novel design and solution approaches offer insights for urban ULS development and management.

Urban mobility has substantially evolved in several western countries, shifting from interest in road expansion strategies to cater motorized movement to the emphasis on sustainable mobility. This is, however, not the case in several developing countries that still try to accommodate vehicular flows in inner historic cities. This paper aims at providing an assessment framework that helps in evaluating the effect of streetscape development on the walking and cycling environment in historic contexts.

This research follows a two-phase methodology. Phase 1 is the investigation of the literature review including the streetscape design, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and indicators for the assessment of walking and cycling environment. This phase results in developing a set of indicators for the assessment. Phase 2 is the case study including, methods, steps and results of the assessment based on the output of Phase 1. This phase concludes with a discussion on the challenges and recommendations for the enhancement.

The streetscape development in Afrang was insufficient and negatively affected the walking and cycling environment. It was motorized-oriented, instead of enhancing green mobility. The interventions led to more crowds, safety risks and less pleasant experience. Moreover, the car users' experience was enhanced initially; however, the traffic situation did not persist. A sustainable urban mobility approach is necessary to be implemented with consideration to the global level and the relation to SDGs.

There is a gap in tackling the research problem both within the context of Port Said in particular and Egyptian context in general. Local authorities need a clear structured methodology to follow in the development of the streetscape. The assessment indicators gathered can be the basis for evaluating future plans.

The purpose of this paper is to address calls from within the existing literature for a planning model that can provide both control and flexibility in dynamic environments.

This research adopts a two-phase grounded theory methodology. Phase I tests a hypothesis through a structured online survey. Phase II tests a new planning model through a focus group and an online survey.

This research finds that client-side project managers misapply rational planning tools when managing construction projects. It also finds that the planning artefacts created in the initial stages of a project are used as a communication tool, rather than a controlling or monitoring tool. These findings provide an opportunity for new planning models, such as the (next decision node) NDN model, to be adopted. These planning tools can create new levels of transparency and accountability within the planning process – as well as provide a model which is more closely aligned with the practitioners “lived experience”.

The NDN model provides a foundation for further research into the micro-mechanisms of organisational ambidexterity in projects and refinement of the NDN model.

This research presents a new planning model which practitioners can adopt when delivering construction projects.

This paper presents a new, ambidextrous planning model grounded on the “lived experience” of client-side project managers.

The purpose of this project was to develop a web‐based self‐training package for information retrieval using the distance education approach.

The package was developed using the distance education approach with STOU Plan, STOU Plan 2000 and GMS‐VU applied. The distance education model for the web‐based self‐training package was composed of five stages: identifying the learners, design of the package, production of the package, establishing the delivery system, and evaluation. The system development methodology was based on the system development lifecycle (SDLC) with a combination of waterfall, phased and prototyping approaches. There are several phase in SDLC to carry out: problem and objective identification, requirement determination, requirement analysis, package design, package implementation, delivery system and evaluation. Evaluation of the package was conducted in two phases: formative evaluation and summative evaluation using the focus group discussion method. Formative evaluation was conducted during the package development by experts in the field prior to the summative evaluation. The summative evaluation was conducted after the package development had been completed as a pilot study for field trial by target users, consisting of junior library staff and library users. All comments were reviewed and refined in terms of instructional content, design, overall opinion and learning progress before put on production.

The package consists of three main components: About the project, Study modules, References and further readings. Study modules, which is the most important component, consists of ten instructional modules focusing on information retrieval, and self‐assessment through pre‐test and post‐test. The package includes multimedia such as images and sound to attract learners during their learning session. The delivery mode for the self‐training package offers both online and off‐line modes. Online mode is offered when there is network facility and internet connection available, while offline mode is offered through CD‐ROM without requiring network and internet connection. The features and functions of both modes are identical. Moreover, print materials are also included as supplementary media.

Since the module is a self‐directed learning or self‐training tool in information retrieval it can be employed for junior library staff and library users; it provides a training tool for librarians to train library users and supports human resource and development to narrow digital divides and support the right to access information.

Natural disasters often destroy hundreds of homes that leave victims homeless and leads to community displacement. In the USA, such disasters happen over 60 times per year. This leads to logistical and contractual nightmare for the planning agencies and political/community leaders required to provide shelter for displaced citizens. One of the most important challenges for the policy makers and aid providers is to make homes available to the homeless victims in as short a period as possible. Temporary shelter is costly and often excessively delayed. Also quality and long stay (more than four years for the Katrina victims) in temporary shelter affected victims both mentally and physically. The aim of this paper is to propose a strategic framework that assists responsible entities to provide housing to the disaster victims in a short period of time, for example to construct 200 homes in 30 days after disaster (representing a subdivision).

The main objective of this research is to perform feasibility study of implementing such a strategy that would enable agencies to provide better solutions for post disaster housing assistance. This paper mainly explains four phases that constitute the development of the strategic framework. The first two phases of the framework carry out pre‐disaster planning and establish relationships among the participating entities. Whereas, the third phase includes simulating post disaster processes identified in the previous phases to evaluate response trade‐offs. The last phase is about the real implementation of this strategy after disaster that also incorporates its outcomes and experiences into previously planned strategy.

It was found through second part of research, simulation studies, that such a strategy can be prepared before the disaster and activated when needed. This would drastically reduce the housing response time.

This would help in improving the strategy for future disasters. Successful execution would facilitate opportunities to reduce stress for the victims and encourage faster recovery.