The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) aims to enhance connectivity and collaboration among 60 countries and beyond in Asia, Africa and Europe. Information and communications technology (ICT) is an indispensable component of the initiative, critical in providing fundamental communication channels for global financial transactions, trade exchanges and transport and energy connectivity, and socio cultural collaboration and scientific exchanges between people, organizations and countries along the BRI corridors. Previously constrained by infrastructure deficits in ICT, the Asia-Pacific region is accelerating its efforts to provide reliable and affordable broadband networks throughout the region, to contribute to successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Within the BRI corridors, this study which has been undertaken as part of the research programme of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) on promoting regional economic cooperation and integration, focuses on the China-Central Asia Corridor (China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan), giving attention to the sub-region’s specific challenges, namely limited international transit opportunities and an increase in bandwidth requirements that is expected to grow exponentially, as the fourth industrial evolution centered on automation and artificial intelligence gathers momentum. The sub-region is characterized as highly dependent on the ease and costs of connecting to neighboring countries for transit, as many countries in the sub-region are landlocked developing countries (LLDC). Because of the geographical features and other factors, the development potential of Central Asia and its integration into globalization, continues to be stymied by insufficient international bandwidth and high transit costs to access international links. Therefore, improved ICT connectivity in Central Asia through the BRI corridor could result in improved availability and affordability of broadband networks and services in the sub-region.

For the purpose of this study, a gap analysis is the methodology that underpins the proposed topology for the China-Central Asia Corridor. The analysis included examining the current state of the optic infrastructure, such as existing and planned fiber-optic networks, existing Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) and international gateways. The study also identifies the key factors that determine the desired future state of infrastructure deployment for the BRI initiative. A topology that consists of connecting Almaty (Kazakhstan) and Urumqi (China), as core nodes, is proposed based on a partial mesh topology. Over and above this core finding, the study concludes that digital infrastructure connectivity has a tendency of lagging behind the rapid opportunities evolving, and the study therefore advocates for sub-regional and regional approaches, including the BRI and Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway (AP-IS) in further expanding regional broadband networks. A key recommendation of the study is co-deployment of broadband infrastructure along passive infrastructure, as an additional cost effective means of achieving fast and affordable broadband connectivity for all.

This study compares Human Resource Development (HRD) in Vietnam and Malaysia, looking at their methods, problems, and institutional frameworks in the context of ASEAN economic integration and Industry 4.0. Based on Cho and McLean’s (2004) integrated HRD model, this paper looks at recent research (from 2018 to 2023) to look at important topics such globalization, demographic changes, vocational training alignment, and technology disruption. Vietnam has a vast workforce, but it still has problems with low productivity, skill mismatches, and not being ready for the global market. On the other hand, Malaysia’s institutional HRD structures are making more progress, even though its workforce is getting older and not everyone is adapting to digital transformation at the same rate. The study shows that we need HRD policies that are tailored to each industry, training that is delivered in a decentralized way, and stronger relationships between the public and commercial sectors. It also stresses how important it is for national HRD policies to include global competences and initiatives that help everyone learn new skills. The study adds a unique framework for comparing HRD and gives policymakers, educators, and practitioners useful information, even though it is constrained by its use of secondary data. Future study should use mixed-methods to confirm results and look into interventions that work in specific situations. The study shows that Vietnam and Malaysia need personalized, inclusive, and forward thinking HRD systems to produce strong and competitive workforces in the post-pandemic, digital driven global economy.

This study examined the correlations between highly entangled variables such as leadership, work environment, effective communication, reward fairness, and physical facilities for faculty members. The data was gathered from faculty members of educational institutions in Pakistan using a survey questionnaire, and the sampling method was purposive sampling. For this study, data was obtained from a varied group of education professionals from several places in Pakistan, each with a distinct degree of education and experience. This study demonstrates how independent factors affect faculty performance and can have a further impact on organizational productivity. The findings indicated that good organizational behavior had a considerable favorable influence on faculty performance. The paper reviews significant literature on the proposed factors and makes recommendations for further research.

In a time of a growingly age-diverse workforce, modern organizations are facing the challenge of simultaneously maintaining job satisfaction for both younger and older workers. In that regard, this study aims to analyse and further explore the difference in job expectations of employees from the IT industry who belong to different age groups. Based on the extant literature, an appropriate research model was designed, which was subsequently tested using the data gathered through the surveys conducted over the past fourteen years. The research results show that the main difference between younger and older employees within the IT industry is related to professional and personal growth. Specifically, younger employees primarily look for personal development and rapid professional advancement, which are of minor importance to their older counterparts. Intriguingly, the obtained results showed no difference between the younger and older employees regarding the work environment, including its competitiveness.

Project success requires team commitment, which is a product of an encouraging culture of cooperation and teamwork among project team members. The research work aims to ascertain which components of team commitment affect the performance of construction projects in Nigeria. The research adopted a quantitative design where questionnaires were used for data collection. Out of 1233 questionnaires distributed, 975 were received with valid responses and used for data analysis. Data were analysed descriptively using percentage, mean score, and relative agreement index. The study showed the factors of team commitment having an effect on project performance, as rated by the respondents, to be: Normative component: “Project team members owe a great deal to this organisation”; “Members of the project team do not feel it is right to quit the project before completion”; “This organisation has a great deal of personal meaning for project team members”. Affective component: “This organisation deserves the loyalty of project team members”; “The project team considers the team’s problems as their own. Then, “One of the few negative consequences of leaving this organisation will be the scarcity of available alternatives” is for continuance. In conclusion, the emotional attachment of the team members and sense of obligation to the project team and construction organisation are the driving forces behind pushing for the successful outcome of projects within the Nigerian construction industry.

Burnout and workaholism, known to decrease efficiency and lead to depersonalisation, have negative effects on both employees and organisations. The survey aimed to analyse the correlation between burnout and workaholism among selected employees in the public and private sectors in Slovenia. The goal was to compare the results obtained in the administrative units and at the two selected banks. Various methodological approaches were employed, including statistical tests such as multivariate analysis, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk tests, Spearman’s rank-order correlation coefficient, and the Mann-Whitney U test. Survey results indicate statistically significant differences between employees in administrative units and those in two banks. Workaholism is higher among employees in administrative units than at banks. Positive correlations were found between workaholism and the two dimensions of burnout, both among employees in administrative units and in the selected banks.