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The role of skills development in attaining productivity and competitiveness in industry and global level cannot be overemphasized in the construction sector. The study aims to evaluate the critical skills needed in the construction industry.

A quantitative study was conducted, and data were collected using questionnaires distributed amongst construction professionals including project managers, construction managers, quantity surveyors, architects and engineers based in South Africa. The data amassed were analysed to output descriptive statistics. The skills were ranked according to the level of priority as perceived by the respondents.

Findings from the empirical data analysis established that the critical skills needed within the construction industry at present and in the future are health and safety competence, decision-making, leadership and problem-solving skills. On the other hand, public speaking, big data mining and Internet of things (IoT) were not considered to be critical.

These findings indicated that even with technological advancements, managerial skills are needed to ensure that projects are delivered successfully.

The study sheds more light on skills considered critical at present and which might be relevant in the future. The study signposts the importance of critical skills to an individual and the entire construction industry. Efforts can be made to ensure that relevant critical skills for high output are emphasized and planning can be made for future and predicted construction industry workforce needs.

In recent years, critical events have heavily affected the cruise industry. Such events may variously influence customers’ intention to take a cruise in the future depending on different factors. This paper aims to study such factors, in particular the emotions related to the event, the prior corporate reputation and the use of social media in the corporate communication strategies followed during the crisis.

The study is based on the development of a structured questionnaire submitted online via blogs and other social media. Overall, 572 cruiser opinions were used to test five research hypotheses by performing logistic regression analysis.

The degree of anger increases the likelihood of a critical event influencing the intention to take a cruise in the future. On the contrary, a former excellent corporate reputation reduces that likelihood and the high importance placed by potential customers on information about the critical event transmitted via social media does not have any influence.

The study has several managerial implications, as it identifies and analyses the variables cruise company managers should consider when dealing with critical events.

Despite the relevance of this topic, no studies have yet focused on how (and by which factors) a critical event may influence customers’ intention to take a cruise in the future.

This paper aims to explore the future of work by investigating how work can be practiced to meet global sustainability goals. The authors draw from empirical findings from a case of critical design session with university students. The aim of the design session was, on the one hand, to embed sustainability into education and, on the other hand, to prepare students with necessary conceptual tools to be prepared for future work. The research questions explored are: What do students learn through engagement in critical design, and how can that foster sustainable work?

The research approach is a case study, drawing on critical design activities with 45 students at a university course. The data consists of students’ reflections on their design efforts and one researcher’s field notes from the design session.

The findings show that the students engaged in critical design learn different aspects of sustainable work: how to be solution oriented, how to use technology to do good in the world and outside-the-box thinking skills.

The authors contribute extended insight into what it means to work for sustainable development, hence doing sustainable work, and how sustainable work can be conducted in practice. The authors discuss three dimensions of sustainable work that we argue are essential to understand how professionals can work towards increased sustainability. The three dimensions are: participation-based work, practice-based work and context-based work.

The purpose of this paper is to propose the use of critical design as an approach for considering the future of libraries.

This paper describes a specific instance of critical design: timeline of the far future of libraries.

Reflections on the critical design are presented.

This paper offers the first application of critical design in the context of librarianship.

The purpose of this extended editorial is to elaborate on the possible future trajectories of critical perspectives on international business. In addition, the content of the current issue is introduced.

This editorial reviews recent reflections on the field of international business to identify the concerns of mainstream scholars and to contrast these with those of central concern to critical scholars of international business. In the light of this, consideration is given to how critical perspectives on international business seeks to facilitate the development of academic debates that continue to question orthodox approaches to international business whilst also offering relevance for all stakeholders in international business activities from managers, shareholders and policy makers to workers, consumers and citizens, including future generations.

Taking stock of recent reflections on the future of the field of international business is useful in determining possible topics for future contributions to critical perspectives on international business.

This is the first attempt to review reflections on the future of international business since the Global Financial crisis of 2008. As such it offers an assessment of the current thinking in the field and offers directions for the development of critical perspectives on international business.

This paper aims to critically reflect on the formation of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), its current agenda and likely future direction. The authors consider the relationships between the ISSB and other standard setters, regulators, practitioners and stakeholders, and develop a comprehensive research agenda.

The authors review and critically analyse academic and practitioner publications alongside the ISSB’s workplans to identify the themes impacting the future of the ISSB and to develop a research agenda.

Three key themes emerge from the authors’ analysis that are likely to influence the future of the ISSB: the jurisdiction and scope of the ISSB – how far its influence is likely to extend, both geographically and conceptually; the ongoing legitimacy challenge the ISSB is facing in terms of setting an agenda for sustainability reporting; and the “capture” of sustainability reporting by influential stakeholders including capital providers.

The formation of the ISSB is critical to the future of sustainability reporting. The authors provide a comprehensive and topical overview of the past, present and potential future of the ISSB, highlighting the need for further research and providing a research agenda that addresses outstanding questions in the field.

Social and environmental accountability by firms can be compromised by a lack of democracy within community engagement and decision-making processes. This is particularly evident in potential conflict situations such as with unconventional gas (UCG) extraction. Dialogic engagement sits within dialogic accounting theory and offers a potentially valuable contribution to democratisation. This study aims to contribute to dialogic engagement as practice through the application of critical futures theory and methodology, causal layered analysis (CLA).

CLA was applied in field research firstly in interviews and then in a workshop setting involving participants with diverse perspectives on UCG. The workshop was planned around activities designed to: implement dialogic engagement as practice, critically unpack views on the present and future of UCG and energy needs through CLA; and evaluate the usefulness of the methodology.

Findings suggest that CLA enables access to multiple, complex and nuanced perspectives and facilitates, a deeper understanding of participants own views and of other differing views in relation to UCG, 1) a deeper understanding of participants own views, and of other differing views in relation to UCG, 2) a deeper analysis in the identification of key themes in discussions around UCG, and, 3) the identification by participants of “preferred futures” and “uncertainties” concerning energy needs.

CLA is a valuable tool for undertaking genuine community engagement and has wide-ranging application, one example being with interviews and focus groups. Moreover, with the inclusion of diverse perspectives, options and solutions emerging for consideration are increased. This in turn provides opportunities for creative decision-making through scenario identification and strategic development that potentially give rise to transformative possibilities.

CLA may well assist in moving firms, and indeed civil society, closer to reaching preferable social and environmental outcomes.

This cross-disciplinary research applies an innovative approach and methodology, taking democratic engagement to new depths.

The purpose of this paper is to map the outcomes of four influential South East Queensland city visioning and foresight initiatives conducted by the cities of Maroochy, Logan, Gold Coast and Brisbane.

This paper applies causal layered analysis to map the outcomes of four city visioning and foresight initiatives.

It is averred in this paper that cities need to map their experiences of past futures initiatives for what worked and what has resulted today, and for recommendations of futures actions and innovations.

This paper deepens the discussion about the critical features of the four initiatives by focusing on their outcomes and alternatives they could produce to influence the futures of their cities.

This paper aims to suggest the structure of a platform for education and capacity building for Future Earth, which is an intensive program open to the eight stakeholders and which utilizes existing research programs/facilities associated with Future Earth. An intention of this paper is to facilitate a policy brief for projects associated with Future Earth.

This paper reviewed backgrounds and necessary items for education and capacity buildings in Future Earth projects by implementing three main priorities in Future Earth and current surrounding environments.

This paper then suggested a possible structure, competencies, contents and human resources for education and capacity building and education for Future Earth.

The suggestions can be implemented in capacity building and education programs associated with Future Earth.

This paper aims to identify the aspects that social actors consider in constructing shared futures in communities. In their application in emerging countries, especially in the Global South, the socio-cultural particularities of communities and actors are often overlooked, generating friction or social conflicts. This paper presents two critical elements contributing to the debate: the importance of understanding Social Actors within a model of generating community futures in emerging countries; and the relevant factors that influence the actors in an exercise of building futures in communities.

From qualitative research, a case study of community foresight of the future was used: the future of Puerto Gaitán 2037 (Meta, Colombia). A method of information collection was applied from observation of the participants and analysis of documentation. The analysis method was the deductive qualitative analysis (DQA).

The participation of the social actors presents a model of five relevant elements that influence the actors for the successful construction of futures in communities. The first four factors, revealed from theory, are presented in real life. Likewise, a fifth factor is proven, Long-term thinking, which is evidenced by a model of application of futures studies for the specific context, applicable to the case of communities in countries of the Global South.

Although there are isolated examples of recommendations regarding studies to generate the future of communities, to the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study that presents concrete factors that contribute to guiding the construction of community futures from social actors, especially in countries of the Global South such as Colombia. It is also one of the first studies to use the DQA as a method of analysis in a topic of futures studies.