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Crack detection of pavement is a critical task in the periodic survey. Efficient, effective and consistent tracking of the road conditions by identifying and locating crack contributes to establishing an appropriate road maintenance and repair strategy from the promptly informed managers but still remaining a significant challenge. This research seeks to propose practical solutions for targeting the automatic crack detection from images with efficient productivity and cost-effectiveness, thereby improving the pavement performance.

This research applies a novel deep learning method named TransUnet for crack detection, which is structured based on Transformer, combined with convolutional neural networks as encoder by leveraging a global self-attention mechanism to better extract features for enhancing automatic identification. Afterward, the detected cracks are used to quantify morphological features from five indicators, such as length, mean width, maximum width, area and ratio. Those analyses can provide valuable information for engineers to assess the pavement condition with efficient productivity.

In the training process, the TransUnet is fed by a crack dataset generated by the data augmentation with a resolution of 224 × 224 pixels. Subsequently, a test set containing 80 new images is used for crack detection task based on the best selected TransUnet with a learning rate of 0.01 and a batch size of 1, achieving an accuracy of 0.8927, a precision of 0.8813, a recall of 0.8904, an F1-measure and dice of 0.8813, and a Mean Intersection over Union of 0.8082, respectively. Comparisons with several state-of-the-art methods indicate that the developed approach in this research outperforms with greater efficiency and higher reliability.

The developed approach combines TransUnet with an integrated quantification algorithm for crack detection and quantification, performing excellently in terms of comparisons and evaluation metrics, which can provide solutions with potentially serving as the basis for an automated, cost-effective pavement condition assessment scheme.

Members in the international joint ventures (IJVs) for high-speed rail (HSR) projects usually engage in coopetition interactions to create common benefits (CB) and simultaneously safeguard private benefits (PB). Previous studies of coopetition and performance using variance-based methods usually ignore the combinational influence of diverse coopetition constructs on performance, which can be effectively compensated by adopting a configuration perspective. Therefore, this research aims to ascertain various combinations of three coopetition constructs (coopetition relationship, coopetition capability and coopetition strategy) that lead to high IJVs’ performance through a configuration approach.

First, the research framework of coopetition configuration was established, and the key constructs were operationalized, which were validated by expert interviews. Then the information on 12 HSR IJVs was collected and quantified through nine rounds of interviews and a questionnaire survey. Later, the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was applied to explore what coopetition configurations benefit the CB or PB achievement.

Configuration results indicate that six coopetition configurations lead to CB outcome and seven configurations lead to PB outcome. Based on the results, coopetition contexts are divided into four categories: firm-based coopetition, project-based coopetition, firm-project-based coopetition and none-based coopetition. Then, a selection scheme for coopetition strategies in various contexts has been developed. The results also show that the core conditions mostly appear in the coopetition relationships and coopetition strategies dimensions, and the optimal coopetition strategies vary in different contexts.

This study enhances the theoretical understanding of coopetition in HSR IJVs and assists relative HSR industrialists, as well as the mega infrastructure project managers, in IJVs’ implementation. The configuration perspective of this paper also contributes to a systemic and holistic view of coopetition in HSR IJVs.

Although prefabricated construction (PC) technology has attracted considerable attention worldwide because of its significant role in the global fight against COVID-19, market-driven adoption is still limited. The mechanisms for PC technology adoption have yet to be defined, which inhibits its diffusion in the construction market. This study aims to reveal the intrinsic motivation and action mechanism for PC technology adoption.

Drawing on the technology acceptance model (TAM), the study integrates characteristics from the diffusion of innovation theory to propose a multifaceted model for explaining practitioners’ PC technology adoption behavior from technology, organization and environment contexts. The proposed theoretical model was empirically examined via a survey of 234 professionals in mainland China using the partial least squares-structural equation modeling technique.

The outcomes indicated that relative advantage, corporate social responsibility and market demand are significantly positively related to practitioners’ perceived usefulness from PC technology. Regulatory support and trading partner support have noticeable positive effects on practitioners’ perceived ease of use from PC technology. Perceived ease of use is found to positively influence perceived usefulness, and both of them have a positive influence on the attitude toward adopting PC technology. Attitude is further confirmed as an important predictor of adoption intention, which would lead to actual PC technology adoption behavior.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first attempt to explore industry perceptions toward PC technology adoption, providing valuable guidance for the effective diffusion of PC technology and laying a reliable foundation for research on other construction innovation adoption in post-COVID-19.

12Cr2Mo1R(H) steel is commonly used to make hot-wall hydrogenation reactors given its excellent mechanical properties and hydrogen embrittlement (HE) resistance. Longtime exposure to high-pressure hydrogen at medium temperature would still severely damage the mechanical properties of the Cr-Mo steel with surface HICs caused by hydrogen adsorption and hydrogen uptake. The mechanisms of HE remain controversial and have not been fully understood so far.

The HE of the steel was investigated by slow strain rate test at different strain rates with in situ hydrogen charging. The diffusion coefficient of hydrogen in the steel is measured by electrochemical technology of hydrogen permeation. HIC cracks of the fractured specimens were captured with field emission SEM equipped with an electron backscatter diffraction system.

Results showed that the hydrogen led to the plasticity of the samples reduced significantly, together with the distinct work hardening behavior induced by hydrogen charging during plastic flow stage. The fracture of in situ charged sample changes from quasi-cleavage to intergranular fracture with the decreasing of strain rates, which indicates that the steel become more susceptible to hydrogen. High densities of dislocations and deformation are found around the crack, where grains are highly sensitive to HIC. Grains with different Taylor factor are more susceptible to intergranular crack.

The results of the study would be helpful to a safer application of the steel.

Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs) are crucial to the procurement of global infrastructure projects. Moreover, a price mode based on a cluster of core concessionary items is key to the delivery of value-for-money and successful project outcomes. However, existing research has yet to fully identify PPP concessionary items, nor yet described the range of practical price modes. This study provides taxonomy of core concessionary items impacting PPP projects, systematically classifies price modes, and assesses the applicability and risk impacts of those price modes on PPP projects.

This study adopts a comparative case study method in analyzing core concessionary items and alternative price modes. China is taken as the context, as it is one of the world’s largest PPP markets. In ensuring research validity and reliability, diverse data sources are utilized, with a graphic content analysis tool developed to capture the structure of price modes.

Eight PPP price modes are identified. These are: (1) UP (Unit Price) mode, (2) ALS (Annual Lump Sum) mode, (3) IRR (Internal Rate of Return) mode, (4) RP (Return for Investing Capital (RIC) - Profit Rate of O&M (PROM)) mode, (5) RFP (RIC - Financing Interest Rate (FR) - PROM) mode, (6) RFPL (RIC - FR - PROM - Lower Limit of User Charge (LLoUC)) mode, (7) RFL (RIC - FR - Lump Sum/Fixed Unit Price O&M Contract (LSOM/FUP)) mode, and (8) RFLL (RIC - FR - LSOM/FUP - LLoUC) mode. Other main findings are as follows: (1) Five risk allocation configurations can be achieved via these price modes. Yet while different price modes enable the allocation of specific risks, these do not always align with contracting parties’ original intentions. (2) IRR and RP modes may be less applicable in general because of their vulnerability in allocating critical risks and capacity for spurring opportunistic behavior.

By depicting the paths by which concessionary items in price modes affect cash flow, a systematic analysis of price modes was conducted exposing structural characteristics, along with risk allocation choice implications. The study is unique in: (1) Providing a systematic classification of PPP price modes used in PPP projects, (2) Presenting a comprehensive identification and streamlining of concessionary items in PPP practice, and (3) Analyzing the risk effects of different price modes. Together, these outcomes offer a hitherto unavailable perspective on PPP project risk management. The value of the study lies in the following: (1) Existing studies employ diverse concessionary items, but their applicability varies. This study offers an overarching framework facilitating decision-making in selecting appropriate PPP price modes and in determining concessionary items. (2) This study adds to the understanding of PPP price modes in significant ways that will aid local governments and potential sponsors in crafting and administrating more workable contract designs.

This paper aims to explore the influence of social support and the repatriation intention of expatriates in international constructions in the postpandemic era of COVID-19. Furthermore, test the mediation effect of team climate and individual resilience in this relationship.

A survey of 347 expatriates in international construction projects was conducted. A cross-level chain mediation model was employed to test the moderating effect of social support and repatriation intention. Then, statistical analysis with a bootstrap sample was used to test the mediation effect of the model.

The empirical results support that team climate, individual resilience and the chain mediating effect of team climate to individual resilience is significant among the influences of social support on repatriation intention. Social support can enhance the team climate of construction expatriates, promoting their resilience to reduce the repatriation intention further.

This study provides guidelines for international construction enterprises and managers to decide when and which expatriates should return home and formulate a series of policies to support expatriates and maintain a good team climate.

This study contributes to expatriate management literature by establishing the relationship between social support and repatriation intention. It provides a better understanding of how team-level factors impact individual thought. It takes team climate as one of the protective factors affecting individual psychological resilience. Also it takes social support as the antecedents of team atmosphere in case of emergencies.

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

The king is dead. Long live the king. That is the way succession planning has worked for monarchies through history. If it were only so simple in business.

The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to digest format.

Research on employee training has largely focused on either the employer or employees, and has investigated the likelihood or amount of training rather than the content of training. Our understanding about how organizations decide to focus on different skills therefore remains constrained. To address this issue, the current study examines what affects training consulting organizations’ focus on different types of training, and in particular, their focus on personal development training, a highly popular type of training in recent years. Training organizations have become an increasingly important supplier in the training field. Building on the neo-institutional perspective of organizations, I propose an institutional analysis of training organizations. I argue that at a fundamental level, the kinds of skills organizations consider useful (such as specific-technical, general-technical, human relations, and personal development skills), are affected by the shared organizing principles of their time, and I draw on the research on managerial ideology to understand how such shared frameworks evolved over time. Training organizations try to conform to the dominant organizational model at their founding in order to gain legitimacy for their product offerings and convince their clients of the efficacy of their services. The focus of training is thus shaped by the dominant organizational model at founding and tends to stay with training organizations. Specifically, I argue that training organizations founded later in time, when the participatory citizenship model of organization became dominant, are more likely to focus on personal development. I analyze a 10% random sample (N=269) of the population of training organizations in 1994 with logistic models. Empirical results are consistent with the proposed link between the skills trained and the dominant organizational model at the training organizations’ founding. Characteristics of training organizations focused on personal development are also compared with those focused on other types of training. The implication of this study for the classic question, “why do employers provide general-skill training?” is discussed.