Ahsen Maqsoom

• Ph.D (CEM), Program Head, Guest Editor
• Associate Professor at University Mohammed VI Polytechnic

Purpose – This paper aims to study the impact of a firm’s size and international experience on its internationalization because it remains an under-researched area. Using an integrated theoretical approach, this study examines the motives and (firm-specific and home country-specific) competitive assets, that enable the internationalization of Pakis...

Due to advances in technologies and protocols of the World Trade Organization (WTO), more contractors from developing countries are succeeding in finding a space in the global market. This paper identifies and analyzes the patterns and influences related to the Pakistani contractor's decision to internationalize, motivating factors, foreign market...

Past studies on contractor internationalization have adopted a single model approach. Responding to the call of some scholars, this study has been conducted by integrating several extant theories of internationalization. Our study has investigated the internationalization of Pakistani contractors. The features examined in this paper are motives, in...

International joint ventures (IJVs) are both advantageous and challenging due to differing technical abilities, economic and political environments, and cultural and legal frameworks. This study identifies the external risks particularly political, economic, legal, social and environmental in IJVs carrying out construction projects in Pakistan. It...

Due to population growth and climate change, dependence on groundwater is expected to increase. This growth has put forth a major challenge for management for sustainable groundwater storage. This study illustrates a newly introduced bivariate statistical model with an ensembled data mining approach. Certainty factors (CF), evidential belief functi...

This study quantifies the potential environmental impacts of the Karakoram Highway (KKH) construction, which links the northern region of Pakistan with Western China. The upgrade of the KKH was carried out under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. We examined highway construction's spatial and temporal effects on the immediate envi...

Soil moisture is an essential quantitative characteristic in hydrological processes and agricultural production. Satellite remote sensing has been extensively used to estimate topsoil moisture. However, gathering Soil Moisture Content (SMC) data with high spatial resolution in diverse watersheds takes a lot of work and money to maintain. In this re...

Over-budgeting due to inflation is a common phenomenon in the construction industry of both developed and developing countries. Inflation, with time changes, leaves an adverse effect on the project budget. Hence, this study aims to focus on the construction price index (CPI) behavior and inspect its correlation with inflation in Thailand’s construc...

The project selection criteria are required for an effective project lifecycle, and the selected projects should correspond with organizational aims and objectives; yet, the organization lacks severely in its ability to act decisively on the problem. Hence, this study aims to highlight the best project selection criteria that are related to organiz...

14 The construction industry is going forward by adopting digitization, but players are still 15 battling to grasp and execute it properly. That is why, this study aims to evaluate the awareness, 16 challenges and opportunities of digitalization in the Malaysian construction industry and 17 provides a framework for better digital implementation. In...

The present study focuses to evaluate and determine the relationship between socio-environmental factors and the solar housing system (SHS) adoption. Moreover, the presented research also gauges the moderating effect of attitude on the direct relationship between socio-environmental factors and solar housing system adoption. For statistical evaluat...

The globe is transitioning from traditional methods of electricity generation to renewable resources in order to achieve sustainable goals. Solar energy is a promising and abundant renewable resource that shows great potential as a viable alternative to traditional energy. Furthermore, the production of electricity from solar energy is the most cos...

The use of rubber in concrete to partially substitute mineral aggregates is an effort to decrease the global amount of scrap tires. This study investigates the behavior of rubberized concrete (RC) with various replacement ratios (0–50%) by volume and replacement type (fine, coarse, and fine-coarse) using soft computing techniques. The uniaxial comp...

This study presents a novel approach for forecasting the construction cost index (CCI) of building materials in developing countries. Such estimations are challenging due to the need for a longer time, the influence of inflation, and fluctuating project prices in developing countries. This study used three techniques—a modified Artificial Neural Ne...

As the global population raises, developing countries seem to have issues with the productivity of the construction projects due to high demand. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the effect of extrinsic diversity aspects impacting the construction worker efficiency. The data collection was made by a questionnaire sent to construction stakeholde...

The growing concept of Industry 5.0 (IR 5.0) has enhanced the study horizon of the technology-centered Industry 4.0 (IR 4.0) to an intelligent and balanced socioeconomic change powered mutually by people and technologies. The role of humans in the technological revolution is largely focused on IR 5.0, which is already a future trend. IR 4.0’s cyber...

The healthcare industry significantly impacts the environment due to its high usage of energy and natural resources and the associated waste generation. This study applied a cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) approach to assess the environmental and social life cycles of public hospitals. One hundred twenty-four public hosp...

Purpose Given a baffling contradiction that the availability of safety knowledge may not necessarily lead to workers' safety behavior, this study aims to develop an exploratory two-step working model of safety knowledge in translating safety climate into safety behavior. In particular, this study highlights the importance of articulating tacit safe...

Due to population growth and climate change, dependence on groundwater is expected to increase. This growth has put forth a major challenge of management for sustainable groundwater storage. This study illustrates a newly introduced bivariate statistical model with an ensembled data mining approach. Certainty factor (CF), evidential belief function...

Job stress (JS) is a significant issue in the construction industry of developing countries. This study aims to examine the impact of error-management climate (EMC), safety climate (SC), and psychological capital (PC) (as a mediator) on employee JS in the construction industry, and establish relationships between these constructs. A questionnaire s...

Prefabricated construction is being pursued globally as a critically important sustainable construction technology. Prefabricated construction technology (PCT) provides opportunities to effectively manage construction waste and offers venues to address the poor productivity and lackluster performance of construction projects, which are often expect...

Non-renewable resources have been becoming scarcer on a global scale by the day, while energy demand has been rising exponentially. To tackle this problem, organizations worldwide have been striving to learn and adopt green practices to sustain themselves and benefit society. In this context, the current study aims to identify and understand the cr...

Plastic waste has increased significantly in recent years as a result of fast population growth and urbanization. Studies on the incorporation of plastic aggregates as a substitution for natural aggregates in concrete are needed to successfully reduce both adverse environmental impact and the depletion of natural resources. The objective of this re...

Mixed Reality (MR) that combines elements of both augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) has great potential for use in the construction industry. However, its usage in construction projects in developing countries has not been widely researched. This study aims to examine the major drivers of, and barriers to, the adoption of MR technolog...

In this research, the impact of land use and land cover (LULC) on debris flow was evaluated in the Gilgit to Khunjerab region. Two events have been done: (i) LULC stimulations for 2026 and 2030 using the MOLUSCE plugin and (ii) debris flow susceptibility mapping using linear aggression model. The evaluation of LULC on debris flow susceptibility is...

It is important to recognize the influence of terrain characteristics on the spatial distribution of settlements as it can aid poli-cymakers in sustainable urban planning. Landscape characteristics influence the decision of new settlements as well as the decision-making process related to existing settlement density. The surrounding environment inf...

Drawing on the JD-R model, this study examines the influence of error management climate (EMC) on the job stress of frontline aeronautical employees. It also analyzes the moderating role of psychological capital (PsyCap) dimensions (i.e., hope, optimism, self-efficacy, and resilience) for the relationship between error management climate and job st...

Nurses make up most of the global healthcare system, thus justifying their significance in the respective industry. The healthcare profession is amongst the very few careers that are attributed to a very high level of stress and imbalanced work-life equilibrium. Over past decades, the said nature of work has been observed to coerce countless nurses...

Steel fiber reinforced geopolymer concrete (SFRGC) shows excellent mechanical properties comparable to steel fiber reinforced concrete. However, research on the durability of SFRGC is scarce. This paper presents the carbonation performances of SFRGC, including the carbonation depth and strength variation during carbonation. The results show that th...

One of the key functions of global water resource management authoritiesis river water quality (WQ)CODassessment. A water quality index (WQI) is developed for water assessments consideringnumerous quality-related variables. WQI assessments typically take a long time and are prone to errors during sub-indices generation. This can be tackled through...

The construction sector has a significant role in the socioeconomic development of any country. As the construction sector involves diverse stakeholders with complex processes and communication channels, it faces numerous challenges. Among most of the critical challenges encountered, the issue of cost overrun is very concerning in the construction...

The construction sector must make the switch from a linear to a circular economy to reduce global impacts and preserve natural resources. Products and materials in a circular economy continue to circulate through the supply chain in a high-value state of usage for as long as possible. As an essential step towards attaining sustainable development,...

Safety is a well-researched yet underperforming management aspect of the construction industry. Building information modeling (BIM) can help, and some frameworks have addressed safety management in limited phases of the project lifecycle. This study positions BIM centrally in the safety management process and develops a safety management framework...

Due to the increased globalization and the disruptions caused by pandemics, supply chains (SCs) are becoming more complex in all industries. Such increased complexities of the SCs bring in more risks. The construction industry is no exception; its SC has been disrupted in line with its industrial counterparts. Therefore, it is important to manage t...

Undefinable nature of overseas markets substantially impacts the enterprises’ decision to pursue projects abroad. This study aims at identifying and prioritizing the determinant factors which considerably influence the decision to go/not go for projects in overseas from the Indonesian construction enterprises’ (ICEs) perspective. A comprehensive li...

Purpose This research aims to examine the influence of workers' identification with their supervisors on safety behaviour in construction projects. Design/methodology/approach Employing the job demands–resources theory, this research tested the relationships among relational identification as a personal resource, respectful engagement as a job res...

The quality of healthcare services in every society has been a dire need across each era. The effective implementation of which is only possible if the healthcare workers get provided with a suitable environment to perform their duties in. Considering this, the current study determines the impact of internal marketing on the quality of external ser...

Earthquake risk in urban areas has recently taken quite a lot of attention. Risk is a cross-cutting combination of vulnerability and hazard. Abbottabad district, a rapidly growing district, is an earthquake-prone area in the north of Pakistan. In 2005, the region suffered enormous casualties due to a significant earthquake (Mw = 7.6). The various r...

With time, construction waste is increasing massively and its dumping is a serious issue globally. Utilizing the waste in various products and construction projects is boosting, but still, the amount of waste is much higher. Transitions to more sustainable construction can assist in attaining the specific goal of slowing down natural resources depl...

Disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) is one of the significant global issues that is more evident in developing nations. One of the key methods for disposing of the MSW is locating, assessing, and planning for landfill sites. Due to rapidly expanding global urbanization, associated lack of resources, and inadequate urban waste management, MSW is...

Effective leadership and creative performance are the predominant factors for the success of modern projects in the global construction industry. However, rigorous research has not explored the nexus between such factors and the leader–member exchange (LMX). To address this gap, this study explores the relationship between dimensions of paternalist...

Owing to the extensive global dependency on groundwater and associated increasing water demand, the global groundwater level is declining rapidly. In the case of Islamabad, Pakistan, the groundwater level has lowered five times over the past five years due to extensive pumping by various departments and residents to meet the local water requirement...

The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project was signed between China and Pakistan in the year 2013. This mega project connects the two countries to enhance their economic ties and give them access to international markets. The initial investment for the project was $46 billion with a tentative duration of fifteen years. Being an extensive p...

This study maps the landslide susceptibility along the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) route using multiple land-slide causative factors. A decisive statistical approach and the Geographic Information System (GIS) were used to map the route’s susceptibility. The study area comprises a 236km section of the Karakoram Highway, located in a re...

Disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) is one of the significant global issues that is more evident in developing nations. One of the key methods for disposing of the MSW is locating, assessing, and planning for landfill sites. Faisalabad is one of the largest industrial cities in Pakistan. It has many sustainability challenges and planning proble...

The graphite nano/micro platelets (GNMPs) offer distinct features for the effective reinforcement of cementitious matrices in the behaviors of concrete. The thoroughly dispersed and well-bonded nanomaterials provide effective control of the size and propagation of defects (microcracks) in the matrix and also act as closely spaced barriers against d...

This work evaluates the performance of three machine learning (ML) techniques, namely logistic regression (LGR), linear regression (LR), and support vector machines (SVM), and two multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques, namely analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOP...

The identification of significant areas impacting safety performance has always been a key concern for construction management researchers. This paper aims to examine the diversified influence of sensitive sub-categories of demographic variables on construction safety climate (SC). The data relating to fourteen demographic variables and twenty-four...

Purpose: Earned Value Management (EVM) is widely used as a project performance measurement and forecasting technique. Nonetheless, it has not been fully explored in Pakistani construction industry; where conventional progress reporting methodology (CPRM) is being followed having certain confines. It reports only the financial progress of a project,...

Extraction of built-up area (BUA) is essential for proper city planning and management. It enables the concerned authorities to formulate better city development policies and manage emergent disasters. However, the traditionally used optical data present spectral confusion where BUAs are mixed with other features adding to management complexities....

Worker productivity is critical within construction projects as it is the measure of the rate at which work is performed and, more importantly, helps to know how to motivate them to perform at high levels. This research aimed to examine the impact of employee age and industry experience on the intrinsic workforce diversity factors influencing const...

Manual inspection of infrastructure damages such as building cracks is difficult due to the objectivity and reliability of assessment and high demands of time and costs. This can be automated using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for aerial imagery of damages. Numerous computer vision-based approaches have been applied to address the limitations of...

Workers are a true asset of the construction industry, however, due to the less attention given by industry pro-environmental behaviour of workers got affected. Therefore, the persistence of this study is to investigate the variables that affect the pro-environmental behaviour of workers in construction industry. In this regard, a questionnaire was...

Water scarcity has become a major problem for many countries, resulting in decliningwater supply and creating a need to find alternative solutions. One potential solution is rainwaterharvesting (RwH), which allows rainwater to be stored for human needs. This study developsan RwH assessment system through building information modeling (BIM). For thi...

Prediction of an extreme seismic event in any area has been a perplexing study area. Baluchistan is the largest province of Pakistan, and the whole province lies in a seismically active region which makes it vulnerable to earthquakes. In the current study, different aspects of seismology of Baluchistan, for instance, frequency content, recurrence t...

The ecosystem, biodiversity, and anthropological existence in the Chitral district are in danger due to the sediments and soil erosion stemming from the changes in the land-cover and climate. This research aims to practice the RUSLE model with the changes in the land-cover and climate in upcoming situations for 2030 and 2040 to evaluate soil erosio...

Groundwater is one of the primary sources for the daily water requirements of the masses, but it is subjected to contamination due to the pollutants, such as nitrate, percolating through the soil with water. Especially in built-up areas, groundwater vulnerability and contamination are of major concern, and require appropriate consideration. The pre...

Kashmir earthquake of October 8, 2005, was the most devastating in the recent history of South Asia, causing more than 86,000 casualties, and was accompanied by numerous slope failures. Like many other earthquakes hitting the rugged mountainous terrains of developing countries, strong ground motion records of Kashmir earthquake were also deficient....

Groundwater contamination along with anthropogenic actions and land use forms are increasing threats in urbanized zones around the world. Additionally, water quality and quantity are declining due to urbanization development. DRASTIC parameters (depth to the water table, net recharge, aquifer media, soil media, topography, impact of the vadose zone...

Purpose The purpose of this research is to examine the impact of work–life balance on project performance with mediating role of job burnout and moderating role of organizational support and what are the indirect effects of work–life balance on project performance via organizational support. For quantifying this effect, regression analysis has been...

An earthquake is a natural event that causes serious intimidation to infrastructure and humans’ life in northern Pakistan. Environmental, physical, and social dimensions effectively add to seismic vulnerability. The current study deals with seismic susceptibility by integrating various decisive supporting methods to generate more accurate outcomes...

Concrete is an important construction material. Its characteristics depend on the environmental conditions, construction methods, and mix factors. Working with concrete is particularly tricky in a hot climate. This study predicts the properties of concrete in hot conditions using the case study of Rawalpindi, Pakistan. In this research, variable ca...

Vehicle accidents take human life all over the world particularly in developing countries like Pakistan. It is estimated that 1.2 million people lose their lives in road accidents every year. Apart from this, 20 to 50 million are injured on a yearly basis. This annual increase in the traffic accidents trend is alarming. To bring improvement in the...

Global climate has been radically affected by the urbanization process in recent years. Karachi, Pakistan's economic hub, is also showing signs of swift urbanization. Owing to the construction of infrastructure projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and associated urbanization, Karachi's climate has been significantly affected....

The COVID-19 outbreak is changing the patterns in travel activity for key destinations. Travel behavior during the pandemic has not been investigated adequately, specifically in developing countries. A sound understanding of travel-mode choice determinants is needed to design interventions to slow down and prevent the spread of the COVID-19 disease...

This study maps the landslide susceptibility along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) route using multiple landslide causative factors. A decisive statistical approach and the Geographic Information System (GIS) were used to map the route's susceptibility. The study area comprises a 236 km section of the Karakoram Highway, located in a reg...

Afghanistan has been subjected to many disastrous earthquakes in the past as it is situated in a seismically vigorous region. The converging edge of the Arabian, Indian, and Eurasian plates accounts for the high seismicity of the region. An Mw 7.5 earthquake hit northern areas of Afghanistan along with Pakistan on the October 26, 2015, with its epi...

Road safety guidelines are not properly implemented and are not diverse enough to counter an annual increase in traffic volume. The mitigation techniques of road regulating bodies have failed in minimizing road accidents with the increase in road users. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to provide valuable insight to the facilitators and deci...

The construction sector exerts an exceptional impact on economic development all over the world. Adequate buildings and infrastructures made by the construction sector ensure that a country reaches certain targets like social development, industrialization, freight transportation, sustainable development, and urbanization. This study aims to determ...

The study is based on validating and exploring the effects of a mega project plan (CPEC) on infrastructure development and Sustainable Project Management. The CPEC has great importance to infrastructure development and economy-boosting. The current study's primary aim is to deal with environmental protection, economic boost up, international relati...

Over the past several years, global project management teams have been facing dynamic challenges that continue to grow exponentially with the increasing number of complexities associated with the undertaken tasks. The ever-evolving organizational challenges demand project managers to adapt novel management practices to accomplish organizational goa...

This study investigates the influence of three most influential construction risks, namely, design and documentation risks, site operations risks, and contract and management risks on cost escalation of highway projects with the moderation effect of social sustainability requirements. The data were collected from 210 professionals working in variou...

Disaster is a state of serious disruptions in the functionality of any society or county. Disasters pose serious economic or environmental impacts that surpass the capacity of the affected country or society to compete with the use of their assets. Recently, Pakistan significantly prone to health disasters due to COVID-19 among developing South Asi...

Inflation and CO2 emission are the two most deleterious elements in the construction industry. However, so far no linkage between the two has been estimated. Therefore, this study examines the relationship between carbon dioxide (CO2) emission and the inflation rate in the construction industry of Malaysia and proposes a CO2 emission calculator fra...

Disaster is a state of serious disruptions in the functionality of any society or county. Disasters pose serious economic or environmental impacts that surpass the capacity of the affected country or society to compete with the use of their assets. Recently, Pakistan significantly prone to health disasters due to COVID-19 among developing South Asi...