A Phenomenological Study of Leadership, Motivation, and Communication in the Construction Industry

The construction industry in the United States of America pays a high litigation cost due to late project delivery or substandard projects. Despite the training construction organizations expose their project teams to, research has shown greater emphasis on skill training than leadership training. This phenomenological study sought to understand the dynamics of the relationship between project leaders and construction site workers in Central Virginia. Understanding the perceptions of project managers, superintendents, and construction site workers about leadership, leadership development and training, motivation, and communication gave insights into these dynamics. The research study allowed the researcher to understand the work experiences of project leaders and how they managed their teams, motivated, and communicated with them. Additionally, the construction site workers described how they would like to be led and managed. The findings suggested that there is a need for project managers and superintendents to exhibit intentional leadership attributes to motivate their teams to perform optimally. On the basis of the study, appropriate recommendations were made for the construction industry and future studies

Changing the orientation of youths towards street hawking in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Vast majority of youths in developing economy are unemployed and street hawking is a succor to a great number of them for survival. Despite the vital role of street hawking in the livelihoods of youths in a recessed economy, its adverse implications on urban space and social well-being of the youths are too critical to overlook. This study, therefore, examines the implication of street hawking and causal factors motivating street hawking among youths in Sango-Ojoo axis of Ibadan. The study was a descriptive survey among 37 youths who were randomly sampled at potential hawking terminals along Sango-Ojoo road. Data was collected through the use of multiple choice questionnaires, and interview guide, while chi-square test was used in the data analysis. Findings revealed a preponderance of female youth hawkers who had attained secondary education. The causative factors motivating youths to hawk include; low level of education, household size, occupation of hawkers’ employers and income. The study further established a statistical significance between street hawking and vulnerability of the youths in human environments. The paper recommends sustainable policy through quality and affordable education to the poor, empowerment programme and habitual campaign on the dangers of street hawking to stem the scourge of hawking in Ibadan. Keywords: Street hawking, youth, Ibadan, Nigeria &nbsp

Sustainable Micro-Finance for Small-scale Rice Processors in the Rural Region of Igbemo-Ekiti, Nigeria

Small "“scale food processing structure in developing countries has become a critical issue, now that many find it difficult to sustain food production.  This study, therefore, reports the small-scale rice processing situation in Igbemo-Ekiti, Nigeria vis-à-vis the investors' capabilities.  Seventy two (72) processors were interviewed in twenty one (21) residential quarters of the town.  Using the Pearson's Correlation test of processor's variables, findings reveal strong relationship between processor's income, mode of operation, processing activities, expenditure, and institutional assistance.  Policy measures are advanced based on research findings

Review of Maintenance Strategies For Achieving Sustainable Developments In Tropical Climates

Buildings, like almost all physical objects degrade over time due to a combination of factors. The deterioration affects all components and parts of the building in different ways, gradually reducing the quality of the structure and adversely impacting the building’s ability to effectively perform its basic functions in an environment. This paper relied on a systematic review of published literatures in reputable databases to examine how building developments and public environments can be designed in tropical climates to require minimal maintenance activities to enhance the ease of executing such activities. 39 open access published documents were reviewed. Data sieved from the publications were content analysed and descriptively presented in themes. The study identified principles and methods which can be implemented in the design of buildings with a focus on maintainability towards enhancing the development of sustainable public buildings and environments in tropical climates. The review promotes maintenance culture and emphasises increased consideration for maintenance in building design, which further helps to promote the eleventh target of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals that aims at the development of resilient, safe and sustainable communities, cities and human settlements. The paper is instructive to researchers, scholars, students of architecture and building design, as well as policy makers on issues surrounding the principles of designing for maintainability, particularly in tropical settings

Ethnic differences in blood lipids and dietary intake between UK children of black African, black Caribbean, South Asian, and white European origin: the Child Heart and Health Study in England (CHASE).

BACKGROUND: Ischemic heart disease (IHD) rates are lower in UK black Africans and black Caribbeans and higher in South Asians when compared with white Europeans. Ethnic differences in lipid concentrations may play a part in these differences. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to investigate blood lipid and dietary patterns in UK children from different ethnic groups. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study in 2026 UK children (including 285 black Africans, 188 black Caribbeans, 534 South Asians, and 512 white Europeans) attending primary schools in London, Birmingham, and Leicester. We measured fasting blood lipid concentrations and collected 24-h dietary recalls. RESULTS: In comparison with white Europeans, black African children had lower total cholesterol (-0.14 mmol/L; 95% CI: -0.25, -0.04 mmol/L), LDL-cholesterol (-0.10 mmol/L; 95% CI: -0.20, -0.01 mmol/L), and triglyceride concentrations (proportional difference: -0.11 mmol/L; 95% CI: -0.16, -0.06 mmol/L); HDL-cholesterol concentrations were similar. Lower saturated fat intakes (-1.4%; 95% CI: -1.9%, -0.9%) explained the differences between total and LDL cholesterol. Black Caribbean children had total, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, and triglyceride concentrations similar to those for white Europeans, with slightly lower saturated fat intakes. South Asian children had total and LDL-cholesterol concentrations similar to those for white Europeans, lower HDL-cholesterol concentrations (-0.7 mmol/L; 95% CI: -0.11, -0.03 mmol/L), and elevated triglyceride concentrations (proportional difference: 0.14 mmol/L; 95% CI: 0.09, 0.20 mmol/L); higher polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat intakes did not explain these lipid differences. CONCLUSIONS: Only black African children had a blood lipid profile and associated dietary pattern likely to protect against future IHD. The loss of historically lower LDL-cholesterol concentrations among UK black Caribbeans and South Asians may have important adverse consequences for future IHD risk in these groups

Socioeconomic Characteristics and Housing Development in the Peri-Urban Areas of Akure, Nigeria

The rapidly growing population of Akure and the accompanying economic activities have led to the city's expansion to the adjoining peri-urban areas. Many households who could not afford decent accommodation in the town have been moving to the peri-urban regions for rental or personal housing. Recognizing this development, a study exploring the connection between the socioeconomic characteristics of households and housing development was carried out in Oba-Ile, Oda, and Ibule-Soro peri-urban areas of Akure. In this study, households represent the unit of analysis, and one household head per building was selected for questionnaire administration. Using the average household size of five people per family (5ppf) and five households per building (5hpb) in Ondo State, the number of households in the three locations was forty-seven thousand one hundred and ten (47110), out of which eight hundred (800) representing 1.7% of the households were randomly selected for questionnaire administration. The data obtained from the field survey was subjected to statistical analysis and the results among others revealed that most of the housing units were headed by males, who were between 45 and 54 years old, and within Nigeria's economically active population; 67.2%, 65.1%, and 46.4% of the respondents in Ibule-Soro, Oda, and Oba-Ile, respectively, lived below the poverty line; and most of the housing development were traced to the last ten years. Based on the findings, credible proposals were made to improve socioeconomic characteristics, which will drive adequate housing development

Managing Residential Density Development in Akure Through E-land Pricing System

One of the major challenges of Akure in the past two decades is the uncoordinated residential density development. This paper examined this haphazard development by mapping out the housing density mix in selected residential neighbourhoods in the city with a view to developing an e-land pricing model for its effective land management therein. The study identified three residential estates in Akure as representatives of the three broad densities (high, medium, low) in the residential zones using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Primary data were generated from the administration of structured questionnaire that captured information on socio-economic characteristics of the respondents, location of buildings, plot sizes, coverage and prices among others. From the research findings, a high level of unregulated pricing was obvious particularly in the private sector that controls vast areas of the city land. The closer a private landed property to the city centre or a government housing scheme, the higher the price irrespective of the plot size. Sudden increase in income of residents is a determinant of the willingness to purchase land at high prices. To address this trend this study has developed an e-land pricing interface to regulate the residential density choice in the city. The model was tested to successfully predict specific areas for density development given certain variables such as regular income of land buyers, price of land, plot sizes among others. An administrative structure that can ensure management of the proposed e-land pricing reform measure was specified for effective density mix in the city. Keywords: Residential, density development, housing, e-land pricing, Akure.  DOI: 10.7176/JEES/9-7-04 Publication date:July 31st 201

Review of Maintenance Strategies For Achieving Sustainable Developments In Tropical Climates

Buildings, like almost all physical objects degrade over time due to a combination of factors. The deterioration affects all components and parts of the building in different ways, gradually reducing the quality of the structure and adversely impacting the building’s ability to effectively perform its basic functions in an environment. This paper relied on a systematic review of published literatures in reputable databases to examine how building developments and public environments can be designed in tropical climates to require minimal maintenance activities to enhance the ease of executing such activities. 39 open access published documents were reviewed. Data sieved from the publications were content analysed and descriptively presented in themes. The study identified principles and methods which can be implemented in the design of buildings with a focus on maintainability towards enhancing the development of sustainable public buildings and environments in tropical climates. The review promotes maintenance culture and emphasises increased consideration for maintenance in building design, which further helps to promote the eleventh target of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals that aims at the development of resilient, safe and sustainable communities, cities and human settlements. The paper is instructive to researchers, scholars, students of architecture and building design, as well as policy makers on issues surrounding the principles of designing for maintainability, particularly in tropical setting

Estimating the Geographical Influence of Rice Consumption from a Regional Agropole in Ekiti State, Nigeria

Rice is a commodity of strong economic importance with vital implications for regional development. Rice is the main crop in Igbemo-Ekiti, Nigeria, yet the full economic effect of its production is yet to be determined. This study explores the geographical influence of rice consumption from Igbemo, a regional agropole in Ekiti state. Five hundred respondents were interviewed in 18 of the 69 residential quarters that constitute the six Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the study region. Using the double-log version of the multiple linear regression models for analysis, the study discovered that the level of availability of the rice, the regularity of its consumption, its sourcing, its market price, its quality, and the income of the consumer are crucial factors impacting consumption of rice from Igbemo. Policy measures are discussed based on research findings