Urban floods and residential rental values nexus in Kumasi, Ghana

The supposition that the occurrence of flood event will have an inverse effect on rental values of residential housing properties is often accepted as a fact. However, the mechanism for this supposed impact has not been clearly articulated and the hypothesis is far from proven in Ghanaian housing rental market. This paper examined the impact of flood on residential rental values in Kumasi. The study adopted multiple research approaches in selecting zones with both flood and non-flood liable residential properties. The repeated sales model was then used to create local market indices to gauge flood impact on the rental values. The rental values of non-flooded residential properties were generally higher than their flooded counterparts by a margin of GHS 62.66 ±0.09 annually. While this supports existing postulations of a negative impact of flood on rental values, the results further showed that the extent of the impact varies across different residential property types. It is concluded that the wholesale assumption in literature that flood events diminish rental values should be interpreted with caution. The study recommends that the (dis)amenity effects of flood on rental values should therefore be assessed on case by case basis.Keywords: Floods, Ghana, Kumasi, Residential Rental Value, T-tes

Examining the Determinants of Location Attributes and their Effect on Hotel Pricing in the Period of the Covid-19 Pandemic in an Emerging Market

The emergence of COVID-19 and the consequent travel restrictions have led to a decrease in the patronage of hotel services in nearly all economies in the world. In this circumstance, location attributes have become even more important in hotel pricing and investment decision-making. It is even more interesting to see how this plays out in emerging economies such as Ghana. The study assesses the effect of location attributes on hotel pricing during the COVID-19 pandemic period in Tamale. A sequential mixed research design including Mixed Spatial Hedonic Price Approach, Exploratory Factor Analysis and key informant interviews was employed. A sample of 815 tourists and 163 hotels was used. Hotel class, road accessibility, age of building, and hotel rate are the key determinants of hotel pricing. Among these, the hotel class showed more significance in influencing pricing decisions in the COVID-19 period. The models show that the hotel class with positive coefficients are located outside the city centre of Tamale. This has resulted in increased Yield To Maturity because the hotels located outside the city centre received more clients, with grade one hotels showing a huge net income and good post-COVID-19 investment drive. The results show that potential hotel investors should consider hotel class as a major entry decision factor during and after periods of the pandemic

Professionals’ Dichotomous Take on Instructional Supervision Styles for Technical Institutions in Ghana

Learning is central to the purpose of a school and teaching is a basic tool to promote learning. This, then underlines the significance of instructional supervision and its types as magic bullet to effective teaching and learning in most educational institutions. However, contemporary research within the Ghanaian context is salient on the professionals’ preferred supervision types in public technical educational institutions. This study employed a descriptive research survey design to accomplish this. Three set of questionnaires were developed after literature survey and data was collected from 502 participants consisting of 484 teachers, 9 circuit supervisors and 9 principals. These participants were selected based on a multi-stage sampling technique, from the nine Technical Institutions in the Greater Accra region. The data, mainly categorical in nature was analysed using mean and percentages with the aid of SPSS version 18. The findings of the study showed that teachers preferred instructional supervision that is premised on the mutual relationship between the teachers and the supervisors while principals and external supervisors preferred the formal rules-based supervision. This study suggests a hybrid instructional supervision which merges the two types of instructional supervision. The formal rules-based and collegial based types of instructional supervision, if teachers’ performance are to be enhanced

Student housing investment strategies through location and building services. A study of privately-owned student housing around university campuses in Northern Ghana

The study assesses the investment strategies private investors employ in student housing to remain viable by attracting students to the hostels with minimum impact of location on such decisions of students. The study used a mixed-methods approach involving surveys and interviews. The Hedonic Price Model through Multiple regression and ANOVA were used to analyse quantitative data, while qualitative data were analysed using themes. The study found a gradual rise in student housing rent with increasing distance from university campuses. As a strategy, investors in student housing distant from university campuses offer special building services over and above those hostels near campuses. It allows distant hostels to stay competitive in the student housing market. In addition, the paper highlights student's' preferences such as internet services, private lavatories and security, which investors should consider in the provision of student housing to enhance occupancy rate and eventually increase returns. The study also reiterates the need for specificity in using the Hedonic Price Model in housing research