A Conceptual Framework for the Application of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the Management of Housing Projects in Nigeria

The Nigerian housing project setting has been marred with challenges which have continuously led to project under-performance and failure. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is presented as a strategy to mitigate the challenges. CSR which deals with housing project firms’ responsibilities in service delivery towards shareholders, stakeholders and society comprises a landscape of theories. The absence of CSR application towards solving housing project life cycle challenges presented a gap which informed the study. Variables are presented in a suitable and explored framework with a view to examining the potentials of CSR as a panacea to the challenges. This study presents stakeholder and ethical theories as the underpinning theories for the application of CSR in the management of housing projects along the project life cycle phases. Stakeholder theory states that firms’ owe a responsibility to a wider group of stakeholders, other than just shareholders. Ethical theory of CSR applies to housing projects as ethics help to guide the practice of various stakeholders involved in the process of housing project management. Methodology used was a review of documented evidence from related literature. This study found that CSR application in Nigerian housing projects, although rudimentary has yielded positives when implemented. Proper CSR application in housing projects has the capacity to mitigate housing project challenges across each project life cycle phase. This study also recommends the proposition of CSR application in effective housing project management as a standard being a panacea to existing challenges. Keywords: Corporate social responsibility, Housing project, Theories, Framework DOI: 10.7176/CER/12-6-04 Publication date:June 30th 202

Evaluating The Determinants For Access To Subsidised Mortgage Housing In Jos, Nigeria

Nigeria's subsidised mortgage system operates on the assumption that workers would subscribe to a scheme (National Housing Fund [NHF]) as a precondition for access to housing. The subsidised mortgages are limited in supply and the mechanism lacks efficiency and distributional equity. These issues are empirically examined in Jos. A survey was conducted among workers in 24 randomly selected organisations. A total of 543 questionnaires were administered and 410 were retrieved. Analysis employing Pearson's chi square indicates a low-level of participation and a lack of awareness about the NHF scheme. There are negative feelings about the arrangement, and for the entire sample, gender and employment characteristics were found to have statistically significant relationships with participation in the NHF scheme. However, access to subsidised mortgage is influenced only by gender and tier of government employment. It is concluded that participation in the NHF scheme is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for access to mortgages in Jos. These findings call for increased awareness about NHF and improved efficiency in its administration. As the study was limited to the city of Jos, the methodology could be used to corroborate the evidence in other Nigerian citie

Diseño y cálculo de nave industrial para la fabricación de aerogeneradores

La realización del presente proyecto ha surgido de la necesidad de la creación de una nave industrial para la fabricación de las palas de aerogeneradores destinados a transformar la energía eólica en eléctrica. En algunos casos, las palas que constituyen la hélice del aerogenerador pueden llegar a longitudes de más de 60 metros, pero con una cuerda que rara vez supera los 8 metros, por lo que son piezas de gran esbeltez. Es por ello que se busca el diseño de una nave que cumpla con las dimensiones necesarias para alojar las máquinas, herramientas y utillaje necesarios para su fabricación, pero sin sobredimensionar excesivamente la estructura para no incurrir en gastos añadidos, ya sean de material de construcción como de precio de compra de la parcela donde se ubicará la nave. Para el diseño del proyecto se ha tenido en cuenta el uso que se le dará a la nave, y se ha actuado en consecuencia proyectándola de acuerdo a los requerimientos previos tanto de tamaño como de funcionalidad, logrando una estructura idónea para la fabricación de los elementos a los que está destinada. Teniendo en cuenta que el tiempo es un factor clave en la mayoría de los ámbitos industriales, se ha proyectado la nave evitando complicaciones innecesarias en la estructura que permitan agilizar su construcción. Es por ello que la estructura se ha realizado enteramente de acero con los elementos secundarios, tales como cerramientos, de otros diversos materiales. De esta forma se logra la consecución del objetivo en un tiempo reducido y sin incurrir en costes elevados.Ingeniería Técnica en Mecánic

Alternative Building Materials (ABM): Towards Adoption of Common Terminology and Definitions

There are differences in the definitions of Alternative Building Materials (ABM) and differences in the terminologies that are used in describing ABM by different researchers in the construction industry. ABM is a generic term, which is characterised of or relating to a class or group of building materials, not really specific. It encompasses building and construction materials that in literature are referred to by different names such as alternative materials, local building materials, unconventional building materials, alternative residential construction materials, sustainable building materials, indigenous building materials, vernacular building materials, green building materials, environmentally responsible building materials, eco-friendly building materials, etc. The research employed systematic literature review and content analysis to generate and analysedall the necessary information as the methodology.  A working (operational) definition of Alternative Building Materials is being offered as building materials that are an alternative to conventional building materials in the form of total or partial substitution of the materials or its constituents for the purpose of reducing the cost, addressing environmental issues or dealing with lack of conventional materials. The characteristics of ABM have been identified to include low or no chemical emissions that can lead to poor indoor air quality, recycled content (post-consumer and pre-consumer), no CFC, HCFC, or other ozone depleting substances content, low embodied energy, locally produced, possibility of repairs and replacements with local means and social acceptability amongst others. Some of the benefits of utilizing ABM include; low embodied energy (often leading to reduced greenhouse gas emissions), ease of construction, widespread availability and low cost. Keywords: Alternative Building Materials, Definition, Adoption, Terminology, Characteristics DOI: 10.7176/CER/12-11-03 Publication date: November 30th 202

Enabling access to housing in Jos, Nigeria : Implementation and the new bureaucrats.

This thesis examines the notion of the enabling approach within the context of housing provision in Jos, Nigeria. The research analyses how the notion of enabling has been deployed and why it has failed to provide solutions to formal housing problems in Nigeria and other developing economies. This study takes the form of a three-step analysis; it follows the sequence of the policyimplementations. Firstly, it examined the notion of enabling in respect to the debt crisis that occurred during the 1980s and the measures taken (SAPs) by the IMF to aid Nigeria's recovery. This aspect was scrutinised and findings agreed with previous research in showing that the conditionality imposed by the IMF further crippled the economy of Nigeria thereby interfering with social services systems. This study also concurs with previous studies in confirming that the implementation of SAPs in countries affected by debt crisis, rather than bringing about recovery, was instead the beginning of a transition to neoliberalism, which obstructed attempts to provide formal housing.Secondly, the notion of enabling was scrutinised in respect to the rise of neoliberalism and the reforms implemented in Nigeria as a consequence. Primary and secondary source material was employed to examine theunderlying premises of neoliberalism. The findings show that the neoliberal policy reforms prescribed by the IMF and the World Bank for Nigeria did not deliver their promise - economic growth and national development. For the Nigerian housing sub-sector, the neoliberal reform programme left fewer results than it had promised for the subsidised mortgage system.Thirdly, the notion of enabling was examined in relation to the transfer of administrative techniques from the World Bank, the UNDP and the UNHABITAT, to Nigeria. The assumptions of this policy transfer were empirically examined in respect to the provision of new housing and the improvement of slum conditions in Jos. The study reveals that the strategy emanating was unsuitable for addressing the issues affecting the provision of new housing. It was, however, suitable for the administration of slum improvement projects. But this had the consequence of side-lining the existing bureaucratic system in Jos and of limiting the participation of domestic financial institutions in Nigeria. For Nigeria, the novelty of this research lies in the approach adopted to investigate the overall effect of the socioeconomic and political development process on housing policy outcomes in Jos. Through this, the complexities surrounding housing provision were uncovered and the variables influencing housing provision in Jos were identified. A distinction was drawn between the variables: those that result from enduring legacies of national development process and those that originate from the local setting in Jos. Overall therefore, this study demonstrates that the implementation of public policy founded on foreign ideas that are coercively imposed leads to unsustainable policy strategies. This was confirmed in respect to housing policy and practice in Jos: ambiguities in the city's housing provision strategy created difficulty for implementers, uncertainties and risk for local private investors and mistrust on the part of beneficiaries

A Review of Public-Private Partnership for Building and Infrastructure Procurement in Nigeria

The shortcomings of the traditional method of procuring buildings and infrastructure projects led to the adoption of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in Nigeria. This study undertakes a review of the practice of PPP with a view to explicating the key issues that are associated with its use in the procurement of public buildings and infrastructure projects. A wide range of secondary source material including reports, policy statement, journal articles and textbooks were collected for analysis. The analysis conducted reveals that the procurement process within government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) is cumbersome; one important source of this cumbersomeness arises from the funding arrangement. In this regard, MDAs were seen to accord less priority in approving counterpart funds for PPP projects under their control. The evidence indicate that the process of approving PPP budgets are in no way different from other capital projects of less priority within the MDAs. As a consequence, PPP projects are experiencing undue bureaucratic bottlenecks and delays. To address this concern, it is recommended that MDAs should prioritize the funding for PPP projects and equally fast tract the process of its approvals. This can potentially eliminate the bottlenecks and delays that are currently affecting the procurement of buildings and infrastructure through PPP. Overall, therefore, though PPP is found to be poorly practiced among MDAs, it remains a scheme that can be employed to address the procurement problems experienced in Nigerian public bureaus. Keywords: Public-Private Partnership, Procurement method, building and infrastructure, funding, Nigeri

Effect of positioning on the accuracy of decision making of association football top-class referees and assistant referees during competitive matches

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of positioning on the correctness of decision making of top-class referees and assistant referees during international games. Match analyses were carried out during the Fe´de´ration Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Confederations Cup 2009 and 380 foul play incidents and 165 offside situations were examined. The error percentage for the referees when indicating the incidents averaged 14%. The lowest error percentage occurred in the central area of the field, where the collaboration of the assistant referee is limited, and was achieved when indicating the incidents from a distance of 11–15 m, whereas this percentage peaked (23%) in the last 15-min match period. The error rate for the assistant referees was 13%. Distance of the assistant referee to the offside line did not have an impact on the quality of the offside decision. The risk of making incorrect decisions was reduced when the assistant referees viewed the offside situations from an angle between 46 and 608. Incorrect offside decisions occurred twice as often in the second as in the first half of the games. Perceptual-cognitive training sessions specific to the requirements of the game should be implemented in the weekly schedule of football officials to reduce the overall error rate

Feasibility and efficacy of a virtual reality game-based upper extremity motor function rehabilitation therapy in patients with chronic stroke: a pilot study

This article belongs to the Special Issue New Technologies in the Evaluation and Treatment of Patients with Neurological Pathologies.Background: The objective of the present study was to develop a virtual reality protocol based on activities of daily living and conventional rehabilitation, using Leap Motion Controller to improve motor function in upper extremity rehabilitation in stroke patients. At the same time, the purpose was to explore its efficacy in the recovery of upper extremity motor function in chronic stroke survivors, and to determine feasibility, satisfaction and attendance rate; Methods: A prospective pilot experimental clinical trial was conducted. The outcome measures used were the grip strength, the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT), the Block and Box Test (BBT), the Short Form Health Survey-36 Questionnaire, a satisfaction questionnaire and attendance rate; Results: Our results showed statistically significant changes in the variables grip strength, BBT and ARAT as well as high levels of satisfaction and attendance; Conclusions: This virtual reality platform represents an effective tool in aspects of upper extremity functionality rehabilitation in patients with chronic stroke, demonstrating feasibility and high levels of attendance and satisfaction

A Tgfbr1/Snai1-dependent developmental module at the core of vertebrate axial elongation

LISBOA-01?0145-FEDER-030254 SCML-MC-60-2014 LISBOA-01-0145-FEDER-022170 PD/BD/128426/2017 PD/BD/128437/2017 MR/S008799/1 MR/ K011200/1 DEV-170806Formation of the vertebrate postcranial body axis follows two sequential but distinct phases. The first phase generates pre-sacral structures (the so-called primary body) through the activity of the primitive streak on axial progenitors within the epiblast. The embryo then switches to generate the secondary body (post-sacral structures), which depends on axial progenitors in the tail bud. Here we show that the mammalian tail bud is generated through an independent functional developmental module, concurrent but functionally different from that generating the primary body. This module is triggered by convergent Tgfbr1 and Snai1 activities that promote an incomplete epithelial to mesenchymal transition on a subset of epiblast axial progenitors. This EMT is functionally different from that coordinated by the primitive streak, as it does not lead to mesodermal differentiation but brings axial progenitors into a transitory state, keeping their progenitor activity to drive further axial body extension.publishersversionpublishe

A Novel Role For Nanog As An Early Cancer Risk Marker In Patients With Laryngeal Precancerous Lesions

NANOG is a master regulator of embryonic stem cell pluripotency, found to be frequently aberrantly expressed in a variety of cancers, including laryngeal carcinomas. This study investigates for the first time the role of NANOG expression in early stages of laryngeal tumourigenesis and its potential utility as cancer risk marker. NANOG protein expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry using two large independent cohorts of patients with laryngeal precancerous lesions, and correlated with clinicopathological parameters and laryngeal cancer risk. NANOG expression was detected by immunohistochemistry in 49 (60%) of 82 laryngeal dysplasias, whereas expression was negligible in patient-matched normal epithelia. Strong NANOG expression was found in 22 (27%) lesions and was established as cut-off point, showing the most robust association with laryngeal cancer risk (P = 0.003) superior to the histological classification (P = 0.320) the current gold standard in the clinical practice. Similar trends were obtained using a multicenter validation cohort of 86 patients with laryngeal dysplasia. Our findings uncover a novel role for NANOG expression in laryngeal tumourigenesis, and its unprecedented application as biomarker for cancer risk assessment