This study analyzed the farmer-perceived importance of adaptation practices to climate change and examined the barriers that impede adaptation. Perceptions about causes and effects of long-term changes in climatic variables were also investigated. A total of 100 farmer-households were randomly selected from four communities in the Lawra district of Ghana. Data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires and focus group discussions (FGDs). The results showed that 87% of respondents perceived a decrease in rainfall amount, while 82% perceived an increase in temperature over the past 10 years. The study revealed that adaptation was largely in response to dry spells and droughts (93.2%) rather than floods. About 67% of respondents have adjusted their farming activities in response to climate change. Empirical results of the weighted average index analysis showed that farmers ranked improved crop varieties and irrigation as the most important adaptation measures. It also revealed that farmers lacked the capacity to implement the highly ranked adaptation practices. The problem confrontation index analysis showed that unpredictable weather, high cost of farm inputs, limited access to weather information, and lack of water resources were the most critical barriers to adaptation. This analysis of adaptation practices and constraints at farmer level will help facilitate government policy formulation and implementation.

Cultural influence has recently received significant attention from academics due to its vital role in the success or failure of a project. In the construction industry, several empirical investigations have examined the influence of culture on project management. The aim of this study is to determine the impact of project organizational culture on the performance of construction projects. A total of 199 completed construction projects in Vietnam with specific data gathering through questionnaires were analyzed. The findings reveal that contractor commitment to contract agreements is the most significant cultural factor affecting project performance. Goal alignment and reliance, contractor commitment, and worker orientation (i.e., commitment to workers) contribute to improved overall performance and participant satisfaction. Contractor commitment and cooperative orientation enhance labor productivity, whereas goal alignment and trust and contractor commitment ensure learning performance (i.e., learning from experience). The findings of this study may assist construction professionals in implementing practices that can contribute to the sustainability and success of construction projects.

Understanding the differences in the risk judgments of residents of industrial communities potentially provides insights into how to develop appropriate risk communication strategies. This study aimed to explore citizens’ fundamental understanding of risk-related judgments and to identify the factors contributing to perceived risks. An exploratory model was created to investigate the public’s risk judgments. In this model, the relationship between laypeople’s perceived risks and the factors related to the physical nature of risks (such as perceived probability of environmental contamination, probability of receiving impacts, and severity of catastrophic consequences) were examined by means of multiple regression analysis. Psychological factors, such as the ability to control the risks, concerns, experiences, and perceived benefits of industrial development were also included in the analysis. The Maptaphut industrial area in Rayong Province, Thailand was selected as a case study. A survey of 181 residents of communities experiencing different levels of hazardous gas contamination revealed rational risk judgments by inhabitants of high-risk and moderate-risk communities, based on their perceived probability of contamination, probability of receiving impacts, and perceived catastrophic consequences. However, risks assessed by people in low-risk communities could not be rationally explained and were influenced by their collective experiences.

The rapid expansion of the biomass power generation industry has resulted in the conversion of substantial agricultural waste (crop straw) into energy feedstock, thereby increasing the income of farmers and promoting the development of rural areas. However, the promising industry faces financial deficits because of difficulties in collecting straw from farmers. To determine strategies for overcoming the biomass supply problem, we apply Stackelberg game theory in modeling the Chinese biomass supply chain and design incentive scenarios under stakeholder risk perception. We illustrate the proposed methodology through an empirical case study on China and demonstrate the effects of incentives on farmers and middlemen. Results show that with incentives, straw quantity and stakeholder profit are expected to increase. Incentives exert a particularly remarkable effect on farmers, with such inducements producing the highest social welfare. Moreover, perceived risk dramatically affects stakeholder profit. Mitigating the risk perception of farmers is expected to significantly advance the development of the biomass power generation industry, increase stakeholder profit, and decrease the amount of incentives needed.

The textile industry is a significant source of nonyphenol and their ethoxylates, which are suggested to be responsible for endocrine disruption in wildlife and humans. This study is a comparison of two conventional wastewater treatment processes in a cotton and a synthetic fiber factory in Vietnam, with regard to the distribution and removal of nonyphenol ethoxylates and nonyphenol throughout each process. Diverse trends in the distribution of nonyphenol ethoxylates in wastewater from factories, distinguished by their raw materials, could be revealed. Primary coagulation might not perfectly facilitate nitrification in the secondary activated sludge process regarding pH. Nevertheless, satisfactory removals were achieved during coagulation and activated sludge processes in both systems. The roles of long hydraulic retention times (21 and 16 h, respectively), low organic loadings (0.1 and 0.2 gCOD/gMLVSS.day, respectively), extended solids retention times (61 and 66 days, respectively), and mixed liquor suspended solids of greater than 2000 mg/L have been demonstrated. The findings provide evidence and a better understanding of nonyphenol ethoxylate and nonyphenol removal efficacy as well as influencing factors in Vietnamese textile wastewater treatment. The results are beneficial for the textile industry in Vietnam regarding investment decisions for wastewater treatment.

Many studies have been conducted on the poor performance of the construction industry. Nigeria’s construction industry has been linked to project delays and cost overruns, leading to many abandoned construction projects throughout the country. These issues are largely attributed to inadequate project management practices and the underutilization of project managers. To address these challenges, an institutional analysis was conducted to examine the factors, within the institutional framework of the Nigerian construction industry, that hinder the effective utilization of project managers and the implementation of project management practices. Data were collected from the previous literature and were supported by data collected through semi-structured interviews in Nigeria. The collected data were coded into a four-level framework for institutional analysis. This method was employed to analyze the interrelationships between the identified embedded factors, institutional laws and regulations, and construction organizations, and to understand how their influence results in the underutilization of project managers. Deviation analysis was conducted as an additional method to categorize the impacts of the embedded factors at each institutional level and to determine how these impacts contribute to the underutilization of project managers in the Nigerian construction industry (NCI). It was found that the system of the underutilization of project managers consists of two subsystems: underutilization and lowering commitment. For the former subsystem, corruption, political influence, religious and tribal discrimination, and organizational culture were found to adversely influence the institutional structure of the construction industry in Nigeria. These factors weaken the governance mechanisms within the industry, leading project managers to prioritize corrupt practices over project needs. The ineffectiveness of existing laws and regulations exacerbates the situation, supporting unfair working conditions and contributing to the underperformance of project managers. This result leads to development at the top of the latter subsystem, with minimal incentives and limited opportunities for career growth within construction organizations. The findings hold significant potential for addressing systemic issues in the Nigerian construction industry, particularly the underutilization of project managers and organizational support measures to improve project management practices and mitigate the adverse effects of corruption.