The impact of COVID-19 on Malta and it’s economy and sustainable strategies

This article is also available on the SSRN Library posted on the 7th July 2020.The preparedness for outbreaks of pandemics such as the COVID-19 is a major concern for health authorities and leaders as extensive studies in the past have been reported and well documented. However, engaging with the response to an outbreak demands many decisions with enormous implications on a population and its regions. A review of past response mechanisms sheds light on different scenarios to provide an understanding of the challenges that will emerge, depicting trends, changes to GDP and the impact on the economy and employment. With this article, we aim to identify and bring to light the challenges faced by Malta during the pandemic we are currently facing – COVID. This will help risk managers and leaders understand the devastating social and economic impact of such disruptions and act proactively to avoid repetition and embarrassments of being unprepared. Moreover, we aim to provide an understanding of the expected cascading economic domino effects, which may result from the workforce unavailability, during a pandemic and the mistakes in the estimation, if any, that could have been avoided. A desk research study technique was adopted whereby data was collected from existing sources, including government websites, online statistics, published reports, trends and internal data to the local Maltese markets. The COVID-19 phenomena led to new measures being taken worldwide as professionals, leaders, academics and businesses took unprecedented steps to change their business as usual strategies. This in turn brought about various questions and discussions on how islands like Malta controlled their situation.peer-reviewe

Building sustainably : a pilot study on the project manager’s contribution in delivering sustainable construction projects - a Maltese and international perspective

Despite ample technological advancements, the building industry is still seen as an unsustainable activity. To counteract this, building development is now being requested to be more sustainable. Due to the increasing complexity of sustainable projects’ criteria, the project manager’s role, tasked with the overall management of a building’s different development phases, is changing, becoming increasingly crucial for the attainment of pre-established sustainability goals. Based on this premise, the research presented in this paper is a pilot study set to preliminarily establish and identify a set of project management processes and supporting practices from existing literature, and gauge their significance and possible added value provided. This was done via a purposely designed questionnaire distributed locally, in Malta, and globally amongst established project managers. Notwithstanding the preliminary nature of the study some interesting results were obtained. Among the main outcomes of the study, it is observed how all respondents are very aware about sustainability issues and that their decision-making role places them in an optimum position to bring forward a sustainability agenda for a particular project. In terms of intervention, pre-construction (43%) and construction (28%) were considered to be the main stages were a project manager usually gives the highest input. However, various challenges were also highlighted by the respondents, including clients’ refusal to commit increased capital (34%), the requirement for further training (33%), and the lack of incentives aimed towards increasing the sustainability of projects (22%).peer-reviewe

Leveraging value adding factors through the construction development cycle : factors changing the property value landscape

Purpose: The economic value of residential homes is determined by an array of factors. Property value has taken on a new dimension as sustainability gains popularity in the real estate development industry. The housing market has been significantly impacted by the global COVID-19 outbreak and an increase in demand for domestic residences with access to outside spaces is a result of lockdowns and limitations. Homes that offer outdoor activities, natural ventilation, and a connection to nature are now prioritised by homebuyers. Thus, the economic worth of homes with gardens, patios, and spacious balconies has increased because of this change in preference. The aim of this research was to identify distinct key value-adding factors that could be implemented across the numerous stages of a construction project by individuals, at varied levels of expertise, within a construction development environment. This study examines important variables that affect local residential property value economically and sheds light on the importance for construction and renovation projects. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study explores highly desired property typologies and homeownership culture, as well as how these factors affect changes in renting behaviour. The strategy taken in this study is qualitative and employs interpretivism theory and inductive reasoning. Semi-structured interviews based on attitudinal research were used in the research as part of an ethnographic strategy with a sample of participants. Selection criteria included experience in the sector for a number of years, comprehension of the value of real estate, skill in financial and ecological property value-adding aspects, and localised social knowledge. Indicators used to predict site desirability included net population movement and the introduction of new companies. Thematic coding was executed with NVIVO™, allowing a methodical language-centered analytic strategy to make sense of the range of data retrieved. Findings: Results show that the proximity to essential facilities, easy access to transit, ideal urban planning, and the likelihood of future development are the main elements that have had an impact on economic worth. Furthermore, outcomes demonstrate that purchasers' willingness to pay more for greener properties is still restricted, despite the growing interest in sustainable building practices, as economic considerations are taking precedence over environmental concerns. Practical Implications: Associations such as IVS, RICS, and TEGOVA and Malta’s transparency in demonstrating reliability and effectiveness of data sources for comparable evidence are key factors for leveraging value-added factors through the construction development cycle. Originality/Value: The primary asset for a significant number of households is their portfolio of real estate properties. This has considerable importance as families can effectively enhance their overall domestic household income by strategically augmenting the perceived value of their real estate holdings.peer-reviewe

Effects of noise pollution on residents living in Birżebbuġa and the introduction of effective mitigation measures

There exists a direct influence of noise pollution on people's quality of life which can lead to several short and long-term health consequences. This paper presents the first phase of a mixed-method study conducted to understand the effects of noise pollution on residents living in Birzebbuga, Malta, followed by a second phase project completed in 2021. A questionnaire was completed by 477 inhabitants to obtain demographic information and data about noise pollution, its influence on residents' activities, and noise source discomfort. The study utilised the International Commission on the Biological Effects of Noise's five-scale technique to quantify noise irritation. The survey took place between February and May 2021. Data reported that in 98% of the participants noise pollution is a problem. 61.6% of respondents reported noise annoyance as the main category of pollution on health and well-being, followed by sleeping disorders and fatigue, stress, nervousness, loss of concentration, headaches and reduced ability to work. Given high levels of noise and the effects on the quality of life of residents, this study concludes that noise reduction regulations are a must, and a permanent sound monitoring network within the district of Birzebbuga is a crucial component for an effective low-noise implementation plan.peer-reviewe

High performance high-rise buildings (HRB) : a case in tropical climate construction

Purpose: The world's increasing need for energy comes with consequences like rising pollution and global warming. It is crucial to drastically cut back on energy use and completely stop using non-renewable energy sources. This research primary objective is to develop a commercial high-performance high-rise building for a tropical city like Chennai, India and to investigate the value of a sustainable building practice on the health, safety, and security of building occupants, the effects on ecological balance, and the requirements of high-performance high-rise buildings. This study investigates ways to include passive design elements into high-rise building plans, like natural lighting and ventilation, to significantly cut energy use and boost the residents' mental health. Numerous passive cooling techniques have been studied and incorporated within the building design to achieve a lower carbon footprint. This research emphasises optimal ways to design a building with lower electricity consumption. Design/Methodology/Approach: The preliminary stages of building designs are indispensable and highly influence the performance of the building's energy consumption. By considering the cost of power, the amount of CO2 created by the building's use, and the size of the HVAC system needed for a specific building, SEFAIRA software was used to gain an early-stage analysis of the building's daylight and energy performance. Additionally, using SEFAIRA software, it was possible to comprehend how daylighting might affect a building's size and orientation. Findings: According to the findings, energy is used more sparingly by high-performance building design models than by traditional building design models. The high-performance building model consumes 40% less power than the conventional building design, which is 4,580,998 kWh. Additionally, each year a High-Performance Building model saves 441,606 US dollars which is a 40% saving when compared to the conventional building model. The main principle of designing a sustainable building is to create a building that consumes lower power with providing a comfortable environment. The comfort analysis carried out using ASHRAE 55 standard and predicted mean vote (PMV) confirmed that the high-performance building model offers a better comfortable indoor environment than the conventional building design model, for more than 99% of the building's occupied hours. The comfortable environment within the building is achieved by using an adequate amount of solar protection provided to the facades in the high-performance building design model. Practical applications: In conclusion, a proposed building management system can monitor the activity of the HRB and effectively regulate the power consumption, water consumption, and safety of the building occupants. Consequently, the high-performance high-rise building design suggested by this study effectively works sustainably and offers a comfortable both internal and external environment for building occupants in a tropical climate. Originality value: The proposed design for a high-performance high-rise building effectively operates in a sustainable manner and offers a comfortable internal and outdoor environment for occupants in a tropical climate.peer-reviewe

Barriers to high-performance building (HPB) incentivisation in Malta

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to concentrate on the technical and non-technical hurdles to High-Performance Buildings (HPB) in Malta. As a result, the study aims to analyse a variety of non-technical barriers, with a focus on current policies and practices, stakeholder roles the demand for HPB, incentives, and economic aspects. It also identifies the traits of a high-performance building and highlights advantages for construction over traditional structures. Design/Methodology/Approach: Purposive sampling was employed as part of a qualitative data collection technique with input from policymakers, homebuyers, developers, and architects as well as local entity representatives. Findings: The major barrier to HPB, according to research, is the public's lack of awareness, which marks a lack of demand and a perception of high starting expenditures, having a direct impact on the developer's final profit. Practicality/originality: The findings of this study indicate that there is a clear need for information campaigns by local governments, the national government, and private businesses, including architectural firms, businesses that specialize in consulting on the topic, businesses that sell supplies, amongst others about this knowledge area. Other benefits besides cost and energy savings should be the emphasis of public comprehension if successful campaigns are to meet EU targets. It would assist the process to better publicise other advantages such as those connected to environmental, mental, and psychological health. Additionally, all pre-contractual project requirements for new construction should be focused on achieving acceptable levels of energy efficiency and the Planning Authority should enforce these requirements as a routine practice to get a building permit. To achieve the minimum standard energy efficiency, an independent third-party authority (non-governmental related) should conduct the assessments related to energy efficiency during the planning process. This certifying body should assist clients in spending time studying the site during the design phase. The energy performance certificate (EPC) procedure needs to be concentrated on the beginning of a project than on its conclusion, and both the seller and the homeowner should be obligated to follow the suggestions made in the EPC, with updates through a property logbook. Practical Implications: The building sector is one of the major global producers of greenhouse gases and carbon emissions. Given that construction is one of the main contributors to the local economic growth, this environmental concern is even more concerning in the local context. The EU directives and the national action plans push for sustainable development in all EU member states, with a strong focus on creating greener buildings, moving toward Nearly-Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB) and Zero Energy Buildings (ZEB), and creating buildings that are more energy-efficient and self-sufficient. Originality value: The defined goals designed to reduce carbon emissions and greenhouse gases encourage this. It is also recommended that these emissions be minimized in building design.peer-reviewe

A study of alternative and FinTech payment solutions for airlines

Purpose: Revolutionary changes in the global economy, together with the development of FinTech and digital-oriented customer preferences, create new opportunities for airline companies in offering innovative solutions for customers, through online and mobile payment methods offered for flight bookings. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research is based on the analysis of structured survey data collected from a questionnaire based on customer satisfaction and perception of payment methods conducted with passengers. An empirical analysis of publicly available information was conducted on the payment options offered by the airlines to passengers. Findings: The analysis of the payment methods available shows different options provided by the leading CEE airlines from the most conservative to the most innovative offering the possibility to pay using FinTech payment solutions. Practical Implications: Development of FinTech and growing competition is an opportunity for airlines to increase their competitiveness through the improvement of customer satisfaction, adapting payment methods to the needs of passengers without substantial investments. Originality/Value: With this study, we aim to investigate the payment methods offered by the top ten Central and Eastern European (CEE) airlines and to discuss this in light of consumer choices and preferences.peer-reviewe

The role of appreciative inquiry to supporting students’ healthy transition into the post-graduate world : a case study at the University of Malta

The purpose of this study is to explore ways to integrate student self-development into preparation for a post-graduate internship. The research problem to be investigated is the identified gap in support services for student wellbeing and self-esteem alongside academic development prior to entering the professional sphere. The Faculty for the Built Environment within the University of Malta conducted this as a pilot study in collaboration with the Counselling Services Unit to support students in finding ways to improve their work/study balance. The methodology used was an appreciative inquiry through workshops and focus groups over two academic years. The main findings suggest that students requested time management and resilience techniques to strengthen their study–work–life balance and develop an improved work ethic once university life is complete. Students who felt valued throughout the study period appreciated their ideas and self-identity more than others. Results were presented to the faculty staff who suggested an action–response approach to transition management. Conclusions indicated that the strength of the approach undertaken served to manage students’ transition from academic life to career entry, conduct a gap analysis to identify issues between students and staff, and facilitate a discussion of values and ethics in preparation for post-graduation career performance.peer-reviewe

Building Sustainably: A Pilot Study on the Project Manager’s Contribution in Delivering Sustainable Construction Projects—A Maltese and International Perspective

Despite ample technological advancements, the building industry is still seen as an unsustainable activity. To counteract this, building development is now being requested to be more sustainable. Due to the increasing complexity of sustainable projects’ criteria, the project manager’s role, tasked with the overall management of a building’s different development phases, is changing, becoming increasingly crucial for the attainment of pre-established sustainability goals. Based on this premise, the research presented in this paper is a pilot study set to preliminarily establish and identify a set of project management processes and supporting practices from existing literature, and gauge their significance and possible added value provided. This was done via a purposely designed questionnaire distributed locally, in Malta, and globally amongst established project managers. Notwithstanding the preliminary nature of the study some interesting results were obtained. Among the main outcomes of the study, it is observed how all respondents are very aware about sustainability issues and that their decision-making role places them in an optimum position to bring forward a sustainability agenda for a particular project. In terms of intervention, pre-construction (43%) and construction (28%) were considered to be the main stages were a project manager usually gives the highest input. However, various challenges were also highlighted by the respondents, including clients’ refusal to commit increased capital (34%), the requirement for further training (33%), and the lack of incentives aimed towards increasing the sustainability of projects (22%)

The Dali model in risk-management practice : the case of financial services firms

Originality/value—this model contributed to the vast literature on models of change and risk management within organisations, but was not validated empirically for reliability of the factors, and on financial services providers within small jurisdictions. Therefore, the significance and importance of such a study lies firstly on the premise that testing on small countries can be deemed as small laboratories for more complex politics, regulations and policies of larger countries and secondly, the importance of financial services as essential for prosperity in a country’s economy. This model will provide an empirically tested proactive model in a specific environment for managing organisational risks to arrive at their objectives with minimal setbacks.peer-reviewe