UCT Open Access Journals (Univ. of Cape Town)
Not a member yet
801 research outputs found
Sort by
Reducing the property appraisal bias with decision support systems: An experimental investigation in the South African property market
Get PDFBackground – Researchers have observed that valuation accuracy and valuation variation are caused by human adaptive approaches called cognitive shortcuts. Of particular interest for valuation tasks is the susceptibility of decision-makers to the anchoring and adjustment heuristic, a mental shortcut which involves deliberate and conscious adjustment of values. Various studies have shown that valuers are prone to anchoring to asking price, previous estimates, and other reference points.
Aim – The research aim is to determine the efficacy of a decision-support tool in reducing property appraisal bias.
Setting and Methods – A controlled experimental study design was used. The design in which test persons had to appraise a fictitious property is based on a German study that uses a self-written valuation software, adapted to South African conditions. The software comprises two versions, a standard software and a decision-support software. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric testing were used to interpret the results.
Findings – Despite the results not being as robust as expected, the study revealed that test subjects were susceptible to the anchoring bias and that using a decision-support tool can help reduce this and so decrease the valuation variations.
Practical implications – This study heightened the need to counter the effect of bias in valuation. Few studies have delved into debiasing methods and even fewer have used technical tools for this task. Other forms of cognitive shortcuts used by valuers should be incorporated into the decision-support tool, and a similar test run for different valuation settings
The Use of Less Relevant Heuristics in Mortgage Valuations in Tanzania
Get PDFValuation-surveyors, like all other disciplines, are invariably influenced by a host of factors when estimating values for different purposes. Faced with complex decision-making in valuation, many surveyors are compelled to make use of heuristics (shortcuts). The use of heuristics helps to improve information processing systems and thus increase efficiency in decision-making processes. However, the unconscious use of these shortcuts often leads to errors in selecting solutions for the problem at hand. This study was aimed at confirming the use of less relevant and less researched types of heuristics in mortgage valuations in Tanzania. These included availability heuristics, representative heuristics and positivity heuristics. The study employed a survey research method whereby a sample of 56 valuation-surveyors from valuation firms based in Dar es Salaam were given questionnaires to complete. Out of the 56 questionnaires distributed, 44 were returned. The findings revealed surveyors’ propensity to use less relevant heuristics for virtually the whole valuation process. In all the identified uses of heuristics the surveyors were found to have diverted from the prescribed valuation procedure. Such behaviours have the potential for propelling the use of wrong inputs in the value assessment process and/or modifying the final assessed value. Therefore, the findings provide another explanation for the causes of the already observed valuation variance in Tanzania
Engaging minibus taxi drivers in the quest for child safer roads
Get PDFSouth Africa has double the world average child road fatality rate, with at least 1 300 children killed every year. A leading contributor to this public health challenge is the lack of safe public transport that enables children to reach schools easily. Minibus taxis (MBTs), South Africa’s incarnation of paratransit services, have aimed to fill this gap by providing transport at a reasonably priced fare and a relatively higher frequency, compared with other modes of public transport. However, the informal nature of MBTs means that this form of transport places passengers at a relatively higher risk of road accidents due to the use of unroadworthy vehicles, reckless driving and speeding. This paper provides an overview of the Safe Travel To School (STTS) programme, which was initiated in 2014 with a view to providing a localised intervention that would potentially strengthen the safety of MBTs for scholar transport in South Africa. The programme aims to provide safer travel for child passengers by monitoring driver performance through a tracking device installed in each vehicle and rewarding good driver performance each quarter. A driver recruited into the programme also undergoes health tests and training that covers first aid, defensive driving and road safety training. The literature review that each of these components improves driver performance. A previous evaluation of the programme found that since inception, drivers in the programme have shown better driving performance than general motorists. Thus, the STTS programme potentially provides an implementable practice model for safe scholar transport that is oriented towards a developing country like South Africa
Security architecture for a 5G mHealth system
Get PDFGlobal health challenges and the proliferation of mobile technologies have been key in the adoption of mHealth for provision of low-cost and equitable healthcare. Evolution of mobile networks to 5G is expected to revolutionise healthcare service delivery due to the stringent performance requirements imposed on 5G. However, because of the open nature of 5G systems, securing patient health information has been identified as a significant barrier to the full adoption of mHealth. In this paper, we propose a security architecture for an mHealth system based on a review of standard principles and guidelines for designing 5G security systems. We present a structured approach for developing and implementing an end-to-end 5G mHealth security system. We propose a security architecture that can be realised using keyless signature infrastructure blockchain, X-tee technology to secure the communication system including hospital and third-party health data networks, physical layer security for securing the wireless interface in access networks, physical unclonable functions, and a trusted execution environment for securing end-user devices. We propose the adoption of network slicing for isolating health systems from other 5G industry verticals. We define system domains that are used to identify security threats and propose mechanisms to mitigate these threats
Organisational Commitment of Construction Skilled Workers in Selected Construction Firms in Nigeria
Get PDFSkilled construction workers are crucial to the successful delivery of construction projects. However, there have been reports of their shortage within the Nigerian construction industry. Ensuring commitment of the few available ones to their organisation is important as this is bound to influence the service delivery of these organisations. This paper presents the result of the assessment of the organisational commitment of skilled construction workers in Abuja, Nigeria. A quantitative survey design was adopted, and data were gathered from selected skilled construction workers in 31 construction companies registered with Nigeria's Federation of Construction Industry. Organisational Commitment Scale was adopted in assessing the commitment of these set of workers, and data were harnessed through the use of a questionnaire. Percentage, mean item score and Kruskal-Wallis H-Test were used in analysing the data gathered. Cronbach Alpha test was also conducted to test the reliability of the research instrument. The study revealed that the common type of commitment exhibited by skilled construction workers is the continuance commitment. Factors such as getting feedback from supervisors, payment received being equal to work done, and the availability of opportunities to grow, play a major role in the commitment type being exhibited. The practical implication of this result is that construction companies within the country need to improve in the aspect of human resource management to attain better commitment and at the same time improve their productivity. It is believed that the findings of this study will assist construction organisations in adopting the right method that will help enhance the organisational commitment of their skilled workers.
Keywords: Construction workers, Nigeria, Organisational commitment, Skilled workers, Workers satisfaction
Factor's Influencing Contractors Risk Attitude in the Malaysian Construction Industry
Get PDFThe Malaysian construction industry often acts as a vehicle that motivates' the development of the nation's economy. The industry is commonly referred to as a catalyst for development. However, poor performance in terms of productivity and quality systems has been the main issues of discussion from most of the government reports. In order to improve performance in the Malaysian construction industry, the introduction of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) in 1994 has made all industries in Malaysia to identify hazards, conduct risk assessment and control those risk and at the same time implement an integrated system to ensure consistency and better performance of projects in Malaysian industries. Therefore, in this paper, the ranking of specific factors affecting contractors' risk attitudes in the Malaysian construction industry was assessed. A review of relevant literature was undertaken to identify the factors influencing contractors' risk attitudes. The study found that the four leading specific factors influencing contractors risk attitude in the Malaysian construction industry are; Project Related Factors, Working capital, Human-Related Factors, and External Environment. The study confirms the individual factors that affect the contractor's risk attitudes. Knowledge of these factors will facilitate contractors' decision-making process and serve as a useful reference for further studies in the field of construction project management.
Keywords: Contractor's risk attitude, Malaysia, Risk attitude, Risk managemen
Bird distribution dynamics - Indigenous francolins in South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland
Get PDFThis is one of a series of papers on bird distribution dynamics that deals with the six indigenous francolin species of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. These gamebirds are affected by various ecological and anthropogenic drivers such as fire, livestock grazing, agriculture, wing shooting and other forms of habitat modification. Their resident statuses and ground-living habits also renders them vulnerable to predators as well as the aforementioned drivers. Assessing the differences between reporting rates of the two South African Bird Atlas Projects as well as overlaying a recent national land cover spatial dataset we attempted to identify which habitats might have caused declines and/or increases in distribution. Using the same methods as with previous bird distribution dynamics papers, we revealed that most species have declined but, in parts of their distribution increases are evident since the first bird atlas project. Here, the perceived drivers of changes in distribution mostly in the form of land cover, are diverse and varied between species. Unfortunately, we could only speculate on the effects of fire as the land cover dataset does not provide a burnt-area class
Use of sodium dodecyl sulfate to improve tuberculosis sputum smear microscopy
Get PDFSputum smear microscopy (SSM), the most widely available tool for tuberculosis (TB) detection, has limited performance in paucibacillary patients and requires highly experienced technicians. The objective of this study was to determine whether the addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), a detergent that thins sputum, at 4% and 10%, improves the detection of acid-fast bacilli (AFB), the clarity of slides, and the biosafety of the technique. Thirty participants with presumptive TB were enrolled. Three independent, blinded technicians examined the slides. Regular sputum concentrated AFB smear and sputum culture were used as standard control methods. Sputum culture was also performed before and after 10% SDS addition for safety analysis. We found that neither SSM with SDS 4% nor SSM with SDS 10% improved the test’s performance. However, slides with 4% and 10% SDS, compared with slides prepared without SDS, had significantly better clarity scores. The 10% SDS-prepared sputum samples were all culture negative. While adding SDS detergent does not improve the performance of SSM slides, it does improve the clarity and biosafety. Where experienced technicians are scarce, especially in low resource settings, use of SDS may enhance the ease of slide reading in sputum smear microscopy
Influence of the Management Styles and Quality of Management on Project Delivery
Get PDFConstruction projects differ in features and complexity to each passing decade. Therefore, control is a fundamental requirement to avoid overruns of key performance parameters. The study aims to identify influencing factors of management practices and quality of management during construction on project delivery time to mitigate their impact. The inferential statistic was used in the analysis of data for the study. The sample population consists of architects; builders; quantity surveyors; structural engineers, and clients, totalling eighty-eight (88). The metropolitan cities of five provinces constituted the geographical delimitation of the study. The provinces are Eastern Cape; Free State; Gauteng; KwaZulu-Natal, and Western Cape, while the metropolitan cities are Bloemfontein; Cape Town; Durban; Johannesburg, and Port Elizabeth. The probability sampling method was employed in the selection of architects, South African property owner's, and masters builders. While stratified sampling was used for quantity surveyors. A questionnaire survey was conducted among these stakeholders in the Building Construction Industry to access influencing factors of management style and quality of management during construction. Finding relative to management style include that set time limits, specify goals people are to accomplish and require regular reporting on progress and for quality of management during construction are effectively coordinating resources, developing an appropriate organizational structure to maintain workflow influences project delivery time In most cases these tradesmen require supervision construction, which results in delay and attending, may drastically reduce delay on projects. Based on the finding of the study, ways to mitigate poor management style and quality of management during construction were suggested.
Keywords: Construction, Delivery time, Management style, Quality