Perceived Effects of Prevalent Errors in Contract Documents on Construction Projects

One of the highly rated causes of poor performance is errors in contract documents. The objectives of this study are to investigate the prevalent errors in contract documents and their effects on construction projects. Questionnaire survey and 51 case study projects (mixed method) were adopted for the study. The study also involved the use of Delphi technique to extract the possible errors that may be contained in contract documents; it did not however constitute the empirical data for the study. The sample of the study consists of 985 consulting and 275 contracting firms that engaged in the construction of building projects that were completed between 2013 and 2016 and were above the ground floor. The two-stage stratified random sampling technique was adopted for the study. The data for the study were analysed with descriptive and inferential statistics (based on Shapiro-Wilk’s test). The results of the study indicate that errors in contract documents were moderately prevalent. However, overmeasurement in bill of quantities was prevalent in private, institutional and management procured projects. Traditionally procured projects contain 68% of the errors in contract documents among the procurement methods. Drawings contain the highest number of errors, followed by bill of quantities and specifications. The severe effects of errors in contract documents were structural collapse, deterioration of buildings and contractors’ claims among others. The result of the study implies that, management procurement method is the route to error minimization in developing countries, but it may need to be backed by law and guarded against overmeasurement

Quality of Records Keeping by Undergraduate Dental Students in Ibadan, Nigeria

Background: Recording the interaction between a patient and the dentist is of primary importance in dental practice. The completeness of recordings of undergraduate students, often inadequate, has been found to subsequently impact on the quality of dental care offered by professionals. Once identified, correcting the inadequacies has also been shown to improve the quality of dental practice. Objective: We aimed to evaluate the quality of records keeping by dental students in Ibadan, Nigeria.Method: A retrospective review of records of patients seen by dental students, at the clinics of the dental school in Ibadan, Nigeria, over a six months period was conducted. The charts were reviewed for: demographic data, medical and dental history, clinical findings, diagnosis, treatmentplan and note on informed consent. Assessment of the quality of data obtained was done using a modified CRABEL’s scoring system.Results: A total of 318 case files were retrieved for this study. The median modified CRABEL score was 95%, with a range of 65 to 95%. Eighty-two recordings (25.2%) had a score < 90%, while 236 recordings (74.2%) had a score > 90%. The most frequently unrecorded data was written consent in all the charts, followed by procedure done with the documentation absent in 20.4%. All the supervisors signed at the end of the consultation.Conclusion: The quality of records keeping by dental undergraduates is fair but there is a need to emphasize deficient areas and improve upon the quality of record keeping.Keywords: dental record, students, CRABEL scor

Management of halitosis secondary to periodontal disease: report of four cases

Halitosis is an offensive odour emanating from the oral cavity and it is a common clinical condition. The purpose of this study is to emphasize the importance of the correct diagnosis of the type of halitosis in order to achieve a successful management. The four cases reported in this study revealed that a cause of the halitosis can be found most of the time following thorough examination. Elimination of the cause or source of the mal-odour eventually eliminates the halitosis. Dental practitioners should therefore be cautious in making a diagnosis of pseudo-halitosis and halitophobia which are very rare conditions and they should patients should be referred for expert management

Mobilising Finance and Sustaining Performance: Elite Directors in the British Economy, c.1891—1914

In the economic history literature, the listing of elite directors, including aristocratic ‘nominees’, on the front sheet of new share issue prospectus, has been explained as a device lending credibility to the underlying value of the issuing firm. This thesis offers new perspectives on the literature by examining the role of aristocrats as controllers of essential resources. These resources were of crucial importance to firms operating in mining and transportation, and other industries. Using a dataset of new share issues promoted on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) during the period 1891 to 1914, this thesis examines the determinants of aristocratic representation on the boards of firms and their influence on subsequent performance. The main findings are as follows. First, the representation of aristocratic elites on boards of directors was influenced by land-related resources that were essential to the firms involved. Second, the agency and resource roles of aristocratic directors enhanced the long-term performance of new share issues. Moreover, it is found that aristocratic directors played a lesser role in influencing performance during periods of tightened regulations. Third, directors’ interlocks and busy boards negatively influenced the subsequent performance of new share issues while the presence of political director on board reduced the negative effect of interlocks on performance. These results suggest that aristocratic elites were not ornamental directors; their presence on boards represented a medium for securing access to essential resources. The examination of aristocratic directors provided an avenue to test the resource dependence hypothesis during the emergence of new industries when the operations of individual industries were largely separate, with particular demands on certain resources controlled by elites. This allowed a unique and robust examination of the exact effect of resources on performance. The thesis suggests that directors’ resources were of paramount importance to the success of new issues

An assessment of the causes, cost effects and solutions to design-error- induced variations on selected building projects in Nigeria

Design errors and variations are inherently part of many construction projects and require deliberate effort to combat. The literature reviewed indicates that empirical studies of the cost effect of design-error-induced variations are scarce. This study investigates the causes of variation on building projects, the frequent design errors that lead to variation, the effects of design error on variation cost, and solutions to design-error-induced variation in design documents. A mixed methods research (interviews and 30 case study building projects) was used to collect the necessary data for the study. Interviews were conducted with 25 construction professionals to obtain information on the causes of variation on building projects and solutions to design-error-induced variation on building construction projects. Thirty documents including valuation breakdowns and variation/change order documents were obtained by convenience sampling technique and used for the extraction of design errors leading to variations and their associated costs. The data was analysed with frequencies and percentages. The study found that poor working drawing and lack of coordination among design documents are the major causes of variation. Errors in design calculations and wrong descriptions in specifications are prominent design errors that led to variation. Design errors account for roughly 36% of the variation cost of building projects. Structural and architectural drawings contain the largest number of errors among design documents, but electrical and mechanical documents have the highest contribution to variation cost. The study concluded that variation costs could be minimized if government policies, aimed at ensuring proper contract documentation, were put in place, and construction professionals were limited to their core roles on construction projects. Rechecking of design documents prior to use, knowledge sharing, and use of computer programs were among the recommended solutions to design-error-induced variation in project documents

Preliminary Studies on the effect of processing methods on the quality of three commonly consumed marine fishes in Nigeria

Three commonly available species of marine fishes in Nigeria, Clupea harengus, Scomber scombrus and Trachurus trachurus were subjected to boiling, frying and roasting and their effects on the fisheswere observed. Frying reduced the protein content for all the fish types with the effect very pronounced on Clupea harengus and Trachurus trachurus but made fish less susceptible to spoilage. Fresh and fried C. harengus had 62.7 % and 10.6 % protein content respectively, while T. trachurus had 57.3 % and 9.18 %, respectively. The ash content reduced with all the treatment methods for all the fish species except for boiled Scomber scombrus. Boiling in water gave fish with the best nutritive value overall. Scomber scombrus was the most nutritious (in terms of protein and mineral content) of the three and the nutritive value did not diminish with the method of preparation. It is also the mostpalatable in terms of flavour and texture. Trachurus trachurus had the least protein value and the protein was very unstable to the treatment methods. The third species, Clupea harengus is also rich inprotein but the protein content reduced with frying. Frying gave a better result when long-time preservation is of interest but boiling was the better processing method when preservation of nutrient is the focus. The results also showed that Scomber scombrus had the highest oil content (30.30%) followed by Clupea harengus (12.70%) while Trachurus trachurus has the lowest oil content (12.25) and irrespective of the processing method, the order remains unchanged. This work also shows that the effect of a treatment type on a fish sample is dependent on the fish species. The oils obtained from the fried fish samples had the least acid values in all cases, while the oils from the roasted samples had the highest saponification value

Drivers and effects of sustainable construction in the South African construction industry

Sustainable construction is hardly practised in Africa, despite the consistent campaign for its adoption. This study investigates the drivers and effects of sustainable construction in South Africa. The quantitative survey research design was adopted for the study and the respondents were the construction organisations in Johannesburg, South Africa. The study identified 17 significant drivers of sustainable construction, with construction cost as the dominant variable. The important environmental (8), economic (12), and social benefits (7) of sustainable construction were also determined. The challenges (24) of sustainable construction were also identified. The study recommended that measures for low construction cost should be put in place, and awareness campaigns should be enhanced. Economic benefits are still behind environmental benefits, and this could affect some prospective adopters. Lack of knowledge and weak economies were prevalent challenges that underscore the need for Western support for African nations to comfortably adopt sustainable construction. &nbsp

The Influence of Demographic Factors and Medical Conditions on Patients Complaints with Complete Dentures

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the most frequent complete denture complaints and to investigate the influence of age, gender and systemic disease conditions on the complaints.Methodology: This was a retrospective study in which information on the demographic data, medical and dental history of complete denture patients were obtained from their case records. Also the type of complaints and adjustment made to the denture at review appointments were recorded. All data generated were entered into IBM-Compatible microcomputer and analysed using the statistical packages of socialsciences (SPSS) version 15. Chi-square test was used to test for statistical significance.Result: Eighty-two case records of complete denture patients were reviewed. Fourty-six of the patients were male while 36 were female. The age ranged between 40 and 90 years with mean age of 69.10 (SD=10.6) years. Fifty-one (62.2%) patients had complaints with their dentures during a week review appointment. Pain was the most common complaint 23 (28%), followed by lack of retention, 12 (14.6%). Eighteen (21.9%) patients had systemic medical conditions.Conclusion: There was no statistically significant relationship between patient age, gender, systemic health and denture complaints; but statistically significant relationship exist between types of denture, denture faults and complaints.Keywords: demographic factors, medical condition, complete dentures, complaint

Assessment of procurement methods used for executing maintenance works in Lagos state

The objectives of the study are to determine the procurement methods used by clients to execute maintenance works in Lagos state, identify the factors that influence the choice of those methods and establish the differences in the efficiencies of out-sourced and in-sourced maintenance. Out of the 60 questionnaires sent out to respondents, 34 (giving a response rate of 57%) were retrieved and used for the study. The 34 responses were obtained from randomly selected organizations like Local Authority Housing, Housing Association, Residential Managing Agent, Universities, Health Authorities and Private Commercial Property Owners. The results of the study show that direct labour, lump sum contract andtraditional contract, cost reimbursement contract and measured term contracts, are the most commonly adopted procurement methods in Lagos state for maintenance works. Time duration, cost of project and quality level required, are the major factors influencing the choice of procurement methods. Others are risk allocation, price competition and flexibility of contract. Finally, better access to special skills, getting the latest technologies, higher quality work and higher security are the important efficiency factors for out-sourcing and in-sourcing.Key words: In-sourcing, Lagos state, Maintenance works, Out-sourcing, Procuremen

Effect of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) on the comfort of building occupants in Gauteng, South Africa

Abstract: There is continual argument about the potential negative impacts that poor indoor environmental quality can have on the wellbeing and comfort of occupants. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of indoor environmental quality on the comfort of occupants of social mass housing projects in South Africa. The study was conducted in Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) where low-salary earners mostly reside in South Africa. The descriptive survey research method was adopted and the questionnaire used for the study was targeted at occupants of low-salary housing units in South Africa. The convenience sampling technique was employed for the study. The methods of data analysis basically include percentages and mean item scores. The results of the study indicate that furnishing, quality of air and thermal comfort on the fourth floor does not give occupants satisfactory comfort. The thermal comfort on the third floor is also unsatisfactory..