This study sought an innovative quality management framework for Chinese Prefabricated Buildings (PB) projects. The framework combines TQM, QSP, Reconstruction Engineering, Six Sigma (6Σ), Quality Cost Management, and Quality Diagnosis Theories. A quantitative assessment of a representative sample of Chinese PB projects and advanced statistical analysis using Structural Equation Modeling supported the framework, indicating an excellent model fit (CFI = 0.92, TLI = 0.90, RMSEA = 0.06). The study significantly advances quality management and industrialized building techniques, but it also emphasizes the necessity for ongoing research, innovation, and information exchange to address the changing problems and opportunities in this dynamic area. In addition, this study’s findings and recommendations can help construction stakeholders improve quality performance, reduce construction workload and cost, minimize defects, boost customer satisfaction, boost productivity and efficiency in PB projects, and boost the Chinese construction industry’s growth and competitiveness.

What personal competences of successful project managers are determined by their former career as an elite athlete? To answer the question, comprehensive research is carried out, implemented as part of the EEIG-EU/P-Kr/06.12/23 project. The primary aim is to establish conclusively which particular personality traits, identified and analysed using the Big Five Inventory-2 and supplemented by structured interviews, directly contribute to the success of former elite athletes transitioning into roles as effective project managers. We found that successful project managers who were also elite athletes possess personality traits that can be identified as positive determinants of success in either sport or professional careers. Among these personality traits, we can include a low level of neuroticism and a high level of conscientiousness, then extraversion and agreeableness. This paper contributes to a nuanced understanding of how the realms of sports and management intersect and overlap. The presented paper can serve as a basis for further research in the field of personality psychology and management studies.

The practice of ethical management has gained traction due to its role in enhancing stakeholder relations, which can have severe repercussions for organisations. By prioritising ethics, companies not only uphold moral principles but also gain a competitive advantage. This is particularly true in societies that value socially responsible business and give preference to companies that go beyond the requirements of the law. Understanding the significance of ethical management practices is therefore becoming key to creating a responsible and sustainable business environment that benefits both an organisation and its stakeholders, such as employees, consumers and society. The purpose of this article is to present a comprehensive exploration of the impact of selected aspects of ethical management in Slovak companies with foreign participation on the ethicality of their relationships with stakeholders. By examining a range of factors related to ethical management, the article seeks to identify statistically significant differences among companies with different approaches to managing business ethics. Employing this analysis, the article contributes to the understanding of ethical practices in Slovak companies and provides insights for academics and practitioners of business ethics. The data used for this analysis was collected through an online questionnaire survey, resulting in a sample size of 179 monitored subjects, all of whom are Slovak companies with foreign participation. The research design included two groups of factors: “general factors of business ethics” or “ethical management approaches” and “ethicality of company-stakeholder relationships.” The statistical analysis included the Shapiro-Wilk normality test, followed by the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis H test, and post hoc analysis using the Bonferroni adjustment for previously identified significances. The results of the research presented in the article indicate a predominantly positive ethical stance towards employees, suppliers, customers and other stakeholders among Slovak companies. Statistically significant differences were found in the levels of ethicality in relation to legal form, with limited liability and joint-stock companies showing different perceptions towards supplier ethics. The research also proves that an ethical organisational climate is a major determinant of the ethicality of Slovak companies and suggests that a robust integration of ethics into strategic planning significantly improves their stakeholder relations. It can also be concluded that the scope of a code of ethics is particularly significant for community relations, whereas the frequency with which it is updated has less impact. This research holds significant value because it explores the impact of ethical management practices on stakeholder relations and ethical issues in Slovak companies with foreign participation. By focusing on the specific context of Slovak companies, the research offers unique insights into the relationship between ethical management factors and stakeholder dynamics. This research aims to bridge a gap by shedding light on the intricate dynamics between ethical management and stakeholder relations. The findings provide valuable guidance to organisational leaders, policymakers and stakeholders in fostering ethical behaviour and mitigating ethical risks within companies.

Current study examines the intervening role of team creativity for the relationship of four kinds of KM practice with innovation and the moderating effect of proactiveness in IT companies based on a Knowledge-Based View (KBV). Data was collected from 316 employees of IT companies who engage in software development in teams with the help of a simple random sampling method. Results indicate that KM practices have a positive impact on innovation. Also, team creativity plays mediating role in the relation of two KM practices i.e., knowledge sharing and knowledge application with innovation. Whereas proactiveness plays a positive moderating role in the relation of knowledge application and knowledge generation with innovation. Moreover, it plays a negative moderating role in relation of Knowledge sharing with innovation. This research adds to the body of literature by suggesting a framework of knowledge diffusion, knowledge storage, knowledge generation, knowledge application, team creativity, proactiveness, and innovation in a single model. This research also adds to the body of literature by proposing the intervening role of team creativity in the relationships of knowledge diffusion, knowledge storage, knowledge generation, and knowledge application, with innovation. The results of this research help the managers to use the team creativity concept to intervene in relation of knowledge diffusion, knowledge storage, knowledge generation, and knowledge application, with innovation. The results of the current study also give valuable insights to managers into why they can use the proactiveness to moderate the relations of knowledge diffusion, knowledge storage, knowledge generation, and knowledge application, with innovation. Current study adds in the body of literature by proposing the entire manuscript on the basis of two theories i.e., Knowledge-Based View (KBV) builds on and expands the RBV.

This article presents a comparative analysis and characteristics of the pension insurance systems of foreign countries, namely Germany, Sweden, Estonia, Poland, France with the aim of implementing their effective and noteworthy experience in Ukraine. The key indicators of the characteristics of the pension systems of these countries and Ukraine (amount of insurance contributions to the public pension fund; retirement age; insurance period; the ratio of the average pension to the average wage) have been studied and analyzed. Having examined these indicators, the authors came to the conclusion that the general trend in most countries of the world is that they guarantee only a minimum pension, which is caused by the increase in the share of pensioners in society. To solve the demographic problems affecting pension provision, the most countries increase the retirement age and provide financial incentives to stimulate citizens to work after the retirement age. To increase the pension, there are pension accumulation tools at the expense of the employer or at the expense of one’s own funds. Following the example of foreign countries, the directions for improving the pension insurance system of Ukraine were allocated.

Sanitation challenges are growing at unprecedented rates in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, specifically in the country of Jordan, where more adversities are faced in the provision of inclusive and sustainable sanitation for marginalized communities. The overloaded water supply systems, strained by high population density in the face of political instability manifests itself in poor public health. How countries in the MENA region plan to handle these problems and improve the sanitation infrastructure is the starting point for this work. We aim to develop a comprehensive and multidisciplinary framework between stakeholders, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a specific emphasis on SDG 6, for providing feasible, community-oriented approaches to sanitation issues in disenfranchised communities in Jordan through the Initiative Sanitation and Hygiene Networking in Jordanian Poverty Pockets (ISNJO) project. The findings will be used to formulate strategic guidelines and inform the development and subsequent initiation of innovative and multidisciplinary initiatives to tackle the sanitation and water scarcity challenges at hand.