DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMMES AND POLICIES: A LOGIC MODEL APPROACH

Drawing on a review of developmental policies and programmes since post-independence era, the programme logic model (PLM) is accepted as a framework for addressing the research aim, which is to develop a framework for the developmental future of Nigeria. A Logic Model based 6-way heuristic evaluation framework featuring: problems/issues, stakeholders’ needs/assets, desired results, influential factors, strategies, and assumptions, were developed. This approachprovided a schematic play-out of the feasibility of the evaluated programmes, and weights were assigned to the proposed strategies and their respective expected outcomes by target respondents and Bayes’ theorem was applied to the respondents’ scores.The findings showed that the strategies for a modest growth in the agricultural sector are provision of incentives for cash crops farming, institutionalising of agricultural practices and re-introduction of agricultural insurance scheme. The current contribution of the agricultural sector to the total GDP is approximately 23.86%. A modest and continuous increase can be expected if the proposed three strategies are implemented on a 3-4-3 basis. The strategies for a modest growth in the manufacturing sector are hastening the development of the infrastructure master plan and public private partnership with successful primary sector players. The current contribution of the manufacturing sector to the total GDP is approximately 4.1%. A modest and continuous increase can be expected if the proposed two strategies are implemented on a 4-6 basis. The strategies for a modest growth in the education sector are core implementation of science and technology based educational policies and innovation and management. The current contribution of the education sector to the total GDP is approximately 3.58%. The implication, therefore, is that there is urgent need to encourage ‘productive’ infrastructural development, which will jump start a knowledge based economy in the medium-term, and a serviced based economy in the long-term

INCENTIVIZATION AND INNOVATION IN CONSTRUCTION SUPPLY CHAINS

The UK construction and building services sector is under pressure to engender the culture of innovation and incentivization as normal working practice in the delivery of "flexible" and "complex" infrastructures. The role of contracts in the incentivization of performance and particularly the diffusion of innovation in construction supply chains is not well understood. Therefore, this research contribution, which is qualitative, will investigate contract interfaces in construction supply chains to explore how construction clients, contractors, manufacturers and suppliers are motivated to improve the performance of products and services they procure or provide. The focus is on how information is shared in terms of scope, time and price and how it is diffused throughout the supply chain. Emerging evidence suggests that the culture of incentivization and information sharing are not standard practices and the contractual interfaces (particularly where it goes beyond the first tier of the supply chain) do not favour the diffusion of innovation. Innovation must be quantified for clients and manufacturers to better lead the process by which it is diffused throughout the supply chain

The Climate Emergency:A Tale of two cities

The rising concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and the associated impacts of climate change have prompted the urgent need to reduce GHG emissions. In response, the cities of Manchester and Melbourne declared climate emergencies in 2019, calling for radical resource mobilisation to address global warming. Despite the increasing discourse on climate change policies and ambitions, there is limited evidence on the current practices in the built environment following these climate emergency declarations. To address this gap, this research conducted a comparative analysis of the building sector practices in Manchester and elbourne. Through 63 in-depth interviews with building professionals and policy experts, this study sheds light on the alignment of these practices with climate goals. The findings reveal that while the United Kingdom has made notable progress in establishing its net-zero pathway, little attention has been given to driving this transformation at the building project level. In Melbourne, stricter regulations are necessary, particularly in the residential sector, to facilitate emission reductions and behavioural change. This paper, therefore, proposes a holistic cultural reform framework to support the transition of the sector towards a performance-based culture. By contextualising this analysis within the broader policy landscape and gathering insights from building professionals and policy experts, this research contributes to global efforts in climate change mitigation and offers practical implications for the building sector. https://authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S2405-8440(24)00325-

Comparing univariate techniques for tender price index forecasting: Box-Jenkins and neural network model

The poor performance of projects is a recurring event in the construction sector. Information gleaned from literature shows that uncertainty in project cost is one of the significant causes of this problem. Reliable forecast of construction cost is useful in mitigating the adverse effect of its fluctuation, however the availability of data for the development of multivariate models for construction cost forecasting remains a challenge. The study seeks to investigate the reliability of using univariate models for tender price index forecasting. Box-Jenkins and neural network are the modelling techniques applied in this study. The results show that the neural network model outperforms the Box- Jenkins model, in terms of accuracy. In addition, the neural network model provides a reliable forecast of tender price index over a period of 12 quarters ahead. The limitations of using the univariate models are elaborated. The developed neural network model can be used by stakeholders as a tool for predicting the movements in tender price index. In addition, the univariate models developed in the present study are particularly useful in countries where limited data reduces the possibility of applying multivariate models.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Building Information Modelling Diffusion Research in Developing Countries: A User Meta-Model Approach

From MDPI via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: accepted 2021-04-28, pub-electronic 2021-06-22Publication status: PublishedBuilding information modelling (BIM) has become a common denominator for information management, efficiency, collaboration, and productivity in the construction industry. The adoption of building information modelling has been assessed to be unequal in the construction industry the world over. It has been observed that developing countries are struggling with BIM adoption and are at a beginner stage in the process. Meanwhile, there have been different research efforts focused on advancing BIM diffusion in developing countries. This study focused on reviewing the research trend and knowledge domains of BIM research in developing countries. The study analysed scholarly publications from selected developing countries sourced from the Scopus database from 2005 to 2019; the study covered BIM research efforts since their commencement in developing countries. The study identified the different research trends and the current focus through visualisations using VOS viewer software. The most influential and productive researchers were also identified. This research contributes to the extant body of knowledge by synthesizing the state of the art of BIM research in developing countries. Furthermore, it provides the pre-COVID-19 BIM diffusion status in developing countries

A Critical Review of Maturity Model Development in the Digitisation Era

Maturity models assess the prevailing capability level and proffer the necessary capabilities for effective adoption in a systematic roadmap. This is considered essential to achieve diffusion of the emerging technologies. The paper provides a guide to maturity model development in the digitisation era. This study adopted scientometrics and meta-synthesis to critically review and provide guidance on maturity model development. Firstly, bibliographic data was collected from the Scopus database and analysed using Scientometrics. Secondly, developed BIM maturity models were critically reviewed. The study identified areas of maturity model deployment and the industries of deployment. It also identified the present areas of deployment of maturity models. The second aspect critically reviewed selected BIM maturity models through stated parameters and outlined the necessary criteria for maturity model development. Maturity model is widely adopted to achieve optimisation and proper assessment in various industries. The study identified the industries where it is deployed and identified the areas of maturity model deployment in the digitisation era. In addition, it was observed that some existing BIM maturity models do not conform to the various requirements expected of a maturity model. The study is unique in the methods adopted to achieve its results. Also, it identified the areas of maturity model deployment. The study is helpful as it provides the criteria for maturity model development hereafter, while also helping BIM users choose among the existing BIM maturity models. The study is crucial for proper maturity model development in the digitisation era