Realistic project scheduling and control are critical for running a profitable enterprise in the construction industry. Finance-based scheduling aims to produce more realistic schedules by considering both resource and cash constraints. Since the introduction of finance-based scheduling, its literature has evolved from a single-objective model to a multi-objective model and also from a single-project problem to a multi-project problem for a contractor. This study investigates the possibility of cooperation among contractors with concurrent projects to minimize financial costs. Contractors often do not use their entire credit and may be required to pay a penalty for the unused portions. Therefore, contractors are willing to share these unused portions to decrease their financing costs and consequently improve their overall profits. This study focuses on the partnering of two contractors in a joint finance-based scheduling where contractors are allowed to lend credit to or borrow credit from each other at an internal interest rate. We apply this approach to an illustrative example in which two concurrent projects have the potential for partnering. Results show that joint finance-based scheduling reduces the financing cost for both contractors and leads to additional overall profits. Our further analyses highlight the intricate dynamics impacting additional net profit, revealing optimal scenarios for cooperation in complex project networks.
This study evaluated the performance of several machine learning classifiers—Decision Tree, Random Forest, Logistic Regression, Gradient Boosting, SVM, KNN, and Naive Bayes—for adaptability classification in online and onsite learning environments. Decision Tree and Random Forest models achieved the highest accuracy of 0.833, with balanced precision, recall, and F1-scores, indicating strong, overall performance. In contrast, Naive Bayes, while having the lowest accuracy (0.625), exhibited high recall, making it potentially useful for identifying adaptable students despite lower precision. SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) analysis further identified the most influential features on adaptability classification. IT Resources at the University emerged as the primary factor affecting adaptability, followed by Digital Tools Exposure and Class Scheduling Flexibility. Additionally, Psychological Readiness for Change and Technical Support Availability were impactful, underscoring their importance in engaging students in online learning. These findings illustrate the significance of IT infrastructure and flexible scheduling in fostering adaptability, with implications for enhancing online learning experiences.
The world has never been more developed, yet humanity is on the brink of irreversible environmental loss. Despite the urgency of the situation, there is a limited body of studies addressing environmental concerns in higher education institution, particularly in developing countries, i.e., Saudi Arabia. Sustainable development is the only viable solution, albeit it requires the courage to initiate and sustain efforts dedicated to preserving the environment for the well-being of future generation. The article delves into this issue and examines the impact of environmental education program (EEP) on environmental performance (EP) via waste minimization behaviour (WMB). The research involved meticulous data collection from a sample of 597 students, representing diverse genders and academic specialties at the esteemed public university—King Faisal University (KFU) in Saudi Arabia. The study used statistical software (including SPSS and AMOS, v 25) for rigorous analysis and revealed significant findings. Firstly, the study showed a significant and positive relationship between EEP and EP. Secondly, it revealed a significant and positive association between EEP and WMB. Thirdly, the study ascertained a significant and positive association between WMB and EP. Finally, the study found that the relationship between EEP and EP remains significant even after presenting WMB as a mediator, proposing that WMB has a partial mediation role between EEP and EP. The results highlighted the significance role of EEP in stimulating WMB and achieving EP in the Saudi universities, which contributes to national initiative of green Saudia.
Uncontrolled economic development often leads to land degradation, a decline in ecosystem services, and negative impacts on community welfare. This study employs water yield (WY) modeling as a method for environmental management, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between Land Use Land Cover (LULC), Land Use Intensity (LUI), and WY to support sustainable natural resource management in the Cisadane Watershed, Indonesia. The objectives include: (1) analyzing changes in WY for 2010, 2015, and 2021; (2) predicting WY for 2030 and 2050 under two scenarios—Business as Usual (BAU) and Protected Forest Area (PFA); (3) assessing the impacts of LULC and climate change on WY; and (4) exploring the relationship between LUI and WY. The Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) model calculates actual and predicted WY conditions, while the Coupling Coordination Degree (CCD) analyzes the LULC-WY relationship. Results indicate that the annual WY in 2021 was 215.8 × 108 m³, reflecting a 30.42% increase from 2010. Predictions show an increasing trend in WY under both scenarios for 2030 and 2050 with different magnitudes. Rainfall contributes 88.99% more dominantly to WY than LULC. Additionally, around 50% of districts exhibited unbalanced coordination between LUI and WY in 2010 and 2020. This study reveals the importance of ESs in sustainable watershed management amidst increasing demand for natural resources due to population growth.
Based on digital technology, the digital economy has typical characteristics of high efficiency, greenness, intelligence, innovation, strong penetration and so on, which can promote the sporting goods manufacturing industry (SGMI) to realize the goal of green development. This study selects panel data from 30 provinces in China over the period of 2011 to 2022. And the green total factor productivity of the sporting goods manufacturing industry (SGTFP) is used to reflect the green development of SGMI. The level of digital economy development (DIG) and the SGTFP are measured by using the entropy method and the Super-SBM model with undesirable outputs. Based on the method of coupling coordination degree model, the coordinated development degree of DIG and SGTFP is analyzed first. Then, by making use of the fixed effect model, intermediary effect model and spatial Durbin model, the influence of DIG on the green development of SGMI and its mechanism are empirically studied. The results show that DIG, SGTFP and the degree of their coupling and coordination are generally on the rise. The benchmark regression results show that the coefficient of DIG on SGTFP is 0.213; that is, the digital economy can significantly promote the improvement of green development in SGMI. According to the analysis of the spatial Durbin model, the impact of the digital economy on SGTFP has a certain spatial spillover, that is, the development of digital economy in the region will have a certain promoting effect on the green development of SGMI in the surrounding region. The intermediary effect model analyzes the influence mechanism and finds that the digital economy mainly boosts SGTFP through green innovation technology and energy consumption structure.
Research has shown that understanding the fundamental of public support for carbon emission reduction policies may undermine policy formulation and implementation, yet the direction of influence and the transmission mechanism remain unclear. Using data from using data from 1482 questionnaires conducted in Hangzhou, China, this paper has examined a comprehensive model of the factors and paths influencing public support for carbon emission reduction policies, and evaluated the determinants and predictors of policy support regarding individual psychological perceptions, social-contextual perceptions, and perceptions of policy features. The results show that the variables in both the individual psychological perception and social contextual perception dimensions have no significant effect on carbon tax, however, be important constructure in carbon trading; in the policy characteristics perception dimension, both variables have a significant positive effect on both carbon tax and carbon trading, and are also the strongest predictors of policy support for carbon policies. Further evidence suggests that future policies could be more acceptable to residents by strengthening their environmental values, social norms can further arouse residents’ social responsibility to care about climate, and whether the policy is effective or fair to help residents realize the importance of the policy as well as the need for their participation and willingness to dedicate themselves to the mitigation of climate change.
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