Barriers to successful implementation of sustainable construction in the Ghanaian construction industry

Sustainable construction efforts in some countries have been unsuccessful due to numerous barriers to its successful implementation. This study identifies and priorities likely barriers to successful implementation of sustainable construction in the Ghanaian construction industry and measures to overcome potential barriers. A multiple research approach involving semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire survey was adopted for the study. Interviews were carried out amongst purposively selected 18 contractors and 16 consultants whereas questionnaire survey was conducted among 100 randomly selected practitioners (58 Architects, 37 Quantity Surveyors and 5 Structural Engineers) to examine the relevance of the identified factors in the Ghanaian context. The factors identified as barriers to successful implementation of sustainable construction and measures to overcome potential barriers to sustainable construction were evaluated and ranked according to their mean scores. The five strongest barriers to the implementation of sustainable construction in Ghana are ranked as cultural change resistance, lack of government commitment, fear of higher investment costs, lack of professional knowledge, and lack of legislation respectively. Factor analysis using the SPSS Version 16 package enabled the barriers identified to be grouped under six components as 1) Financial barriers, 2) Political barriers, 3) Management/ Leadership barriers, 4) Technical barriers, 5) Socio-cultural barriers, 6) Knowledge/ Awareness barriers. The results of this study would enable the Ghanaian construction industry to be successful in its quest to implement sustainable construction. This will be possible through the implementation of the measures suggested to remove potential barriers to the implementation of sustainable construction. Identification of barriers and measures to overcome potential barriers are steps towards successful implementation of the sustainability concept in the Ghanaian construction industry

Impacts of Construction Activities on the Environment: The Case of Ghana

Construction activities impact on the environment throughout the life cycle of development. These impacts occur from initial work on-site through the construction period, operational period and to the final demolition when a building comes to an end of its life. Even though the construction period is comparatively shorter in relation to the other stages of a building’s life, it has diverse significant impacts on the environment. This study investigates the major impacts of construction activities on the environment in Ghana. Thirty-three possible impacts of construction activities on the environment were identified from literature. These impacts were further categorized into nine major groups and were subjected to a cross-sectional survey. Questionnaire and interview were used to elicit the views of respondents. Questionnaires were distributed to 100 randomly selected construction practitioners made up of 58 architects, 37 quantity surveyors and 5 structural engineers registered with their professional bodies. Semi-structured interview was conducted amongst purposively selected contractors and consultants. The respondents were asked to identify the most important environmental impacts. The relative importance of the impacts identified were calculated and ranked by the relative importance index. According to the results of the study, the respondents agreed that resource consumption group impacts ranked highest among the major impacts of construction activities on the environment in Ghana. The resource consumption group impacts were raw materials consumption, electricity consumption, water consumption and fuel consumption. Biodiversity impact was second followed by local issues impacts. The paper recommends that stakeholders in the construction industry should come up with special legislations, codes or standards relating to sustainable construction practices specific to Ghana’s construction environment and ensure proper and effective implementation. Keywords: Construction Activities, Construction industry, Environment, Ghana, Impac

Understanding corporate innovation readiness and frequency factors with the Democratic Survival, Mirrored and Compulsive (DSMC) Framework

This paper introduces the Democratic Survival, Mirrored, and Compulsive (DSMC) Framework, a step-by-step guide to help businesses understand their innovation readiness status. The framework calculates several attributes and plots the results on a graph indicating the factors to consider in the company’s innovations strategy. The primary findings indicate factors that impact the innovation frequency, such as the available R&D facilities, financial position and stability, cumulative organizational knowledge, policy direction, and the organizations’ industry. Therefore, the paper extends the SMC framework to the Democratic SMC (DMSC) that aligns the SMC phases with the Company Democracy Model innovation evolution levels by relating and categorizing the SCM innovation factors to the CDM levels. This helps to understand the organizational innovation DNA and also the culture and philosophy that impacts the company’s human intellectual capital production frequency and the utilization frequency of this capital as well

Fatigue resistance of hot-mix asphalt concrete (HMAC) mixtures using the calibrated mechanistic with surface energy (CMSE) measurements approach

Fatigue cracking is one of the fundamental distresses that occur in the life of a Hot Mix Asphalt Concrete (HMAC) pavement. This load induced distress leads to structural collapse of the entire pavement ultimately and can only be remedied by rehabilitation. There is the need, therefore, for a total understanding of the phenomenon to be able to counter its occurrence. The fatigue resistance of hot mix asphalt concrete (HMAC) has been estimated using approaches ranging from empirical methods to mechanistic-empirical methods to purely mechanistic methods. A continuum mechanics based approach called the Calibrated Mechanistic with Surface Energy (CMSE) measurements was developed at Texas A&M University and recommended after comparison with other approaches in predicting fatigue lives of two Texas HMAC mixtures. The CMSE approach which includes fundamental material properties such as fracture, aging, healing, and anisotropy has been shown to effectively model the parameters that affect the performance of HMAC pavements exposed to repetitive traffic loads. Polymer modified asphalt (PMA) improves pavement performance by providing additional resistance to the primary distresses in flexible pavements, including permanent deformation or rutting, thermal cracking, and fatigue cracking. In this research, the CMSE approach was utilized to estimate the fatigue resistance of HMAC fabricated with asphalts modified with Styrene-butadiene-Styrene (SBS) co-block polymer. These HMAC mixtures were fabricated from materials used on three different road sections in Texas and one test pavement in Minnesota. The CMSE approach was validated as an effective approach for estimating the fatigue resistance of HMAC mixtures with PMA. The effect of oxidative aging on the fatigue resistance of the HMAC mixtures was also verified. Oxidative aging of the mixtures resulted in a corresponding decrease in mixture fatigue resistance. In addition, for two HMAC mixtures with the same binder content and aggregate gradation, the mixture with the softer of the two Performance Grade (PG) binders exhibited greater fatigue resistance. The use of the Utility Theory revealed the possible effects of aggregate geometric properties on the HMAC mixture properties and consequently on their fatigue resistance

RCAP Solutions Breach Management - Case Study

Companies get hacked every day, and our in-scope company for this case study, RCAP Solution, was not an exception. Security incidents have increased both in volume and range in recent years, and cyber-attacks have become more sophisticated than ever before. There are so many reasons that drive this fact; one is that our infrastructure was not protected efficiently, but also attackers have become more knowledgeable in initiating advanced attacks at a scale. Additionally, the entrance of emerging technologies such as blockchain, machine learning, and the internet of things, added additional complexity to the already complex scene. Cybercriminals are using various attack vectors to target their victims. According to Check Point Cyber Security Report, 27% of all organizations globally were impacted by cyber-attacks that involved mobile devices in 2019 (Check Point Cyber Security Report, 2020). Many security incidents happened last year, but phishing attacks were one of the significant attacks initiated in 2019. Phishing is not a new attack; however, it is getting more popular with more efficient techniques using spear phishing, which is a more targeted attack. In general, phishing attacks happen more frequently than other types of attacks (Brute force, DDoS, Malware, etc.) because it is easier to initiate and most cost-effective

Assessing Factors Affecting Implementation of the National Building Regulations (L.I.1630) in Ghana

The National Building Regulation (NBR) (L.I. 1630) was enacted in 1996 in Ghana to regulate the erection of buildings, alteration of building structures and execute works or install fittings in connection with any building. Although, this regulation has been enacted, its implementation is questionable. The aim of this research was to assess factors affecting the implementation of the NBR and measures to enhance smooth implementation of NBR in Ghana. Interview and questionnaire survey were the two principal methods used to elicit data from 180 respondents. Three (3) key groups of respondents were targeted for the study, namely local authority staff, building practitioners and building owners. The research findings indicated that the most important factors affecting the implementation of the NBR in Ghana are: corruption; bureaucratic procedures; lack of public education about the building regulations; inadequate resources for implementers; and political interference. The respondents suggest that to deal with the factors affecting implementation of the NBR, there is the need to allow easy access to information on NBR and the use of one-stop shops to improve coordination. Also professionals who compromise the NBR should be sanctioned and then the public should be educated and sensitized about the NBR. Keywords: national building regulation, implementation, local authorities, Ghan

Deepening the Knowledge on Information Security Management in Developing Countries: Evidence from Ghana

Following the seamless integration of the internet with computer information systems and the rapid increase in the number of people worldwide who possess the skills needed to launch cyber-attacks on public communication systems, businesses and organizations can hardly assume adequate security by depending on anonymity and geographical location. The basis of this study deepens knowledge on information security management in developing countries. This study uses both quantitative and qualitative approaches to examine the information security management practices of Social Security and National Trust in Ghana. Findings from results from the study suggest significant indications of human factor vulnerabilities and threats to information security. Findings also suggest that high levels of vulnerability to an external attack. Other findings however indicate management level recognition of education and training as very essential in improving information security practices. Although the results of this study may not be generalizable, we recommend that the issue of education and training on information security management should be made top priority on the IT agendas of all organizations in Ghana. A further study is proposed to assess the value placed on information security management within the context of developing countries and the factors that influence these values. Keywords: Information Security Management, Cyber-attack, developing countries, computerization, security policy, security awareness, education and trainin

Impact of training and development on job performance in higher education: The case of Security Guards in the University of Cape Coast, Ghana.

The general purpose of this study is to examine the effect of employee training and development on job performance of security guards in the University of Cape Coast. The paper aims at drawing the attention of the public to security challenges on campuses of public universities in Ghana, and the need to provide appropriate training programmes for security guards in the universities. The study adopted a purely quantitative approach, and was underpinned by the reinforcement theory. The descriptive and explanatory survey designs were used for the study. Data were obtained from two hundred and fifty-eight (258) security guards in the University of Cape Coast. The available data were analysed using the Structural Equation Modelling. The study revealed that development programmes for security guards in the university of Cape Coast significantly contributes to their job performance. The study however, revealed that training programmes for security guards in the university have negative relationship with their job performance. The authors advised management of the Security Section in the University of Cape Coast to continue or even improve on the existing employee development interventions so far implemented, and to take strategic steps for revamping their training methods and procedures. This paper fulfils an identified need to pay attention to the security challenges on campuses of public universities in Ghana

Determinants of Dividend Policy among Banks Listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange

Purpose: The concept of dividend policy has been widely researched by scholars, however, a consensus on the factors that determine dividend policies among firms has not been yet established as findings differ depending on the industry and sector. This study aims to contribute to the stock of literature already available by observing the major factors that affect dividend decisions of banks listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE). Methodology: The study employed secondary data extracted from published financial statements of the listed banks over a 10year period. Data was also extracted from the 2015 Ghana Banking Survey Report and the 2015 Bank of Ghana annual financial report. The study was conducted on seven banks which were listed on the GSE. The study used a panel data framework constructed from secondary data of the banks between the years 2006 – 2015 using Ordinary Least Squares model to estimate the regression equation. Findings: The findings of the study showed that Returns on Asset (ROA) which represents profitability ratio was significant and a positive predictor of dividend payment among listed banks on the GSE. Other significant determinant of dividend payments include free cash flow, the leverage level of the banks, the banks ratio of non-performing loans to total administered loans (NPL/TA), the average level of inflation and Bank of Ghana’s policy rate (BPR). Number of bank branches (BBR) was found to have no significant relationship with Dividend payment by banks.Study Contribution: The study revealed that NPL/TA and BPR has negative and strong influence on dividend payment among listed banks on the GSE. No relationship existed between BBR and DPS hence the number of branches owned by listed banks does not affect their dividend payments. Banks must therefore improve on their credit risk management techniques to improve profitability in order to maintain sustainable payment of dividends. Bank of Ghana must also maintain lower BPR since high BPR was found to negatively affect payment of dividend.Recommendations: The study recommends that, future studies should include more independent variables, more banks and as well increase the years for the time series data. Future studies can also consider and compare the determinants of dividend payments among banks in Africa. Keywords: Dividend policy, Banks, Ghana Stock Exchang

Predicting Credit Default among Micro Borrowers in Ghana

Microfinance institutions play a major role in economic development in many developing countries. However many of these microfinance institutions are faced with the problem of default because of the non-formal nature of the business and individuals they lend money to. This study seeks to find the determinants of credit default in microfinance institutions. With data on 2631 successful loan applicants from a microfinance institution with braches all over the country we proposed a Binary logistic regression model to predict the probability of default. We found the following variables significant in determining default: Age, Gender, Marital Status, Income Level, Residential Status, Number of Dependents, Loan Amount, and Tenure. We also found default to be more among the younger generation and in males. We however found Loan Purpose not to be significant in determining credit default. Microfinance institutions could use this model to screen prospective loan applicants in order to reduce the level of default. Keywords: Microfinance, Loan Default, Default Prediction, Logistic Regressio