A Conceptual Framework for Reverse Logistics Performance and Innovation

Green Supply Chain Management has been receiving a lot of attention in recent times. Attention on Reverse Logistics (RL) area has also been steadily growing. Reverse Logistics involves reduce-reuse-recycle as well as redesign, remanufacture, etc. It is a closed loop of the Supply Chain for value creation. Carter and Ellram (1998) discuss that Reverse Logistics can result in savings for an organization. Daugherty, Richey, Genchev, and Chen (2005) analyze where the resources in Reverse Logistics could be committed to achieve good Reverse Logistics Performance. The Automotive after-market in India is also in its nascent stages and has a huge scope for growth. Thus, a study in this area is definitely warranted. This paper gives a Conceptual framework for the RL Performance and Innovation in Automotive after-market with an emerging economy backdrop. The authors of this paper find fewer papers in these areas and this paper aims to fill this gap

Complexity of women's modern-day challenges in construction

Purpose: Although the UK construction sector has enjoyed a significant rise in the number of women, there is undoubtedly more room for improvement. Numerous schemes have been initiated by government and other professional bodies to encourage more women to join the industry. This paper sheds light on the organizational complexities of problems faced by women working in professional roles in construction. It thus initiates a dialogue on the lack of workplace flexibility and discriminatory practices that prevent many more women from joining. Design/methodology/approach: An interpretivist philosophy is adopted. The research critically explores the views of women working professional roles in six large construction firms in the UK. Findings: It was widely acknowledged that the industry had improved significantly, however there are still concerns yet to be addressed. It was identified that many women struggle to re-enter the industry after embarking on maternity leave. Furthermore, it is believed that some workplace progressions were only due to senior managers’ attempt to demonstrate a level of inclusivity rather than due to merit. Research limitations/implications: Sample size and narrow focus on large construction firms. Practical implications: Through academic and industry dissemination, the findings from this research encourage both men and women working in the construction industry to adopt inclusive practices that will help widen the pool of knowledge and expertise. Social implications: This paper sheds light on a problem that has prevented women from joining the industry many years. Originality/value: This presents an in-depth critical perspective of challenges faced by women construction professionals

Employees' safety perceptions of site hazard and accident scenes

Despite the improvement of digital technologies (e.g., building information modeling) in enhancing construction safety management, human factor-related issues such as individual perceptions, attitudes, and behavior in safety cannot be downplayed. Existing studies have addressed safety issues by assessing site hazards and preventing avoidable accidents. Such approaches to safety management can be undertaken through the establishment of safety climates and safety cultures, as well as identifying certain demographic or subgroup factors that affect safety management. Aiming to expand the subgroup factor analysis in safety management and integrate it with hazard/accident categorization, this study adopted a site survey approach by recruiting construction employees from multiple job duties and trades. The follow-up statistical analysis revealed that: 1) a hazard/accident scene with higher occurrence and lower severity caused a higher variation among employees' opinions in perceiving its severity; 2) entry-level employees were likely to be more cautious about hazards but their cautiousness might diminish as they gained more site experience; 3) compared to early career employees and senior peers, the mid-career professionals tended to underestimate severities of a given hazard/accident scene. This study categorized eight commonly encountered site hazard/accident scenes, integrated them in the analysis of subgroup differences based on employees' job duties or work trades, and their experience levels. Future research was also recommended addressing individuals' safety perceptions and demographic factors in safety management

Crime prevention in urban spaces through environmental design: a critical UK perspective

Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) and the Defensible Space Theory have been adopted to enable the effective use of the built environment to reduce crime. The occurrence of crime is widely accepted to be context-specific. Some explanatory theories have focused on social disorder, alluding to the notion that if such disorders are eliminated from society then serious crime would be eradicated. Numerous approaches have considered the use of environmental design and spatial configuration as a possible solution to reduce crime. The main aim of this study is to gain further understanding of stakeholders’ perceptions of Brixton Town Centre (BTC) in London and thus advance the discourse of CPTED. Using a mixed methodology approach, a visual audit of CPTED, a critical analysis of police crime data, questionnaire surveys and semi-structured interviews were carried out to gauge the effectiveness of key CPTED intervention principles identified in BTC. It was revealed that since the interventionary measures began in BTC in 2011, there has been an increase in the crime rates for other parts of England and Wales whilst BTC in particular has experienced a decline. A positive correlation was found between length of residency in the area and fear of crime. Lighting was critical to people’s perception of feeling secure. Finally, the research findings revealed that although crime rates had fallen in BTC, stakeholders agree that further improvement was required. This research concludes with a proposal of further study that will theorize the phenomenon occurring at BTC

Women as construction professionals: modern day challenges

The ratio of men to women in the construction industry is one that has often attracted great concern for all stakeholders. Although the UK construction sector has enjoyed a significant rise in the number of women, there is undoubtedly more room for improvement. Numerous schemes have been initiated by government and other professional bodies to encourage more women to join the industry. On the surface, many issues such as lack of workplace flexibility and looming discrimination prevent many more women from joining. Using the glass ceiling and the leaky pipeline theories, an in-depth exploration of experiences of female construction professionals is undertaken in this research. A total of six semi-structured interviews were carried out. Although the respondents acknowledged the industry had improved significantly, they nevertheless expressed concerns on many issues that they believed needed to be addressed. It was identified that many women struggle to re-enter the industry after embarking on maternity leave. Furthermore, the respondents believed that some workplace progressions were only due to senior managers’ attempt to demonstrate a level of inclusivity rather than due to merit. Finally, it was revealed that sexism is still rife in the industry and many women are left in very uncomfortable environments with fear of voicing out this horror. This research merely offers a peek at the ordeals that some women have to endure when working in the construction industry. Hopefully by addressing such issues, more women will be encouraged to take up professions in the sector

High-resolution patterns and inequalities in ambient fine particle mass (PM2.5) and black carbon (BC) in the Greater Accra Metropolis, Ghana.

Growing cities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) experience high levels of ambient air pollution. However, sparse long-term city-wide air pollution exposure data limits policy mitigation efforts and assessment of the health and climate effects in growing cities. In the first study of its kind in West Africa, we developed high resolution spatiotemporal land use regression (LUR) models to map fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and black carbon (BC) concentrations in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA), one of the fastest sprawling metropolises in SSA. We conducted a one-year measurement campaign covering 146 sites and combined these data with geospatial and meteorological predictors to develop separate Harmattan and non-Harmattan season PM2.5 and BC models at 100 m resolution. The final models were selected with a forward stepwise procedure and performance was evaluated with 10-fold cross-validation. Model predictions were overlayed with the most recent census data to estimate the population distribution of exposure and socioeconomic inequalities in exposure at the census enumeration area level. The fixed effects components of the models explained 48-69 % and 63-71 % of the variance in PM2.5 and BC concentrations, respectively. Spatial variables related to road traffic and vegetation variables explained the most variability in the non-Harmattan models, while temporal variables were dominant in the Harmattan models. The entire GAMA population is exposed to PM2.5 levels above the World Health Organization guideline, including even the Interim Target 3 (15 μg/m3), with the highest exposures in poorer neighborhoods. The models can be used to support air pollution mitigation policies, health, and climate impact assessments. The measurement and modelling approach used in this study can be adapted to other African cities to bridge the air pollution data gap in the region

Spatial-temporal patterns of ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and black carbon (BC) pollution in Accra

Background: Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is rapidly urbanizing, and ambient air pollution has emerged as a major environmental health concern in SSA cities. Yet, effective air quality management is hindered by limited data. We deployed robust, low-cost and low-power devices in a large-scale measurement campaign and characterized within-city variations in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and black carbon (BC) pollution in Accra, Ghana. Methods: Between April 2019 and June 2020, we measured weekly gravimetric (filter-based) and minute-by-minute PM2.5 concentrations at 146 unique locations, comprising of 10 fixed (~1-year) and 136 rotating (7-day) sites covering a range of land-use and source influences. Filters were weighed for mass, and light absorbance (10−5m−1) of the filters was used as proxy for BC concentration. Year-long data at four fixed sites that were monitored in a previous study (2006-2007) were compared to assess change in PM2.5 concentrations. Results: The mean annual PM2.5 across the fixed sites ranged from 26 μg/m3 at a peri-urban site to 40 μg/m3 at commercial, business, and industrial (CBI) areas. CBI areas had the highest PM2.5 levels (mean: 37 μg/m3), followed by high-density residential neighborhoods (mean: 36 μg/m3), while peri-urban areas recorded the lowest (mean: 26 μg/m3). Both PM2.5 and BC levels were highest during the dry dusty Harmattan period (mean PM2.5: 89 μg/m3) compared to non-Harmattan season (mean PM2.5: 23 μg/m3). PM2.5 at all sites peaked at dawn and dusk, coinciding with morning and evening heavy traffic. We found about a ~50% reduction (71 vs 37 μg/m3) in mean annual PM2.5 concentrations when compared to measurements in 2006-2007 in Accra. Conclusion: Ambient PM2.5 concentrations in Accra may have plateaued at levels lower than those seen in large Asian megacities. However, levels are still 2- to 4-fold higher than the WHO guideline. Effective and equitable policies are needed to reduce pollution levels and protect public health

High-resolution spatiotemporal measurement of air and environmental noise pollution in sub-Saharan African cities: Pathways to Equitable Health Cities Study protocol for Accra, Ghana

Introduction: Air and noise pollution are emerging environmental health hazards in African cities, with potentially complex spatial and temporal patterns. Limited local data is a barrier to the formulation and evaluation of policies to reduce air and noise pollution. Methods and analysis: We designed a year-long measurement campaign to characterize air and noise pollution and their sources at high-resolution within the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana. Our design utilizes a combination of fixed (year-long, n = 10) and rotating (week-long, n = ~130) sites, selected to represent a range of land uses and source influences (e.g. background, road-traffic, commercial, industrial, and residential areas, and various neighbourhood socioeconomic classes). We will collect data on fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen oxides (NOx), weather variables, sound (noise level and audio) along with street-level time-lapse images. We deploy low-cost, low-power, lightweight monitoring devices that are robust, socially unobtrusive, and able to function in the Sub-Saharan African (SSA) climate. We will use state-of-the-art methods, including spatial statistics, deep/machine learning, and processed-based emissions modelling, to capture highly resolved temporal and spatial variations in pollution levels across Accra and to identify their potential sources. This protocol can serve as a prototype for other SSA cities. Ethics and dissemination: This environmental study was deemed exempt from full ethics review at Imperial College London and the University of Massachusetts Amherst; it was approved by the University of Ghana Ethics Committee. This protocol is designed to be implementable in SSA cities to map environmental pollution to inform urban planning decisions to reduce health harming exposures to air and noise pollution. It will be disseminated through local stakeholder engagement (public and private sectors), peer-reviewed publications, contribution to policy documents, media, and conference presentations