A Systems Approach to Process Design and Sustainability - Synergy via Pollution Prevention, Control, and Source Reduction

Historically, process design prioritized efficiency and profitability, often overlooking environmental and societal implications. However, given the global challenges like climate change and resource scarcity, there is a growing emphasis on embedding sustainability into process design. Adopting a systems-oriented approach provides a comprehensive view, spanning from raw material acquisition to end-of-life product management. Such an approach not only identifies potential sustainability challenges but ensures that solutions foster both environmental responsibility and economic viability. In this study, a comprehensive framework for designing industrial systems is introduced, aiming to encompass the entire lifecycle impacts of chemical processes. The research initially delves into two end-of-life scenarios: solvent recovery (as a pollution reduction intervention) and wastewater treatment systems (as a pollution control intervention). Employing graph-theoretical methods and multi-objective optimization, a thorough systems analysis which incorporates Ecological footprint and Emergy analysis, coupled with economic assessment is presented. Furthermore, a Machine Learning (ML) model (as a source reduction option) is developed to predict the cradle-to-gate impacts of chemicals. Merging the insights from this ML model with the end-of-life scenarios offers a comprehensive systems strategy, advocating for a sustainability-focused approach during the early stages of process design

Ownership and Control in Corporate Organisations in Developing Countries: Evidence from a Transition Economy

This study examines how internal governance structures in corporate organisations function in ensuring good corporate governance. It contributes to the extant art of knowledge by shedding light on how ownership and board control structures in corporate organisations operate to achieving good corporate governance in developing countries. Using interviews, observations and archival records, catholic and significant data is collected from four large quoted corporate organisations on the Ghana Stock Exchange for the analysis of the study. By linking the data to the theoretical propositions, the study reveals that these four corporate organisations are characterised by the presence of large shareholders and as a result, they tend to wield extensive control over the activities of the companies through their involvement in the decision-making processes. This sort of involvement by large shareholders in the decision-making processes of the companies is as a result of the incessant flow of information from the companies’ management to them. However, whilst the presence of large shareholders has the tendency to solving the principal-agent problem, it poses challenges in regards to minority shareholders’ interests in these corporate organisations. Small equity holders of the companies only rely on the minimum statutory disclosures in the annual reports of the companies and are always relegated to the background in times of information sharing. The study also highlights that boards of directors tend to exercise control over corporate organisations when majority shareholders stop interfering in their dealings. This implies that when major shareholders fully partake in corporate decision-making processes of companies, boards of directors seem to be sheer advisory bodies to management. Keywords: Ownership control, Board control, Board of directors, Ownership structure, Corporate Governance, Ghana

CONSTRUCTION SAFETY THROUGH HOUSEKEEPING: THE HAWTHORNE EFFECT

Clean and tidy sites have often been associated with positive safety cultures in construction. Poor housekeeping can result in the creation of additional hazards and dangers, in the form of protruding objects, which may also be sharp, and may result in situations that can lead to slips, trips, and falls on-site. They also create uneven ground levels, debris, and muddy conditions, which can all lead to an increase in accidents. Housekeeping also contributes to projects being finished in a timely manner, due to fewer distractions being created by what would otherwise be a chaotic situation. However, maintaining good housekeeping practices on-site has been known to be challenging, due to the rapid and complex nature of construction projects. In research that was conducted to explore the question “Why is housekeeping a continuing challenge in Lesotho construction?”, the final outcome of site visits and observations revealed the classic phenomenon of the Hawthorne effect. Without deliberate or intentional “interventionary” measures or demands for regulatory adherence, subsequent visits revealed a transformation in site practices, specifically in housekeeping. The Hawthorne effect refers to a change in behaviour by the subjects of a study due to their awareness of being observed. This effect does not necessarily refer to positive or negative outcomes. In this paper, the transformation that occurred with regard to workers’ practices is discussed critically in the context of this phenomenon. A key outcome of this discussion is whether housekeeping can be encouraged or improved using the notion of awareness of being observed. Finally, the ethicality of carrying out overt or covert observations is deliberate

From health outcomes to value assessments : preference-based evaluation of interventions & valuation of productivity costs among working adults

Background: This thesis applies value assessment frameworks to non-specific low back pain (LBP) in a working population to evaluate health outcomes and to estimate productivity costs. LBP is a common diagnosis in primary health care. It is characterized by recurrent pain episodes and is a major factor in the increasing sickness absence among workers. LBP contributes substantially to the burden of disease and to the economic burden in terms of productivity loss to employer and society at large. Interventions are thus needed to prevent recurring LBP and its associated burden. Such interventions need to be properly evaluated from a variety of perspectives, including that of the worker, the employer and society at large, in order to help us better understand how to support worker-health policies and a sustainable working life. Aims: In the first part of this thesis, the frameworks used aim to investigate the cost-effectiveness of and preferences for secondary prevention interventions for LBP. The second part of the thesis focuses on the production loss measure validity test and on deriving wage multipliers to estimate productivity costs. The thesis investigates productivity costs associated with sickness absence, sickness presenteeism and work environment-related problems from the employer’s perspective. Methods: In Study 1, a cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted among working adults (n =159) to compare the effect and costs of yoga for the prevention of LBP with strength exercises and evidence-based advice. This analysis was conducted from two perspectives, namely that of the employer and that of society at large. The outcome quality adjusted-life years (QALYs) were examined in a 12-month follow-up randomized controlled trial. In Study 2, a discrete choice experiment was conducted among working adults with LBP (n =112). This experiment used the conditional logit model to examine the influence of exercise attributes and individual characteristics on preferences for exercise to prevent LBP. In Study 3, using the Pearson Correlation and the Bland and Altman’s test of agreement, the convergent validity of the Swedish health-related and work environment-related production loss measures (HRPL and WRPL respectively) were tested against the Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ) among working adults (n = 88). The HPQ is an extensively psychometrically tested and widely-used instrument. The Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and Bland and Altman’s tests of repeatability were used as tests of stability (n = 44). In Study 4, wage multipliers for managers (n = 758) were derived using an ordinal probit model to predict the costs of productivity loss from sickness absence, sickness presenteeism and work environment-related problems. Results: The cost-effectiveness analysis in Study 1 demonstrates that yoga is less costly and improves quality of life (QALY) compared with strength exercises and evidence-based advice. For an additional QALY worth EUR 11,500 for society, yoga yielded a positive incremental net benefit of EUR 1,542 and EUR 2,860 compared with strength exercise and evidence-based advice respectively. Yoga could also be cost-effective, compared with evidence-based advice, if an employer considers that the improvements in QALY justify the additional cost of the intervention (EUR 150 per worker with LBP). These results only hold for those who adhered to the recommendations of exercising twice a week. The discrete choice experiment in Study 2 demonstrates that the most preferred exercise option was medium to high-intensity cardiovascular training performed in a group with trainer supervision at least once to twice per week. The most preferred types of incentive were exercise during work hours and wellness allowances (Friskvårdbidrag). The individual characteristic that most consistently influenced preferences for exercise was age. The convergent validity test of the production loss measures conducted in Study 3 showed moderately strong correlations (i.e. r = 0.46 for the HRPL and r = 0.31 for WRPL), as expected. The ICC for HRPL assessments was 0.90 and 0.91 for WRPL between the different testing occasions. This suggests that the test–retest reliability was good. Study 4 demonstrates that sickness absence, sickness presenteeism and work environment problems significantly impact team workers’ productivity when job characteristics (i.e. teamwork, ease of substitution of workers and time sensitivity of output) are taken into account. To determine the economic implications for the employer in terms of the cost, it was estimated that the median wage multipliers from the sampled occupations in the study were 1.92 for sickness absence, 1.65 for health-related presenteeism due to acute illness, 1.58 for health-related presenteeism due to chronic illness, and 1.70 for work environment problems. Conclusions: Studies 1– 4 gave rise to the following conclusions: a) Yoga may be considered a cost-effective early intervention for the prevention of LBP, but further investigations are warranted. b) Where preferences for exercise to prevent LBP are concerned, the most important factors were the age and exercise attributes such as type of exercise, frequency, level of supervision and incentives. This implies that providers and employers could improve participation in exercise for working adults with non-specific LBP by focusing on the exercise characteristics which are most attractive. c) The validity test of the HRPL and WRPL suggests that the measures have convergent validity and good stability. This finding may have implications for advancing methods of assessing production loss as an outcome, which represents a major cost for employers. d) After job characteristics had been taken into account, the economic impact of sickness absence, sickness presenteeism and work environment-related problems on team productivity exceeded the cost of wages in a number of occupations. This implies that there could be productivity gains for employers if the cost of health and work environment-related productivity losses can be reduced

DOPING AMONG MINNOWS IN GHANA: IS ELIGIBILITY THE MAIN ISSUE?

Despite the use of drugs among amateur athletes linked to inadvertent doping, there is a gap in the literature about other factors that prompted doping behaviour. The present study examined if eligibility to participate in sports competitions is the main cause of doping among young athletes in Ghana. To achieve this, an interpretative qualitative research design approach was adopted. Purposive and snowballing sampling techniques were employed to recruit 10 former basic school student-athletes who admitted to using drugs to participate in school competitions. Semi-structured interviews were the instruments used to collect the data to answer the research questions. Thematic analysis was employed after the data have been transcribed verbatim. The findings of the study revealed that students take performance-enhancing drugs to “become eligible to participate in the competitions”, “to improve stamina”, and “gives them extra energy to perform without getting tired”. Again, it was found that the former student-athletes were unaware of the effects of taking the drugs. The study further exposed some effects of performance-enhancing drugs which included addictiveness and physiological health challenges on the individual. The study recommends that stakeholders should educate minnows on the adverse effects of taking drugs without a doctor’s prescription. Again, age should be used when organising competitions for student-athletes at the basic school level rather than weight, height and facial description.  Article visualizations