Dissecting George Town’s human capital challenges in built heritage: Voices from the stakeholders
Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development
ISSN: 2044-1266
Article publication date: 21 May 2019
Issue publication date: 8 July 2019
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify, dissect and unravel real-life contextual human capital issues related to George Town’s built heritage from the perspectives of key stakeholders in the heritage arena.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper opted for an exploratory study using qualitative techniques like in-depth interviews and focus group discussions to gather insights and to listen to the voices from key stakeholders pertaining to issues related to human capital in built heritage. The data were supplemented and complemented by secondary resources such as technical reports, conservation guidelines, by-laws and case studies from other countries.
Findings
The paper provides empirical insights about real-life issues, barriers and challenges pertaining to human capital in George Town’s built heritage. The key findings from this study revealed that the quantity of professionals and builders is still insufficient and their quality of work has room for improvement.
Research limitations/implications
Due to the selected research approach, the research results may lack generalisability. Thus, researchers are encouraged to further test the proposed propositions by enlarging the number of respondents or administering this similar study in another locality/historic city (i.e. Malacca ‒ George Town’s twin historic city).
Practical implications
The paper provides practical implications for the development of the right quantity and quality of human capital for George Town’s built heritage. The findings from this study are also useful for urban managers, policymakers and conservation practitioners.
Originality/value
This paper fulfils an identified need to examine the real-life issues of human capital in built heritage for George Town.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank Universiti Sains Malaysia for funding this project through Short-Term Research University Grant (No. 304/PSOSIAL/6313253).
Citation
Khoo, S.L. and Lim, Y.M. (2019), "Dissecting George Town’s human capital challenges in built heritage: Voices from the stakeholders", Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, Vol. 9 No. 3, pp. 376-393. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCHMSD-10-2017-0072
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited