Search results

As public–private partnerships (PPPs) have become preferred and veritable approach to deliver affordable housing, the seemingly lack of understanding of the significant factors that impact on success has become a notable setback. This study aims to delineate significant factors that can support decisions in affordable PPP public housing delivery.

Largely, a questionnaire survey was adopted to elicit insights from practitioners, policymakers and experts to develop an evaluative decision support model using an analytical hierarchy process and multi-attribute utility technique approach. Further, an expert illustration was conducted to evaluate and validate the results on the housing typologies.

The results revealed that energy efficiency and low-cost green building materials scored the highest weighting of all the criteria. Furthermore, multi-storey self-contained flats were found to be the most preferred housing typology and were significantly influenced by these factors. From the model evaluation, the scores on the factors of sustainability, affordability, cultural values and accountability were consistent across all typologies of housing whereas that of benchmarking, governance and transparency were varied.

The decision support factors captured varied dimensions of key factors that impact on affordable PPP housing that have not been considered in an integrated manner. These findings offer objective and systematic support to decision-making in affordable PPP housing delivery.

The adoption of green construction concepts in road infrastructure projects is an opportunity to minimise the carbon footprint while boosting the built environment's capacity to promote sustainability. Consequently, this study examines the components of green road construction practices in developing countries such as Ghana.

Using a quantitative research method, four hypothesised constructs identified from the review of relevant literature were tested. The views of 144 quantity surveyors, civil engineers and project managers within Ghana's three road agencies were elicited using a structured close-ended questionnaire. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) based on the structural equation model (SEM) was adopted in analysing the data obtained.

The study's results reveal that the identified components: sustainable design, materials and resources, stormwater management and energy efficiency, significantly influence green road construction.

It reveals the critical elements of sustainable road design and construction, aiding organisations, construction companies and legislators in making informed choices on road design and construction.

Results from this study provide empirical evidence lacking in the literature about the main components of green road construction.

The purpose of this paper is to ascertain the significant stimulating measures/enablers relating to the existing building regulations for promoting the adoption and overcoming the barriers to the uptake and implementation of the green building concept (GBC) in developing countries using Ghana as a case.

The quantitative research approach was used to attain the study’s goal. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were found to be suitable for collecting data from 292 relevant stakeholders in Ghana’s construction industry. The mean score ranking technique, in conjunction with the relative importance index, was used to establish the relative ranking of, among other things, the stimulus measures for increasing green building uptake in Ghana. An exploratory factor analysis was also used to classify the most significant stimulation strategies for improving green building uptake.

“Educational programmes relevant to GBTs for developers, contractors, and policymakers,” “sufficient information on the cost and benefits of GBTs” and “mandated green building codes and regulations” were the top three listed stimulating measures to promote increasing use of green building technologies (GBTs). The enablers were classified as follows: government regulations and policies; commitment and GB research; education and publicity; and incentives and support.

The study was conducted in Ghana, a developing nation, and thus the findings and implications are peculiar to Ghana. However, the study’s findings have important practical implications for the adoption and marketing of GBCs and GBTs in other developing nations.

Prioritizing major stimulation initiatives may be beneficial in terms of overcoming the constraints to the adoption of GBCs and GBTs in developing countries.

This paper aims to identify the key barriers to the adoption of green certification of buildings in Ghana.

The study adopts face-to-face and telephonic interviews with ten built environment professionals, using a semi-structured interview guide. Qualitative responses to the interview were thematically analysed using NVivo 11 Pro analysis application software.

The findings suggest that “lack of information on existing green buildings”, “lack of incentives”, “conservative nature of Ghanaians”, “lack of active government participation”, “inadequate human resource”, “lack of awareness of the benefits”, “cost and financing” and “lack of legal backing” are the eight key barriers that hinder the adoption of green certification of buildings.

The research is limited to built environment professionals registered with their appropriate professional bodies. The findings cannot be generalized and extended to other developing countries that do not share similar characteristics and context with Ghana.

Practically, this study highlights, for the benefit of the construction industry and the government, the critical barriers to the adoption of green certification of buildings in Ghana. Identification of these barriers provides a pathway for the provision of pragmatic solutions towards the adoption of green buildings in Ghana.

Findings of the research make significant contribution to the debate on the barriers to the adoption of green certification of buildings. Four out of the eight barriers (inadequate awareness of the benefits of green certification of buildings, inadequate human resource, conservative nature of Ghanaian and lack of information on existing green buildings) identified are unique in the context of other related studies and advanced knowledge on the subject matter.

Green building (GB) is globally acclaimed as the most formidable solution to the adverse effects that buildings and construction activities have on the climate and environment. Nonetheless, current evidence suggests that the adoption of GB in developing countries of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is at a snail’s pace and characterized by the absence of GB codes and frameworks. This paper aims to determine the current level of adoption and implementation of GB concepts and technologies in the Ghanaian construction industry (GCI).

An exploratory method of investigation involving a quantitative approach was used to achieve the objectives of this study. A literature review was conducted, and a questionnaire survey was conducted among 292 stakeholders in the GCI. The survey data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics as well as other quantitative analysis techniques.

The analysis revealed that the five most applied green building technologies (GBTs) are technologies for optimizing site planning, building orientation and configuration, use of natural ventilation, integrative use of natural lighting with electric lighting systems, application of energy-efficient lighting systems and use of permeable paving: low-traffic areas. Notably, the majority of the GBTs belong to the energy-efficiency technologies category.

The findings indicate that GBTs are gaining momentum in Ghana and that there is a need for ongoing research to develop new and more environmentally friendly building technologies to aid in the preservation of our society and natural resources to achieve United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) 12 and 13.

In effect, this study will enhance the awareness of GB development and contribute to the GB body of knowledge, particularly in the context of developing countries. It would also be useful to the GCI’s contribution to achieving the UN SDGs.

In the Global North, affordable housing has evolved and thrived, and it is now gaining traction in the Global South, where governments have been vocal supporters of the concept. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the important criteria for selecting affordable housing units in Ghana.

A quantitative research approach was used, and a survey was administered to the residents. The data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The relative importance index technique was used to rank the important criteria, and the EFA technique was used to create a taxonomy system for the criteria.

The hierarchical ranking of the most significant criteria for selecting affordable housing includes community safety, waste management and access to good-quality education. Furthermore, the important criteria for selecting affordable housing are classified into two groups, namely, “sustainability criteria” and “housing demand and supply and social service provision”.

This study has implications for the real estate industry and construction stakeholders, as this will inform decision-making in terms of the design of affordable housing and the suitability of the location for the development.

These findings provide a baseline to support potential homeowners and tenants in their quest to select affordable housing. Furthermore, these findings will aid future longitudinal research into the indicators or criteria for selecting suitable locations for the development of low- and middle-income housing.

To be able to achieve the uptake and usage of green buildings requires various actors within the construction value chain to be engaged. Despite its global uptake, green building construction is still at its nascent stage in Ghana. Most studies in sub-Saharan Africa point to the lack of knowledge as one of the mitigating factors against its development. However, there is a dearth of studies assessing the level of knowledge of stakeholders. The terms “knowledge” and “awareness” of green building construction are often used interchangeably in the Ghanaian Construction Industry (GCI). This study seeks to unearth the level of knowledge of stakeholders on green building construction through a comparative analysis of construction professionals and demand-side operators.

A structured questionnaire was issued to professionals in the various recognised bodies in the construction industry and public and private institutions in Ghana. Frequency, Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, median statistics and Mann–Whitney U-Test were used to rank and analyse the level of knowledge of stakeholders.

Construction professionals were more aware of green building construction than the demand-side operators. It was further identified that only a few of these stakeholders had hands-on experience as the majority of them have gained their awareness through research studies. Based on the findings of the study, it was revealed that the concept of green building construction is more abstract to stakeholders than practical despite their positive attitude towards its adoption.

Contextually, the study has aided in showing the level of knowledge of stakeholders on green building construction. The findings of the study aside from it aiding policymakers have also helped in identifying the perceptions and attitudes of stakeholders, their strengths and weakness in green building construction. It is recommended that due to the differences in socio-political structures and construction methods, a clear definition of green building based on the availability of resources in the GCI will encourage its adoption.

The study used two stakeholder groupings in the GCI as the unit of analysis. This enabled insightful discoveries into the knowledge-attitude gap of Ghanaian stakeholders that are driving the adoption of green building.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a knowledge elicitation strategy to elicit and compile home energy retrofit knowledge that can be incorporated into the development of an intelligent decision support system to help increase the uptake of home energy retrofits. Major problems accounting for low adoption rates despite well-established benefits are: lack of information or information in unsuitable and usable format for decision making by homeowners. Despite the important role of expert knowledge in developing such systems, its elicitation has been fraught with challenges.

Using extensive literature review and a Delphi-dominated data collection technique, the relevant knowledge of 19 industry experts, selected based on previously developed determinants of expert knowledge and suitable for decision making was elicited and compiled. Boolean logic was used to model and represent such knowledge for use as an intelligent decision support system.

A combination of comprehensive knowledge elicitor training, Delphi technique, semi-structured interview, and job shadowing is a good elicitation strategy. It encourages experts to describe their knowledge in a natural way, relate to specific problems, and reduces bias. Relevant and consensus-based expert knowledge can be incorporated into the development of an intelligent decision support system.

The consensus-based and relevant expert knowledge can assist homeowners with decision making and industry practitioners and academia with corroboration and enhancement of existing knowledge. The strategy contributes to solving the knowledge elicitation challenge.

No previous study regarding a knowledge elicitation strategy for developing an intelligent decision support system for the energy retrofit industry exists.

Introduction: – Together with the increasing competition between businesses each day, the sales and marketing process of products and services have become increasingly difficult. For this reason, sales have become a marketing activity with an ever-growing importance to businesses. The performance of salespeople who undertake this challenge on behalf of the business is highly valuable for firms. Many researches have noted that there is a relationship between the performance of salesperson and motivation. The purpose of motivation in sales literature is to direct salespeople to exert more effort in reaching sales-oriented goals and aims. In order to ensure this, many businesses use various motivation tools/factors.

Purpose – The aim of this study is to analyse the effect of motivation factors on performance of salesperson.

Methodology – Quantitative research method was used in the study. A questionnaire was prepared with this aim in mind and administered to 315 employees working as salesperson in Çanakkale and Bursa provinces.

Findings – The findings from the analysis of the data show that the five dimensions namely satisfaction, image, relations, knowledge of product and service and advertisement related to motivation factors have a significant effect on the task performance of the salesperson.