scholarly journals Investigation of the Adoption of Building Commissioning Practices in the Installation of Building Services Items

Author(s):  
Akeem Bolaji Wahab ◽  
Kingsley Omaka

Abstract Of recent, the need to increase the performance of services installations in buildings has been a major point of interest amongst construction professionals through the consideration of commissioning practices required to be adopted during execution of building projects. The aim of the study is to investigate awareness of building professionals on the adoption of building commissioning practices in the installation and use of building services equipment. The study therefore examines the characteristics of building commissioning practices, examines the level of awareness and adoption of building commissioning practices amongst construction professionals in Lagos State, Nigeria, as well as investigates the factors influencing their adoption. A survey method of research was employed with questionnaire administered on construction professionals available on the list of firms of the Federation of Construction Industry (FOCI) registered with the Lagos State Government. The data collected were analysed with the use of statistical tools, such as frequency distribution, mean item score, analysis of variance and factor analysis. The study shows that amongst the characteristics of building commissioning practices, lighting services have the highest level of engagement with a mean score of 4.45, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning 4.15 while vertical transporting services have a mean score of 3.82. A significant proportion of the respondents are aware of building commissioning practices through different professional training courses and practices. The study also shows that there is relationship between the level of awareness and adoption of building commissioning practices at 95 % confidence level. The indicators in group one are found through the factor analysis to be contributing mostly to the adoption of building commissioning practices by the respondents. The study concludes that with the existing level of its awareness in the study area, efforts should be made by stakeholders to entrench building commissioning practices provisions in the country’s institutional framework/regulatory code, which covers the installation and use of service items in building stock so as to further deepen their adoption in order to enhance performance and comfort of building projects.

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 503-521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akintayo Opawole ◽  
Solomon Olusola Babatunde ◽  
Kahilu Kajimo-Shakantu ◽  
Oluwatumininu A. Ateji

PurposeLife cycle costing (LCC) has become increasingly important in construction projects over the last decades. However, limited empirical studies have been carried out on the factors influencing its application in building projects, particularly in developing countries. The purpose of this study is to address this gap in knowledge within the Nigerian context.Design/methodology/approachPrimary data were used through the administration of questionnaires to practising quantity surveying firms in Lagos State, Nigeria. The data obtained were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistical tools including percentages, mean item score and factor analysis.FindingsThe study identified 47 barriers to the application of LCC, and the analysis of the ranking revealed that 35 (of 47) identified barriers were considered important. Factor analysis grouped the identified barriers into four key factors namely, professional incompetence; cost implications; administrative factor and procurement options.Practical implicationsThis research is important by providing the empirical evidence on the barriers to the application of LCC in developing countries, particularly in Nigeria. For instance, the identification of important barriers to LCC use will enlighten the construction professionals to be trained in the practicalities of LCC. Moreover, the study provides implications for construction stakeholders (including governments) to draw policy recommendations that will positively improve the use of LCC in the construction industry, especially in developing countries.Originality/valueThe study will be beneficial to all the construction stakeholders by broadening their awareness about the barriers to LCC use in Nigeria and developing countries at large.


2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 210-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Oluwatobi Adebisi ◽  
Stephen Okunola Ojo ◽  
Oluwaseyi Olalekan Alao

PurposeThe failure and abandonment of construction projects have proven to be insurmountable problems incessantly militating against the efficient performance of the construction industry in Nigeria. The complexity, technicality and a host of other project execution issues unique to multi-storey building projects do increase their susceptibility to failure and abandonment. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to examine the factors influencing failure and abandonment of multi-storey building projects in Nigeria. This is with a view to provide inferential empirical data that could enhance successful delivery of multi-storey building projects in Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachPrimary data were used for the study. A structured questionnaire was administered on consultants and contractors’ personnel within Lagos State, Nigeria. A total of 180 copies of the questionnaire were administered ,and 134 copies which represent a combined response rate of 74.4 per cent were retrieved. The data were analysed using frequency distribution and percentages, Mean item score and factor analysis.FindingsThe factors most significant to the failure and abandonment of multi-storey building projects are inadequate funding by the client, improper planning at the pre-construction phase, structural failure in multi-storey building during construction, bankruptcy/business failure of the contractor, improper scheduling of the building project activities and failure to engage qualified professionals with technical expertise and experience. The rated factors clustered under human resources capability, planning and structural quality, contractor selection and variation, insecurity and variation, and force majeure and political risk.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was limited to multi-storey building projects in Lagos State, Nigeria. Further studies could focus on specific resuscitation strategies for abandoned multi-storey building projects.Practical implicationsThe study provided implications for effective project and contract management of multi-storey building projects which is very paramount to improve the delivery of complex, technical- and capital-intensive building projects in Nigeria.Originality/valueThe study provides specific implications for the management of multi-storey building projects, thereby enhancing the delivery of building projects.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 3271
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Izabela Baruk

The aim of this article was to identify the role of good mutual relationships with offerors for final purchasers, as well as define the meaning of the perception of offerors in the scope of listening to purchasers’ opinions and profiting from purchasers’ readiness to cooperate for the specificities of the prosumeric activity. A deep analysis of the world literature was used to prepare the theoretical part of this paper. The results of this analysis confirm the existing cognitive gap and research gap regarding mentioned aspects, including energy market. Empirical studies were conducted to reduce identified gaps. The survey method was used to collect primary data. The collected data were subjected to quantitative analysis, during which statistical analysis methods and tests were applied (Pearson chi-square independence test, V-Cramer factor analysis, Kruskal–Wallis test (KW), and exploratory factor analysis). The results of the statistical analysis and testing allowed the three research hypotheses formulated to be checked. Between the significance of good relationships with offerors and their perception, a statistically significant dependence was identified for all groups of offerors. The perception of offerors was a feature differentiating respondents’ opinions about the significance of good relationships with offerors for the two following groups: producers and traders. Additionally, the perception of offerors was a feature differentiating forms of prosumeric activity of respondents only for three interpurchase behaviors. The results obtained have a visible cognitive and applicability value. They contribute to the theory of marketing, as well as possibly facilitating the formation of good mutual relationships between offerors (including offerors of energy) and final purchasers as key partners cooperating with offerors in the marketing process. The approach presented in this paper has not been studied and analyzed so far, either in theoretical or in practical terms. This fact confirms its originality and value.


2020 ◽  
pp. 097215092097035
Author(s):  
Sweta Mishra ◽  
Shikta Singh ◽  
Priyanka Tripathy

Banking sector is predominantly a customer-focused business that provides a gamut of financial services in aid of advanced technology, prompt communication system and conception of various banks to deal with multinational led environment. Some priority should be given to human resource development in order to emerge as strong and viable financial institution. So, the banking sector should emphasize on employees and how they can be satisfied, engaged and perform better. This study indicates to what extent employee satisfaction and employee performance are interlinked with each other. The purpose of this study is to explore the factors of employee satisfaction and employee performance and to establish a relationship between them. A survey method using a structured questionnaire was used to collect the responses of bankers in SBI, Bhubaneswar region. Having the data collected from 240 filled questionnaires, analysis was carried out using exploratory factor analysis, and to further validate this, structural equation modelling was developed. This was followed by a confirmatory factor analysis to establish the linkage between employee satisfaction and employee performance. The results indicated a significant relationship between employee satisfaction and performance. This study contributes to understanding of the various factors affecting employee satisfaction and performance, especially in the banking sector. By focusing on employee satisfaction, managers can keep the employees more focused, engaged and committed to their work and enhance overall productivity of the organization.


Author(s):  
Микола Саврасов ◽  
Костянтин Кисельов

Aim. The purpose of the study is to establish theoretical prerequisites, identify, describe and interpret the basic psychological patterns of the dynamics of figurative creativity of future teachers of the humanities both during his/ her training in the educational environment of modern pedagogical universities and at certain stages of the didactic process. Material and methods. As the methods and tools of empirical research, the author uses the procedure of analysis of the degree of statistical validity of the differences of average values of the selected empirical indicators (t-Student's criterion), the test of figurative creativity by E.P. Torrens (modified by O.E.Tunik), a survey method, an interview method, and an expert evaluation method. The respondents were first, third, and fifth-year students specialized in «Ukrainian language and literature», «English (German) language and literature», «Ukrainian country studying» with a total of 156 people aged 18 to 30 years. The empirical basis of the study was the Faculty of Philology of the State Higher Educational Institution «Donbas State Pedagogical University». Results. It is obvious that throughout the process of growing up and gaining experience in educational and professional activities, the main specific characteristics of the creative figurative act for the representatives of the natural profile of professional training are the speed of emergence and development of creative ideas, the degree of deviation from existing prototypes, the desire to avoid a possible return to them or their modification and efforts to complete and properly design their creative product. At the same time, at the background of the previously mentioned characteristics, the dynamics of the indicator of the abstractness of the name of figurative creativity gradually recedes into the background. It means that in the process of micro-age formation of figurative creativity of the humanitarian profile subject of educational and professional activity the subject’s deep essence, not its nominal side, the outer cover, which consists in the peculiarities of verbalization of this creative process, the peculiarities of self-presentation and the presentation of the final creative product are formed. Conclusions. If we summarize the dynamics of figurative creativity of a humanitarian profile student in general, then we can depict: 1) impressive are the positive changes in this area at the end of the study, on the verge of study and professional activity, which in fact can cause such a rapid and bright dynamics; 2) particular interest is in the dynamics of creativity of humanitarian profile students at the level of such nuclear characteristics of figurative creativity as the dynamics of the creative idea, the degree of its difference from stereotypes and resistance to their emergence and motivated ability to finalize the creative product. In the future, we see promising research on the dynamics of figurative creativity of students of natural, cultural, and artistic profile and a comparative study of the dynamics of figurative creativity on the indicator of the profile of professional training in higher pedagogical education.


2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Gulc

<p><strong>Purpose:</strong> In recent years, the increasing popularity of e-commerce has become a driving force behind the development of courier service both in Poland and worldwide. In order to face growing competition on courier market and meet clients’ expectations, one of the crucial strategic goal of courier operators is to provide high quality service. The aim of the article is to identify and classify the key factors which determine the perception of courier service quality by customers shopping online.</p><p><strong>Methodology/Approach:</strong> The first part of paper is focused on the literature review concerning the determinants of courier service quality from customers’ perspective. Next, a survey method was used to collect data among customers using courier service while shopping online in Poland. Finally, the exploratory factor analysis was used to indicate the key dimensions and factors effecting the courier service quality perceived by customers.</p><p><strong>Findings:</strong> The article presents the complex review of literature concerning determinants of courier service and the original scale, which can be used to measure courier service quality. The results of author’s empirical research indicated that, the key dimensions effecting courier service quality from the customers point of view were: Reliability, Visual Identification, Service Complexity, Relational Capital, Social Responsibility, Responsiveness, Technical Quality.</p><p><strong>Research Limitation/implication:</strong> As the reseach aim was to develop the scale of courier service quality, in future research the CFA method (Confirmatory Factor Analysis) should be used to verify the scale. The main limitation of this research concerned a perspective of one stakeholder participating in the process of courier service – e-clients. The further research would be focused on identification of determinants of courier service quality in opinion of online shops and courier companies and development of models resenting the relations between them.</p><strong>Originality/Value of paper:</strong> This paper presents the original research that provides new knowledge about determinants of courier service quality in e-commerce. The literature analysis has shown that the previous research were often fragmentary and situational, but also did not take into account the specificity of e-commerce branch.


Author(s):  
Amani M Allouh ◽  
Saba M Qadhi ◽  
Mahmood A Hasan ◽  
Xiangyun Du

This study investigated primary school teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs regarding online teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic and whether it determines any significant differences in self-efficacy levels based on different demographic data. A quantitative and qualitative survey method was employed. The data was collected from primary school teachers in Qatar public schools using a web-based survey that assessed self-efficacy in three areas: Students Engagement, Classroom Management, and Instructional Strategies. Four open-ended questions were included in determining the challenges faced by teachers, coping strategies, and the support needed and received. A total of 514 teachers voluntarily completed the survey. The results showed that elementary school teachers actively reported self-efficacy beliefs in online teaching. T-test and ANOVA analysis revealed significant differences between primary school teachers’ self-efficacy and years of experience in the three fields. However, no significant differences were found between self-efficacy, gender, and age in the area. Results indicated that the more years of experience teachers have, the more self-efficacy they perceive. The open-ended questions’ results showed that unmotivated students were the most frustrating challenge primary teachers faced in online teaching. Therefore, contacting parents was highly prioritized by teachers for coping with this challenge. Besides, professional training was the main support received, but more practical and interactive workshops are still needed. This research can provide educators with insights on implementing technology effectively in their online classrooms and adapting to challenging times to achieve a smooth and effective learning process.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Ana Inés Renta Davids ◽  
Manel Fandos-Garrido ◽  
José Miguel Jiménez-González ◽  
Ángel Pío González-Soto

<p>The study draws on findings from a survey of adults in non-formal continuing education under the professional training for employment framework in Spain. Quantitative analysis was carried out to a sample of 425 respondents from three different educational providers. Firstly, a factor analysis was conducted to fourteen motives for participation items. A two-dimension model of motivation to participate was identified: one dimension oriented towards job-improvement and the other dimension oriented towards learning. Secondly, a variance analysis was conducted according to demographics variables. Results showed significant statistical differences in the first dimension according to demographic variables. This might indicates an instrumental motivation in participation in work-related training among different groups who try to cope with different types of drawbacks.</p>


Author(s):  
Saurav Negi ◽  
Neeraj Anand ◽  
Shantanu Trivedi

This paper examines the factors that impact the quality of tomatoes during the transportation through the supply chain. This is motivated by the criticality transportation in north India region. Primary data was collected through a survey using a questionnaire with responses from 140 transporters from the Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand states of India. The data were analyzed using factor analysis to identify the factors that are impacting the quality of tomatoes during the transportation stage. Based on the analysis, three factors were identified that impact quality: Operational, Preservation and Infrastructure. The identification of these factors will benefit the stakeholders involved in the process of decision-making, like the state government, food processing units, transporters, and the farmers. This will help us to understand the current status of transportation and related issues and challenges which enable them to make better planning and management to improve efficiency in the transportation stage of the supply chain.


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