Strategic competences for pricing quantity surveying consultancy services

Professional quantity surveying (QS) services are critical to successful delivery of construction projects within planned budget, quality, and duration. The supply of QS professional services is largely dependent on the price level of services and the willingness of clients to pay. The pricing of professional QS consultancy services has been confronted with a myriad of pricing challenges due to rapid changes in the business environment; the pervasive influence of information technology; and the complexity of clients’ expectation. It isthereforenecessary for QS consultancy firms to develop strategic competence for the pricing of their services. In addition, numerous studies have not given the pricing the pricing of professional services the requisite attention. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the strategic competence for pricing professional QS services. The study was positioned within the positivist tradition. As a result, the quantitative approach was adopted using a survey questionnaire to collect data from QS consultants. The sample size of the study was 79 professional quantity surveyors chosen by using simple random sampling technique from a population of 372 registered professional QS of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors. Using the χ2 test and factor analysis, the study established a relationship between strategic competences and pricing of QS services. The study found that strategic competences for pricing QS professional service is significantly related to the managerial and professional competence of QS consultants. The strategic competences of QS consultants identified by this study include business management, services cost management; and production capabilities. This study provides an empirical basis for QS consultancy firms to focus on strategic direction of their contractual arrangement with clients. Practically, resource configuration and strategic competences for professional service pricing would create price leadership. The study advances the pricing knowledge within the QS practice by demonstrating the nexus between strategic competences and the pricing of QS professional services which hitherto this study have not been effectively investigated

Segmentation of quantity surveying professional services for focus strategy and diversification

Purpose – Notwithstanding that numerous studies have focused on strategy in quantity surveying (QS) professional service firms, there is a paucity of investigation on the segmentation of QS professional services. The purpose of this study is to investigate the segmentation of QS services for diversification and a focus strategy formation. Design/methodology/approach – This study adopts the positivist stance and quantitative approach in which a simple random sampling technique was used to select participants. In total, 110 survey questionnaires were administered to registered professional QS, out of which 79 completed questionnaires were returned for analysis. Findings – The paper identifies three main QS service segments characterised by low, moderate and high competition. In addition, this study found that the concentration of traditional QS services in the building construction sector is due to the unwillingness of QS professional service firms to diversify into the nonconstruction sectors such as oil and gas. The diversification of QS services in the low competitive segment requires the adoption of agile approaches. Research limitations/implications – The study was limited to numeric analyses and so would be complemented by qualitative research in the future. Practical implications – This paper is useful to QS professional service firms interested in diversifying their services into the non-construction sectors to enhance the pricing of their services. Originality/value – Segmentation of QS services is fundamental to the formulation of focus strategy for non-construction sectors such as oil and gas and mining to enhance the pricing of QS professional services

The challenges of pricing quantity surveying professional services in Ghana

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the challenges of pricing quantity surveying (QS) professional services to enhance the understanding of practitioners in developing strategies for the determination of fees for their services. Design/methodology/approach – The paper adopts the quantitative approach by administering 150 survey questionnaires QS professionals out of which 79 questionnaires were retrieved for analysis using the mean, standard deviation, standard error and the Chi-Square test. Findings – The study identified the challenges that continue to hamper the successful pricing of QS services as the inability to respond to changing contractual arrangements; lack of appropriate response to emerging services; slow response to changes in information and communication technology. Research limitations/implications – This paper focused on QS professionals. Hence, a future study to encompass other professionals in the built environment will be novel. Practical implications – The findings of this paper have the potential to motivate QS firms to develop solutions that address the challenges identified to improve the efficiency of their service delivery to clients. The paper also has the practical importance of opening up new frontiers of research that focus on pricing of professional services in the built environment in general. Originality/value – The paper contributes to the awareness and understanding of QS professionals about the challenges that continue to hamper effective pricing of their services

Stigma experiences, effects and coping among individuals affected by Buruli ulcer and yaws in Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Stigma related to skin neglected tropical diseases like Buruli ulcer (BU) and yaws has remained underexplored and existing studies are limited to individual diseases despite the WHO call for integration in disease management. Within two districts in central Ghana, we explored stigma associated with BU and yaws to understand overlaps and disease-specific nuances to help guide integrated interventions. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In-depth interviews were conducted with 31 current or formerly affected individuals to assess the experiences, effects and coping strategies adopted to manage disease related stigma. Data were analysed along broad themes based on the sociological construct of macro and micro interaction and Goffman's treatise on stigma. Disapproving community labels fueled by misconceptions were noted among BU participants which contributed to macro stigma experiences, including exclusion, discrimination and avoidance. In contrast, a high level of social acceptance was reported among yaws participants although some micro-level stigma (anticipated, felt and self-stigma) were noted by individuals with both diseases. While younger participants experienced name-calling and use of derogatory words to address affected body parts, older participants and caregivers discussed the pain of public staring. Stigma experiences had negative consequences on psychosocial well-being, schooling, and social relations, particularly for BU affected people. Problem-focused strategies including confrontation, selective disclosure and concealment as well as emotion-focused strategies (religious coping and self-isolation) were noted. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: The types and levels of stigma varied for BU and yaws. Stigma experiences also differed for adults and children in this setting and these differences should be accounted for in integrated interventions for these skin NTDs. School health programs need to prioritize educating school teachers about skin NTDs and the negative impact of stigma on the wellbeing of children

Buruli-RifDACC: Evaluation of the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of high-dose versus standard-dose rifampicin on outcomes in Mycobacterium ulcerans disease, a protocol for a randomised controlled trial in Ghana [version 2; peer review: 2 approved]

Background: Buruli ulcer (BU) can lead to disfiguring ulcers and permanent disability. The 2030 World Health Organization (WHO) road map for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) calls for major scaling up in diagnosis and management to eliminate disability due to the disease. Current treatment for BU is with daily oral rifampicin (10mg/kg dose) and clarithromycin (15mg/kg dose) for eight weeks, combined with standard gauze wound dressings. Dialkylcarbamoyl chloride (DACC)-coated dressings have been shown to irreversibly bind bacteria on wound surfaces resulting in their removal when dressings are changed.  This trial aims to determine whether combining a high-dose oral rifampicin regimen with DACC dressings can improve the rate of wound healing relative to standard-dose oral rifampicin combined with DACC dressings. Methods: This is an individual, multi-centre Phase 3 randomised controlled trial, which will be conducted in three clinical sites in Ghana. The primary outcome measure will be the mean time to clearance of viable mycobacteria. Cost and health-related quality of life data will be collected, and a cost-effectiveness analysis will be performed. Discussion: The findings from this trial could lead to a change in how BU is treated. A shorter but more efficacious regimen would lead to improved treatment outcomes and potentially substantial financial and economic savings. Trial registration Pan African Clinical Trials Repository (registration number; PACTR202011867644311). Registered on 30th November 2020

Buruli-RifDACC: Evaluation of the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of high-dose versus standard-dose rifampicin on outcomes in Mycobacterium ulcerans disease, a protocol for a randomised controlled trial in Ghana

BACKGROUND: Buruli ulcer (BU) can lead to disfiguring ulcers and permanent disability. The 2030 World Health Organization (WHO) road map for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) calls for major scaling up in diagnosis and management to eliminate disability due to the disease. Current treatment for BU is with daily oral rifampicin (10mg/kg dose) and clarithromycin (15mg/kg dose) for eight weeks, combined with standard gauze wound dressings. Dialkylcarbamoyl chloride (DACC)-coated dressings have been shown to irreversibly bind bacteria on wound surfaces resulting in their removal when dressings are changed.  This trial aims to determine whether combining a high-dose oral rifampicin regimen with DACC dressings can improve the rate of wound healing relative to standard-dose oral rifampicin combined with DACC dressings. METHODS: This is an individual, multi-centre Phase 3 randomised controlled trial, which will be conducted in three clinical sites in Ghana. The primary outcome measure will be the mean time to clearance of viable mycobacteria. Cost and health-related quality of life data will be collected, and a cost-effectiveness analysis will be performed. DISCUSSION: The findings from this trial could lead to a change in how BU is treated. A shorter but more efficacious regimen would lead to improved treatment outcomes and potentially substantial financial and economic savings

Buruli-RifDACC: Evaluation of the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of high-dose versus standard-dose rifampicin on outcomes in Mycobacterium ulcerans disease, a protocol for a randomised controlled trial in Ghana [version 1; peer review: 2 approved]

Background: Buruli ulcer (BU) can lead to disfiguring ulcers and permanent disability. The 2030 World Health Organization (WHO) road map for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) calls for major scaling up in diagnosis and management to eliminate disability due to the disease. Current treatment for BU is with daily oral rifampicin (10mg/kg dose) and clarithromycin (15mg/kg dose) for eight weeks, combined with standard gauze wound dressings. Dialkylcarbamoyl chloride (DACC)-coated dressings have been shown to irreversibly bind bacteria on wound surfaces resulting in their removal when dressings are changed.  This trial aims to determine whether combining a high-dose oral rifampicin regimen with DACC dressings can improve the rate of wound healing relative to standard-dose oral rifampicin combined with DACC dressings. Methods: This is an individual, multi-centre Phase 3 randomised controlled trial, which will be conducted in three clinical sites in Ghana. The primary outcome measure will be the mean time to clearance of viable mycobacteria. Cost and health-related quality of life data will be collected, and a cost-effectiveness analysis will be performed. Discussion: The findings from this trial could lead to a change in how BU is treated. A shorter but more efficacious regimen would lead to improved treatment outcomes and potentially substantial financial and economic savings. Trial registration Pan African Clinical Trials Repository (registration number; PACTR202011867644311). Registered on 30th November 2020

Buruli-RifDACC: Evaluation of the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of high-dose versus standard-dose rifampicin on outcomes in Mycobacterium ulcerans disease, a protocol for a randomised controlled trial in Ghana.

Background: Buruli ulcer (BU) can lead to disfiguring ulcers and permanent disability. The 2030 World Health Organization (WHO) road map for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) calls for major scaling up in diagnosis and management to eliminate disability due to the disease. Current treatment for BU is with daily oral rifampicin (10mg/kg dose) and clarithromycin (15mg/kg dose) for eight weeks, combined with standard gauze wound dressings. Dialkylcarbamoyl chloride (DACC)-coated dressings have been shown to irreversibly bind bacteria on wound surfaces resulting in their removal when dressings are changed. This trial aims to determine whether combining a high-dose oral rifampicin regimen with DACC dressings can improve the rate of wound healing relative to standard-dose oral rifampicin combined with DACC dressings. Methods: This is an individual, multi-centre Phase 3 randomised controlled trial, which will be conducted in three clinical sites in Ghana. The primary outcome measure will be the mean time to clearance of viable mycobacteria. Cost and health-related quality of life data will be collected, and a cost-effectiveness analysis will be performed. Discussion: The findings from this trial could lead to a change in how BU is treated. A shorter but more efficacious regimen would lead to improved treatment outcomes and potentially substantial financial and economic savings. Trial registration: Pan African Clinical Trials Repository (registration number; PACTR202011867644311). Registered on 30th November 2020

Contributions of mean and shape of blood pressure distribution to worldwide trends and variations in raised blood pressure: A pooled analysis of 1018 population-based measurement studies with 88.6 million participants

© The Author(s) 2018. Background: Change in the prevalence of raised blood pressure could be due to both shifts in the entire distribution of blood pressure (representing the combined effects of public health interventions and secular trends) and changes in its high-blood-pressure tail (representing successful clinical interventions to control blood pressure in the hypertensive population). Our aim was to quantify the contributions of these two phenomena to the worldwide trends in the prevalence of raised blood pressure. Methods: We pooled 1018 population-based studies with blood pressure measurements on 88.6 million participants from 1985 to 2016. We first calculated mean systolic blood pressure (SBP), mean diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and prevalence of raised blood pressure by sex and 10-year age group from 20-29 years to 70-79 years in each study, taking into account complex survey design and survey sample weights, where relevant. We used a linear mixed effect model to quantify the association between (probittransformed) prevalence of raised blood pressure and age-group- and sex-specific mean blood pressure. We calculated the contributions of change in mean SBP and DBP, and of change in the prevalence-mean association, to the change in prevalence of raised blood pressure. Results: In 2005-16, at the same level of population mean SBP and DBP, men and women in South Asia and in Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa would have the highest prevalence of raised blood pressure, and men and women in the highincome Asia Pacific and high-income Western regions would have the lowest. In most region-sex-age groups where the prevalence of raised blood pressure declined, one half or more of the decline was due to the decline in mean blood pressure. Where prevalence of raised blood pressure has increased, the change was entirely driven by increasing mean blood pressure, offset partly by the change in the prevalence-mean association. Conclusions: Change in mean blood pressure is the main driver of the worldwide change in the prevalence of raised blood pressure, but change in the high-blood-pressure tail of the distribution has also contributed to the change in prevalence, especially in older age groups