Luqman Oyekunle Oyewobi, Richard Jimoh, Bashir Olanrewaju Ganiyu and Abdullateef Adewale Shittu
Construction process is complex and traditionally fragmented; thus, it is almost impossible to have a project completed without changes to the original plan or the construction…
Abstract
Purpose
Construction process is complex and traditionally fragmented; thus, it is almost impossible to have a project completed without changes to the original plan or the construction process. The purpose of this study is to identify and examine the causes of variation orders, ascertain their effects and establish the cost and time performance implication as a result of variation orders.
Design/methodology/approach
This study obtained information from 90 construction stakeholders on 30 completed educational building projects to ascertain the causes and effects of variation orders on project delivery using questionnaire survey. In addition to this, a pro forma document was designed to obtain the project characteristics, cost and time data from these 30 completed educational building projects. Factor analysis was used to categorise the causes of variation orders, while severity index was used to examine their effects on project delivery. The hypothesised statement was tested using paired t-statistics to examine whether a statistically significant difference existed between variation orders, cost and time performance of the projects.
Findings
The study identified 13 main factors as causes of variation orders and the results revealed that the most frequent effects of variations were increase in construction costs, time, client dissatisfaction, increase construction project rework and demolition and project abandonment. The results also showed that variation orders had significant effects on both cost and scheduled performance of the educational building projects with average cost and time escalation of 33.95 and 29.45 per cent of the original project cost and time, respectively, for the entire projects studied, while average cost implication of variation orders is 23.79 per cent.
Practical implications
The findings in this study will be of assistance to government agencies and management of public works in higher institutions of learning in managing variations in construction projects. The study will also add to the current literature on the impact of variation orders on educational building projects in developing countries. Finally, it will create the much-needed awareness on the severity and implication of change or variation orders on project delivery.
Originality/value
The study identified and examined the causes of variation orders, ascertained their effects and established the cost and time effects of the causes of variation order on project performance. This will assist project initiators, contractors, consultants and other stakeholders to fully appreciate and understand the significant effects of variation orders on project performance.
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Luqman Oyekunle Oyewobi, Abimbola Olukemi Windapo, James Olabode Bamidele Rotimi and Richard Ajayi Jimoh
The purpose of this paper is to examine the possible moderating role of organisational characteristics (organisational structure, management style and decision-making style) in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the possible moderating role of organisational characteristics (organisational structure, management style and decision-making style) in the relationship between strategy and organisational performance among large construction organisations in South Africa.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopted a quantitative research approach using a questionnaire survey to obtain data from 72 large construction organisations in South Africa. Using hierarchical multiple regression, the paper examines the relationship between the constructs discussed in the study.
Findings
The internal characteristics of the organisation form the vital basis for achieving optimal performance. The results obtained from the analysis revealed that decision-making style directly influences the measure of organisational effectiveness, while it could also be inferred that organisational characteristics partly moderate the relationship between competitive strategy and organisational performance. The findings indicate that internal characteristics is one of the means through which organisational strategic factors and contextual aspects are organised to achieve greater organisational performance levels.
Originality/value
The findings have theoretical implications for strategic management literature in construction as it extends the scope of research on strategic management from assessing a set of individual management practices to evaluating a complex mechanism that connects internal characteristics and competitive advantage. It is believed that this study will contribute positively to the role of organisational characteristics in the competitive strategy-performance relationships in large construction organisations in South Africa and to the ongoing discussion on emerging strategic management issues in construction.
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Luqman Oyewobi, Olatunde Folaranmi Adedayo, Seth O. Olorunyomi and Richard Ajayi Jimoh
The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of social media adoption on the performance of construction small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of social media adoption on the performance of construction small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Design/methodology/approach
Construction SMEs owners and managers in Nigeria were surveyed using questionnaires to gather data. Partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to assess measurement reliability and validity, as well as the hypothesized paths provided in the conceptual model that formed part of the final conclusions.
Findings
The empirical finding showed that social media usage increased knowledge accessibility, reduced costs and improved customer relations and service for organizations. Overall, social media adoption was significantly and positively related to SMEs business performance. Also, the paper revealed that learning capability mediates the relationship between social media and SMEs performance.
Research limitations/implications
Data for the study came from only one industry and one related line of business; thus, including more companies from different sectors or industries could be more interesting. The study's findings contributed to the growing body of knowledge about the impact of social media on the efficiency of businesses. Small and medium-sized businesses also need to understand and recognize the impact of social media on the organization's performance in order to achieve a long-term competitive edge from the adoption of social media.
Practical implications
According to the findings, small construction firms can benefit from marketing the brands through social media channels and improved learning capability. In terms of accessibility, cost savings and improved relationships with customers, research shows that social media promotion can be beneficial to businesses. A study like this has the potential to show how social media can help striving small businesses interact cost-effectively with customers all over the world, opening new doors for sales and continuous improvement.
Originality/value
The relationship between SME performance in Nigeria and the use of social media has received very little attention despite social media's promising potentials, particularly for small businesses. The authors hoped that this study will fill a gap in the authors' understanding of how social media affects the performance of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in the construction industry.
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Luqman Oyekunle Oyewobi, Gbolahan Bolarin, Naomi Temitope Oladosu and Richard Ajayi Jimoh
This study examined the causes of academic stress amongst undergraduate students in the Department of Quantity Surveying to ascertain whether stress has an influence on their…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examined the causes of academic stress amongst undergraduate students in the Department of Quantity Surveying to ascertain whether stress has an influence on their academic performance.
Design/methodology/approach
This research explores the relationships between these constructs: academic stress, non-academic stress, coping strategies and academic performance, using a survey questionnaire to collect data from 190 undergraduate students in the Quantity Survey department. Descriptive statistics have been used to analyse the data and a path analytical approach has been adopted to evaluate the relationship between the constructs discussed in the paper.
Findings
Significant linear associations have been established between all the proposed paths and the outcome factor (p < 0.00). Coping strategies were an important mediator (p = 0.000), as they explained 32.9% of the association between academic stress and non-academic stress. However, the findings have shown that the stress faced by students is an optimal degree of stress that improves learning capabilities.
Practical implications
Explanation and clarification of the effects of academic and non-academic stress and coping mechanisms on the academic performance of university undergraduate students could help to reduce the risk of suicide amongst the teeming youths. It will also afford the university administration the opportunity to engender stress-free environment that is conducive for learning through the formulation of appropriate policies that promote “balanced learning” for the students. The outcome of this study may provide a launch pad for researchers who are interested in knowing how the possible causes of stress may impact on the health of university students.
Originality/value
The findings will be of great importance to the academic advisers and university administration in developing a flexible academic calendar and adopt policies that will eliminate academic stress and promote strategies to cope with non-academic stress. The study is the first attempt to examine academic stress, non-academic stress, coping strategies and academic performance in a single research in the Nigerian context due to limited literature found. This study has pedagogical implications to education practice by offering tertiary institutions the opportunity to appraise and device a means of managing students' stress by identifying their needs and increase students' coping skills based on prevailing modalities that give students' opportunities to strengthen the strategies of coping.
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Luqman Oyekunle Oyewobi, Olatunde Folaranmi Adedayo, Seth Olufemi Olorunyomi and Richard Jimoh
The purpose of this paper is to explore the mediating effect of learning capacity in the relationship between the social media usage by the construction of small- and medium-sized…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the mediating effect of learning capacity in the relationship between the social media usage by the construction of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their business performance in Nigeria.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative survey technique was used to collect data from the owner/manager of construction SMEs in Nigeria. The partial least square structural equation modeling was used in the assessment of the measurement model and structural model to assess the validity and reliability of the measures and to evaluate the hypotheses proposed in the conceptual model.
Findings
Empirical findings indicated a significant positive relationship between learning capacity and performance of SMEs. Similarly, the use of social media is significantly and positively associated to the business performance of SMEs. It has also been shown that learning capacity is a mediator of the relationship between social media and SME performance.
Research limitations/implications
The data for the study is are all from a single industry and a related line of business, so it could be more interesting to include more companies across sectors or industries. The finding contributes to the ongoing debate on the effect of social media on business performance. It also defined the need for the owner/manager of SMEs to understand and appreciate the effect of social media through the organization's learning potential to gain a sustainable competitive advantage.
Practical implications
There are a number of theoretical and practical implications for academics and practitioners who are interested in further studies of organizational social media. The research presents a quantitative study on the effect of social media adoption on the organizational performance of the construction industry. This study confirms the mediating role of learning capability in the relationship between the use of social media and performance of SMEs operating in the construction industry.
Originality/value
This study empirically examined the relationship between social media adoption and the SMEs learning capability and business performance by evaluating a hypothesized conceptual framework to establish the relationships.
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Luqman Oyekunle Oyewobi, Abimbola Windapo, James Olabode Bamidele Rotimi and Richard Jimoh
The study aims to identify and examine the construction organisational environments and its dimensions that have an impact on the performance of contracting companies in South…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to identify and examine the construction organisational environments and its dimensions that have an impact on the performance of contracting companies in South Africa.
Design/methodology/approach
The study reports the result of quantitative research that obtained data from 72 construction organisations registered with the South African construction industry development board via a questionnaire survey. Descriptive statistics, non-parametric and exploratory principal component analysis were used to summarise forms of correlations among observed variables and to reduce a large number of observed variables to a smaller number of factors that provide an operational definition for the underlying dimension.
Findings
This study identified six exogenous and three endogenous environmental factors that have a varying degree of impact on construction organisation performance. Four dimensions of the environment were also examined, and environmental complexity has the highest variance explained which implies that the complexity of the construction business environment significantly influences the performance of construction firms.
Research limitations/implications
This paper studies the environment of the South African construction industry using cross-sectional data in exploratory research. A confirmatory study should be conducted using a longitudinal panel design with a larger sample in similar future research.
Practical implications
The study offers practical implications to construction organisation owners operating in the South African construction industry to understand the need to acquire market and environmental data and process them in a way that will reduce its uncertainty when making strategic decisions.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the current discourse on organisations’ business environments to better understand their influences on organisational performance.
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Kabir Ibrahim, Taofeek Tunde Okanlawon, Luqman Oyekunle Oyewobi, Abdulmalik Badamasi, Mansir Dodo and Richard Ajayi Jimoh
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…
Abstract
Purpose
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.
Design/methodology/approach
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).
Findings
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.
Research limitations/implications
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.
Practical implications
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.
Originality/value
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.
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Ibrahim Inyass Adamu, Taofeek Tunde Okanlawon, Luqman Oyekunle Oyewobi, Abdullateef Adewale Shittu and Richard Ajayi Jimoh
This paper evaluates the benefits of harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) tools for safety compliance on construction projects in Nigeria.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper evaluates the benefits of harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) tools for safety compliance on construction projects in Nigeria.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employed a specialised approach by combining qualitative and quantitative approach. The study carried out a brief systematic literature review (SLR) to identify the variables of the study. These variables were prepared in a questionnaire which was distributed among professionals within the Nigerian construction sector using purposive sampling. A total of 140 questionnaires were retrieved. The collected data were analysed using Relative Importance Index (RII), Ginni’s Mean (GM) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA).
Findings
The analysis revealed that all the identified benefits hold considerable importance, with an average RII of 0.86, with real-time monitoring as the most prominent advantage. However, using the GM which was 0.861, the study identified “mitigation of hazards on worksites” as the stationary benefit of AI in safety compliance.
Research limitations/implications
The study was conducted exclusively within Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, using a cross-sectional survey approach.
Practical implications
The results will be valuable for professionals and practitioners in the Nigerian construction sector, as they will acquire insights into the potential advantages of utilising AI tools for monitoring of safety compliance on construction projects.
Originality/value
The study adopted a robust approach by identifying the stationary benefit using the GM in combination with RII and EFA.
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Taofeek Tunde Okanlawon, Luqman Oyekunle Oyewobi and Richard Ajayi Jimoh
The construction industry is frequently scrutinised by the public for a variety of issues, including waste, inefficiency, narrow profit margins, scheduling setbacks, budget…
Abstract
Purpose
The construction industry is frequently scrutinised by the public for a variety of issues, including waste, inefficiency, narrow profit margins, scheduling setbacks, budget overruns, quality concerns, trust deficits, transparency issues, coordination challenges, communication issues and fraud. The purpose of this paper is to assess the effect of blockchain technology adoption on the construction supply chain.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a quantitative research approach through a questionnaire survey that was conducted among professionals in the Nigerian construction industry using the snowball sampling method, which resulted in a selection of 155 respondents. The collected data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling, enabling a thorough assessment of the proposed relationships and offering valuable insights specific to the construction industry.
Findings
The study’s findings validated the conceptual framework established. The results indicated that implementing blockchain across all stages of the construction supply chain has the potential to improve the construction process. The study also revealed that blockchain technology will significantly affect the construction supply chain in a positive manner.
Research limitations/implications
This research was carried out in the South-western region which is one of the six geo-political zones in Nigeria using a cross-sectional survey method. The study holds implications not only for local construction practices but will also contribute to the broader discourse on national construction sector challenges and possible solutions.
Practical implications
The findings of this study will be immensely beneficial to both professionals, practitioners and stakeholders in the Nigerian construction industry in learning about the potential of blockchain technology application in improving the construction supply chain.
Originality/value
The study in this paper constructed and evaluated a conceptual framework by exploring the connections between the variables. The results have significant implications for the construction sector, as they provide avenues for enhancing the construction process and the overall supply chain. These findings are valuable for researchers examining the potential effects of blockchain technology on the construction supply chain.
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Taofeek Tunde Okanlawon, Luqman Oyekunle Oyewobi and Richard Ajayi Jimoh
Blockchain technology (BT) is a relatively new technological innovation in all industries, including the construction industry, that is used to improve supply chain management…
Abstract
Purpose
Blockchain technology (BT) is a relatively new technological innovation in all industries, including the construction industry, that is used to improve supply chain management. Therefore, this study assesses the drivers for the implementation of BT in the construction supply chain management in Nigeria.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a quantitative research approach, with a questionnaire survey administered to professionals in the Nigerian construction industry using the snowball sampling method, yielding 155 respondents. The collected data were analysed using descriptive and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) while Cronbach’s alpha was used to evaluate the reliability.
Findings
The analysis revealed that all the identified drivers ranked higher than the average mean item score, with level of awareness of the new technology and data management ranking topmost. The identified drivers were clustered into five categories using EFA: technological driver, social-economic driver, management driver, transparency and security driver and information driver.
Research limitations/implications
This research was carried out in the Southwestern region which is one of the six geo-political zones in Nigeria using a cross-sectional survey method.
Practical implications
The findings will be extremely useful to both professionals and practitioners in the Nigerian construction industry in gaining knowledge about the potential drivers to the implementation of BT in construction supply chain management.
Originality/value
The research categorized the drivers into technological, social-economic, management, transparency and security and information driver. It also identified that level of awareness of BT as the major driver in the implementation of BT in construction supply chain management.