Barriers to BIM implementation and ways forward to improve its adoption in the Nigerian AEC firms

Purpose –BIM has much potential to improve the effectiveness of construction works with respect to design, construction and maintenance. However, many Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) firms are still lagging in the adoption and implementation of BIM in both developing and developed countries. The purpose of this study is to assess the barriers to BIM implementation, and examine the ways forward to improve BIM adoption within the Nigerian AEC firms. Design/methodology/approach – A comprehensive literature review and questionnaire survey were used in the study. The survey targeted four different AEC firms. These include architectural firms, facility management firms, quantity surveying firms and structural engineering firms in Lagos, Nigeria. The data obtained were analyzed using mean score, standard deviation, Kruskal- Wallis test, and factor analysis. Findings – The study identified 20 barriers to BIM implementation and identified 10 ways forward to improve BIM adoption in AEC firms, particularly in Nigeria. The relative importance of both the identified barriers and the ways forward were gauged. The Kruskal-Wallis tests revealed that except for one (out of 20) identified barriers, and one (out of 10) identified ways forward; there is no statistical significant difference in the perceptions of four different AEC firms. The factor analysis result grouped the 20 identified barriers into three major factors to include: weak top management support and BIM environment related issues; cost of BIM software and training issues; and incompatibility, legal, contractual, and culture related issues. Practical implications – The significance of the study cannot be over-emphasized due to BIM relevance to construction stakeholders and researchers at large. Originality/value – The study findings would inform the decisions of the construction stakeholders to make some policy recommendations capable of positively influencing the full BIM implementation in AEC firms

Simulation of braiding anyons using Matrix Product States

Anyons exist as point like particles in two dimensions and carry braid statistics which enable interactions that are independent of the distance between the particles. Except for a relatively few number of models which are analytically tractable, much of the physics of anyons remain still unexplored. In this paper, we show how U(1)-symmetry can be combined with the previously proposed anyonic Matrix Product States to simulate ground states and dynamics of anyonic systems on a lattice at any rational particle number density. We provide proof of principle by studying itinerant anyons on a one dimensional chain where no natural notion of braiding arises and also on a two-leg ladder where the anyons hop between sites and possibly braid. We compare the result of the ground state energies of Fibonacci anyons against hardcore bosons and spinless fermions. In addition, we report the entanglement entropies of the ground states of interacting Fibonacci anyons on a fully filled two-leg ladder at different interaction strength, identifying gapped or gapless points in the parameter space. As an outlook, our approach can also prove useful in studying the time dynamics of a finite number of nonabelian anyons on a finite two-dimensional lattice.Comment: Revised version: 20 pages, 14 captioned figures, 2 new tables. We have moved a significant amount of material concerning symmetric tensors for anyons --- which can be found in prior works --- to Appendices in order to streamline our exposition of the modified Anyonic-U(1) ansat

Sustainable development in a construction related curriculum- quantity surveying students’ perspective

Higher education institutions (HEIs) across the globe are increasingly aware of the need to integrate sustainability education within the curricula. This triggered a number of studies that were conducted by earlier researchers in embedding sustainability education within the curricula. Thus, studies have been carried out to evaluate how students perceived sustainable development in their curricula, particularly in engineering and other related courses. Few of these studies were conducted in built environment, most especially in quantity surveying. It is against this backdrop that necessitated this study. The purpose of this study is to establish the extent in which sustainable development is embedded in the construction related curriculum using the perception of quantity surveying students. The study adopted literature review, documentary reports among others as a secondary method of data collection. Primary data were collected through online questionnaire survey administered to 330 randomly selected quantity surveying students in a university in the UK. Out of which 87 completed questionnaires were retrieved and suitable for the analysis. The quantitative data obtained were analysed using mean score, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and regression analysis. The study identified 46 sustainability topics, which were grouped into 6 categories (i.e. A-F). Based on these categories, the study found that students’ knowledge level on sustainability was a little above ‘basic/limited knowledge with the overall mean score value of 2.38 on a 4- point Likert scale. The study further revealed that the students placed high importance on sustainability education, despite their knowledge level were found lower. The study findings would be used to establish the extent of sustainability within the curriculum in the quantity surveying programme. Also, this study would be of great value to academic staff and University management boards to develop a framework for incorporating sustainability education in the curriculum

An investigation into the sustainability practices in PPP infrastructure projects : a case of Nigeria

Purpose – In the global construction industry, the concept of sustainability is not new, particularly within building projects. Against this backdrop, several studies have been conducted, mostly in developed countries, on sustainability in construction projects. However, efforts at investigating sustainability practices in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) infrastructure projects in developing countries have received limited attention. Hence, the purpose of this study is to investigate the incorporation of sustainability practices within the context of Nigeria PPP infrastructure projects. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey, which targeted four different types of stakeholders, was conducted in this study. These stakeholders included public sector authorities, concessionaires, consultants, and banks undertaking PPP infrastructure projects in Lagos State, Nigeria. The data collected were analysed using frequency, percentage, mean score, standard deviation analyses, and the Kruskal-Wallis test. Findings – The findings of this study revealed that all the respondents are very much aware of sustainability principles, and majority of the respondents from the public sector authorities and the consultant organizations confirmed that they have incorporated sustainability requirements into their bidding documents for PPP infrastructure projects. The study revealed sustainability features in the three aspects of sustainability, namely economic, environmental and social factors. Furthermore, the study revealed the top three ranked economic factors of sustainability (considered to be the most important factors) were low maintenance costs, whole life costing, and supporting the local economy, respectively. Similarly, the study revealed the top three ranked environmental factors of sustainability were biodiversity, energy use during the operation stage, and energy use during the construction stage, respectively. Furthermore, the study further revealed that the top three ranked social factors of sustainability were the educational aspect, equity between stakeholders, and health and safety, respectively. Practical implications – The study will be of great value to PPP stakeholders involved in sustainability decision-making processes when delivering sustainable PPP projects, particularly in Nigeria. Also, the study findings are important as not many empirical studies have been conducted on the sustainability practices of current PPP projects in Nigeria. Originality/value –The study findings would further inform the need for both the public and private sectors to take a more strategic approach to enhancing sustainability in PPP projects

Foreign portfolio investment and Nigerian bond market development

The study examined the contribution of foreign portfolio investment (FPI) towards financing Nigeria infrastructural deficits and determined the factors that attract FPI into the Nigerian bond market. It also examined the relationship between FPI and bond yield in Nigeria. Primary data were obtained through administration of questionnaires to directors of finance, chief finance officers and investment officers of 128 firms out of 271 firms in financial and manufacturing sectors of the Nigerian economy. Stratified sampling technique was used to select 100 stock broking firms that were controlling 90% of the secondary bond market trading activities while purposive sampling technique was used to select the existing 18 primary dealers and market makers and 10 non-financial institutions that had raised fund in the domestic bond market within the study period. Secondary data on bond index, bond market capitalization, real interest rate, real exchange rate, inflation rate, gross domestic product, external debt and external reserve were obtained from publications of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Debt Management Office (DMO), Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE) and National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Data collected were analyzed using both descriptive statistics such as line graphs, bar charts and simple percentages; and inferential statistics which was mainly multiple regression analysis. The results showed that there was no FPI in the bond market until 2003 when the federal government through the Debt Management Office issued the first FGN Bond series. In addition, between 2003 and 2011, the contribution of the FPI to long term funds in the bond market was 10% of the total bond market capitalization which was considered very low. Interest rate (85%), Gross domestic product (90%), bond market capitalization (91%), inflation rate (89%) and external reserve (95%) were found to be major factors that attracted FPI into the Nigerian bond market as stated by the respondents. Finally, the results showed that there was a significant relationship between FPI and bond yield (r = 0.44, p< 0.05). The study concluded that factors attracting foreign investors into the bond market in Nigeria are critical and if well managed by policy makers could enhance the attraction of FPI needed for financing infrastructural projects through the Nigerian bond market

Nigerian Security Conundrum: An Analysis of Patterns and Trends of Banditry in Northwest Nigeria

With the ever-increasing security challenges, resulting from the activities of different militia groups in Nigeria, the researcher chose to single out the growing incidence of banditry in the Northwest Nigeria for analysis and to direct policy approach. Guided by two objectives, (1) causative factors of banditry (2) patterns and trends in banditry; information and data on the subject were gathered through literature review (books, journals, policy reports and newspapers). The Political economy, Means-End and the Sub-cultural theories were integrated to further support the discourse. Both theoretical and empirical evidence implicated poverty and other harsh economic conditions, porous borders, low education, and bad governance as major causes of banditry in the region under review. There is an exponential increase in the trend and pattern of this phenomenon, with dire consequences on security and national development and cohesion, as well has resulted in outright destruction of lives and property. The advocacy is on all level of government (Local, State and Federal) to build and sustain inclusive social capital and functional political economy and social structure for enduring public safety and peaceful coexistence. These will go a long way I addressing the issues of abject poverty, low education, bad governance and corruption in border security, which coalesce with other push-pull factors to escalate banditry in the Northwest Nigeria

Valuers' perception of the effect of client influence on valuation practice

The literature indicates that valuers yield to client influence to bias valuations. Studies also show that client influence has several effects on valuation practice. This study investigated valuers' perception of the effect of client influence on valuation practice with the objective of determining whether the perception differs for valuers of different characteristics. The investigation focused on secured lending valuations in Nigeria. The research design was cross-sectional survey. The sample comprised 270 valuation firms selected through the stratified random sampling design. Data collection utilised questionnaire structured on 5–point Likert format. Data analysis employed mean statistics and Kruskal-Wallis test. The results revealed that valuers perceive that client influence undermines integrity of the valuers; the valuation firm and the valuation profession; as well as questions valuers' expertise and, constrains the development of the valuation profession. This perception is the same irrespective of the characteristics of the valuer. It can be inferred that valuer characteristics are not important in explaining valuers' perception of the effect of client influence on valuation practice. The policy implication of the research is the necessity for the regulatory agencies to review valuation practice standards to institute measures to check the intervention of clients in valuations. The limitation of the research is that it investigated only valuers. It suggests that research be conducted on the subject from clients' perspective.Keywords: Client influence; valuation; bias valuation; valuer characteristics; valuation practic

Investigation into some soil strength parameters using a locally developed soil shearing equipment

A mechanical device was designed and fabricated for in situ measurement of soil strength parameters such as soil cohesion, soil adhesion, angle of soil internal friction, soil to metal friction angle, soil penetration resistance and soil bulk density.  The equipment was tested on the field at soil depth interval of 10 cm ranging from the soil surface to the depth of  30 cm following the standard procedures for the measurement of these soil strength parameters at soil moisture contents of 16.71% and 20.15%.  At soil moisture content of 16.71% dry basis, soil cohesion and soil adhesion were 5.313 and 6.968 kN/m2 and 3.745 and 4.234 kN/m2 at the soil surface and at soil depth of 30 cm respectively.  At soil moisture content of 20.15%, soil cohesion and soil adhesion were 4.703 and 6.533 kN/m2 and 2.961 and 4.181 kN/m2 at the soil surface and at soil depth of 30 cm respectively.  The comparison of soil cohesion and soil adhesion with soil bulk density gives a linear relationship at the same moisture content.  The soil penetration resistance was found to have different values but followed the same trends or exhibit the same characteristics that is; the initial increment in the values of the penetration resistance at the first 15 cm depth and the values fall as the depth increases when tested under different soil conditions and time.  The highest soil shearing stress was at the soil surface, while the least was recorded the depth of 30 cm, thereby showing that the shearing stress of soil decreases with depth and the strength of soil reduces with increase in soil moisture content.  Also, the highest point of soil resistance to penetration was recorded at the soil depths of between 15 and 20 cm.   Keywords: soil strength parameters; soil cohesion, soil adhesion, soil penetration resistanc