An exploration into design criteria for affordable housing in Malaysia

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 360-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
AbdulLateef Olanrewaju ◽  
Seong Yeow Tan

PurposeThe establishment of design criteria is an important activity in the initial phase of housing development. A lack of adequate information regarding design criteria will result in poor satisfaction of homebuyers, pre-occupancy obsolescence, high maintenance costs, property overhang and the abandonment of houses. In Malaysia, many of these consequences are prevalent. However, while information on homeowners’ requirements is inconclusive, paper aims to investigate the criteria upon which design teams/developers base their decisions in the design of affordable housing.Design/methodology/approachThe present research conducted a cross-sectional survey questionnaire comprising 25 design criteria administered to 200 stakeholders in the housing industry. The design criteria were determined through a weighted mean. The associations between the criteria were analysed through a principal component analysis.FindingsThe results found that safety and security of home occupants and property, maintenance costs, noise and nuisance minimisation, extent of future modifications and waste disposal were the five major design criteria. Factor analysis narrowed down the 25 criteria to six factors, which explained 77 per cent of the total variance. The six underlying factors named of significance were operating costs, sustainability, comfort, neighbourhood, transportation and spatial. The findings also indicated that the design teams/developers paid little attention to a few critical design criteria.Research limitations/implicationsFuture studies should involve a large sample size and increase the design criteria.Practical implicationsThe study is important for improving homebuyers’ satisfactions because it provides information design team and developers decision-making factors.Originality/valueThis study is the first to address design criteria of affordable housing in Malaysia and elsewhere. This research provides fresh information on design management of affordable housing. The findings will be useful to policymakers, urban planners, place managers, design consultants and developers.

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 307-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasmine Leby Lau ◽  
Ahmad Hariza Hashim ◽  
Asnarulkhadi Abu Samah ◽  
Azizah Salim Syed Salim

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the dimensionality of the environmental concern scale (NEP) and to understand the environmental worldviews of Malaysian project managers. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional survey was conducted among developer organisations registered with Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association Malaysia in Klang Valley. Response was obtained from project managers and the final sample collected was 87 cases, representing a response rate of 24.5 per cent. Principal component analysis with varimax rotation was conducted to investigate the underlying structure of the NEP items while frequency distribution for the data set was used to gauge the environmental worldviews of the respondents. In addition, face-to-face interviews were carried out to gather more information to complements the findings of quantitative analyses. Findings Five factors were extracted but due to heavy cross-loadings, two items from the original scale were dropped, reducing it to be a 13-item scale. The four factors retained explained 61.6 per cent of the variance and were duly named Human over nature, ecocrisis, rights of nature and limits of growth. High scores on both pro-NEP and pro-dominant social paradigm items revealed the co-existence of both ecological and utilitarian view of the environment among project managers. Similar outcome was obtained from interviews with project managers where they indicated efforts in finding compatibility between protecting the environment and exploiting natural resources for development. Research limitations/implications The sample was restricted to housing developers in Klang Valley, thus the findings cannot be generalised to all developer organisations or other construction occupational groups. Practical implications This research supported the multidimensionality claim of the environmental scale (NEP) where four distinctive dimensions were identified. The usage of individual subscales in understanding environmental beliefs may reveal interesting patterns in that each dimension could have positive and negative connotations on human behaviours. In addition, the co-existence of both an ecological and a utilitarian view of the environment revealed that these worldviews align well with sustainable development principles. Originality/value This study is one of the few local studies that attempt to understand the environmental worldviews of project managers.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Oluwafemi Ayodele ◽  
Kahilu Kajimo-Shakantu

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the challenges to data sharing among construction stakeholders in the South African construction industry and also assess stakeholders’ perceptions of the benefits of data sharing. Design/methodology/approach This study is a cross-sectional survey administered via a Web-based online survey on construction professionals registered with the South African Council for the Project and Construction Management Professions (SACPCMP). The respondents rated on a five-point Likert scale the level of influence of the challenges of, and the benefits derivable from data sharing. These were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. Findings The results of the principal component analysis (PCA) presented a five-factor structure of the challenges to data sharing, including reporting context/framework/lack of expertise, cost considerations/clients’ influences, data interoperability, stakeholders conservative attitude and personal interest/data confidentiality. These have percentage variances 17.124%, 16.929%, 13.786%, 13.353% and 12.961%, respectively. For the benefits of data sharing, the constructs were categorized into four themes, namely, optimal project decisions/stakeholders’ confidence, benchmarking/ collaboration among firms, time and cost benefits and enhanced market intelligence. These have respective variances of 24.598%, 18.393%, 16.160% and 14.685%. Practical implications It is expected that this study will provide information to stakeholders towards implementation policies and practices that could eliminate the challenges to data sharing and assemblage, thereby enhancing the level of data sharing in the construction industry. Originality/value Given the increasing global and technological changes, it might be expected that there will be an increased appeal by construction stakeholders towards embracing data sharing and assemblage owing to the inherent benefits and value.


2021 ◽  
pp. 101053952110110
Author(s):  
Md. Nazrul Islam ◽  
Abu Reza Md. Towfiqul Islam ◽  
Md. Sajjat Hossain ◽  
Md. Tabiur Rahman Prodhan ◽  
Mohammad Hasan Chowdhury ◽  
...  

We aimed to assess mass media influence on changing the healthy lifestyle behavior of people during the early phase of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. Principal component analysis and stepwise multiple regression model showed that knowledge level, media credibility, and media check-in had the most considerable contribution to influencing community people’s healthy lifestyle.


2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 367-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chukwuma C. Nwuba ◽  
Uche S. Egwuatu ◽  
Babatunde M. Salawu

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate client influence on mortgage valuation in Nigeria to establish and rank the means of influence clients employ, and the impact of firm characteristics on client influence. Design/methodology/approach – A combination of cross-sectional survey and focus groups research designs was adopted. Questionnaire structured on five-point Likert format was used to collect data from a sample of valuation firms in five Nigerian cities. Descriptive statistics, χ2, and moderated hierarchical linear model were used for data analysis. Findings – Clients’ means of influence on valuation are more of subtle approach than threat or coercion. The most prevalent means are respectively, plea for assistance, promise of continued retainership on banks’ valuer panels, and disclosing the loan amount. Client influence differs across cities; firm characteristics have no influence on client pressure. Practical implications – The research provides basis for valuation bodies to review practice rules and standards and seek for legislation for valuer independence. It can serve as material for teaching and training in professional ethics. Social implications – Biased valuations jeopardises credit risk mitigation process with potential for destabilising banks, finance sector, and consequences for the economy. Originality/value – The study provides empirical evidence of the nature of client influence across several major Nigerian cities. In contrast to existing Nigerian studies that focus on single cities, the study covers several cities. It therefore provides a broad basis for problem-solving and decision-making.


2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 586-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erkan Oktay ◽  
Abdulkerim Karaaslan ◽  
Ömer Alkan ◽  
Ali Kemal Çelik

Purpose – The main aim of this study is to determine the factors that influence the housing demand of households in Erzurum, northeastern Turkey. Housing demand is generally affected by several factors including housing prices, individuals’ income, expectations and choices and so on, as a means of its demographic and socio-psychological contexts. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey was carried out, in which the outcome variable had binary responses such as whether to invest in housing or not. A binary logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the underlying data. Findings – The questionnaire was conducted in 2,927 households living in Erzurum city center, and 47 per cent of the respondents claimed that they would consider investing in housing in the future. The estimation results reveal that demographic or socio-economic factors that may possibly influence housing demand of the respondents are as follows: household head’s and spouse’s occupation, monthly income, the number of individuals in the family and car ownership. Originality/value – This paper involves the most comprehensive survey addressing the housing demand in the East Anatolian Region, Turkey. Additionally, this paper aims to contribute to the existing housing literature through establishing the statistical analysis of housing demand in an unstudied territory of the world.


2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 886-906 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erling Rasmussen ◽  
Barry Foster ◽  
Deirdre Farr

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to place empirical research on New Zealand employers’ attitudes to collective bargaining and legislative change within the context of the long running debate of flexibility. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional survey design using a self-administered postal questionnaire, covering private sector employers with ten or more staff and including employers within all 17 standard industry classification. To explore particular issues, an additional in-depth interviews were conducted of 25 employers participating in the survey. Findings It is found that employers support overwhelmingly recent legislative changes though there are variations across industries and firm sizes. There is also considerable variation in terms of which legislative changes are applied in the workplace. Despite fewer constraints on employer-determined flexibility, there was a rather puzzling finding that most employers still think that employment legislation is even balanced or favouring employees. Originality/value Cross-sectional survey findings of New Zealand employer attitudes to legislative changes are few and provide valuable data for policy makers, unions, employers and employment relations researchers. The paper also contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of pressures to increase employer-determined flexibility in many western countries.


Author(s):  
Alex Anlesinya

Purpose This study examines the factors that hinder employee training and learning in the automotive industry in Ghana, Africa. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts quantitative research methodology and cross-sectional survey design. Eighty-nine usable questionnaires from employees of an automotive organization in Ghana are used. Descriptive statistics and one-sample t-test are used for the analyses. Findings The results indicate that organizational culture, poor management commitment to training, inadequate promotion prospects, and lack of transparency and fairness in trainees’ selection are the most common barriers to employee training and learning. Practical implications Top management should provide opportunities to employees to apply new skills and knowledge they acquired. Fair and transparent procedures should be used to select training beneficiaries. Finally, organizations should develop cultural systems that encourage continuous learning motivation among their employees. Originality/value In this era of knowledge-driven economy, this research highlights factors that inhibit employees’ motivation to learn.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mordecai Chrysostom Matto

Purpose This paper aims to examine the influence of records management on the performance of procurement management units (PMUs) in Tanzania. Design/methodology/approach To meet the objective of the study, cross-sectional survey design and quantitative approaches were used for data collection and analysis. Preliminary analysis of the data was carried out using descriptive statistics and structural equation modelling was then used to analyse the influence of records management standards on procurement performance. The data were collected from 164 government PMUs in Tanzania. Findings The findings revealed that records management attributes significantly affect procurement performance in Tanzania. Furthermore, government policy and integrity factors confound the association between records management and procurement performance. Practical implications The policymakers and practitioners of public procurement are required to be aware of records management principles and how each related factor influences the performance of PMUs. They should emphasise proper storage and housing, equipment, arrangement and access and implement electronic records management. Originality/value This study shows how the ISO 15489 model can be applied to public procurement processes. This study also provides the lesson that procurement records need to be protected to ensure their authenticity, reliability, integrity and useability.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachael Rief ◽  
Samantha Clinkinbeard

PurposeThe purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between officer perceptions of fit in their organization and stress (organizational and operational), overall job satisfaction and turnover contemplation (within the last 6 months).Design/methodology/approachThe authors used cross-sectional survey data from a sample of 832 officers from two Midwest police departments to examine the relationships between fit, stress and work-related attitudes.FindingsPerceived stress and organizational fit were strong predictors of overall job satisfaction and turnover contemplation; organizational fit accounted for the most variation in stress, satisfaction and turnover contemplation. Organizational stress partially mediated the relationship between organizational fit and job satisfaction and organizational fit and turnover contemplation.Research ImplicationsMore research is needed to identify predictors of organizational fit perceptions among police officers.Practical implicationsFindings indicate that agencies should pay close attention to the organizational culture and structure when trying to address issues of officer well-being and retention. Further, the person−environment framework can be a useful tool in examining police occupational outcomes.Originality/valueThe authors findings contribute to research on officer stress by exploring perceptions of organizational fit as a predictor of stress and unpacking how officer stress matters to important work outcomes, including job satisfaction and thoughts of turnover, by considering stress as a mediator between organizational fit and these work outcomes.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kojo Kakra Twum ◽  
Daniel Ofori ◽  
Gloria Kakrabah-Quarshie Agyapong ◽  
Andrews Agya Yalley

Purpose This study examines the factors influencing intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 in a developing country context using the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and health belief model (HBM). Design/methodology/approach Through a cross-sectional survey design, the study adopted a quantitative approach to data collection and analysis. The study used an online survey to collect data from 478 respondents eligible to take the COVID-19 vaccine in Ghana. Findings Attitude, social norm, perceived behavioural control, perceived susceptibility and cues to action were found to be predictors of COVID-19 vaccination intention. The results also showed that perceived severity, perceived benefits and perceived barriers did not predict COVID-19 vaccination intention. Practical implications To enhance the effectiveness of COVID-19 social marketing campaigns, social marketing theories such as the TPB and HBM can aid in assessing the intention of the target population to take the vaccines. An assessment of vaccination intention will help understand disease threat perception and behavioural evaluation. The consideration of the effect of demography on vaccination intention will aid in developing effective campaigns to satisfy the needs of segments. Originality/value This study adds to the limited research on understanding citizens’ intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 by combining the TPB and HBM to predict vaccination intention. The study contributes towards the use of social marketing practices to enhance the efficacy of vaccination campaigns.


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