Department of Construction Economics and Management

The studies described in this paper investigated the use of a decisional heuristic-anchoring-and-adjustment-in an information-rich, real world setting. In order to assess the generalizability of laboratory research on this decision heuristic, students and real estate agents toured and made pricing decisions about real estate properties. It was hypothesized that manipulated listing prices would anchor values assigned to the properties. Results were consistent with the use of an anchoring-and-adjustment value estimation strategy in information-rich, real world settings. Implications for the understanding of judgmental expertise are discussed. Q

This article develops an equilibrium framework for strategic option exercise games. I focus on a particular example: the timing of real estate development. An analysis of the equilibrium exercise policies of developers provides insights into the forces that shape market behavior. The model isolates the factors that make some markets prone to bursts of concentrated development. The model also provides an explanation for why some markets may experience building booms in the face of declining demand and property values. While such behavior is often regarded as irrational overbuilding, the model provides a rational foundation for such exercise patterns.

Analysis of more than seven hundred pairs of simultaneous independent appraisals of institutional-grade commercial properties shows that the standard deviation of the random component of appraisal error is approximately two percent. Random appraisal error appears constant across both time and the institutional-grade investment universe, except during infrequent periods of real estate market gridlock. Most appraisal error is deterministic in nature, even though it usually appears random in routine crosssectional analysis. Such appraisal error can be constrained and reduced by investment management control systems.

This study employed the household survey data of Lesotho to empirically examine the patterns of gender variations in personal savings. Pairwise correlations and cross tabulation were used to establish the strength and existence of relationship between savings and other variables in question. It has been found that income do influence both men and women to safe though women tend to safe more than men do at all levels of income. Ownership of productive resources compels both men and women alike to safe. It has been found that income is a major determinant of differences in savings and women tend to safe more at all levels of income. Productive assets ownership compels all the individuals to safe even more. Savings was found to grow with the size of the household that the bigger the household the more the consumption will be. Age on the other hand adversely affect women while compelling me to safe. Marital statuses more adversely affect women than men. Education tends to compel both men and women to safe. The study concluded that urban dwellers are more savers than their rural counterparts irrespective of their gender differences. Women savings respond positively to income generating activities, more opportunities to them will yield even higher levels of savings. Sustainable income generating projects are therefore advocated. Women's independence in saving is also important in ensuring their economic empowerment to reduce dependency syndrome ii

This paper seeks to establish the legal justification for South Africa's ban on traffic in transit of second-hand vehicles in its territorial boundaries. In doing so, the analysis of the ban based on the WTO law, Article XX and Article V were used. Article V provide for the freedom of traffic in transit while Article XX gives the general exceptions to the main principles of the GATT 1994. It has been found that the ban cannot be justified under the WTO law as it does not apply to like products in the South African market.

Background Child maltreatment poses high risks to the mental health and cognitive functioning of children not only in childhood but also in later life. However, it remains unclear whether child maltreatment is directly associated with impaired cognitive functioning or whether this link is mediated by mental health problems. Our study aimed at examining this research question among children and adolescents in Uganda. Methods A sample of 232 school-going children and adolescents with a mean age of 14.03 (SD = 3.25) was assessed on multiple forms of maltreatment using the Maltreatment and Abuse Chronology Exposure—Pediatric Version (pediMACE). Executive functions were assessed by the Tower of London task and working memory by the Corsi Block Tapping task, while mental health problems were assessed using the Child PTSD Symptom Scale for PTSD and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC). Results In total, 232 (100%) of the participant reported to have...

Background Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) affects about 13 million under-five children (U5), with an estimated one million dying every year. In this study we aimed at determining the in hospital mortality and its associated factors among U5s admitted with SAM. Methods This was a prospective cohort study of children 6 months to 5 years with SAM admitted at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH) between June and August 2015. Care-takers were interviewed to collect socio-demographic and clinical information. Children under-went physical examination and had blood drawn for HIV, serum glucose, malaria, full blood count, culture and serum electrolytes investigation. Children were managed according to WHO treatment guidelines for SAM. All participants were followed up for a maximum period of 30 days. The proportion of U5 deaths within the first 48 hours and during the entire admission period was calculated. Using Poisson regression analysis, predictors of in-hospital mortality were ana...