Suchergebnisse

Purpose
Qualitative researchers are often confronted with a dilemma of selecting an appropriate approach within which to situate their research. This has led to successive attempts by qualitative researchers in the built environment (BE) to combine two dominant approaches – deductive and inductive; in the conduct of their inquiry. Such attempts can be traced to the poor comprehension of the abductive approach. The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the principles of the abductive approach and illustrate its applicability within the context of BE qualitative research.


Design/methodology/approach
In this study, an illustrative case study is used to depict the usefulness of the abductive approach in BE research. The case relied upon is a recently completed study of an infrastructure delivery system and an assessment of the system's ability to deliver on socio-economic sustainability objectives.


Findings
It was established that extant theories, particularly those with a history of provenance, could be used as a basis for the development of testable propositions for assessing certain phenomena, qualitatively. However, the manner in which these propositions are utilised under an abductive approach is pivotal to the generation of credible findings.


Research limitations/implications
It is expected that the findings of this paper would create awareness among researchers on the relevance of an abductive approach to qualitative research.


Originality/value
This study makes an authentic contribution towards resolving the challenge confronting qualitative researchers within the BE discipline as it pertains to selecting between deductive and inductive approaches. In this case, an abductive approach is suggested and its modalities shown through a comprehensive study.

Purpose
This study aims to review the zeal exhibited by universities in South Africa towards aligning institutional mandates of teaching, learning, research and community engagement to the sustainable development (SD) agenda. The implementation of the SD agenda across higher education institutions (HEIs) continues to draw attention from the wider society. This is because HEIs are increasingly being looked up to for leadership in this regard. However, although several studies are quick to identify various factors which have driven the adoption of sustainable practices in HEIs, the paucity of studies seeking to identify the drivers for SD implementation remains glaring. This is particularly so in developing countries like South Africa.


Design/methodology/approach
To confirm the exploratory data from desktop study on public university engagement with sustainability in South Africa, a single case study was conducted in the Central University of Technology (CUT). The single case study design adopted semi-structured interviews and document reviews as data collection techniques. Purposive snowballing sampling technique was strictly adhered to in the selection of interviewees. Interviewees were selected on the basis of their roles in the implementation of the CUT's sustainability agenda.


Findings
Data emanating from these interviews were analysed thematically using qualitative content analysis. Although a plethora of drivers were identified, there appeared to be a consensus between most of the interviewees that the quest for cost reduction remained the most significant driver for the viable implementation of the sustainability agenda at CUT.


Research limitations/implications
It is expected that findings from this study would provide a platform for the development of effective implementation strategies in South African HEIs. Also, the findings contribute to filing the extant gap observed concerning implementation and drivers for engendering SD implementation in HEIs in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region.


Practical implications
By highlighting the drivers for SD implementation, this study contributes to the development of a more receptive social ontology among various stakeholders in an HEI towards the agenda, particularly within the SSA context where there is low level of awareness and buy-in by these stakeholders.


Originality/value
This study makes an original contribution to the research base of SD in HEIs and implementation.

The purpose of this exploratory study is to examine the maturity of South Africa's provincial government departments in engaging with the Infrastructure Delivery Management System (IDMS) towards facilitating effective infrastructure delivery. Furthermore, the study sought to formulate evidence-based interventions that could be utilised by these government departments to engender successful delivery of infrastructure assets and associated services to their beneficiaries. This research was descriptive and employed the quantitative research approach. Data was elicited from three provincial government departments in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Structured maturity modelling questionnaires were deployed for data collection from the respondents. The emergent data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), Version 26. A One-Way ANOVA, aimed at enabling a comparative analysis of differences in the degree of maturity between the three provincial government departments that utilise the IDMS, was conducted. Results from the study indicate that the three departments (cases) had a maturity rating between 3 and 4, signifying well-defined and documented standard processes that can be improved over time. However, an IDMS-ready organisation would ideally have a maturity rating at level 5. In addition, the leadership dimension was found to be a driver of all other dimensions, where a high maturity level under this dimension directly correlates with improved maturity in the other dimensions. It is recommended that adequate management and leadership support is needed to improve organisational maturity in relation to IDMS implementation. The study was confined to KwaZulu-Natal, due to the short survey period for information gathering and data collection. The COVID-19 pandemic also had a great impact on the undertaking of some key research processes mostly affecting the research methodology, particularly during data collection. This study is the first of its kind in South Africa to assess the maturity of provincial government departments to implement the IDMS, which is indicative of an evaluation void gap.

Published Book Chapter ; Successful implementation of Sustainable Development (SD) in Higher Education cannot be achieved through distinct knowledge and operational silos. Rather, the storyboard of success shows the importance of stakeholder contributions. However, achieving a consensus among stakeholders has proven to be a herculean task when power relations are uncertain. Such lack of consensus accentuates a need for the evolution of an SD based social ontology within a University system. As a first step towards achieving such ontology, it is imperative that the perceptions of these stakeholders are gauged and understood. This is the central objective of this study. In this study, the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) is used as an exemplar to explore the existence of diverse stakeholder perceptions and the impact of such on the attainment of expected implementation outcomes. This study obtains data through semistructured interviews from identified stakeholders within the CUT. Observations from the data confirmed the prevalence of diverse perceptions on the definition of sustainability and the components of SD as well as its expected outcomes. The findings from this study would assist in the evolution of an SD based social ontology within the University by harnessing the identified perceptions of the various stakeholders.

Published Article ; Although mixed performances have been documented in attempts by South African higher education institutions (HEIs) to integrate the ethos of sustainable development (SD) into their core activities, neglect of such integration in the management of built assets and spaces on their campuses has been observed. This prompted the introduction of the Green Campus Initiative (GCI) in South Africa in 2012, among other things. However, implementation performance of the GCI seems to be under-reported, hence the need for this study. The study explored the level of awareness, as well as the perceptions of stakeholders, of the success or otherwise of the GCI in their respective institutions. Adopting a case study research design, this study relied on semi-structured interviews. Interviewees were recruited through purposive snowballing at a selected HEI, which served as a case study. Data that accrued from these sources was analysed using the thematic analysis technique. The preliminary findings revealed a considerable level of awareness among the interviewed stakeholders. The interviewees also agreed regarding the potential of the concept to make a significant contribution to resolving the environmental challenges bedevilling the South African context. Impediments hindering successful implementation of the initiative were also identified. Findings from this study will contribute to a wider research project seeking to optimise GCI implementation performance in South African HEIs.

Growing consumerism and population worldwide raises concerns about society's sustainability aspirations. This has led to calls for concerted efforts to shift from the linear economy to a circular economy (CE), which are gaining momentum globally. CE approaches lead to a zero-waste scenario of economic growth and sustainable development. These approaches are based on semi-scientific and empirical concepts with technologies enabling 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) and 6Rs (reuse, recycle, redesign, remanufacture, reduce, recover). Studies estimate that the transition to a CE would save the world in excess of a trillion dollars annually while creating new jobs, business opportunities and economic growth. The emerging industrial revolution will enhance the symbiotic pursuit of new technologies and CE to transform extant production systems and business models for sustainability. This article examines the trends, availability and readiness of fourth industrial revolution (4IR or industry 4.0) technologies (for example, Internet of Things [IoT], artificial intelligence [AI] and nanotechnology) to support and promote CE transitions within the higher education institutional context. Furthermore, it elucidates the role of universities as living laboratories for experimenting the utility of industry 4.0 technologies in driving the shift towards CE futures. The article concludes that universities should play a pivotal role in engendering CE transitions.

Purpose: The construction industry represents most of every country's finances and vital to continued economic growth and activities, especially in developing countries. The impact of the severe acute respiratory syndrome-2 disease (COVID19) on the government's income resulted in the expectation of many public projects being cancelled or delayed providing little opportunity for the emergence of new public projects. This study collated a global qualitative perspective (survey interviews) on the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and the positive and negative impacts for future-proofing the construction sector. Design/methodology/approach: In total, 76 respondents from five continents excluding South America responded to the online open-ended structured questionnaire. Data collected were analysed through artificial inteligence analytics tool – Zoho analytics. Findings: The themes indicating the positive impact obtained from the interview were overhead cost reduction, remote working environment, focus on health and safety, improved productivity and sustainability goals while the themes signifying the negative impact were low business turnover, delays in construction payment and output, difficulties working from home and job losses. Supply chain management, construction project management improvement, concentration on health and safety and effective virtual working environment were collated as themes on lessons learned. Social implications: The major findings of this study emphasise on the need to improve the occupational health and safety and onsite safety measures for future proofing of the construction industry. Originality/value: The findings from the analyses made clear the imperativeness of the built environment research, with a focus on novel framework and strategies for future proofing the construction industry.

AbstractIn most developed nations, a formal recycling industry oversees the management of solid waste. The opposite happens to be the case in underdeveloped nations wherein, the informal recycling sector has assumed such functions. The informal methods used in Nigeria for managing buildings' end‐of‐life situations has shown in many ways to be compliant with the sustainability goal since they provide an excellent example of how the waste hierarchy may evolve independently, with little or no assistance from policy and regulatory bodies. The purpose of this study is to conceptualise the processes through which salvaged materials from buildings in Kano State, Nigeria is processed in a step‐by‐step manner, ensuring that least amounts of materials end up in a landfill. Adopting a qualitative research design to achieve the study's aim, this study engaged 19 purposively selected experts through semi‐structured interviews in the city of Kano, Nigeria. The collected data was analysed using thematic analysis. Using the biomorphic adaptation of an African snail's shell, the study's findings led to the development of a conceptual model that depicts the actual scenario of handling demolition waste in Nigeria while highlighting the important elements and the inherent interactions among them. Based on these findings, the study recommends that the identified limitations in the Nigerian construction industry be addressed for the purposes of practice improvement and emergence of a comprehensive framework for the sustainable handling of building demolition waste (BDW).

This exploratory study investigates the implementation of capital budgeting practices (CBP) by selected public sector construction firms (PSCF) in Tanzania. This investigation seeks to assess the extent, to which such practices are used for effective investment decision-making, with a particular focus on the country's housebuilding sector. A case study research design was adopted to collect data from five Tanzanian PSCF, serving as cases through a mix of questionnaires, interviews and document reviews. The emergent data was analysed using thematic analysis. An appreciable level of CBP implementation was observed in all the cases. The internal rate of return (IRR), net present value (NPV) and payback period (PBP) capital budgeting techniques (CBT) were observed to be mostly used by these PSCF, while sensitivity analysis was widely deployed for risk mitigation. The influence of top management in decision- making, political influence and lack of advanced software were some of the implementation challenges identified. The findings contribute to the elucidation of CBP implementation praxis in the public sector organisation context in developing countries, as it relates to the housebuilding industry in Tanzania's unexplored context. The study proves to be a valuable resource for public sector entities in developing countries intent for facilitating effective investment decision-making about infrastructure procurement and it contributes to improving knowledge of CBP implementation, consideration of risk mitigation factors and post-project implementation audits by public sector firms.