scholarly journals Sustainable Facilities Management for Smart Buildings: A Case Study of the Heritage Place, Lagos

Author(s):  
J. O. Faremi

A recent development within the metropolis of Lagos State, Nigeria is the emergence of smart buildings aimed at providing safer, more secure, productive and comfortable business environment. A major challenge to the sustenance of such edifice is the delivery of strategic facilities management services to maximise the building’s efficiency and achieve expected return on investment. This study investigates sustainable facilities management practices in smart buildings using the Heritage Place as a case study. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 19 facilities management personnel and 68 users of the facility. chart, mean score and Spearman’s Correlation were used as the descriptive and inferential statistical tools, respectively. The results show the most frequently practiced sustainable facilities management practice to include: compliance to the preventive maintenance schedules for Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems and prompt response to repairs and corrective work activities in the facility with mean scores of 5.00 and 4.90, respectively. The results further show that the facility users were dissatisfied with the level of implementation of sustainable facilities management practices, except in integrated pest management and optimised waste management where marginal satisfaction were recorded, respectively. The study recommends a sustained effort by smart buildings stakeholders at implementing sustainable facilities management practices in order to significantly and continually improve operations and maintenance activities in the buildings. And that the efforts of facilities managers for smart buildings should be geared at the delivery of strategic facilities management services that meet the expectations of users of the facilities.

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Bekezela Moyo ◽  
Edinah Moyo

 A great deal of extant literature has emphasised the importance of SMEs role in the economic performance of any country. It is this realization that has propelled almost all countries to nurture their SMEs so as to achieve economic development. This paper intends to interrogate the management practices adopted by SMEs in Zimbabwe, particularly in Gweru metropolitan albeit the macro factors that bedevilled the country to date. To achieve this discussion, emphasis will be drawn to the adoption and adaptation of management practices by these SMEs particularly in four facets: management of human resources, cash management, management of capital assets, and management of the product/service.    This is a conceptual paper and a qualitative research design is going to be used to define the methodology of this paper. A cross sectional survey is proposed for this study, using a sample size of fifty SMEs who will be chosen using purposive and snowballing sampling methods. Questionnaires will be administered on the chosen sample and this will be followed by semi-structured interviews on five cases that will constitute the main cases for discussion and confirmation. Data will be analysed using a thematically data analysis approach as put forth by respondents narrating their encounters.  


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 319-330
Author(s):  
Justus Nderitu Maina ◽  
Richard Muthii Kiai ◽  
Teresia Ngina Kyalo

Deposit taking Savings and Credit Co-operatives (SACCO) are solution to social dilemmas like abject poverty, living standards and unemployment. Nevertheless, 14 percent do not maintain sound cash management practices despite SACCOs oversight authority in Kenya offering guidelines and supervision to the enterprises that would assist in maintaining their financial sustainability. This necessitated for the evaluation of the moderating effect of SACCO size on cash management practice and financial sustainability. A descriptive cross-sectional survey design with a positivism philosophical paradigm  was adopted. Emailed questionnaire and data collection sheet were used in data collection which registered a 95 percent response rate. A binary logistic regression results established that with presence of a moderator for the predictor sub-variables, the strength of the relationship between variables registered an insignificant change but with introduction of interaction term, the strength of relationship between variables changed. The study concluded that SACCO size portrayed a statistically significant moderating effect on predictor sub-variables and response variable. The study thus recommends that the management need to consider increasing their SACCO sizes through merging, acquiring the non-performing SACCOs or even conducting intensive marketing since large size SACCO have low chances of being financially unsustainable


Mousaion ◽  
10.25159/2054 ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-67
Author(s):  
Mahlaga Johannes Molepo ◽  
Linda M. Cloete

The way in which an institution treats its records is crucial for its survival in a rapidly changing society. The purpose of the study was to investigate the records management practices and challenges faced by traditional institutions of leadership and governance in Ga Molepo, Limpopo, South Africa. The researcher employed a cross-sectional survey in order to quantitatively examine the challenges faced by members of traditional councils. A researcher administered questionnaire was used as a data collection tool to study a stratified sample of 35 members from an estimated population of 350. The findings revealed patterns and trends of non-compliance with records management standards and guidelines. Although there were sporadic cases of record keeping, a greater number of respondents revealed that traditional institutions lack the facilities, equipment, education and trained/skilled personnel to apply correct records management procedures in their daily administration of their traditional communities. The main value of the study is to create awareness of records management as one of the neglected areas in traditional institutions – which are by current legislative arrangement, the closest form of leadership and governance for rural communities in light of their relationship with local municipalities and the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Murimi ◽  
Billy Wadongo ◽  
Tom Olielo

AbstractThis conceptual paper aims at identifying a theoretical framework for the determinants of revenue management (RM) practices and their impacts on the financial performance of hotels. To create this framework, a two-phased process is employed where the first stage involves an explicit examination of the literature related to practices of revenue management and their determinants and to hotel financial performance. The second stage involves an enhancement of the framework. The theoretical structure is developed based on past theoretical explanations, and empirical analysis is conducted in the fields of revenue management. The researchers propose a theoretical framework illustrating how revenue management practices and their determinants affect the financial performance of Kenyan hotels. The use of contingency theory and its justifications and inadequacies among studies on revenue management in hotels is highlighted. The methods highlighted by the reviewed theoretical framework may be utilized to organize revenue management (RM) practices and their determinants for Kenyan hotels. Measurements for the financial performance of hotels are also described. Last, the researchers call for empirical research that authenticates the proposed model using a cross-sectional survey. The present work can inspire scholars and specialists to determine how RM practices and their determinants impact the financial performance of hotels. By assimilating knowledge from numerous disciplines, this paper emphasizes aggregated awareness surrounding the conceptualization of RM, RM practices adopted in hotels, and the financial performance of hotels.


Author(s):  
Scott Robert Manning

AbstractThis study examined the strategic planning practices of county-level emergency management agencies (EMAs), with a specific focus on strategic planning adoption and its relationship to local program quality. The study utilized a descriptive, cross-sectional survey design to collect planning- and program-related data from more than 300 county-level EMAs across the United States. The study findings revealed that most of the county EMAs included in the final sample had previously engaged in strategic planning activities, with nearly all of them continuing to use strategic planning as part of their general management practice. The study findings further revealed that strategic planning had a direct and significant impact on the overall quality of local emergency management programs, and that the strategic planning EMAs had significantly higher mean quality scores across all program dimensions when compared to the non-strategic planning EMAs.


2017 ◽  
Vol 79 (03) ◽  
pp. 289-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie Van Gompel ◽  
R. Wiet ◽  
Nicole Tombers ◽  
Anand Devaiah ◽  
Devyani Lal ◽  
...  

Background Very few studies have examined vestibular schwannoma (VS) management trends across centers and between providers. The objective of this study is to examine current practice trends, variance in treatment philosophies, and nuanced or controversial aspects of VS care across North America. Methods This is a cross-sectional survey of North American Skull Base Society (NASBS) members who report regular involvement in VS care. Results A total of 57 completed surveys were returned. Most respondents claimed to have over 20 years of experience and the majority reported working in an academic practice with an affiliated otolaryngology and/or neurosurgery residency program. Sixty-three percent of respondents claimed to evaluate VS patients in clinic with both an otolaryngologist and neurosurgeon involved. Eighty-six percent of respondents claimed to operate on VS with both an otolaryngologist and neurosurgeon involved, while only 18% of neurosurgeons and 9% of otolaryngologists performed surgery alone. There was a wide range in the number of cases evaluated at each center annually. Similarly, there was wide variation in the number of patients treated with microsurgery and radiation at each center. Additional details regarding management preferences for microsurgery, stereotactic radiosurgery, stereotactic radiotherapy, and conservative observation are presented. Conclusion VS management practices vary between providers and centers. Overall, most centers employ a multidisciplinary approach to management with collaboration between otolaryngology and neurosurgery. Overall, survey responses concur with previous studies suggesting a shift toward conservatism in management.


Author(s):  
Ramo Palalić ◽  
Veland Ramadani ◽  
Arnela Ðilović ◽  
Alina Dizdarević ◽  
Vanessa Ratten

Purpose This study aims to examine the entrepreneurial intentions of university students at the International University of Sarajevo. For this purpose, the entrepreneurial desires and entrepreneurial orientations of the students across several demographic variables were measured. These variables included prior entrepreneurial experience, student’s gender, faculty, year of study and attitude towards more courses on entrepreneurship. Nevertheless, the research also examined how business environment influences the entrepreneurial intentions of students by considering the same set of variables. Design/methodology/approach The objectives of this paper have been achieved by using a quantitative research instrument, where the cross-sectional survey method for collecting primary data is used. In total, 173 usable responses have been collected from the beginning of April to the end of May in the academic year 2015/2016. Findings The results indicate that the greater the demotivation with the current business surrounding, the smaller the entrepreneurial intentions of the students are when the prior entrepreneurial experience, gender, year of study and attitude towards more courses on entrepreneurship are considered. The study suggests that improving the overall business surrounding and entrepreneurial education might increase the entrepreneurial intentions of the students. Originality/value This is the first paper that treats entrepreneurial intentions of University students in Bosnia and Herzegovina.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 87
Author(s):  
James K. Sirite ◽  
Henry Ongori ◽  
Darius Bosire

The purpose of this study was to identify the challenges faced in quality service delivery to Turkana Central Sub-county citizens of Turkana County. The study used cross-sectional survey design. The sample size selected for the study was 261.  Data was collected using questionnaires and interview guides. Data was analyzed by descriptive statistics and presented in tables and figures for ease interpretation. The major findings of the study show that devolved governance faces some challenges. For instance the devolved governance is faced with corruption, lack of transparency and accountability and inadequate funds. This adversely   affects quality service delivery to its citizens. The findings of the study would inspire policy makers at the county and national government level to come up with appropriate strategies to mitigate the challenges identified in order to improve the quality of services offered by the county governments.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
John Edjophe Arute ◽  
Valentine Uche Odili

Background: The world health organization (WHO) estimates that every 45 seconds an African child dies of malaria while several others lay ill. Also, studies have shown that home-based management of malaria could improve prompt access to antimalarial medications for African children. Objective: This study aimed at assessing the home based management practices among care givers of children below five years in Delta State. Methods: This study was a descriptive cross-sectional survey used to assess the home based management practices of malaria in children under age five. 459 consenting Caregivers of children under five (6 to 59 months) were purposively selected from different churches during Sundays and Wednesdays midweek services through balloting from two communities in Central and North Senatorial Districts of Delta State (Oghara and Obiaruku). Prior to the commencement of the study, the caregivers were thoroughly counselled on the objectives of the study, and a pretested structured interviewer administered questionnaire was used for administration in English, Urhobo and Ukwuani languages. Results: The study revealed that 86.93% respondents have good knowledge of malaria, and 60% commenced treatment within 24hrs. It also showed that 58.4% preferred anti-malarial combination therapies with arthemether-lumefantrine combination accounting for 34.0% drug options. Drug sources for home based malaria management were mainly from Pharmacy 40.5%, Drug sellers such as chemist 55.1% while information sources on choice of therapy and dosage were mainly from chemist 32.7%; health personnel 25.7%; neighbours 7.5% and self-based on previous experience 36.6%. Conclusion: The study revealed very good knowledge of malaria and good management practices as well as good treatment seeking behaviours amongst the caregivers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 222-233
Author(s):  
Evans Oduro ◽  
Abigail Kusi-Amponsah Diji ◽  
Grace Kusi ◽  
Albert Amagyei ◽  
Joana Kyei-Dompim ◽  
...  

Background: Children’s nurses’ knowledge of pain affects their pain management practices. Even though poor knowledge and attitudes have been reported in several studies, most were carried out in developed settings. However, little has been reported on the management of paediatric pain by nurses in resource-limited settings such as in sub-Saharan Africa.Purpose: This study sought to assess the knowledge and perceptions of children’s nurses regarding paediatric pain in a Ghanaian context.Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was carried out among 65 nurses at eight hospitals at various levels of healthcare in Ghana. Over three months, participants’ demographic data and responses on the Pediatric Nurses Knowledge and Attitude Survey Regarding Pain (PNKAS) instrument were collected. Data were analyzed and presented using descriptive and inferential statistics.Results: Participants’ average (SD) knowledge and attitudes regarding paeditric pain was 36.7% (6.9%) and ranged from 21.4% to 57.1%. Pediatric pain knowledge and attitudes (PPKA) of the nurses differed based on working years in the children’s unit and the hospital type they worked in (p<0.05). Nevertheless, the type of hospital facility was the only independent predictor of their PPKA (R2=0.181, p<0.001).Conclusion: Children nurses in this setting generally had insufficient knowledge and attitudes on paediatric pain. They should be motivated to undertake self-directed learning and regular continuing professional education to update their knowledge, attitude and skills on evidence-based pediatric pain assessment and management. 


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document