Search results
1 – 10 of over 3000Sibongile Ngwenya and Omwoyo Bosire Onyancha
This paper aims to explore the diffusion of Intellectual Property (IP) knowledge in universities in Zimbabwe. Specifically, the study examines the tools, policies, programmes and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the diffusion of Intellectual Property (IP) knowledge in universities in Zimbabwe. Specifically, the study examines the tools, policies, programmes and unique strategies used by the universities.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper reports the findings of a survey that was conducted on a population of lecturers (1,546), research officers (RO) (11), IP officer (1), faculty librarians (FLs) (27) and final year undergraduate students (9,224) at universities in Zimbabwe. Questionnaires were administered to the lecturers and students while interviews were administered to the IP officer, ROs and FLs. Data analysis comprised the use of Google forms and Microsoft Excel software.
Findings
The findings reveal diffusing IP knowledge in Zimbabwean universities involves mainly the use of policies and regulations, library web pages, workshops, although not specifically on IP, presentations on IP in the university, advice and guidance services and IP lectures/teaching.
Research limitations/implications
This study presents the IP situation in Zimbabwe and its findings may be applied to Africa and other developing countries.
Practical implications
This study endorses IP as a national issue and suggests a benchmark for diffusing knowledge on IP in Zimbabwean universities.
Originality/value
This study acknowledges the multi-disciplinary nature of IP and should lead to all university students graduating with adequate knowledge on IP.
Details
Keywords
Asma Senawi, Atasya Osmadi and Siti Fairuz Che Pin
This study aims to investigate the factors influencing property tax reassessment performance in West Malaysia. It specifically examines intangible aspects, such as intellectual…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the factors influencing property tax reassessment performance in West Malaysia. It specifically examines intangible aspects, such as intellectual capital and process innovation among valuation officers. The primary concern in this study is the variability in how effectively local authorities carry out property tax reassessment, with a significant number of them not conducting revaluations regularly.
Design/methodology/approach
The data was collected using self-administered and electronic questionnaires using a purposive sampling method. The 154 useable responses were further analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling in SmartPLS 4.
Findings
The result shows that process innovation mediates the relationship between structural capital and property tax reassessment performance as well as the relationship between relational capital and property tax reassessment performance. This suggests that local authority systems and policies are indirectly related to reassessment practises by introducing new methods of reassessment in the form of administration and technology. The result shows that building good relationships with stakeholders and other institutions encourages staff to develop innovative ideas for their reassessment activities, thus enhance the performance of property tax reassessment.
Practical implications
The study provides insightful information for local authorities managers and stakeholders in crafting a better policy for periodic property tax reassessment. The study suggests the need for new administration and technological innovation in developing effective property tax reassessment strategies through the integration of organisational structure and relationship building.
Originality/value
The study developed a new model for property tax reassessment performance that incorporates intangible assets with the introduction of process innovation as a mediator.
Details
Keywords
Adedayo Ayodeji Odebode, Oyeronke Toyin Ogunbayo and Abiola Benjamin Obayomi
Technological disruption has transformed the traditional ways of doing business in the real estate sectors. As a result of the new business realities, technology has become an…
Abstract
Purpose
Technological disruption has transformed the traditional ways of doing business in the real estate sectors. As a result of the new business realities, technology has become an integral part of the real estate business. However, due to the significant barrier to the incorporation of the technology among modern real estate start-ups, there is a need to assess the adoption and willingness to use property management software.
Design/methodology/approach
The study employed an exploratory research design. The study adopts a total enumeration of real estate start-up firms in Lagos, Nigeria, to ensure true representations among the respondents and reduce sampling errors. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.
Findings
The study revealed that the majority of the respondents are aware of the identified property management software but tenant verification software recorded the highest level of awareness and usage. The finding also revealed that the association between the availability of staff competence, practicality of the software, ease of use, data ownership and copyright, financial resources, future-proof technology track, Internet connection, perceived benefits and productivity and branding are statistically significant in influencing the level of adoption among the respondents.
Research limitations/implications
The researchers had initial challenges with the attitude of respondents to willingness and timely disbursement of information which was later resolved by explaining the significance for the study. The findings of the research will be useful and serve as an eye opener to practitioners, the conventional real estate surveying and valuation firms, to relevance of software technology in enhancing their operations and efficiency, while it can also boost the academic curriculum.
Practical implications
The knowledge about the adoption of property management software will equip real estate tech start-ups with the right information.
Originality/value
The paper is significant because the ultimate goal of this study is to document the empirical investigation on the level of adoption and application of emerging software among real estate tech start-ups in the Nigerian property market to facilitate the efficiency and delivery of property management services.
Details
Keywords
Mark Pim-Wusu, Eric Kwame Simpeh and Jeremiah N-Nanajeri Simberi
Fire is the fundamental element of most people’s lives, and when not controlled, the same fire can lead to several catastrophes in homes, offices, schools, lives and other public…
Abstract
Purpose
Fire is the fundamental element of most people’s lives, and when not controlled, the same fire can lead to several catastrophes in homes, offices, schools, lives and other public places with severe repercussions. Hence, this study aims to examine the adequacy and extent of the application of fire suppression systems in residential and commercial property in Ghana.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts a sequential mixed-mode design comprising quantitative and qualitative research strategies to analyse factors to produce findings. The target population for this study includes shop occupiers, end users of office buildings, and residents in the Accra Central of Ghana. Systematic random sampling was used for the quantitative research, and a sample size of 385 was obtained using a multi-stage and cluster sampling method. A structured survey and semi-structured interviews were used to collect the primary data. The quantitative data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, whereas the qualitative data were analysed using content analysis.
Findings
From an empirical literature review and the analysis, the three main factors contributing to fire breakouts are equipment malfunction, improper use of heat sources and human mistakes. According to the respondents, fire suppression systems were also inadequate, as most of the suppression systems prescribed in the building code were unavailable. Regarding the ability to manually operate fire suppression systems, most property occupiers stated that they are generally unaware of these suppression systems.
Practical implications
This study will aid policymakers in developing interventions for fire safety enforcement by ensuring that fire safety regulations are consistently followed by design team members and property developers, resulting in a positive effect on public building structures performing their required functions. It is also critical to provide end users with education and training on how to operate the fire suppression system as well as effective handling of firefighting installations in the event of a fire.
Originality/value
The findings of this investigation contribute to knowledge and comprehension of the effect of fire suppression systems on building users and may serve as a precursor to the development of a “As Built” certification system for ascertaining the adequacy of fire suppression systems for new and existing residential and commercial property.
Details
Keywords
Hanudin Amin and Imran Mehboob Shaikh
This study aims to examine the zakat al-mustaghallat acceptance index (ZAMAi) through the examination of its predictors identified in this work, including attitude, social…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the zakat al-mustaghallat acceptance index (ZAMAi) through the examination of its predictors identified in this work, including attitude, social influence, self-efficacy, amount of information and Islamic altruism, at best.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing from the attitude-social influence-self efficacy model, this study evaluated the effects of these factors on ZAMAi using an empirical investigation surveying 184 respondents who were identified as the owners of residential properties in Malaysia.
Findings
In the core model, this study found significant outcomes for the effects of attitude, social influence, self-efficacy, amount of information and Islamic altruism, along with the demographic items tested. For post hoc analysis, this study found two significant outcomes drawn from the role of attitude as a mediating variable in this study.
Research limitations/implications
The results obtained from this study should be used with caution owing to its limited applicability and the constraints of subjects and variables in the framework developed.
Practical implications
The results obtained can become a yardstick to gauge the success of zakat al-mustaghallat acceptance in Malaysia.
Originality/value
This study introduced new measures of ZAMAi, where Malaysian landlords are brought into play.
Details
Keywords
Dana Minbaeva and Bahtiyar O. Minbayev
In this paper we explore potential barriers for commodification of academic research in emerging countries.
Abstract
Purpose
In this paper we explore potential barriers for commodification of academic research in emerging countries.
Design/methodology/approach
We carried out an exploratory study employing a mixed-method sequential exploratory design. Initially, qualitative interviews were performed to identify cognitive, structural, and ideological barriers associated with commodification. Subsequently, we administered a survey at three universities in Kazakhstan to gather quantitative data. The quantitative insights served to complement our qualitative findings and facilitate the interpretation of the observed patterns within the broader population.
Findings
We found that a too rapid shift toward commercialization exacerbated concerns among faculty members and created obstacles to commodification. The obstacles identified through inductive clustering of themes from exploratory qualitative interviews were grouped into three intentionally broad categories: cognitive, structural, and ideological barriers. We argue that in emerging economies, the path to commodifying academic research should start with developing local infrastructure to address identified structural, cognitive, and ideological barriers. This, in turn, will lead to more successful commercialization and redefine the role of academics in society.
Research limitations/implications
Our study has several limitations related to its empirical scope. We concentrated solely on one country, Kazakhstan. For future research, it is crucial to broaden the investigation to include more studies from the Central Asia region and other emerging economies. We believe that while there may be some minor institutional differences, the findings are generalizable to all post-socialist countries. However, incorporating a diverse range of institutions, particularly those with foreign ownership or private capital, would enhance the comprehensiveness of the findings. Furthermore, collecting a more extensive and balanced sample of responses from industry partners, academics, and students would have provided more valuable insights. By including a broader representation of stakeholders, we could have gained a more nuanced understanding of the complexities surrounding commodification in higher education. Given the exploratory nature of this study, it is essential to regard the findings as a source of inspiration rather than empirical confirmation.
Practical implications
Our research has practical implications for managing universities in emerging markets, as well as important policy implications, both for international actors and local governmental bodies.
Social implications
Our findings carry implications for policymakers. The focus that international institutions place on the matter of commodification and commercialization of knowledge is a positive step. Challenges emerge when this matter is approached with a narrow perspective. Drawing on the empirical context of the Republic of Kazakhstan, a country often overlooked in the literature on emerging markets, we find evidence that knowledge has indeed transformed into a commodity. The rapid shift toward commercialization, driven by substantial institutional pressures, may have occurred too precipitously in this particular context. In light of these findings, we advocate for a more balanced and contextually nuanced discourse concerning both the commodification and commercialization of knowledge.
Originality/value
This study represents one of the few endeavors into exploring commodification within the context of emerging economies. In recent decades, universities have faced substantial pressures to commodify academic research. While there has been a significant volume of research discussing and documenting the success of commodification in developed country universities, those in emerging economies have faced similar pressures without achieving comparable success. This paper delves into the reasons why.
Details
Keywords
Shaodan Sun, Jun Deng and Xugong Qin
This paper aims to amplify the retrieval and utilization of historical newspapers through the application of semantic organization, all from the vantage point of a fine-grained…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to amplify the retrieval and utilization of historical newspapers through the application of semantic organization, all from the vantage point of a fine-grained knowledge element perspective. This endeavor seeks to unlock the latent value embedded within newspaper contents while simultaneously furnishing invaluable guidance within methodological paradigms for research in the humanities domain.
Design/methodology/approach
According to the semantic organization process and knowledge element concept, this study proposes a holistic framework, including four pivotal stages: knowledge element description, extraction, association and application. Initially, a semantic description model dedicated to knowledge elements is devised. Subsequently, harnessing the advanced deep learning techniques, the study delves into the realm of entity recognition and relationship extraction. These techniques are instrumental in identifying entities within the historical newspaper contents and capturing the interdependencies that exist among them. Finally, an online platform based on Flask is developed to enable the recognition of entities and relationships within historical newspapers.
Findings
This article utilized the Shengjing Times·Changchun Compilation as the datasets for describing, extracting, associating and applying newspapers contents. Regarding knowledge element extraction, the BERT + BS consistently outperforms Bi-LSTM, CRF++ and even BERT in terms of Recall and F1 scores, making it a favorable choice for entity recognition in this context. Particularly noteworthy is the Bi-LSTM-Pro model, which stands out with the highest scores across all metrics, notably achieving an exceptional F1 score in knowledge element relationship recognition.
Originality/value
Historical newspapers transcend their status as mere artifacts, evolving into invaluable reservoirs safeguarding the societal and historical memory. Through semantic organization from a fine-grained knowledge element perspective, it can facilitate semantic retrieval, semantic association, information visualization and knowledge discovery services for historical newspapers. In practice, it can empower researchers to unearth profound insights within the historical and cultural context, broadening the landscape of digital humanities research and practical applications.
Details
Keywords
Trade centers are operationally run by a property manager as a delegate of the property owner. The dimensions of service quality (SERVQUAL), which include tangibles, assurance…
Abstract
Purpose
Trade centers are operationally run by a property manager as a delegate of the property owner. The dimensions of service quality (SERVQUAL), which include tangibles, assurance, empathy, reliability and responsiveness, are vital to be implemented as the duties of property managers when providing service to tenants to maintain tenant satisfaction and property reputation. This study aims to understand the effects of the SERVQUAL dimensions, the role of property management and the quality of rental value on tenant satisfaction and property reputation.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample was gathered using the purposive sampling technique with the criteria of being a tenant and kiosk owner in trade center properties in Surabaya. Data were gathered using questionnaires, from which 100 respondents were acquired. It was then analyzed using the partial least square structural equation model (SEM) in the SmartPLS 3.0 program to test the hypothesis.
Findings
The results of this study prove that the SERVQUAL dimensions – assurance, empathy and responsiveness – significantly influence tenant satisfaction with the mediating variable of the role of property management. Moreover, the SERVQUAL dimensions – empathy, reliability and responsiveness – significantly influence property reputation with the mediating variable of the role of property management.
Practical implications
Property managers are expected to proactively map out different service measures related to the dimension of satisfaction by conducting service training programs for their employees. In fact, in the post-pandemic period, property managers require new marketing strategies, such as leaseback, to effectively carry out renovations of the trade center’s public facilities and restructure the tenant mix.
Originality/value
Trade centers as trading areas experience management limitations because of the prohibition of mass gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a limited number of onsite trading. Tenants who have entered into a long-term contract experience loss and rely on the aid of property management to survive. The role and quality of service of property management influence tenants’ satisfaction post-COVID-19 pandemic.
Details
Keywords
Alesia Gerassimenko, Lieven De Moor and Laurens Defau
The current literature has not investigated the perceived value of energy efficiency by households, regardless of financial benefits. Furthermore, there is a severe lack of…
Abstract
Purpose
The current literature has not investigated the perceived value of energy efficiency by households, regardless of financial benefits. Furthermore, there is a severe lack of research that investigates the effectiveness of the current format of EPC-labels. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is twofold: to study how households value energy efficiency in the housing market, regardless of price effects.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses multiple hedonic regression models to analyse 706,778 Flemish properties for sale or rent between 2019 and 2023. The data is provided by Immoweb – the largest online real estate platform in Belgium. Given that the selling market is driven by different mechanisms than the rental market, the data set was divided in sold (522,164 listings) and rented properties (184,614 listings).
Findings
The ambiguous results of the A-label in the selling market indicate that the “class evaluation effect” found in related markets which use labels (e.g. household appliances) is also present in the housing market. However, the results of the other (lower) labels clearly show that owners do value energy improvements within labels, and this effect becomes stronger as the EPC-label becomes better. The rental market shows the opposite results. Energy improvements are only valued if they translate into a financial benefit. Taking these findings into account, the second part of this research shows that rescaling the EPC-label creates an incentive for improvements within labels.
Originality/value
This paper provides novel insights by studying the perceived value of energy efficiency in the absence of financial benefits and critically studying the effectiveness of the EPC-labels in their current shape. By investigating both the sales and rental market, the authors are able to make a comparison which creates valuable insights for academia, governments and real estate professionals.
Details
Keywords
Mousumi Saha and Saptarshi Ghosh
The extraction of relevant knowledge from data is called knowledge discovery (KD). The KD process requires a large amount of data and it must be reliable before mining. Complexity…
Abstract
Purpose
The extraction of relevant knowledge from data is called knowledge discovery (KD). The KD process requires a large amount of data and it must be reliable before mining. Complexity is not only in deriving knowledge from data but also in improving system performance with a psycho-cognitive approach. KD demands a high level of human cognition and mental activity to generate and retrieve knowledge. Therefore, this study aims to explain how psychological knowledge is involved in KD.
Design/methodology/approach
By understanding the cognitive processes that lead to knowledge production, KD can be improved through interventions that target psychological processes, such as attention, learning and memory. In addition, psycho-cognitive approaches can help us to better grasp the process of KD and the factors that influence its effectiveness. The study attempted to correlate interdependence by interpreting cognitive approaches to KD from a psychological perspective. The authors of this paper draw on both primary and secondary literary warrants to empirically prove psychological bending in KD.
Findings
Understanding the psychological aspects of data and KD can identify the development of tools, process and environments that support individual and teams in making sense of data and extracting valuable knowledge. The study also finds that interdisciplinary collaboration, bringing together expertise in psychology, data science and domain specific knowledge fosters effective KD processes.
Originality/value
The KD system cannot function well and will not be able to achieve its full potential without psycho-cognitive foundation. It was found that KD in the KD system is influenced by human cognition. The authors made a contribution to KD by fusing psycho-cognitive approaches with data-driven technology and machine learning.
Details