Chukwuma O.B. Okoye and Babatunde K. Adeleke
Seasonal studies of water quality in partially protected shallowwells in Akure, Nigeria were carried out. The well waters were of highchemical quality, but higher values of…
Abstract
Seasonal studies of water quality in partially protected shallow wells in Akure, Nigeria were carried out. The well waters were of high chemical quality, but higher values of parameters in the early rainy season than in the dry season indicate runoff water inflitration. Consequently, the waters show slight turbidity for one to two hours after rainfall due to settleable solids, a factor which renders the wells liable to chemical and bacterial contamination from surface sources. There is therefore a need for a design of drinking water wells in Akure to include making the wells deeper, at least 6 metres deep, and incorporating watertight lining of the upper part.
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Solomon Olusola Babatunde, Srinath Perera, Damilola Ekundayo and Damilola Sarah Adeleke
Building information modeling (BIM) is vital in the performance improvement of contracting firms. Thus, there is a need to stimulate its implementation in the construction sector…
Abstract
Purpose
Building information modeling (BIM) is vital in the performance improvement of contracting firms. Thus, there is a need to stimulate its implementation in the construction sector with a view to meeting the competitive demands of the industry. However, there have been very few studies on BIM implementation among contracting firms in Nigeria. Hence, this study aims to examine the current BIM uptake among Nigerian contracting firms, assess the barriers to BIM implementation and examine the ways of improving BIM implementation within these contracting firms.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire survey was conducted on contracting firms (comprising small-, medium- and large-sized firms) in Lagos, Nigeria. The obtained data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. These included percentage, mean score, standard deviation, the Kruskal–Wallis test and factor analysis.
Findings
This study revealed the current state of BIM implementation among contracting firms in Nigeria in terms of their knowledge of BIM, their usage of BIM as well as the BIM software adopted. Furthermore, the study identified 25 barriers to BIM implementation in contracting firms and identified 15 ways to improve BIM implementation in contracting firms. The relative importance of both the identified barriers and the ways for improving BIM implementation was gauged among contracting firms comprising small-, medium- and large-sized firms. The result of the Kruskal–Wallis test revealed that, except for two (out of 25) identified barriers, and one (out of 15) identified ways of improving BIM implementation in contracting firms, there is no significant statistical difference in the perceptions of the three respondents’ groups. The result of the factor analysis categorized the identified 25 barriers into seven main factors.
Practical implications
This study provides empirical evidence on the barriers to BIM implementation and the ways of improving its implementation among contracting firms, thereby providing a better insight of the Nigerian construction industry’s BIM environment.
Originality/value
This study’s findings can positively inform the decisions of construction stakeholders to formulate strategies capable of improving BIM implementation in the construction industry at large.
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Higher education institutions around the world have increasingly come to see information and communication technology (ICT) as vital to the business of teaching and learning…
Abstract
Higher education institutions around the world have increasingly come to see information and communication technology (ICT) as vital to the business of teaching and learning. Institutions invest a considerable amount of time and resources to erecting the appropriate institutional infrastructure, creating policy and practice, instituting strategy, training faculty, and building the capacity of technology staff. However, in under-resourced regions of the world, such as Africa, ICT, the availability and use of, has several challenges to overcome: a lack of institutional infrastructure, sufficient bandwidth, and limited capacity to employ ICT in the research process or the classroom. Universities report inadequate funding, poor management and infrastructure, resistance to change, inadequate training, and high costs associated with effective ICT use. Moreover, critiques of Western technopositivism surface misgivings related to the performance outcomes and appropriateness of ICT adoption in Africa. In this chapter, the author will explore the work of international organizations and regional and national research and education networks in the diffusion of ICT discourse, consider on-the-ground adoptions and innovation at universities in Nigeria, and reflect on the suitability and sustainability of technology adoption, all within an ICT for development (ICT4D) framework that lenses the evolution of technological applications in higher education. This chapter is significant in that it connects African higher education to ICT4D and frames the various discourses, policy landscapes and practice arenas, as they relate to international actors, continental initiatives, networks, universities, and faculty.
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Paul Kojo Ametepe, Adeleke Oladapo Banwo and Mustapha Sina Arilesere
Combating and detecting fraud is a daunting task, especially in the Nigerian banking sector, because it necessitates a thorough understanding of the nature of fraud, as well as…
Abstract
Purpose
Combating and detecting fraud is a daunting task, especially in the Nigerian banking sector, because it necessitates a thorough understanding of the nature of fraud, as well as how it can be performed and concealed by fraudsters. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to empirically examine the relationship and the predictive ability between amoral behavior, control climate and perceived job insecurity on fraudulent intentions among bank employees in Lagos Metropolis.
Design/methodology/approach
Descriptive and cross-sectional designs were used to select employees from 12 banks using predetermined scales. In total, 1,080 questionnaires were distributed, but 950 were retrieved and analyzed. The study used multistage sampling by applying cluster, purposive and simple random sampling techniques. Correlation and hierarchical regression analyses were used to analyze the data.
Findings
A significant positive relationship and predictive abilities were established between employee’s amoral behavior and fraudulent intentions on the one hand, and employee’s job insecurity and fraudulent intention on the other, going by the additional variance identified when each variable was added in each step, implying that employees who exhibit amoral behavior are likely to engage in fraudulent intentions. In the same manner, employees who feel insecure are likely to engage in fraudulent acts because they would want to secure their future. However, there was a significant negative relationship and predictive ability between control climate and fraudulent intention; implying that inculcating a strict control climate minimizes or totally eradicates employees’ intentions to commit fraud.
Research limitations/implications
This paper is limited to amoral behavior, control climate, perceived job insecurity and fraudulent intentions; it is limited to employees in the banking sector, with a special focus on emerging economies, Nigeria, West Africa. The implication of this is that the result may not be generalized to other sectors and other countries.
Practical implications
The practical implication of the study is that managers should be aware that employees who are in danger of losing their jobs are more likely to engage in the fraudulent act, and this should be looked into. Training and retraining, workshops, conferences and seminars on employee morale behaviors as well as strict adherence to ethical codes of conduct are vital to enlighten the employees on the dangers of perpetrating fraud and the impact on themselves and the economy at large. Control climate is a very vital tool in curtailing the incidences of fraud in the organization.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the knowledge by filling the gaps left by a lack of empirical examination into the combined influence of amoral behavior, control climate and perceived job insecurity on fraudulent intentions, especially among bankers in Lagos Metropolis. It provides management with guides on how to drastically reduce the menace of fraudulent intentions in the banking sector and by extension in other non-banking organizations.
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Mohammad S. Al-Mohammad, Ahmad Tarmizi Haron, Mohammad Numan Aloko and Rahimi A. Rahman
Rejecting building information modeling (BIM) can negatively impact the architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) industries. While BIM is trending globally, its…
Abstract
Purpose
Rejecting building information modeling (BIM) can negatively impact the architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) industries. While BIM is trending globally, its implementation in post-conflict low-income economies is still limited. The purpose of this paper is to identify the critical factors for implementing BIM in a post-conflict low-income economy, using Afghanistan as a case study.
Design/methodology/approach
This study identifies potential affecting factors for BIM implementation through reviewing existing literature and interviewing AEC professionals in Afghanistan. Then, the factors are inserted into a questionnaire survey and disseminated with Afghanistan’s AEC practitioners. The collected data was analyzed to determine the critical factors. Also, the underlying relationships between the critical factors were established through factor analysis.
Findings
A total of 11 critical factors are affecting BIM implementation in Afghanistan. From those, nine factors can be grouped into the following three components: technological, environmental and organizational. Two factors, “cost-benefit of implementing BIM” and “market demand for BIM,” are recurring in low- and middle-income economies. Conversely, the “presence of appropriate projects to implement BIM” is the unique critical factor for Afghanistan that might affect other post-conflict low-income economies.
Originality/value
This study focuses on affecting factors for BIM implementation in post-conflict low-income economies, using Afghanistan as a reference rather than other types of economies that have been widely studied.
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Onaopepo Adeniyi, Niraj Thurairajah and Feyisetan Leo-Olagbaye
Practitioners have reported a minimal and non-use of building information modelling (BIM), especially in small and medium-sized organisations and BIM infant construction…
Abstract
Purpose
Practitioners have reported a minimal and non-use of building information modelling (BIM), especially in small and medium-sized organisations and BIM infant construction industries. This development calls for a reappraisal of organisations’ strength in capabilities required for BIM uptake towards the target of global construction digitalisation. This study aims to assess the BIM Level 2 uptake capability of organisations in a BIM infant construction industry and identify the underlying interactions between the capability criteria.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used a multivariable analysis of fifteen descriptors identified from the people, process, policy, finance and technology domain. Data collection was done in the BIM infant construction industry in Nigeria. Verification of the descriptors and an evaluation of BIM uptake capability in organisations was done. Seventy-three responses were received within the selected context, and data analysis was done with mean weighting and exploratory factor analysis. Maximum Likelihood extraction and Direct Oblimin rotation were used.
Findings
Factor analysis revealed three factors that explained 53.28% of the total variance in the BIM Level 2 uptake capability of construction organisations. The factors are workforce capacity and continuous development, an affinity for innovation and strength in physical and operational facilities.
Research limitations/implications
This study provides an overarching and insightful discussion on BIM uptake capability and construction digitalisation with evidence from a BIM-infant construction industry.
Practical implications
The findings of this study are a piece of valuable empirical evidence on Level 2 BIM uptake capability. This empirical situation analysis will inform the advocacy for the advancement of BIM and enhanced utilisation of building information. Evidence on the capability performance of the BIM infant industry has been revealed.
Originality/value
The outcome is expected to stir debate on the preparedness of organisations to further exploit the benefits of BIM in the BIM infant construction industry. Examination of the capability for a particular phase of BIM is scanty in the literature.
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Oluwaseyi Olalekan Alao and Godwin Onajite Jagboro
Abandonment of construction projects is still a burning issue in Nigeria. Beside the poor financing of educational infrastructure, abandonment of construction projects remains a…
Abstract
Purpose
Abandonment of construction projects is still a burning issue in Nigeria. Beside the poor financing of educational infrastructure, abandonment of construction projects remains a significant contributor to the inadequacy of facilities in Nigerian public tertiary educational institutions. The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to assess the causes of abandoned projects specific to public institutions of tertiary education in Nigeria, with a view to providing empirical data that are generalizable to enhancing successful delivery of teaching and research facilities.
Design/methodology/approach
Primary data used for the study were obtained through questionnaires administered to 47 professionals comprising 8 architects, 12 mechanical and electrical engineers, 15 civil/structural engineers, 4 builders and 8 quantity surveyors who were involved in physical development of construction projects in public tertiary educational institutions in Osun State. The data were analyzed using mean analysis, factor analysis and the Kruskal-Wallis (K-W) test.
Findings
The factors most significant to abandonment of tertiary educational institutional projects were delayed payments, fund mismanagement, inadequate budgetary allocation, inadequacy of finance, inflation and bankruptcy of the contractor. Findings also showed that not all factors causing abandonment were significant to tertiary institutional projects. The significant factors clustered under stakeholders’ response capacity, poor financial management, inadequate planning and monitoring, and unexpected occurrences. The K-W test showed significant differences among the categories of tertiary institutions on the ranking of the most significant causes of abandoned projects.
Research limitations/implications
The study was limited to public tertiary educational institutions in Osun State. Further studies could focus on public health institution projects and private tertiary educational projects to improve the body of knowledge on the subject of causative factors for project abandonment.
Practical implications
The study provided implications for effective contract management of public tertiary educational institutional projects, which is a significant step to improving the available teaching and research facilities in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
Originality/value
The study provides implications for effective contract management systems of projects for public tertiary educational institutions, thereby improving the available teaching and research facilities.
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Comfort Olubukola Iyiola and Modupe Cecilia Mewomo
Understanding electricity use behaviour is considered one of the strategies to achieve sustained electricity management in buildings. The lack of understanding of occupants’…
Abstract
Purpose
Understanding electricity use behaviour is considered one of the strategies to achieve sustained electricity management in buildings. The lack of understanding of occupants’ electricity use behaviour has been found to cause various environmental and ecological issues. This paper aims to investigate the factors influencing occupants’ inefficient use of electricity in buildings becomes a vital area of study to achieve maximum benefit in the area of electricity management.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopted a quantitative survey and questionnaire as instruments for gathering relevant information from end-users in the study area, and the data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics.
Findings
The major factors influencing the electricity use behaviour of students in the study area were attributed to their level of awareness, personal beliefs and attitude towards electricity, managerial influences and economic factors.
Originality/value
The threats to the environment and ecology necessitate immediate attention to the elements that impact students’ electricity use habits. This research explains the key elements that might impact students’ electricity consumption habits in buildings. Understanding these key characteristics will provide policymakers with vital knowledge of its prevalence.
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Lukman Raimi, AbdulGaniyu Omobolaji Adelopo and Hassan Yusuf
This study aims to empirically investigate the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainable management of wastes and effluents (SMWE) in Lagos…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to empirically investigate the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainable management of wastes and effluents (SMWE) in Lagos Megacity.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper adopts a quantitative research method, specifically the use of a Web-survey technique for eliciting responses from a cross-section of companies affiliated to the Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry (LCCI). From a target population of 2,300 companies, a sample of 92 companies was drawn using the sample determination formula of Parten (1950). The 92 sampled companies were randomly administered Web-based questionnaires through their official emails. Finally, the 56 responses received from the participating companies (corresponding to 61 per cent response rate) were analysed electronically and the results presented using descriptive and inferential statistics.
Findings
The results show strong positive relationships between CSR and advocacy on waste and effluents (0.7), environmental impact response (0.7), environmental sustainability policy (0.6) and preventive negative impact (0.6) with P < 0.05. However, weak positive relationships exist between CSR and monitoring mechanisms (0.3) and adequacy of infrastructure for wastes and pollutants management (0.4). Overall, there is a significant positive relationship between CSR and sustainable management of solid wastes and effluents in the sampled companies in Lagos.
Research limitations/implications
The research is limited to Lagos Megacity because it is the industrial and commercial hub of Nigeria. Besides, there are several industrial associations in Lagos, but the selected association was the LCCI with 56 sampled companies.
Practical implications
The research supports and validates the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), which explicates that performance behaviour of organisations is influenced by the behavioural intention and behavioural control. However, behavioural intention of organisations may be carried out, abandoned or revised based on ever changing circumstances or contexts.
Originality/value
The study bridges the gap between theory and practice of environmental CSR by enriching the understanding of academics and practitioners on CSR and environmental sustainability relationships in Lagos Megacity.
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Bamidele Temitope Arijeloye, Isaac Olaniyi Aje and Ayodeji Emmanuel Oke
The purpose of the study is to elicit risk factors that are peculiar to public-private partnership (PPP)-procured mass housing in Nigeria from the expert perspectives in ensuring…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the study is to elicit risk factors that are peculiar to public-private partnership (PPP)-procured mass housing in Nigeria from the expert perspectives in ensuring the success of the scheme thereby reducing housing deficit in the country.
Design/methodology/approach
The risk inherent in construction projects had been established through literature in general. The risk in PPP projects is emerging because of the recent acceptance of the procurement option by governments all over the globe. The Nigerian Government has also adopted the procurement option in bridging the housing deficit in the country. This study, therefore, conducts a Delphi survey on the probability of risk occurrence peculiar to PPP mass housing projects (MHPs) in Nigeria. Pragmatic research approach through the mixed method of both quantitative and qualitative methods was adopted for this study. The quantitative method adopts the administration of questionnaires through the Delphi survey, whereas the qualitative method used interviews with the respondents. A two-stage Delphi questionnaire was administered to construction practitioners that cut across academics, the public and the private sectors by adopting convenient sampling techniques and following the Delphi principles and procedures. A total of 63 risk factors were submitted to the expert to rank on a Likert scale of 7 and any risk factors that the mean item score (MIS) falls below the grading scale of the five-point benchmark is deemed not necessary a risk factor associated with PPP MHPs and thereby expunged from the second round of the Delphi Survey. The interview was subsequently applied to the respondents to substantiate the risk factors that are peculiar to PPP-procured mass housing in the study area.
Findings
The findings show that risk factors such as maintenance frequent than expected, life of facility shorter than anticipated and maintenance cost higher than expected fall below 5.0 benchmark with MIS of 4.64 and 4.55 indicating that the risk factors are not peculiar to PPP mass housing in Nigeria.
Research limitations/implications
The implication for practise of this research is that these risk factors provide the PPP stakeholders with the comprehensive checklists that can aid in developing PPP risk assessment guidelines in the sector though both partners should be aware of the dynamic nature of risk because new ones might be emerging.
Originality/value
The authors hereby declare that the research findings are a product of a thorough research conducted in the study area and have not to be submitted or published by another person or publisher and due acknowledgement was made where necessary.