Lack Of Government Support Research Articles

CO2EOR as a Pathway to Create a CCS Infrastructure

In Europe, one of the hurdles to successful deployment of Carbon Capture and Storage projects is a lack of available infrastructure. Creating the whole value chain infrastructure for each individual project is as a rule prohibitively expensive, specifically due to the lack of government support in many of the member states. One potential way of tackling the issue is to create business cases for the stakeholders and therefore reduce the financial burden by utilizing the captured CO2. Out of the available CO2 utilization options available at the moment, CO2-EOR (Enhanced Oil Recovery with CO2) is the only one capable of continuously utilizing large volumes of carbon dioxide while at the same time creating a profitable revenue stream, and then allowing smooth transition into permanent storage and deployment of large scale CCUS. CO2-EOR combined with storage allows for just transition to new energy sources in regions heavily dependent on hydrocarbon production / processing / power generation. In the last 5 years NORCE Norwegian Research Center AS was actively involved in research for CO2-EOR combined with storage. This paper summarize approaches, concepts and findings from projects like REPP-CO2 (project supported by Norway Grants from the CZ-08 Carbon Capture and Storage programme), ENOS (project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 653718), ECO-BASE (supported by Gassnova, Norway; RVO, Nederland; UEFISCDI, Romania; TUBITAK, Turkey; and is co-funded by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 programme ACT, Grant Agreement No 691712) and STRATEGY-CCUS (funded by European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 837754). In this paper we present and discuss: • Potential approaches to early stage evaluation of CCUS value chains under large uncertainties for mature or abandoned hydrocarbon reservoirs; • Outcomes of the evaluations, benefits and hurdles from evaluation of several potential CCUS clusters in Europe. The key findings are: • Mature or abandoned hydrocarbon fields onshore Europe are available and suitable for CO2-EOR with subsequent storage; • Fields are often located in vicinity of other industrial installations (cement, steel, refinery, power plants) allowing for short-distance transport and, potentially, for better public opinion as the general public is familiar to and involved in ongoing industrial activities; • Based on experience with CO2-EOR in several locations in Europe and accounting for wide-spread application in the US, preliminary evaluations show that the overall operations may be economically feasible with ETS credits without additional government funding; • If CO2-EOR operations are followed by storage, for some of the candidate fields, the injected and stored CO2 volumes may compensate for emissions associated with recovered oil and gas during the entire field lifetime. This has been shown for some of the candidate fields that has been studied; • Many of the potential CCUS projects need to find the business opportunities and ways to “link” all stakeholders together. Tackling some of these aspects are addressed in detail by e.g. “CO2-EOR business opportunities in Romania and Turkey” by Bos, et.al. submitted to the same conference; • Lacking, or too complex legislation may provide a significant hurdle to the project deployment; • Public dialog is a vital component of establishing the project as shown by both positive and negative examples worldwide.

Supply Chain Actors' Willingness to Switch the Business of Smokeless Tobacco: A Mixed-Methods Study on Naswar Business in Pakistan.

Provision of alternate livelihoods to smokeless tobacco (SLT) supply chain (SC) actors can help in curtailing SLT business and its consumption. We explored the reasons for SC actors' engagement in Naswar (SLT used in South Asia) business and their willingness to switch to other alternatives. We conducted an equal-status concurrent mixed-methods study in four districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. We surveyed 286 general points of sale (GPOS) and exclusive Naswar (EN) vendors through multistage cluster sampling. Additionally, we interviewed 15 tobacco farmers interpretively, being distinct from other SC actors. We assessed the association between vendors' willingness to switch and their awareness about tobacco-harms, profit margin, Naswar as a family business, length of business, education level, and shop type using logistic regression. Qualitative data assessed the farmer's viable alternatives to switch and were analyzed using deductive-inductive thematic analysis. Product demand-77% and profit margins-75% were the main drivers for selling SLT by EN vendors. Half of the GPOS and 25% EN vendors expressed willingness to stop Naswar's sale. Vendors aware of tobacco-harms were more willing to switch, but less likely to switch if Naswar was perceived to bring "good profit." Farmers were mainly cultivating tobacco because of profitability, family-run farm, and perceived land-suitability for tobacco. Lack of government support was main constraint for farmers looking to switch. A considerable portion of Naswar SC actors in Pakistan are willing to switch to viable alternatives, with profitability of alternatives, support from authorities, and social obligations as key considerations in doing so. This study highlights that good profit margins in the Naswar business, lack of awareness of tobacco-related health harms, and absence of the government's support are key detriments to switching to alternative businesses among Naswar SC actors in Pakistan. These findings are the first to come out in the context of both Pakistan and Naswar product, making a case for policy interventions focusing on tax increases, awareness campaigns about tobacco-harms, and a proactive role by the government to provide support for the security of livelihoods to those tobacco SC actors who want to switch to other alternatives.

Factors Inhibiting Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives Among Construction Companies

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is one of the best strategies that companies used in minimising negative societal and environmental impacts, enhancing economic development and improving social progress concurrently. However, there are many factors discouraging construction companies to implement or establish a CSR plan. Furthermore, there are few empirical studies in relation to CSR in construction, and the majority of empirical research on CSR implementation are rooted in the organisational and economic context of the developed world. Therefore, the current study seeks to investigate the factors inhibiting CSR initiatives among construction companies within the context of a developing country such as Nigeria. The study adopted a survey research method. Questionnaires were administered to a purposively selected group of managing directors, directors, other top construction professionals or management personnel involved in the operation of small, medium and large construction companies in Nigeria. A total of 196 questionnaires were administered among the sampled respondents out of which a total of 119 representing 61% were adequately filled and returned. The data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results revealed corruption tendencies borne from lack of transparency between companies and government, lack of CSR benefits measurement, lack of financial resources, inadequate support from top management and lack of governmental support as the top five factors inhibiting CSR initiatives among construction companies in Nigeria. In addition, the results from the study revealed that, there is no statistically significant difference in factors inhibiting CSR in construction between indigenous and expatriate and partly indigenous/partly expatriate companies. The findings provide in-depth insight of the factors inhibiting CSR programmes in construction that can help top construction professionals and management personnel in construction companies facilitate development of strategies required to mitigate the factors inhibiting CSR programmes.

DETERMINATION OF THE BENEFITS AND RISKS OF PEER-TO-PEER (P2P) LENDING: A SOCIAL NETWORK TEORY APPROACH

Peer-to-Peer lending which is also known as P2P is an online financial investment platform where individual investors finance projects by lending money to individual borrowers through social networks. P2P models usually contributing to less privileged people especially entrepreneurs and frontier groups who do not have access to formal financial services. However, due to the economic conditions and lack of government support, P2P lending platforms in developing countries often fail to reveal the ‘credit history’ and ‘indebtedness’ of individual borrowers which have an expressive impact on loan performance. The objective of this study is to demonstrate theoretically the factors those influence the lenders to participate in the P2P lending platform in developing countries and the associated risks. For this purpose, two propositions are developed to examine the factors to demonstrate the role of the social network is also combined to further explain the P2P lending.

Analysis of the Charcoal Market Chain in Northwest Ethiopia

Understanding the market chain of charcoal in Ethiopia and other countries in sub-Saharan-Africa, and implementing evidence-based recommendations can improve the livelihoods of all stakeholders in the value chain. This study was initiated to identify the marketing channels of charcoal and the major factors influencing its market supply in Fagita Lekoma district, Northwest Ethiopia. Results of multiple regression analyses revealed that producers, brokers, local collectors, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers are the main actors. The most important channel starts from producers and then involves brokers as an intermediary and directs into the out of region market. Retailers had the largest net profit margin. Age and educational level of household heads, price, and post-harvest value addition were significant factors that influence the market supply of charcoal. The major opportunities of charcoal marketing were the growing demand for charcoal, and adequate supply of labor; whereas, the major constraints were lack of government support, storage problems, problems of government policy, and lack of access to credit. The study identified the need for policy interventions by the Government to improve the sustainable development of charcoal production.

Implementation of Building Information Modeling (BIM) Using Hybrid Z-DEMATEL-ISM Approach

Due to the shortcomings of the traditional construction project management system, there is a feeling among those involved in this industry that new tools and approaches should be used to facilitate simple and complex operations. On the contrary, there is no integrated database for all construction sectors, and of course the relationship between these sectors is a major problem for any construction project. The technology and tool that overcomes many of these shortcomings is BIM technology. This paper seeks to identify all the challenges that hinder the successful implementation of BIM and determine important challenges based on Z-DEMATEL-ISM Hybrid approaches. The DEMATEL method is used to obtain the weight of the challenges and the most influencing and influenced challenges. The ISM approach is then employed to design a hierarchical network of challenges and tries to determine the level and impact of each challenge in the planned structure. For closeness to the real-world, Z-number (an ordered pair of fuzzy numbers, where the first component controls on a fuzzy variable, and the second component is a measure of reliability for the fuzzy component) is also used to consider the expert’s mental uncertainties in the final results. This research tries to examine the literature related to the subject and consider the sources and opinions of many professors and university experts based on the filled questionnaires. The findings of this paper show that “misunderstanding the BIM technology” is recognized as the most important challenge with the most weight. At the same time, “lack of governmental support” is the most influencing challenge, and “lack of interaction and teamwork” is the influenced challenge.

To identify industry 4.0 and circular economy adoption barriers in the agriculture supply chain by using ISM-ANP

With increasing globalization and digitalization, agricultural organizations have started changing their business processes. Agri-organization has begun to adopt technologies to get a more sophisticated, customer-centric, and sustainable supply chain. Although the introduction of interconnected new technologies and the concept of circular economy (CE) present numerous challenges, it has proved its value in the industrial sector to achieve a sustainability target. This study identifies Industry 4.0 (I4.0) and CE adoption barriers in the agriculture supply chain (ASC) in India. The study was extended to ascertain the contextual relationship among the barriers and to prioritize them with respect to one another. The 11 barriers with their key elements were enlisted after thorough literature analysis and interaction with experts. The barriers were modeled through an integrated ISM-ANP approach. The study indicates that lack of government support and incentives and lack of policies and protocols are significant obstacles to implementing the I4.0-CE model. The findings of the current research work will be beneficial for the agri supply chain stakeholders in preparing the strategic deployment of I4.0-CE.

Navigating risks and uncertainties: Risk perceptions and risk management strategies in the Philippine seaweed industry

The Philippine seaweed industry is affected by multiple but interrelated risks. Farmers mainly encountered environment-related risks (e.g. disease, pest infestations) which, if unmanaged, could result to production failure. Traders and processors considered volatility of seaweed supply and poor quality of raw materials as precursors of other risks such as increased competition among local traders and processing companies. Gender differences in awareness and knowledge of risks were more prominent among seaweed farmers but not among traders and processors as roles become more homogenous up the value chain. Poor governance resulted in the adoption of informal and market-driven strategies to prevent or minimise losses. However, this restricted farmers to participating in higher-income trading and processing activities and contributed to increased market inefficiency. The lack of government support has also curtailed the capacity of traders and processors to engage in product development and diversification. Gender and community experiences influence and shape people’s understanding of their situations and environment including their coping and adaptive strategies in sustaining livelihoods amidst recurring risk events. Embedding informal structures and the differential needs of the stakeholders in the national institutional framework is therefore essential for the promotion of resilient and sustainable seaweed industry.

Challenges of Arabica Coffee Marketing: A Case Study in Kerinci Regency, Indonesia

Indonesia has several Arabica coffee varieties that are well known in the domestic and world markets. However, marketing challenges exist for the domestic market and few cooperatives are able to export. Arabica Coffee Kerinci, a cooperative that exports, is an exception; nevertheless, marketing challenges persist for this cooperative too. Our objectives are to examine a case study of a successful cooperative that focuses on the export market and to clarify the challenges remaining for Arabica coffee marketing. Descriptive statistics were employed to capture the complexities of these marketing challenges. Semi-structured interviews using simple random sampling were conducted with the cooperative’s leader and with 51 farmers. We find that the fundamental challenges are quality inconsistency, price fluctuations, lengthy and bureaucratic export administration, absence of bank loans, and lack of government support. We recommend the following key steps: (1) focusing on improvements in producing and maintaining superior quality that meets export standards and provides capital stimulus; and (2) through greater government and industry synergy, encouraging governments to provide support to farmers and cooperatives alike. Further, other Indonesian regions could adopt Arabica coffee for rural development. This study contributes by formulating a better understanding of the major challenges facing producers of agricultural commodities.

The Current Status, Potential Benefits and Future Prospects of the Australian Biogas Sector

Anaerobic digestion technology provides a new approach to treat organic waste while generating greenhouse gas (GHG) savings. Moreover, the methane gas produced during the process can be used to generate electricity. In order to ensure that Australia stays on its trajectory towards a carbon neutral future, the use of anaerobic digestion technology to treat its abundant organic waste streams should be considered. Thirty million tonnes (Mt) of organic waste was produced in 2017. The use of anaerobic digestion to treat 1 tonne of waste could result in 0.143 tonne of CO2-e in GHG savings. In contrast, other more widely employed waste disposal methods such as landfilling, composting and incineration may generate GHG emissions. Additionally, the use of methane for electricity production also generates the least GHG emissions per MWh. This is approximately 3 times lower than crude oil, 4 times lower than black coal and 5 times lower than brown coal. However, the adoption and implementation of anaerobic digestion technology in Australia face several immediate constraints. Firstly, anaerobic digestion technology is deemed unprofitable, incurring high initial capital cost, operating costs and extremely long payback periods. Secondly, there is a lack of government support in terms of a national target for biogas production via anaerobic digestion. This review will provide an in-depth analysis into the current state of the Australian biogas sector. In addition, the review discusses the opportunities to make anaerobic digestion technology more financially viable and to accelerate the growth of the Australian biogas sector.

Phenomenological explanation of women's lived experience with spouses with mental disorders

Context: The spouse has a very important role to play in increasing the emotional and supportive resources of the family as well as in increasing patient adjustment. Therefore, understanding their experiences can lead the health-care system to the improvement of effective care and support.Aims: This study was conducted to the explanation of the lived experiences of women with spouses with mental illness.Settings and Design: This qualitative study was carried out using the van Manen phenomenology method.Materials and Methods: Ten women were participated by purposeful sampling. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, observation, and Memo.Statistical Analysis Used: To analyze data, six-step method of “Van Manen” was used.Results: The results of life with a mentally impaired spouse include the main theme of “frustration” that includes four subthemes of “gradual extinction”, “disappointment”, “forgotten”, and “financial disconnection”. The gradual extinction consists of three subcategories: “role relocation”, “self-neglect”, and “early aging”. Disappointment consisting of four subcategories “misery”, “obligate life”, disturbance and distress” and “loneliness”. Forgotten consists of three subcategories: “not being comprehensive of treatment system”, “isolation and seclusion”, and “lack of a support”. Financial disconnection includes three sub-categories: “lack of governmental support”, “economic disturbance of the family”, and “working of woman and the children”.Conclusions: Participants in this research showed a lack of knowledge about dealing with the patient as well as the lack of attention to individual problems. Families expressed the need for effective support due to the status of women.

КОРПОРАТИВНА СОЦІАЛЬНА ВІДПОВІДАЛЬНІСТЬ ЯК КОНКУРЕНТНА ПЕРЕВАГА ПІДПРИЄМСТВА НА МІЖНАРОДНОМУ РИНКУ

The purpose of the article is to comprehend the essence of corporate social responsibility and define it as a unique characteristic, which favorably distinguishes the company from competitors in the international market. The work uses methods of synthesis and analysis, induction and deduction (to determine the content and elements of corporate social responsibility), as well as generalization methods (to determine the advantages and constraints for the use of corporate social responsibility of an enterprise when entering the international market). Results. Relevance research topic is due to the increasing role of corporate social responsibility in the conditions of globalization and the increasing influence of business on society. The article examines the features of corporate social responsibility of domestic enterprises in international business. The advantages of using corporate social responsibility by enterprises are analyzed. The reasons for the weak development of social responsibility of Ukrainian enterprises are considered, as well as the algorithm for transforming social responsibility into social benefit. Thus, having analyzed the practice of implementing CSR in international business, it should be noted that the level of involvement of domestic corporations in this process. There are several reasons for this phenomenon: lack of experience of domestic companies in the field corporate social responsibility even at the local level, lack of government support, lack of funds. Recommendations for improving corporate social responsibility of companies are offered. It has been established that corporate social responsibility is a modern way of a company to ensure its exit, successful development and functioning in the international market. Practical value. The use of theoretical and applied approaches proposed in the article in practice increases the predictability, stability and stability of the environment in which socially responsible business operates, as well as provides the company with competitive advantages in both domestic and international markets.

Operations of school health program assessment at selected secondary schools in Egor Local Government Area, Benin City, Nigeria

Background: School health program (SHP) is the most cost-effective investment a nation can make to simultaneously improve education and health conditions of her citizen. In spite of this, the adoption of SHP in developing countries is still below set standard. Therefore, this study assesses the operations of SHP in secondary schools in Egor Local Government Area (LGA), Benin City, Nigeria.Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted with accidental sampling method to select 56 school health teachers from secondary schools in Egor LGA. A self-structured instrument was used to collect data based on the research objectives. Data collected were analyzed using percentages, means, and standard deviation.Results: This study showed that despite high level of the program awareness, the actualization of its objective was found to be poor, and this was found to be related with the lack of government support, lack of needed personnel and materials, lack of effective supervision of the program and inappropriate funding.Conclusion: In-service training on SHP should be provided to enhance the skills needed for implementation of SHP. The government should provide needed materials and equipment and employ competent health personnel to take charge of the school health services, and other policymakers should mobilize and strengthen SHP and education activities at the state.

Use of Fish Farming Practices by the Fish Farmers

The main purpose of the study was to determine the extent of use of fish farming practices by the fish farmers. This study was conducted at three unions named Hapania, Kirtipur, and Tilakpur of NaogaonSadarupazilla under Naogaon district. Ninety-two (92) fish farmers were randomly selected as sample from an updated list of 120 fish farmers. Data were collected by a pre-tested interview schedule during 20th September to 20th October 2020. Simple and direct questions with different appropriate scales were used to obtain information. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis was used for the present study. Slightly above half (53.3 percent) of the fish farmers had medium use of fish farming practices, while 42.4 percent fish farmers had high use of fish farming practices, and only 4.3 percent fish farmers had low use of fish farming practices. Thus, overwhelming majority (95.7 percent) of the fish farmers had medium to high use of fish farming practices. Pond size, fish farming experience, cosmopoliteness, and extension contacts of the respondents had significant positive contribution with their use of fish farming practices. Coefficients of other selected variables namely age, education, family size, annual income, and knowledge on fish farming didn’t have any significant contribution with their use of fish farming practices. ‘Lack of government support’ emerged as the 1st ranked problem as per opinion given by the fish farmers (77.17 percent). The least problem as per opinion given by the fish farmers was ‘High labor cost’.
 Res. Agric., Livest. Fish.7(3): 565-576, December 2020

Is Ex-Post Fiscal Support to PPPs Sustainable? Analysis of Government Loans Granted to Shadow-Toll Roads in Spain: A Case Study

Budgetary constraints are prompting many governments to encourage private financing of transport infrastructure through public–private partnerships (PPPs). Fiscal support measures are often used to improve the financial feasibility of PPPs and to rebalance the economics of contracts to compensate for government-imposed changes. In the latter case, information asymmetry, political haste, and lack of competition may lead to poor government decisions in establishing support measures. Furthermore, lack of government support may lead to early termination of contracts and non-implementation of projects with high potential social benefits. This paper analyzes the awarding of subordinated public participation loans (SPPLs) to 10 brownfield shadow-toll highway PPPs in Spain after the government imposed additional works. It is hypothesized that, given the political importance of the projects and the viability problems they soon experienced, the government may not have set out the terms of SPPLs efficiently. This paper evaluates the financial and social impacts of awarding these loans to three of these projects to assess whether the government’s decision to support them was justified from a sustainable perspective. The results show that, while the government’s decision was reasonable, the design of the SPPL and its awarding conditions should be improved to ensure the public interest.

Managing the barriers of Industry 4.0 adoption and implementation in textile and clothing industry: Interpretive structural model and triple helix framework

Manufacturing industries worldwide are on the cusp of Industry 4.0 revolution which will create a paradigm shift by integrating the physical and virtual worlds. This study attempts to identify the barriers of Industry 4.0 adoption and implementation in Indian textile and clothing industry. Fourteen barriers were shortlisted through literature review, followed by questionnaire survey among industry experts. Interpretive structural modelling (ISM) was used to elicit the contextual driver-driven relationships among these barriers. It was found that lack of trained staff; lack of understanding and commitment of top management; lack of government support and policies; and poor research and development are the driving barriers. High implementation cost; fear of failure; and seamless integration and compatibility issues are the driven barriers. To overcome these barriers, a triple helix based framework has been proposed for collaborative activities among the actors of textile and clothing organisations, academia and government. This study is the first of its kind to identify and analyse the Industry 4.0 barriers in textile and clothing industry and to propose their mitigation strategies. The outcome of this study will help the policy makers to devise strategies for Industry 4.0 adoption and implementation in Indian textile and clothing industry.

Internacionalización de emprendimientos culturales de Latinoamérica

This research purports to identify cultural entrepreneurship’s cooperation strategies in Latin America; such strategies permit entrepreneurship´s internationalization. The research had a descriptive and correlational focus and had a quantitative and non-experimental methodological design. This design facilitated identification of systemic thought as a starting point for the development of collaborative work within the cultural sector. Four hundred and fifty businessmen were surveyed; they belonged to Latin-American Cultural Industries. The main finding and conclusion was the achievement of priority identification in connection with entrepreneurship´s applicability and reconnaissance. It became evident that those who achieved internationalization did so either by using strategic alliances or by reaching foreign markets by means of their own financing. Lack of government support caused both networking and cross-border cooperation to be the main strategies to achieve entrepreneurship´s internationalization.

Exploring the Social Innovation and Sustainopreneurship Developing Barriers in Sri Lanka

The interconnection between innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainable development is a subject of immense concern these days, as society is considering answers leading to sustainable development. Further, Social Innovations play a significant role in the development of Sustainopreneurship in the context of sustainable development. Given this context; this study investigates the Social Innovation and Sustainopreneurship developing barriers in Sri Lanka. The Multiple case study method was used, and data were collected by conducting in-depth interviews with fifteen Sustainopreneurs in Sri Lanka. The findings of the study reveal that there are several barriers to developing Social Innovations and Sustainopreneurship, such as competition arise from non-sustainable businesses, lack of government support, high price, and people’s attitude towards Social Innovations and Sustainopreneurship. As there has been a dearth of research conducted on this area, this study contributes to the Social Innovations and Sustainopreneurship literature. The recommendations provide useful information to policymakers and practitioners, who should help to inform future strategies in this field.

Barriers to accessing and providing rehabilitation after a lower limb amputation in Sierra Leone – a multidisciplinary patient and service provider perspective

Purpose The primary aim was to explore the perceived barriers that lower limb amputees and service providers face when accessing or providing rehabilitation services. The secondary aim was to describe the lower limb amputations performed in public hospitals in the Western Area of Sierra Leone in 2018. Materials and methods A mixed methodology was employed, involving the collection of amputation data from surgical logbooks and interviews with amputees (n = 10) and group discussion and interviews with service providers (n = 11). Results Of the 37 primary lower limb amputations (49% men, 51% women; median age 56 years; 62% transtibial and 35% transfemoral amputations) 86% were for diabetic and vascular causes. Barriers to accessing services included poor transportation access, high service fees, rural living, gender and a lack of government support. Insufficient funding and supplies, skilled staff shortages and a lack of local training programmes were frequently reported barriers to providing rehabilitation services. Conclusions A low prioritisation means rehabilitation services are underfunded, resulting in numerous barriers to both accessing and providing amputee rehabilitation services. Subsidised services and an outreach programme may improve access for patients. Increased funding and local training programmes are needed to improve service delivery. Implications for Rehabilitation Comprehensive and accessible amputee rehabilitation services can enable people with amputations to regain their independence and aid their participation in their community and workplace. There are numerous barriers to both accessing and providing amputee rehabilitation services in the Western Area, Sierra Leone, chiefly financial. We recommend a revised effort by the Sierra Leonean government to implement the progressive policies on disability they have already adopted into law, which will aid the improvement of amputee rehabilitation services. New education and training programmes for all levels of prosthetic and orthotic professions are needed to secure the future of prosthetics and orthotics in Sierra Leone.

Constraints Hindering the Development of High-Rise Modular Buildings

Off-site construction has been increasingly employed due to its advantages, for instance, improved quality control, reduced skills labour, faster construction time, decreased material wastage and safe working environment. As the most cutting-edge off-site construction, modular buildings have been utilised for residential building, student accommodation, and hotel projects. However, because of existing and underlying constraints, the adoption of modular buildings is still relatively low. To reveal factors hindering the development of high-rise modular buildings, a comprehensive literature review, coupled with a focus group study, were conducted. A questionnaire survey inquiring about all stakeholders was implemented to quantify constraints. The results were further examined according to a real-life case study. This paper manifested that “Lack of coordination and communication among stakeholders”, “Higher cost”, “Lack of government support”, “Lack of experience and expertise”, “Lack of building codes and standards”, “Poor supply chain integration”, and “Complexity of connection” are the top barriers curbing the uptake of modular buildings. The findings should provide a valuable reference for stakeholders adopting modular buildings, whilst mitigating risks amid modular construction. Future research is expected to exploit building information modelling and design for manufacture and assembly to alleviate these existing constraints and promote the performance of modular construction as well.