Are the public tertiary education building projects devoid of risks in the Nigerian construction context?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olufisayo Adedokun ◽  
Isaac Aje ◽  
Oluwaseyi Awodele ◽  
Temitope Egbelakin
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
State Government ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Building Projects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Competitive Tendering ◽  
Significant Difference

Purpose The non-performance of construction projects in meeting the set objectives has continued to draw researchers worldwide. Despite this, little attention is accorded to public tertiary education building projects in Nigeria. Therefore, on this background, this study aims to assess the perceptions of stakeholders on the level of occurrence of risk factors in the public tertiary education building projects (TEBP) to enhance the performance of these projects. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a quantitative method of data collection via a questionnaire survey. In total, 452 questionnaires were administered to the respondents comprising client representatives, consultants (quantity surveyors, architects, services and structural engineers and builders) and the contractor. The respondents were involved in the conception and execution of TEBP across five public tertiary education institutions in Ondo State, Nigeria. Of 452 questionnaires, 279 were retrieved and found suitable for analysis, indicating a 61.73% response rate. The reliability analysis for the research instrument was 0.965 via the Cronbach α test, indicating the high reliability of the instrument used for the data collection. Moreover, the clusters of risk factors also had reliability values that ranged between 0.719 and 0.875. Findings The study found inflation, delayed payments in contracts, high competition bids, delay in work progress and occurrence of variations are the most frequently occurring risk factors in public TEBP. By contrast, difficulty to access the site, environmental factors and pollution were found to be low-weighted risks with the least likelihood of occurrence. The results of this study indicated the existence of significant differences in some of the risk factors in terms of the level of risk occurrence in TEBP. The risk factors were eventually clustered into eight major groups for TEBP. The post hoc comparisons using the least significant difference test also indicated differences between the contractors and consultants in the ranking of risks occurrence in TEBP, but no significant differences between clients/contractors and clients/consultants. Research limitations/implications The findings in this study are limited to the public TEBP procured via competitive tendering; therefore, the results might not be applicable when other procurement methods are being considered. Besides, the study classified the project participants based on organizations and not on the different ownership status of the projects, such as federal or state government-owned TEBP. However, the literature shows that likelihood of risk occurrence could vary due to the degree of project ownership. Practical implications The information provided with respect to the most frequently occurring risk factors would enhance the performance of public TEBP. Originality/value This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge on the subject within a previously unexplored context where insights were provided on the most frequently occurring risk factors on the public TEBP.

Success criteria-based impacts of risk factors on education building projects in southwestern Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olufisayo Adewumi Adedokun ◽  
Temitope Egbelakin ◽  
Deborah Oluwafunke Adedokun ◽  
Johnson Adafin
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
User Satisfaction ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Project Performance ◽  
Capital Outlay ◽  
Building Projects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Design Construction

Purpose Despite the huge capital outlay in tertiary education building projects (TEBP), these projects undoubtedly failed in meeting the set objectives of cost, time and quality, among others. Therefore, rather than the impacts of risks on the overall project performance, which is common in the construction management literature, the purpose of this study is to assess the impacts of risk factors on the criteria for measuring the success of public TEBP. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopted a quantitative research method where the data collection was via a questionnaire survey. The researcher administered 452 questionnaires to the client representatives, consultants and contractors involved in building projects across five public tertiary education institutions in Ondo State, Nigeria. Of 452 questionnaires, 279 were retrieved and suitable for the analysis, translating to a 61.73% response rate. The reliability analysis of the research instrument showed 0.965 and 0.807, via Cronbach’s alpha test, indicating high reliability of the instrument used for data collection. Findings The study found different risk factors affecting the criteria for measuring the success of TEBP. For instance, the environmental risk factor significantly impacted completion to cost, while financial and political risk factors significantly impacted completion to time. In addition, while environmental, legal and management risks significantly impacted end-user satisfaction, safety performance was significantly impacted by logistic, legal, design, construction, political and management risks. Besides, the logistic, legal, design, construction, financial, political and management risk factors impacted profit. However, despite profit being one of the criteria for measuring the success of building projects, it recorded the highest risk impacts amounting to 41% variance. Research limitations/implications The findings are limited to the public tertiary education building projects procured via competitive tendering; therefore, the results might differ when considering other procurement methods. Practical implications The practical implication is that rather than focusing on all risk factors, the project stakeholders could give adequate attention to the significant risk factors impacting each of the parameters for measuring the success of education building projects. Originality/value The study revealed specific risk factors impacting the criteria for measuring the success of TEBP, which extend beyond the use of the overall project performance approach.

Institutional pressures influencing environmental management accounting adoption by Malaysian local governments

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Che Ku Hisam Che Ku Kassim ◽  
Noor Liza Adnan ◽  
Roziani Ali
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
State Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Management Accounting ◽  
The State ◽  
Institutional Pressures ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Environmental Management Accounting

Purpose Because of the heightened environmental awareness of the public, local governments (LGs) are being pressured to improve on the extent and quality of environmental disclosures (EDs) provided in an array of reporting media. The lack of an accounting tool to identify, measure and report EDs has propelled the infusion of environmental management accounting (EMA) to support the reporting practices. This paper aims to examine the institutional pressures influencing EMA adoption by Malaysian LGs. Design/methodology/approach Using the consensus approach, a self-administered questionnaire survey is conducted on accountants in LGs in Peninsular Malaysia. The items in the questionnaire are based on the findings of prior studies on EMA adoption. Findings The results suggest that coercive isomorphism from the state government is perceived to be the influential institutional factor placing intense pressures on LGs to adopt EMA. Research limitations/implications The results solidify the potential role of the state government in any public policy changes which could further stimulate and promote the adoption of EMA. Originality/value Insufficient empirical evidence on the adoption of EMA in LGs within a developing country’s perspective contributes to a limited understanding on the development of environmental-related practices in different economic stages and environment as well as within the public sector’s perspective.

Research from China finds no significant difference in impact of public service motivation (PSM) in public and private sectors

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Intention To Leave ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The authors assumed PSM would be higher in the public sector, but they set up a trial to find out if this was the case. Design/methodology/approach To test their theories, the authors conducted two independent surveys. The first consisted of 220 usable responses from public sector employees in Changsha, China. The second survey involved 260 usable responses from private sector employees taking an MBA course at a university in the Changsha district. A questionnaire was used to assess attitudes. Findings The results found no significant difference between the impact of public sector motivation (PSM) on employee performance across the public and private sectors. The data showed that PSM had a significant impact on self-reported employee performance, but the relationship did not differ much between sectors. Meanwhile, it was in the private sector that PSM had the greatest impact on intention to leave. Originality/value The authors said the research project was one of the first to test if the concept of PSM operated in the same way across sectors. It also contributed, they said, to the ongoing debate about PSM in China.

Assessing public health risk factors for internally displaced households in North Darfur, Sudan

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elfadil Mohammed Mahmoud ◽  
Indraijt Pal ◽  
Mokbul Morshed Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Health Risk ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Health Risk Factors ◽  
Public Health Risk ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Internally Displaced ◽  
Household Level ◽  
The Public

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess the public health risk factors of internally displaced households and suggest appropriate measures and strategies for health risk reduction in the context of IDPs.Design/methodology/approachThe composite Index (CI) method was used to compare the public health risk factors at the household level in three IDP camps. A set of 22 indicators were studied in 326 households. Households were selected by using a two-stage cluster sampling technique.FindingsThe findings indicate that the Shangil Tobaya camp is at the highest risk for communicable diseases (63.6%) followed by Zamzam (52.4%) and Abu Shouk (42.7%) at the household level. Eight indicators appeared to have made differential impacts between Abu Shouk and Shangil Tobaya, these include: level of education, walking time to health facilities, water source, latrines type, safe disposal of child feces, frequency of visit by pregnant women to antenatal care services, place of delivery and women delivering their children with the help of skilled birth attendants.Research limitations/implicationsSince the selection criteria of the camps were predefined; there are variations in the number of samples between the camps. Therefore, the generalizability may be compromised.Social implicationsIncreased access to healthcare services particularly reproductive health services to the most vulnerable groups (women). Community involvement in services management to promote ownership.Originality/valueThe methods used in this study is original and flexible and can be replicated for other emergency areas and risks.

Medicine through untinted glasses

1976 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 369-375
Author(s):  
Roger O. Egeberg
Keyword(s):  
State Government ◽  
Medical Profession ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Medical Programs ◽  
Fine Print

✓ The 1976 Cushing orator takes a critical look at federal medical programs today, and at the health desires and needs of the public. He outlines the possible future roles of federal and state government and of the medical profession itself.

scholarly journals Public service motivation in the Chinese public and private sectors

2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dermot McCarthy ◽  
Ping Wei ◽  
Fabian Homberg ◽  
Vurain Tabvuma
Keyword(s):  
Public Service ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
The Public ◽  
Municipal District ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to statistically test if the public service motivation (PSM) measure operates in the same way across the public and private sectors of a municipal district in China. It also contrasts the relationship between PSM and workplace outcomes across sectors and employee age groups. Design/methodology/approach Survey data from independent samples of public (n=220) and private (n=230) sector employees in the Changsha Municipal District of China is used. The analysis tests for invariance across groups, before comparing mean values and regression weights. Findings Only in respect of one PSM dimension do findings show a significant higher mean in the public sector. No significant difference is found on the impact of PSM on employee performance across sectors, while it is in the private sector that PSM has the greater impact on intention to leave. Findings also show no marked impact of age upon outcomes. Research limitations/implications This study provides an initial set of results and further research will need to be undertaken to verify them. The limited sample size and narrow geographical focus, although in line with similar studies on China, means the ability to draw generalisations is limited. The reliance on self-reported measures means issues with common method bias cannot be ignored. Measures were taken during data collection to minimise issues of bias and a set of post-hoc test results are provided. Practical implications The recruitment of employees with higher levels of PSM can be expected to play a role in achieving better outcomes, regardless of sector and age profile. Originality/value The PSM measure has been applied by researchers across various economic sectors. This paper is one of the first to statistically test if the concept and its measure operates in the same way across sectors. The paper contributes to the on-going debate on PSM in the context of China and its relationship with a number of key output variables. Finally, the paper contributes to the emerging debate on changing workforce demographics and their role in shaping outcomes.

Bureaucratic leadership, trust building, and employee engagement in the public sector in Ghana

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank L.K. Ohemeng ◽  
Theresa Obuobisa Darko ◽  
Emelia Amoako-Asiedu
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Trust Building ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
The Public ◽  
Building Trust ◽  
Public Organisations

Purpose An engaged workforce has never been more important than it is now. Research continues to reveal a strong link between engaged employees and employee performance. Consequently, different strategies continue to be developed to enhance employee engagement (EE) in organisations. Unfortunately, many of these strategies have not worked due to the lack of trust that some employees may have towards organisational leaders. Thus, it is argued that the first step in building an effective EE is building trust, which will erode all sorts of suspicion of the intention of leaders in the organisation. Unfortunately, the literature is not clear about how to build such trust, especially in developing countries where the organisational environment is much different from that in developed ones; making the applicability of models in the developed world quite difficulty in these countries. How can public sector leaders build trust in the organisations in an environment where informality appears to be the norm? The purpose of this paper is therefore to ascertain how trust can be built in public organisations. Design/methodology/approach In order to answer the research questions, as well as obtain in-depth understanding of what is being done, the authors used the mixed methods approach in the data collection for the paper. In using mixed method data collection, the authors took both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Both qualitative and quantitative data were, however, collected concurrently. This was done for the sake of convenience, as there is little study on how to build trust or, even, EE in the Ghanaian context. The authors set out to explore these issues, and the only way for the authors to do so was to undertake the data collection simultaneously. Findings The paper examined critically four main areas to help leadership build trust: credibility, fairness, respect and communication. The study shows that both managers and employees firmly believe in building trust. Leaders were able to discuss the efforts they make to ensure that issues concerning trust building are addressed. At the same time, employees also agreed on the need to strengthen these variables. Practical implications The research identifies areas on which both leadership and employees can continually work to help bridge the gap between them if public organisations are to reap the benefits of EE. The authors are convinced that if the issues discussed here are addressed, and parties work on them, individuals will succeed in their own areas, but so will the organisations, which in turn will help in the development of he country. Originality/value From a theoretical perspective, it extends the work on EE, and offers new insight into this emerging concept from a developing countries perspective, where informality in the public sector is common. Most of the research on trust and EE has been either qualitative or quantitative in nature. Using the mixed methods approach means the authors will be explaining how both can help us better understand the “how” in building trust in the public sector. Thus, the paper is one of the few papers that have used the mixed methods approach to examine how trust can be built in public organisations.

Can ethics be learned?

2010 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyse Langlois ◽  
Claire Lapointe
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Training Program ◽  
Ethical Decision Making ◽  
Educational Leaders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Educational Administrators ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact

PurposeIn response to the growing need for educational leaders who possess ethical, critical and reflective qualities, a training program was developed based on ethics as a reflective critical capacity and on Starratt's three‐dimensional model. This paper aims to describe the impact of the program on ethical decision making and on educational leaders’ ethical competencies.Design/methodology/approachA three‐year action‐research study was conducted with three groups of educational administrators, totalling 30 participants. Mixed methods were used for data collection: a pre‐ and post‐training questionnaire, individual semi‐structured interviews and group interviews. The questionnaire data were analyzed using SPSS software and interview data were analyzed using thematic analysis.FindingsResults from the pre‐test indicate that, prior to the training program, participants rarely possessed all three ethical dimensions. Post‐test results show how participants experience a significant readjustment process characterized by three different stages which have been called the transformative cycle. Qualitative results show the impact of the training program on improved ethical awareness, judgement structuring, a sense of responsibility, and overall professional conduct. No significant difference is observed between male and female participants but statistically significant differences are found according to number of years of experience and to work situation.Practical implicationsDeveloping sound ethical expertise appears to be promising in training future educational administrators and in improving their leadership skills.Originality/valueThis study is original in many aspects. Theoretically, it is based on a self‐regulated rather than hetero‐regulated approach to ethics and calls for descriptive rather then normative foundations to ethical leadership. With regard to its methodology, it used mixed methods adapted to action research as well as original data collection instruments.

Misunderstandings about older people fuel corona virus complacency

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 269-272
Author(s):  
Ellery Altshuler
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Older People ◽  
Economic Impact ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Response ◽  
The Public ◽  
Personal Experiences

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore public assumptions underlying the apparent disregard for the lives of older people during the coronavirus outbreak. It attempts to dispel myths about quality of life among older people. Design/methodology/approach This paper integrates the author’s personal experiences as a doctor with data collection, which involved general PubMed searches for articles relating to the public response to the effect of coronavirus on older people; beliefs about the lives of older people; and issues of happiness, contentedness and quality of life in older people. Findings Some people have concluded that the lives of older people – which they believe to be of low quality – are worth risking to lessen the economic impact of coronavirus. This morbid calculation is based in part on the assumption that older people are less happy than younger people. In fact, the evidence shows that as people get older, they become significantly happier. Originality/value This paper asks readers to explore their assumptions about ageing and reaffirms the importance of protecting older people in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Impact of urban regeneration on commercial property values in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 557-571
Author(s):  
Benjamin Gbolahan Ekemode
Keyword(s):  
Urban Renewal ◽  
State Government ◽  
Property Values ◽  
Urban Regeneration ◽  
Urban Infrastructure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Commercial Property ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Post Hoc ◽  
Urban Renewal Programme

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the effect of urban regeneration and renewal activities initiated by the Osun State Government in Nigeria on the rental values of commercial properties in Osogbo, the state capital between 2008, before the urban renewal programme through 2017, after the urban renewal programme had been completed. Design/methodology/approach Primary data utilised for this study were collected from all the Estate Surveying and Valuation firms involved in the formal management of commercial properties in Osogbo, Osun-State, Nigeria. Information on the types of urban infrastructure renewed and rental values of 63 commercial properties from 2008 to 2017 were obtained from the sampled estate surveying and valuation firms practicing in the study area. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, analysis of variance and Duncan post hoc test. Findings The findings showed that physical urban infrastructure such as roads, drainages, water supply and wastes disposal have been upgraded in the study area. Also, the study established that the urban regeneration programme had significant impact on the rental values of commercial properties in Osogbo, arising from the statistically significant difference (F(7, 600) = 22.264, p<0.000) between and within annual rental values of commercial properties in the study area. The annual rental values of the commercial properties also exhibited considerable variation based on the Duncan post hoc test. Practical implications The findings from this study indicate that urban regeneration programme by the Osun state Government has significantly increased the investment performance of commercial properties in the study area. Hence, while investors could achieve higher returns on investment by venturing into commercial property investment, revenue could also be generated for government through the collection of property taxes in the study area. Originality/value This study is one of the few studies that have analysed the effect of urban regeneration programme on commercial property values from the perspective of an emerging African economy, using data from Osun State, Nigeria.

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