Search Results (64)

In order to address the growing urgency of energy-related carbon emission reduction and improve the construction of the existing public building carbon emission database model, this study constructs a public building carbon emission database model based on energy activity data by collecting the energy consumption data of relevant buildings in the region and classifying the building types, aiming to quantitatively analyze the carbon emission characteristics of different types of public buildings and provide data support for the national and local governments, enterprises, universities and research institutions, and the power industry. This study is divided into three phases: The first stage is the mapping of carbon emission benchmarks. The second stage is the analysis of multi-dimensional-building carbon emission characteristics. The third stage is to evaluate the design optimization plan and propose technical improvement suggestions. At present, this research is in the first stage: collecting and analyzing information data such as the energy consumption of different types of buildings, building a carbon emission database model, and extracting and analyzing the carbon emission benchmarks and characteristics of each building type from the data of 184 public buildings in a given area. Moreover, preliminary exploration of the second phase has been conducted, focusing on identifying key influencing factors of carbon emissions during the operational phase of public buildings. Office buildings have been selected as representative samples to carry out baseline modeling and variable selection using linear regression analysis. The results of this study are of great significance in the energy field, providing data support for public building energy management, energy policy formulation, and carbon trading mechanisms. Full article

China has made a major strategic decision to build world-class universities and first-class disciplines (abbreviation: Double First-Class), aimed at enhancing the global competitiveness of Chinese higher education. Industry-specific universities have a special historical evolution and distinctive characteristics. China’s industry-specific universities have always played an important role in the higher education system and made significant contributions to the development of the country. However, the “Double First-Class” initiative presents both opportunities and challenges for industry-specific universities. This paper employs the SWOT analysis method to conduct a qualitative analysis of industry-specific universities and proposes a strategic matrix for decision-making. At the same time, from a niche perspective, this paper explores the sustainable development strategies of these institutions within the initiative through the calculation of niche breadth, niche overlap, and their relationship analysis. The research results indicate that the “Double First-Class” initiative has played a positive role in promoting the expansion of universities’ ecological niches. However, it has also led to excessive niche overlap and intense competition. Industry-specific universities face opportunities and challenges in terms of structure, strategy, and policy for their sustainable development. Key findings highlight the importance of strategic alignment with national demand, industry cooperation, and policy orientation for sustainable growth. This paper proposes recommendations for the construction of a sustainable development framework, implementation of strategic initiatives, and policy guidance for universities with industrial characteristics from three perspectives: government, industry, and universities. Full article

In the new media era, the green technology alliance with multi-participation has emerged as a powerful contributor to achieving the strategic goal of a green economy. Therefore, this paper constructs a stochastic evolutionary game model of green technology innovation led by the government under an uncertain environment and jointly promoted by enterprises, universities, and research institutes. Then, this study firstly explores the influence of different factors on evolutionary equilibrium and secondly discusses the role of main factors on the behavior strategies of each game subject. Furthermore, numerical simulation analysis using Matlab R2019a 9.6 will be used to prove the model’s validity. The research has shown (1) that media monitoring positively impacts the stability of the alliance and that product greenness can further accelerate alliance evolution when media monitoring is in place. When this factor is small, it will lead to the transformation of Industry-University-Research’s (IUR) optimal strategy into non-cooperation in the early stage. (2) The green degree of products positively affects the decision-making choice of the IUR, but it is not the case for the government. And the role of media supervision will further coordinate its influence and accelerate the evolution of alliances. (3) The enhancement of media monitoring capacity can encourage game subjects to evolve in a more beneficial way. In addition, the implementation of media supervision will help reduce the cost of government supervision and provide reputation benefits. The research fully accounts for the complexity and variability of the environment, and the results provide theoretical support and practical advice for the high-quality development of the green technology innovation alliance. Full article

At present, the high complexity of the environment, the uncertainty of income, and the choice of strategies have attracted extensive attention from all walks of life who are committed to studying the game of collaborative innovation between government and industry–university–research. Based on this, first of all, with the help of stochastic evolutionary game theory and fuzzy theory, this paper constructs a multi-party stochastic evolutionary game model of green technology innovation about the government guidelines and the joint promotion of industry, universities, and research institutes. Secondly, it discusses the evolution law of behavior strategies of each game subject and the main factors to maintain the alliance’s stability under fuzzy income. The numerical simulation results show the following: (1) Reputation gains have a significant positive correlation with the evolution stability of alliance behavior, and the incorporation of reputation gains or losses will effectively maintain the cooperation stability of the alliance. (2) Under the influence of product greenness, government subsidies, and long-term benefits, it will promote the pace consistency of cooperative decision-making between industry, universities, and research institutes, and accelerate the evolution of alliances. (3) The enterprise’s ability and the research party’s ability will restrict each other. When one party’s ability is low, its willingness to choose a cooperation strategy may be slightly low due to technology spillover and other reasons. When the two parties’ abilities match, their behavior strategies will increase their willingness to cooperate with their abilities. Compared with the traditional evolutionary game, this study fully considers the uncertainty of the environment and provides theoretical support and practical guidance for the high-quality development strategy of the industry–university–research green technology innovation alliance. Full article

The construction industry in Kuwait is experiencing a transformative shift with the adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM) technologies, particularly BIM 6D for sustainability analysis and 7D for facility management. This study investigates the integration of these dimensions to address sustainability challenges in Kuwait’s construction sector, aligning practices with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through qualitative interviews with 15 stakeholders—including architects, engineers, and contractors—and analysis of industry reports, policies, and case studies, the research identifies both opportunities for and barriers to BIM adoption. While BIM offers significant potential for lifecycle analysis, waste reduction, and energy efficiency, its adoption remains limited, with only 27% of construction waste recycled. Challenges include high initial costs, a shortage of skilled personnel, and resistance to change. The study highlights actionable strategies, including enhanced regulatory frameworks, university curriculum integration, and professional training programs led by the Kuwait Society of Engineers, to address these barriers. It also emphasizes the critical role of collaboration among government bodies, industry leaders, and institutions like the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research. Drawing from successful international BIM projects, the findings offer a practical framework for improving sustainability in arid regions, positioning Kuwait’s experience as a model for other Middle Eastern and North African countries. This research underscores the transformative role of BIM technologies in advancing global sustainable construction practices and achieving a more efficient and eco-friendly future. Full article

Megaproject construction endeavors and technological innovation activities, led by industry–university–research (IUR) collaboration, demonstrate marked disparities in value orientations, implementing entities, and constituent components. These discrepancies lead to a mismatch between innovation demands and actual activities, as well as insufficient innovation motivation among construction entities, subsequently impacting innovation effectiveness and the commercialization of outcomes and failing to adequately support engineering construction needs. In response to this predicament, the academic community widely acknowledges IUR collaborative innovation as a solution. This research integrates fundamental theoretical analysis with a multi-case study approach and systematically dissects the distinctive features at the micro, meso, and macro levels, grounded in the collaborative innovation practices of IUR in three iconic railway engineering projects in China. Subsequently, it unravels the inherent operational mechanics of the IUR collaborative innovation system within large-scale projects. Specifically, at the micro level, the profound engagement of governments and project owners fosters a solid supportive environment and collaborative platform for IUR collaboration, while past successful cooperation experiences among key innovation entities enhance their technological and knowledge interactions. At the meso level, shared industry cognitions and values, hierarchical organizational structures, flexible institutional designs, and resource allocation strategies based on balancing risks and benefits collectively constitute the supporting system for megaproject collaborative innovation. At the macro level, the tight integration of the innovation chain and industrial chain promotes the formation of an open cooperation ecosystem, ensuring the continuity and systematic nature of innovation activities and accelerating the rapid commercialization and efficient utilization of innovation outcomes. This study not only enriches the theoretical connotations of IUR collaborative innovation in the context of major engineering projects but also provides theoretical foundations for strategy formulation and management practices for major project managers, holding significant value in guiding the innovation management of future major engineering projects. Full article

Community of practice (CoP) has been seen as a pivotal support for higher education institutions to implement their social responsibilities. Even though this model is widely admired, assessing its effectiveness and sustainability still faces many challenges: (1) the absence of an appropriate index reveals the significance of CoP; (2) the difficulty of realizing quantitative assessment; and (3) the strategies to improve contribution sustainably by considering CoP development. To address these challenges, a comprehensive Higher Education Social Responsibility Contribution Index (HESRCI) is constructed by taking into account the CoP key influence factors. An FBN model is further developed for the purpose of assessing the various corresponding contributions quantitatively and investigating the potential interdependencies between influence factors. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is evidenced by the quantitative indication of CoP’s contributions to priorities. Research findings also highlight the significance of CoP governance, the mechanism of resource allocation, and team development, in particular, in facilitating the synergy between university development and sustainable socio-economic growth. In addition, it provides data support and a theoretical basis for higher education institutions to make more informed decisions when implementing industry-education integration strategies. Full article

This study conducts a detailed bibliometric analysis of the concept of bank efficiency, investigating its evolution in the scientific literature between 2000 and 2024 in the context of the digital transformation specific to the Industry 4.0 era. Using recognized databases, such as Web of Science and Scopus, the research explores the main trends and themes in the field, as well as the impact of emerging technologies on bank efficiency. Eight major thematic clusters are identified, including “risk”, “‘performance”, “efficiency”, “competition”, “corporate governance” and “banking”, highlighting key dimensions of recent research. The co-citation analysis highlighted central authors like Berger, Sufian, and Casu, along with distinct thematic and regional clusters, underscoring the diversity of research directions in banking efficiency. The co-citation analysis shows the influence of leading institutions and authors, including “University Putra Malaysia”, “World Bank”, and “NBER, United States”, which have contributed significantly to the development of the literature. The results indicate that bank efficiency research is dynamic, multifunctional, and ever-expanding, providing an important foundation for future studies that will explore the challenges and opportunities for banks in the era of digitalization and sustainable development. Full article

This study examines the readiness of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) students for the knowledge-based economy, focusing on their awareness, perceptions, and skills. As Oman transitions towards a knowledge-based economic model, understanding and enhancing students’ preparedness has become crucial. This research employs a quantitative approach, utilizing a questionnaire distributed to SQU students across various colleges and academic levels, achieving a 66.04% response rate. The key findings reveal that while many students consider knowledge economy skills very important, some express neutral awareness about these skills. Students ranked creativity and innovation (85.82%) and critical thinking and problem solving (85.11%) as the most essential skills. The study identifies significant relationships between enhancing students’ knowledge-based economy skills (ESKBE) and both awareness of the knowledge-based economy (AWS) and the impact of technology on education and employment (ITEE). Students generally view the knowledge economy positively, with 55% agreeing it will have a positive societal impact. However, they recognize challenges, including resistance to change (53.5% agreement) and limited access to education and training (49.3% agreement). The need for government involvement in addressing these challenges was strongly emphasized (54.3% agreement). Based on these findings, the study recommends that SQU enhance its curriculum to explicitly develop key skills, improve awareness of knowledge economy demands, further integrate technology into educational practices, strengthen industry partnerships, promote lifelong learning initiatives, and engage more actively with policymakers. This paper also provides a unique look at higher education’s role in the changing economy, as seen through graduates. It offers empirical evidence for the necessity of universities to change to serve the knowledge economy and, at the same time, make a case on how complex this transformation is. The results matter not only for SQU but also—in a more general sense, at least as far as knowledge-based economies are concerned—globally with respect to higher education institutions. Full article

Transition economies, on the one hand, grapple with a communist legacy; on the other hand, they seek the optimal institutionalization for knowledge generation, dissemination, and commercialization to compete globally. However, the incumbent knowledge of certain aspects of their innovation systems remains very limited. In particular, intra-organizational cultural relics of the past and their inter-organizational and, consequently, systemic implications require research. This study examines how interaction barriers among universities, industry, and government, stemming from intra-organizational cultures, impact structural change in the innovation system of Azerbaijan. Utilizing the TH model, interviews with 59 participants revealed that a “Statist” TH model in Azerbaijan hinders organic cultural development within organizations, leading to interaction issues among TH actors. Moreover, problems in inter-organizational communication pave the way for a systemic failure that necessitates government intervention, strengthening the “Statist” TH model. The findings increase the context sensitivity of the TH framework by exploring an understudied context and provide valuable insights relevant to other transition economies facing similar institutional legacies. Full article

The Great Reset is a concept proposed by the World Economic Forum to rebuild the global economy sustainably following the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasising stakeholder capitalism, greener practices, and more equitable social contracts. However, most of the literature focuses on the role of business and government actors in the Great Reset. At the same time, research that considers the role of higher education institutions (HEIs) is lacking. However, HEIs have the significant capacity to support various aspects of the Great Reset. In this work, we examine different mechanisms by which HEIs could bring change, such as fostering the growth of workforce skills, promoting entrepreneurship and innovation, participating in community development and others. A survey on a sample of university professors, postdoctoral researchers, and research assistants has been conducted with the goal of evaluating the degree to which HEIs have played a role in influencing economic recovery after COVID-19, leveraging the industry 4.0, enhancing regional development, revitalising global cooperation, formulating sustainable business models, restoring environmental well-being, and restructuring social contracts, skills, and employment opportunities. A two-step cluster analysis has been conducted, indicating that HEIs played different roles in the Great Reset process, being the Leaders, Followers and Laggers. We found a significant difference between the various groups of respondents according to their scientific field, position, and region regarding the perception of the role played by their HEIs in influencing economic recovery after COVID-19. The position of the respondents contributed to their perception of the role that their HEIs participated in the process of the Great Reset, with the assistant professors perceiving the most often that their HEIs are Leaders. Additionally, the scientific field and region of the HEI also impacted their role in the Great Reset, with the HEIs from technology and countries outside of Europe being the Leaders most often. On the other hand, Followers and Laggers were equally from social sciences and other fields and European countries. Full article

We are currently facing a potential ‘polycrisis’, a critical inflection point that requires a holistic response aimed at building collective foresight and preparedness for short-, medium-, and long-term risks. The role of higher education institutions and social stakeholders is decisive for sustainability goals. This paper presents a case study where academia, governance, and industry have aligned to challenge, inspire, and encourage universities to enhance student growth and bind macro-scale measures leading to a sustainable future. A teaching innovation project has served as a transforming lever, in combination with the private sector, to create a platform that reaches more than 50,000 undergraduate students and teaching staff. This structure, rooted in the 2031 Strategic Plan of the University of Granada, has also served to channel local and regional initiatives, establish effective partnerships with broad social members, raise awareness, and promote actions to advance in the pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals. A comprehensive overview is provided, which details its chronology, materials, results, challenges, impact, and descriptions of the various courses, programs, and actions. The paper concludes with recommendations for future research, policy and cooperation among stakeholders. Full article

Construction Engineering and Management (CEM) is a critically important discipline that provides a scientific and management-oriented perspective for building and construction projects. Owing to the contingent nature of this industry, CEM research is highly context-specific and is governed by socio-economic needs, environmental challenges, and industry-specific issues. Australia is home to several universities engaged in CEM-related research and training. In terms of the CEM research volume, Australia occupies fourth place, globally. Considering the importance of Australia-based CEM research, the aim of this study was to investigate how CEM research in Australia has developed temporally and across different institutions, how research collaborations in this area materialized, and which topics and research domains are typically being explored. Accordingly, this study conducted a systematic review of 4318 publications from 158 Australia-based CEM academics, primarily based in eight Australian universities. Based on Scientometric and critical review techniques, this study provides insights into research topics, research growth, publication volume, and collaboration in the CEM research discipline in Australia. Similar to global CEM research, Australia-based CEM research places a high emphasis on topics such as risk, sustainability, decision-making, cost, design, and BIM. However, unlike global research trends, Australia-based CEM research places a much higher emphasis on safety and stakeholder management. Australian institutions have high collaboration among themselves and with Chinese and Hong Kong-based institutions. Recommendations for research development in Australia are provided to facilitate a discussion on how Australian institutions can set the future agenda for CEM research. Full article

Since the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development presented its comprehensive Innovation Strategy in 2010, numerous countries have been updating their innovation policies. Subsequent to the promulgation, the innovation policies of Japan shifted the focus from discipline-specific to social issue-oriented approaches. This study investigates the response of the Japanese academic sector to this policy shift and the characteristics of the research projects associated with innovation policy by utilizing descriptive statistics from policy documents and the database of Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research. The findings reveal that Japanese researchers have increasingly aligned their efforts with government-proposed research themes in recent years, with a notable shift toward short-term research projects. Moreover, Japanese universities are undergoing reforms that are transforming them into entrepreneurial institutions by altering incentive structures. Although these reforms may yield short-term research outcomes, they may not always address long-term societal needs. The narrowing focus on research themes could restrict the potential impact of research and impede the development of innovative solutions to societal challenges. From this viewpoint, assessing the relationship between government-proposed research themes and the research productivity of Japan is critical. Universities and public research institutions play a vital social role in broadening the foundational knowledge base through basic research, while private enterprises may lack the motivation to invest in research and development with low appropriability. These results may be beneficial for policymakers in reconsidering the division of labor in industry-academic collaboration in a knowledge-intensive economy. Full article

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) is heralding a new era in AI for performing a spectrum of complex tasks that are indistinguishable from humans. Alongside language and text, Generative AI models have been built for all other modalities of digital data, image, video, audio, and code. The full extent of Generative AI and its opportunities, challenges, contributions, and risks are still being explored by academic researchers, industry practitioners, and government policymakers. While this deep understanding of Generative AI continues to evolve, the lack of fluency, literacy, and effective interaction with Generative and conventional AI technologies are common challenges across all domains. Tertiary education institutions are uniquely positioned to address this void. In this article, we present the human-centred design of a universal AI literacy module, followed by its four primary constructs that provide core competence in AI to coursework and research students and academic and professional staff in a tertiary education setting. In comparison to related work in AI literacy, our design is inclusive due to the collaborative approach between multiple stakeholder groups and is comprehensive given the descriptive formulation of the primary constructs of this module with exemplars of how they activate core operational competence across the four groups. Full article