Competitive Advantage among Indigenous Construction Firms in Competing with Expatriate Contractors in Nigeria

In recent times, the preference for expatriates in the contractual process in Nigeria has become an issue of controversy and general public interest. As a result, the high presence of these foreign expatriates has raised competitiveness in the construction sector, which is partly caused by indigenous enterprises' incapacity to meet the demands placed on them in terms of construction project delivery. This paper, therefore, investigates the factors influencing clients’ choice of contractor, examines the performance index of both expatriate and indigenous construction firms (ICFs), and analyzes the key performance indicators (KPI) for ICFs to increase their competitive advantage. The methodology involved the administration of structured questionnaires to a paper population of 384 construction experts comprising engineers, architects, quantity surveyors, builders, and project managers in Nigeria. With a response rate of 69%, frequencies/percentages, mean values, relative importance index (RII), and regression model were employed for the analysis. The findings revealed that the most important factors influencing clients’ choice are past performance and experience, equipment capabilities, and quality specification/standards. Additionally, this paper used six (6) KPIs (human resource management, financial management practices client-based strategy, organizational culture practices, smart work methods, and quality management practices) to model the performances of ICFs to increase their competitive advantage in Nigeria. This paper concluded that there is a higher performance of foreign expatriates in terms of time, cost, scope, quality, and satisfaction over their indigenous counterparts. This paper recommended that there is a need for ICFs to increase their equipment capacity and ability to undertake mega projects, develop an effective funding strategy to execute projects and collaborate with international partners to boost their level of competitiveness

Competitive Advantage among Indigenous Construction Firms in Competing with Expatriate Contractors in Nigeria

In recent times, the preference for expatriates in the contractual process in Nigeria has become an issue of controversy and general public interest. As a result, the high presence of these foreign expatriates has raised competitiveness in the construction sector, which is partly caused by indigenous enterprises' incapacity to meet the demands placed on them in terms of construction project delivery. This paper, therefore, investigates the factors influencing clients’ choice of contractor, examines the performance index of both expatriate and indigenous construction firms (ICFs), and analyzes the key performance indicators (KPI) for ICFs to increase their competitive advantage. The methodology involved the administration of structured questionnaires to a paper population of 384 construction experts comprising engineers, architects, quantity surveyors, builders, and project managers in Nigeria. With a response rate of 69%, frequencies/percentages, mean values, relative importance index (RII), and regression model were employed for the analysis. The findings revealed that the most important factors influencing clients’ choice are past performance and experience, equipment capabilities, and quality specification/standards. Additionally, this paper used six (6) KPIs (human resource management, financial management practices client-based strategy, organizational culture practices, smart work methods, and quality management practices) to model the performances of ICFs to increase their competitive advantage in Nigeria. This paper concluded that there is a higher performance of foreign expatriates in terms of time, cost, scope, quality, and satisfaction over their indigenous counterparts. This paper recommended that there is a need for ICFs to increase their equipment capacity and ability to undertake mega projects, develop an effective funding strategy to execute projects and collaborate with international partners to boost their level of competitiveness

Prevalence and Pattern of Stimulants Use among Long-distance Truck Drivers in a Truck Part in Kaduna State, Nigeria

Background: Stimulant use is recognized as an important factor in road safety worldwide, and concerns are growing over the incidence of road traffic accidents among drivers who drive under the influence of stimulants. Yearly, more than 1.25 million people lose their lives as a result of road traffic accidents, many of which are associated with stimulant use. Aim: The study aimed to assess the prevalence, pattern, and factors associated with stimulant use among long‑distance truck drivers in a truck part in Kaduna State, Nigeria. Methods: A cross‑sectional study was conducted in a truck park in Marraraban Jos in Kaduna State. A structured, interviewer‑administered  questionnaire was used to obtain data. A total of 152 respondents were interviewed. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Chi‑square and  Fisher’s exact tests were used to identify the relationship between categorical variables with a level of significance at P < 0.05. Results: A total of 152 respondents participated in the study with a mean age of 33 ± 5 years. The prevalence of stimulant use was 64.5%. Only 92  (60.7%) drivers reported using stimulants on rare occasions. Years of driving experience was found to be associated with stimulant use (P = 0.031).  Other sociodemographic variables were shown not to be significantly related to stimulant use. Conclusion: The prevalence of stimulant use was found to be high among the drivers, with less experienced drivers more likely to use stimulants.  Efforts on improving road safety should include reducing stimulant use, especially among the younger less experienced drivers. Keywords: Jos, long‑distance drivers, Nigeria, stimulant

Smoking in preeclamptic women is associated with higher birthweight for gestational age and lower soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 levels: a nested case control study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Smoking paradoxically increases the risk of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) birth but protects against preeclampsia. Some studies have reported a "U-shaped" distribution of fetal growth in preeclamptic pregnancies, but reasons for this are unknown. We investigated whether cigarette smoking interacts with preeclampsia to affect fetal growth, and compared levels of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1), a circulating anti-angiogenic protein, in preeclamptic smokers and non-smokers.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>From a multicenter cohort of 5337 pregnant women, we prospectively identified 113 women who developed preeclampsia (cases) and 443 controls. Smoking exposure was assessed by self-report and maternal hair nicotine levels. Fetal growth was assessed as z-score of birthweight for gestational age (BWGA). sFlt-1 was measured in plasma samples collected at the 24-26-week visit.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In linear regression, smoking and preeclampsia were each associated with lower BWGA z-scores (β = -0.29; p = 0.008, and β = -0.67; p < 0.0001), but positive interaction was observed between smoking and preeclampsia (β = +0.86; p = 0.0008) such that smoking decreased z-score by -0.29 in controls but increased it by +0.57 in preeclampsia cases. Results were robust to substituting log hair nicotine for self-reported smoking and after adjustment for confounding variables. Mean sFlt-1 levels were lower in cases with hair nicotine levels above vs. below the median (660.4 pg/ml vs. 903.5 pg/ml; p = 0.0054).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Maternal smoking seems to protect against preeclampsia-associated fetal growth restriction and may account, at least partly, for the U-shaped pattern of fetal growth described in preeclamptic pregnancies. Smoking may exert this effect by reducing levels of the anti-angiogenic protein sFlt-1.</p

Effect of Smoking on Circulating Angiogenic Factors in High Risk Pregnancies

Objective: Changes in maternal concentrations of the anti-angiogenic factors, soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt1) and soluble endoglin (sEng), and the pro-angiogenic placental growth factor (PlGF) precede the development of preeclampsia in healthy women. The risk of preeclampsia is reduced in women who smoke during pregnancy. The objective of this study was to investigate whether smoking affects concentrations of angiogenic factors (sFlt1, PlGF, and sEng) in women at high risk for developing preeclampsia. Study Design: We performed a secondary analysis of serum samples from 993 high-risk women (chronic hypertension, diabetes, multifetal gestation, and previous preeclampsia) in a preeclampsia prevention trial. sFlt1, sEng and PlGF were measured in serum samples obtained at study entry, which was prior to initiation of aspirin (median 19.0 weeks' [interquartile range of 16.0-22.6 weeks']). Smoking status was determined by self-report. Results: sFlt1 was not significantly different in smokers from any high-risk groups compared to their nonsmoking counterparts. PlGF was higher among smokers compared to nonsmokers among diabetic women (142.7 [77.4-337.3] vs 95.9 [48.5-180.7] pg/ml, p = 0.005) and women with a history of preeclampsia (252.2 [137.1-486.0] vs 152.2 [73.6-253.7] pg/ml, p = 0.001). sEng was lower in smokers with multifetal gestations (5.8 [4.6-6.5] vs 6.8 [5.5-8.7] ng/ml, p = 0.002) and trended lower among smokers with diabetes (4.9 [3.8-5.6] vs 5.3 [4.3-6.3] ng/ml, p = 0.05). Smoking was not associated with a lower incidence of preeclampsia in any of these groups. Conclusions: In certain high-risk groups, smoking is associated with changes in the concentrations of these factors towards a pro-angiogenic direction during early pregnancy; however, there was no apparent association between smoking and the development of preeclampsia in our cohort

Effect of Antihypertensive Therapy with Alpha Methyldopa on Levels of Angiogenic Factors in Pregnancies with Hypertensive Disorders

Antihypertensive drugs are believed to lower blood pressure in pre-eclampsia by direct or central vasodilatory mechanisms. However, they could also act by decreasing production of anti-angiogenic proteins involved in the pathophysiology of hypertension and proteinuria in pre-eclampsia (PE). The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of antihypertensive therapy with alpha methyldopa on maternal circulating levels and placental production of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1), soluble endoglin (sEng), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and placental growth factor (PlGF) in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy

The importance of disease associations and concomitant therapy for the long-term management of psoriasis patients

It is well established that several inflammatory-type conditions, such as arthritis, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and irritable bowel disease exist comorbidly and at an increased incidence in patients with psoriasis. Psoriasis and other associated diseases are thought to share common inflammatory pathways. Conditions such as these, with similar pathogenic mechanisms involving cytokine dysregulation, are referred to as immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs). Considerable evidence for the genetic basis of cormobidities in psoriasis exists. The WHO has reported that the occurrence of chronic diseases, including IMIDs, are a rising global burden. In addition, conditions linked with psoriasis have been associated with increasing rates of considerable morbidity and mortality. The presence of comorbid conditions in psoriasis patients has important implications for clinical management. QoL, direct health care expenditures and pharmacokinetics of concomitant therapies are impacted by the presence of comorbid conditions. For example, methotrexate is contraindicated in hepatic impairment, while patients on ciclosporin should be monitored for kidney function. In addition, some agents, such as beta blockers, lithium, synthetic antimalarial drugs, NSAIDs and tetracycline antibiotics, have been implicated in the initiation or exacerbation of psoriasis. Consequently, collaboration between physicians in different specialties is essential to ensuring that psoriasis treatment benefits the patient without exacerbating associated conditions

Problems with oil pollution injury litigation in the Nigerian legal system : can Nigerian litigants gain access to courts in England and the U.S.A.?

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo