Search results

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between culture and entrepreneurial orientation (EO) in informal enterprises and the moderating role of their survival intent.

This paper used Hofstede's national culture framework and theory of EO to develop a novel conceptual framework. The data were collected using a survey from a sample of 385 informal enterprises and analyzed using partial least square structural equation modelling.

The findings of this paper confirmed that power distance, uncertainty avoidance and normative orientation negatively affect EO in contrast with the positive effect of individualism and masculinity. Although power distance and uncertainty avoidance negatively affect an EO, the findings showed that survival intent weakens the negative nexus between these variables and strengthens the positive effect of individualism and masculinity on EO.

Although this study examined how survival intent moderates the nexus between national culture and EO across informal enterprises in emerging economies, the data were collected in Nigeria only. This study also examined EO in aggregate and considered only one sector.

This study recommends that policymakers and practitioners understand the important links between firms' characteristics, culture and EO while designing training programs, policies and procedures. Doing so will support the successful implementation of entrepreneurship programs, address the prevailing entrepreneurial needs and cultural deficits across enterprises and promote the efficient allocation of resources.

This paper extends Hofstede's framework of national culture and EO in the context of informal enterprises in emerging economies by examining the nexus between national culture and EO, moderated by survival intent.

Drawing on the job demands-resources (JD-R) model, the authors examine how working in the hybrid workplace model (telework and flexible work) affects job performance via the intervening role of work engagement.

The authors adopted a quantitative approach and collected data from 277 employees working in universities in Nigeria. Partial least square structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data and test the hypotheses.

The findings reveal that flexible work, not telework, has a significant and positive effect on job performance. It also emerges that flexible work positively affects work engagement, and work engagement significantly mediates the relationship between flexible work and job performance. However, the findings do not support the effect of telework on work engagement and the mediating role of work engagement in the proposed relation between telework and job performance.

The paper provides fresh insights by linking the components of the hybrid workplace model with job performance and employee work engagement and extending the JD-R model to the hybrid workplace setting. The practitioners can benefit from the findings of this study by factoring in the importance of the hybrid workplace model in designing policies and procedures to promote job performance.

The global economic crisis triggered by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused the closure of countless ethnic minority businesses (EMBs) worldwide, partly due to the public policy responses. This paper investigates whether EMBs’ entrepreneurial orientation (EO) mediates the impact of public policy responses to COVID-19 on their survival.

Utilizing institutional theory, the authors developed a novel conceptual framework that divides policy responses to COVID-19 into aggressive (imposing restrictions on movement, e.g. lockdowns) and less aggressive policy responses (not imposing restrictions on movement, e.g. social distancing). The authors then surveyed intra-regional EMBs, specifically businesses owned by ethnic minorities in the Kano and Katsina provinces of Nigeria, and analysed the data using structural equation modelling and analysis of variance (ANOVA).

The authors found that intra-regional EMBs in developing countries are very vulnerable to the public policy responses imposed by governments to curb COVID-19. Aggressive policy responses have a more significant negative effect on the survival of intra-regional EMBs than their less aggressive counterparts. Furthermore, the authors found that EO as a crisis response strategy significantly supports intra-regional EMBs in managing their vulnerability to the hostile institutional environment, reduces the adverse effect of public policy responses and stimulates their survival during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This paper contributes to the institutional theory of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)/entrepreneurship and the literature on EMBs by showing the role of EO in mediating the effects of COVID-19 institutional policies on the survival of intra-regional EMBs.

The use of technology has increased in the industrial sector over the years. This has propelled the construction industry to follow suit by enhancing construction technology to experience the associated benefits. However, technology adoption in the construction environment has not been smoothly implemented. This article aimed to determine the obstacles to adopting sensing technology in managing construction projects in three major sub-Saharan African nations.

The study adopted a quantitative approach using structured questionnaires. The questionnaire link was sent to construction professionals in Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa, of which 120 were responded. Data received were analysed using the Statistical Package for Special Science (SPSS) to generate mean scores and the Kruskal–Wallis test and component analysis.

The results show that construction professionals face herculean tasks when adopting sensing technology in construction project management. Some prominent challenges are initial cost, lack of proper information technology (IT) infrastructure, power supply, lack of well-trained staff, maintenance cost, operating cost, cost of training, technology immaturity and resistance to change. The results also revealed that adoption challenges differ in these three countries, which may be attributable to the economic development level.

Despite the importance of sensing devices in construction industries, the study has revealed that Sub-Saharan African countries face enormous challenges in adopting them in project management and execution. This situation may hinder the industry’s ability to benefit from this technology in terms of efficiency, effectiveness and safety management, which may ultimately affect their cash flows.

The study provides a valuable understanding of the challenges encountered in implementing sensing technology in the construction sector in major countries within sub-Saharan Africa. These findings will enable the countries examined and other African countries to become cognizant of the challenges and implement strategies to overcome them, thereby enhancing performance in the construction industry.

The development of zero-carbon buildings (ZCBs) is beneficial to the society and biodiversity. Despite the benefits of ZCBs, there are challenges limiting its development in construction industry. The current study seeks to examine the technology-related factors affecting the development of ZCB in Lagos Nigeria.

The study designed a questionnaire to achieve the main objective. Data were collected using non-probability and snowballing sampling methods. Questionnaires were distributed, and 272 valid responses were collected. Thereafter, data were analysed using mean value, percentage, frequency distribution, normality test, Kruskal Wallis test and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance.

The results from data analysis showed that, “less technical expertise in new technological advancements”, “research outcomes are not translated effectively into technology innovations”, “high cost of maintenance on ZCB”, “poor knowledge on renewable technologies” and “industry’s ability to embrace ZCB technologies (policy initiatives and industry practices)” were the topmost five technology-related factors hindering development of ZCBs in Lagos, Nigeria. Also, the results from the study show a statistically significant degree of agreement between various groups of construction organisations in Lagos, Nigeria concerning the technology-related factors hindering the development of ZCBs.

The study contributed to more effective ZCB studies by drawing attention to technology-related factors hindering the development of ZCBs in construction industry. An understanding of these challenges can help construction stakeholders, organisations, policymakers and governments in devising strategies targeted at minimising these challenges and fostering the development of ZCBs in the construction sector. The identified results on technological barriers to ZCBs development can guide targeted interventions and policy adjustments, promoting more effective implementation of ZCBs in Lagos Nigeria and serving as a model for addressing similar challenges in other developing countries. Recommendations for future research on ZCBs were also highlighted.

Technologies have had a positive impact on the construction industry. Technologies such as BIM, automation, augmented and virtual reality, Internet of Things and robotics have been adopted by construction firms to enhance productivity. However, not much research has been done on the awareness and adoption of wearable technologies for health and safety (H&S) management. This paper investigates the level of awareness and adoption of wearable technologies for H&S management in the Nigerian construction industry.

A quantitative research method was adopted for the study. An electronic questionnaire format was used as an instrument to collect the data. Both descriptive (mean score) and inferential statistics (Kruskal–Wallis test) were used to analyse the data.

The results indicate that organisations rarely use H&S wearable devices for H&S management although professionals within the construction industry are somewhat aware of the common H&S wearable devices. The findings further indicate that all 11 variables were perceived as “rarely adopted”, whereas 2 variables were perceived as “aware”, 3 variables as “slightly aware” and the remaining 6 variables as “somewhat aware”.

Data were collected from only construction professionals working in government agencies, consultancy firms and grade D contracting firms in Lagos and Abuja. For a broader perspective, a study that expands the number of states and categories of construction firms is recommended.

The construction industry in Nigeria can use the recommendations to improve H&S management on site. Moreover, the recommendations can contribute to the development of policies to promote the adoption of wearable technologies in construction sites.

Research on wearable technologies, particularly in the Nigerian construction industry, is at the developing stage. With this article, the authors contribute to the body of knowledge in this area of research.

The architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry is currently undergoing a paradigm shift as it integrates innovations such as digital twins (DT) in its activities. As a result, this study aims to ascertain the barriers affecting the implementation of digital twin (DT) technology in Nigeria’s AEC sector.

The study employed a quantitative approach using a questionnaire distributed via Google Forms, yielding 120 valid responses from built environment professionals in Nigeria. The data were subjected to statistical tests such as the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, Cronbach’s alpha, descriptive statistics and the Kruskal–Wallis test. Hypotheses were validated through partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM).

The study revealed that out of the 43 identified barriers, inadequate system integration, challenges in guaranteeing interoperability, university education on the subject is deficient, and new system compatibility with legacy systems are the main barriers to implementing DT for sustainable construction practices in the AEC Industry of Nigeria.

The study was conducted in Nigeria with a focus on the Federal Capital Territory. The study identified the barriers of DT in the construction sector.

This study developed and assessed a theoretical framework, examining the relationships between variables. The findings have important implications for the construction industry, offering opportunities to improve construction processes. Furthermore, the study will help improve sustainable practices within the built environment.

The study categorised the barriers of DT into the following: system integration; security-related; performance-related; organizational-related; data quality issues and environmental related issues.

The construction industry faces public criticism for issues like wastefulness, inefficiency, slim profits, scheduling setbacks, budget overruns, quality concerns, trust deficits, transparency, coordination, communication and fraud. This paper aims to assess the nexus between barriers and drivers for adopting blockchain in construction and its impact on construction lifecycle.

A quantitative research approach was used to collect data using a well-structured questionnaire survey. The survey, which used snowball sampling, included 155 Nigerian construction experts that included architects, builders, quantity surveyors and engineers in the built environment. The data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), which allowed for a thorough evaluation of the proposed relationships as well as industry-specific insights.

The study's findings validate the conceptual framework established. The results indicate that implementing blockchain across all stages of construction projects has the potential to improve the construction process by 88.2% through its drivers. However, there were no significant relationships found between the barriers to adopting blockchain and the potential application areas in the construction lifecycle.

This research was carried out in the South-western which is one of the six geo-political zones/regions in Nigeria, using a cross-sectional survey method. The study did not investigate the interdependence of the identified categories of drivers and barriers, limiting a comprehensive understanding of the complex dynamics and interactions influencing blockchain adoption in construction. The study is expected to stimulate further exploration and generate new insights on how blockchain technology (BT) can influence various stages of the construction lifecycle.

The findings will be immensely beneficial to both professionals and practitioners in the Nigerian construction industry in learning about the potential of BT application in improving the construction lifecycle.

This paper developed and assessed a conceptual framework by investigating the interrelationships between the constructs. The findings have important implications for the construction industry, as they offer opportunities to improve the construction process and overall lifecycle. The findings are useful for researchers interested in the potential impact of BT on the construction lifecycle and its wider implications.

Construction organizations must maintain a productive workforce without sacrificing their health and safety. The global construction sector loses billions of dollars yearly to poor health and safety practices. This study aims to investigate benefits derivable from using wearable technologies to improve construction health and safety. The study also reports the challenges associated with adopting wearable technologies.

The study adopted a quantitative design, administering close-ended questions to professionals in the Nigerian construction industry. The research data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

The study found that the critical areas construction organizations can benefit from using WSDs include slips and trips, sensing environmental concerns, collision avoidance, falling from a high level and electrocution. However, key barriers preventing the organizations from adopting wearable technologies are related to cost, technology and human factors.

The time and cost lost to H&S incidents in the Nigerian construction sector can be reduced by implementing the report of this study.

Studies on WSDs have continued to increase in developed countries, but Nigeria is yet to experience a leap in the research area. This study provides insights into the Nigerian reality to provide directions for practice and theory.

Human resource contributes significantly to the outcome of construction projects. In recent years, apprenticeship programs are being implemented to train young people to address shortage of skills workers and ageing workforce problem. This study aims to understand the factors influencing career decisions among apprentices in the construction sector.

A qualitative research approach was used to address the objectives of the study. Forty semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain insights into the reason why young people decide to participate in construction craftsperson apprenticeship in Nigeria.

The study reveals that “interest and passion”, “role model”, “macroeconomic environment and government policies”, “spirit of entrepreneurship”, “formal, informal and non-formal education” and “family socioeconomic status” are the factors influencing career decisions among construction craftspeople.

The study provides fresh insights that can be used to develop strategies for attracting and increasing the number of young people that sign up for construction craftspeople apprenticeships. The apprentice training programmes are essential for addressing labour shortage, which is one of the factors affecting the performance of construction projects.