Kwasi Gyau Baffour Awuah, Felix Nikoi Hammond and Jessica Elizabeth Lamond
The purpose of this paper is to assess cost of land title formalisation in Ghana from the standpoint of individual land/property owners with the view to suggesting a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess cost of land title formalisation in Ghana from the standpoint of individual land/property owners with the view to suggesting a cost-effective means for title formalisation in the country.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper adopts a quantitative research approach with mainly questionnaire instruments to obtain data from real estate valuers, land agents and lawyers in Accra, Ghana's capital city.
Findings
Consistent with the literature, the paper found that title formalisation cost is high with extensive time lag. A substantial portion of the cost emanates from commuting cost for follow-ups to expedite action on title formalisation activities, cost of time lag and unofficial and professional fees for facilitation of title formalisation activities.
Practical implications
For land title formalisation to contribute to socio-economic development of Ghana and other developing countries, there is a need for effective and efficient land title formalisation regime to reduce excessive time lag and monetary cost for title formalisation.
Originality/value
Few studies have examined the extent of title formalisation cost in sub-Saharan Africa. Most of these studies tend to overlook several indirect costs and give misleading cost reportage or focus on social cost. The study analyses land title formalisation cost from individual land/property owners’ standpoint. The paper incorporates indirect costs and gives an idea as to the cost trend. Being first of its kind, the study presents a new dimension to the assessment of land title formalisation cost in Ghana for policy formulation and practice.
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Raymond T. Abdulai and Felix N. Hammond
There is a longstanding argument that landed property market information management via land registration guarantees accessibility to loans from financial institutions for…
Abstract
Purpose
There is a longstanding argument that landed property market information management via land registration guarantees accessibility to loans from financial institutions for investment and wealth creation in developing economies. Thus, land registration has been prescribed as the solution to the problem of poverty and underdevelopment. The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the link that exists between land registration and access to investment loans from banks.
Design/methodology/approach
The study employed the qualitative research approach using empirical data from Ghana. Banks constituted the survey participants, and data were collected by administering a mainly open‐ended questionnaire to loans officers of 18 banks. The data was coded with the aid of Nvivo for analysis.
Findings
It has been established that: financial capability of potential mortgagors is the main criterion used by banks to grant investment loans; and land registration is not a prerequisite in mortgage transactions – it is a post‐requirement. These empirical findings are corroborated by the evidence adduced from a critical analysis of literature on the land registration system of a Western nation such as Britain.
Practical implications
To address the problem of poverty requires the implementation of policies and programmes that would empower the poor financially on a sustainable basis. Land registration per se cannot “unlock” investment capital.
Originality/value
Studies that have investigated the link between land registration and access to formal credit tend to focus on the demand side of the mortgage market. This paper, however, concentrates on the supply side by examining the prerequisites for investment loan applications. Such a study in Ghana is notably non‐existent and this is the first of its kind.
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Namrata Bhattacharya, Jessica Lamond, David Proverbs and Felix Hammond
The purpose of the research is to develop a conceptual framework to anticipate the vulnerability of value of commercial properties towards changing risk of flooding. The existing…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the research is to develop a conceptual framework to anticipate the vulnerability of value of commercial properties towards changing risk of flooding. The existing patterns, themes, and issues associated with property value and their vulnerability towards flooding were identified and used to inform the development of the conceptual model.
Design/ methodology/approach
Literature review is performed to identify the factors affecting vulnerability of commercial property values to the impact of flood risk in the UK. The review approach was based on related literature contributing to identified themes and sub-themes. The extant literature is summarized into two distinct themes of “vulnerability” and “value” contributing to changing risk of flooding. The synthesised literature is then utilized in developing the conceptual map which further paved the way towards designing the conceptual framework.
Findings
The generic conceptual framework presented explores the interaction between different internal and external influencing factors affecting the vulnerability of value of commercial property system. The framework highlighted the importance of space and time within the system. An extensive review of previous studies in both the residential and commercial sectors for different disaster studies reveals that the main research challenge in assessing the vulnerability of property values are the intensive data requirements. The need for data is considered to be the main restrictive factor resulting in lack of empirical studies in this field.
Originality/value
This study brings together two existing research domains of flood vulnerability and property value. Practitioners and researchers will find this study useful in developing an improved understanding of the vulnerability of commercial properties to flooding. The conceptual framework is an important outcome of the research which will encourage further research in this considerably neglected field.
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O. Felix Ayadi, PhD, Uric B. Dufrene, PhD, C. Pat Obi and PhD
This study identified four performance measures often employed in corporate analysis and examined their relationship with the firm's expenditures in research and development over…
Abstract
This study identified four performance measures often employed in corporate analysis and examined their relationship with the firm's expenditures in research and development over different periods. These measures reflect both the profitability of the firm and the market value of the firm's total capitalization. This inquiry is motivated by numerous attempts made in the literature to define an ideal measure of corporate financial performance. Repeated surveys and several financial studies [Mechlin and Berg (1980), Watts (1986), Dubofsky and Varadarajan (1987), and Obi (1994)] have revealed that in spite of their empirical shortcomings, the most frequently employed measures are those based on the firm's profitability, essentially, return on equity (ROE), profit margin on sales and return on total capitalization. These measures are handicapped by the fact that they reflect only the historical pattern of the accounting data generating them. In this study, we contend that a reliable measure of performance should reflect the market's perception of the riskiness and timing of the expected returns on the firm's current investments.
Adelinda Araújo Candeias, António Portelada, Adriana Félix and Edgar Galindo
The development of educational models that prioritize the well-being and sustainability of educational communities has become increasingly important in recent years. The purpose…
Abstract
Purpose
The development of educational models that prioritize the well-being and sustainability of educational communities has become increasingly important in recent years. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of teachers’ training in strategies for implementing a multidimensional approach to classroom well-being through the Teacher Centred Coaching Model on well-being in the classroom – teachers and students well-being.
Design/methodology/approach
Through a qualitative design, the authors conduct the present study to assess the perceptions of elementary teachers regarding their own competency development and that of their students during a 25-h intervention program. The study involved teachers (n = 8) and their 8–15-year-old students (n = 423). The “Teachers Perception of SWCI Impact on students” questionnaire was used to collect student data, while teacher competency data was obtained through individual interviews entitled “Strategies for Well-being in the Classroom Intervention”.
Findings
The analysis of the data showed that teachers believed that improving well-being strategies could benefit the personal development of both themselves and their students. Furthermore, the study revealed a positive impact on the personal and professional well-being of the teachers who participated in the program. After completing the program, students displayed improved abilities in attention and concentration, as well as better personal relationships, organizational skills and emotional regulation. The teachers emphasized that self-awareness and self-regulated learning had a positive influence on their own well-being, as well as on that of the educational community, by promoting empathetic communication, sharing experiences and implementing good practices aimed at enhancing well-being and sustainability.
Research limitations/implications
The study involved eight participants, comprising eight females and two males. This number could be seen as a limitation, but in another way, these participants (from all the several regions in Portugal) allow us to reach a level of theoretical saturation of the contents in analysis because they complete all the several moments of training, coaching and implementation of the proposal, and their practices, reflections and actions guarantee the depth of data, as Burmeister and Aitken (2012) and Fusch and Ness (2015) propose.
Practical implications
The teachers emphasized that self-awareness and self-regulated learning had a positive influence on their own well-being, as well as on that of the educational community, by promoting empathetic communication, sharing experiences and implementing good practices aimed at enhancing well-being and sustainability.
Social implications
After completing the program, students displayed improved abilities in attention and concentration, as well as better personal relationships, organizational skills and emotional regulation.
Originality/value
This study adds to both theoretical and practical development of continuing teacher training about social and emotional learning and executive functioning and its possible role in promote the personal development of teachers and students.
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Norman Rudhumbu, Wilson Parawira, Crispen Bhukuvhani, Jacob Nezandoyi, Cuthbert Majoni, Felix Chikosha, Kwashirai Zvokuomba and Bernard Chingwanangwana
This study aims to establish the online teaching behaviour of university lecturers as well as examine issues and challenges for online teaching in universities in Zimbabwe during…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to establish the online teaching behaviour of university lecturers as well as examine issues and challenges for online teaching in universities in Zimbabwe during the COVID-19 era and beyond.
Design/methodology/approach
The study assumed a quantitative approach that employed a structured questionnaire for data collection. Structural equation modelling using AMOS version 22 and independent samples t-test were used for data analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis was used for data purification.
Findings
The results of the study showed that organisational factors, technological factors, pedagogical factors, student factors and the gender of lecturers have a significant influence on the behavioural intentions of lecturers to teach online. The results also showed that the behavioural intentions of lecturers to teach online has a significant influence on the actual online teaching behaviour of the lecturers. The results also showed that lecturers mostly used the WhatsApp platform for teaching. Issues and challenges affecting the online teaching behaviour of lecturers in universities in Zimbabwe were also identified.
Research limitations/implications
The results of this study have implications for policy and practice with regard to online teaching and learning during periods of pandemics and beyond.
Practical implications
The results showed that for effective teaching to be done in universities, universities should not continue focusing on single platforms such as blackboard, Moodle and others, but should allow for a multimedia approach that factors in platforms such as WhatsApp, Google Classroom and others. This will ensure that even universities with limited technology infrastructure will be able to have online teaching occurring.
Social implications
The study demonstrated the influence of gender in online teaching by showing that there are gender differences in the way university lecturers conduct online teaching. This also has implication on teaching and policy as these results demonstrate a need for universities to come up with strategies and policies that ensure despite gender differences, university lecturers should be able to effective teach online.
Originality/value
While the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology has been widely used in research, the current study represents the first opportunity that the theory has been used to establish the online teaching behaviour of university lecturers in the context of Zimbabwe.
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This article reviews the empirical accuracy of various alternatives for size used in measuring corporate performance. The primary focus is to expose inherent weaknesses in…
Abstract
This article reviews the empirical accuracy of various alternatives for size used in measuring corporate performance. The primary focus is to expose inherent weaknesses in usefully interpreting these size factors. The empirical performance of a number of size alternatives which are frequently used in the management literature is then analysed. Consistent with explanations offered by Coffman (1983) and in most other financial studies, the market value of equity is identified as the most robust single measure of corporate size. However, measures of size that are based on total capitalisation and sales performance, appear to provide increasing explanatory power.
Fernando Rios-Avila and Gustavo Javier Canavire-Bacarreza
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the heterogeneous labor market responses of indigenous and non-indigenous women to intimate partner violence (IPV) using information…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the heterogeneous labor market responses of indigenous and non-indigenous women to intimate partner violence (IPV) using information from the 2003 Demographic and Health Survey for Bolivia.
Design/methodology/approach
This analysis employs an instrumental variable with a Heckman correction approach to account for possible endogeneity problems between IPV and job exit decisions, and the self-selection of women into the labor force. It also analyses the sample across different population characteristics to search for heterogeneity and potential explanations to the observed effects.
Findings
The results show that the effect of IPV on women’s job exits is stronger among non-indigenous women compared to their indigenous counterparts. These differences could be tied to the cultural differences between these two segments of the population. These results are robust using different methodologies and specifications.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first one to compare the relationship between domestic violence and labor market outcomes in a multi-ethnic developing country, such as Bolivia.
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This special “Anbar Abstracts” issue of the Journal of Product & Brand Management is split into six sections covering abstracts under the following headings: Marketing strategy;…
Abstract
This special “Anbar Abstracts” issue of the Journal of Product & Brand Management is split into six sections covering abstracts under the following headings: Marketing strategy; Customer service; Pricing; Promotion; Marketing research, customer behavior; Product management.