An evaluation of the public housing estates beneficial sustainability factors in the Niger delta of Nigeria

Sustainability of public (social) housing estates is fundamental to all stakeholders within and external to that estate environment. It determines and influences the outlook of the built environment and whether it has an appropriate and effective post-construction management practice. The public (social) housing estates provided, however, have had the pitfalls of sustainability, such that the issues that bring about sustainable housing estates are not well understood and integrated into a desirable state. The imperative to meet the Millennium Development Goals and sustainable development agenda in terms of housing needs, accessibility and affordability is diminished. This paper aims to evaluate public (social) housing estates beneficial sustainability factors in the Niger Delta of Nigeria. The paper used both qualitative and quantitative approaches in data collection and analysis. The findings indicate that the identification, understanding, and inclusion of the sustainability factors were negligible in the current practice. It further reveals that the importance and relevance of these factors in achieving sustainable housing estates were predicted to be very high. The paper further shows that these beneficial factors have strong relationships to continuous successful inflows and outflows of benefits. Therefore, more effort is needed in their integration in the housing management approach. The paper recommends that while the implementation of the sustainability factors are all feasible; transparency, accountability, partnership and good governance should be considered as underpinning these sustainability factors’ successful implementation in sustaining social (public) housing estates and the benefits

A review of soft and hard approaches of human resource management and the success of real estate development in Nigeria

Human resource management is so unique that it strives for the best practice approach to the management of human resourceswith a view to achieving developmental and organisational purposes in the built environment. Many property developers/managers in organisation in the pasts, and currently, are still utilising the “hard” approach of managing human resource, and while others utilise the “soft” approach in managing their employees. The real estate development involves several stages with different professionals collaborating for successful development of the real estate and the challenges of finding the best approach to recruit, train, commit, reward and manage these unlike professions is alarming. The purpose of this paper is to investigate and assesses through review of the “hard” and “soft” approaches of HRM and come up with the best practice approach to provide real estate development success in Nigeria. Documentary sources of data collection was used in the study which involved only a conceptual review of online and visual documents; followed by an identification of, categories, limits of and interpretative of the documents utilising four criteria of how: authentic; credible; representative; and meaning; to the phenomenon in the paper context. The findings show that the “soft” approach should be the best practice approach to utilise in managing the different human resources involved in real estate development processes for successful on-time completion. The reflection suggests that the property developers/managers, educationalist, policy/decision-makers, governments and agencies should adopt and advocate for this approach integration in their organisation strategies. This should ensure and enhance effective and efficient performance toward achieving the purpose of any development target.It therefore recommends that since the ambiguities, discrepancies, and difficulties inherent in finding a common ground for the concept of HRM persist in the literature, more research and collaborations should be encouraged and sustained until a consensus impression for HRM is achieved

Conceptual framework for the sustainable management of social (public) housing estates in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria

Sustainable management of social (public) housing estates after their provision is becoming necessary in recent years due to the main purpose of meeting cheap, decent and safe housing needs of the citizens, and on the premise that housing is an indispensable human need. Notwithstanding of these, there is evidence that Sustainable Social (Public) Housing Estates Management (SSPHEM) are not being appropriately and successfully practiced. The body of knowledge reveals that the numbers of housing estates were paramount and emphasised by the relevant scholars, rather than, the effective post-construction management of these estates, for improvement of the social (public) housing estates deplorable conditions and to achieve the benefits of sustainability.The overall aim of this research is to develop a framework for Sustainable Social (Public) Housing Estates Management (SSPHEM) in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. This research aim was attained through a critical literature review and investigation of themes relevant to the objectives: identification of the estate management principles and approaches currently used in the management of social (public) housing estates; identification of the maintenance management types and practices in the total housing estate management; identification of the underpinning concepts in stakeholder’s management and the relevance/ importance of their inclusion in the management; and to conceptualise sustainability in the context of social (public) housing estate management and identify those beneficial sustainability factors for social (public) housing estates. The research has drawn on works in relevant research methodologies, and has taken an interpretative pragmatic stance with an embedded multiple case study, being adopted to perform exploratory and explanatory case studies into the social (public) housing estate post-construction management. Qualitative and quantitative data was collected using 16 Nr) semi-structured interviews, 100 (Nr) questionnaires, documentation and direct observation. The primary data was analysed using NviVo 10 and SPSS 20 packages and interpretive thematic content analysis techniques. An operational SSPHEM framework was developed for the social (public) housing estates that involved the integration of the appropriate: estate management approach; building maintenance approach; relevant stakeholders’ involvement; and the beneficial sustainability factors. Using unsustainable management approaches was the main issue to the current social (public) housing estates incessant deplorable conditions and deficits. The study found that in-house estate management and unplanned maintenance management approaches; non-involvement/inclusion of the relevant stakeholders; and the meagre awareness, consideration, interlocking and integration of the essential and beneficial sustainability factors, were the main features of unsustainable management. The study established fourteen main factors hindering the sustainable housing estate management and maintenance approaches effectiveness. The study established six reasons for non-stakeholders involvement and seven essential and beneficial sustainability factors for the benefits of sustainability in the social (public) housing estate. The study found that effective and sufficient awareness, understanding, identification and assessment of the appropriate drivers within each theme, and a requirement for stronger correlation amongst the drivers is vital and assisted in the implementation of the operational SSPHEM framework. Operationalising the developed SSPHEM framework suggested strategies, that in itself should ensure improvements in the current social (public) housing estates qualities and conditions and would reduce shortages, with significant benefits appreciation. The framework enhances: monitoring; evaluation; and reporting; on social (public) housing estate performances and sustainability, providing information on areas needing enhancement. The SSPHEM framework is an effective instrument for the end-users of the framework for the social (public) housing estates post-construction management, and can be adopted in other regions of Nigeria, and developing and developed countries in the world over. The research endorsed that sustainable social (public) housing estate post-construction management should be achieved by users of the framework, being willing to make a sustainable change to the legal, cultural, financial/economic, social and political regulations to the practices of the current management approaches. Studying the relevant sustainability assessment toolkits and testing the developed SSPHEM framework, strengthens the sustainability of the framework purpose achievement. Federal and State Governments Housing Authorities staff capacity, training and research and development should encourage innovative and proactive practices for the effective performance and improvement in social (public) housing estates post-construction management

Appraisal methods in mutually exclusive development projects: A pragmtic analysis of alterntive technique

Appraisal techniques utilisations in mutually exclusive development project alternatives and their analysis are fundamental, and an inevitable process particularly in the planning, design and implementation of the development projects. At the same time, it’s provided and promote for decision-making on development projects acceptance or rejection. The study aim is to investigate the appraisal methods in mutually exclusive development projects, identify when these methods cease to be appropriate for and the alternative techniques to adopt in such circumstance. Observation and purposive sampling was used to collect information for two development projects (prefabricating company and rock crushing company). A pragmatic illustration/analysis which utilise the spread sheets and other relevant functions in the Microsoft excel software packages were used in the analysis, as well as to sustain and achieve the state purpose of the study. The findings reveal that the most adopted appraisal methods are: the NPV; IRR; and BCR; and that these methods use in mutually development project alternatives may cease to be appropriate where there are resources budget constraints. Further, the findings reveal that the technique that should be practiced under this circumstance is the “Capital Rationing” approach. The study reflection is to provide and promote a more understandings, knowledge and best practice to development projects investors, practitioners, government, decision makers and agencies in the management of mutually exclusive development projects alternatives in the social, political, environmental and economic system. Further, it should promote the awareness to relevant stakeholders that the benefits in undertaken more than a development project in the circumstance of resources constraints was what should not be allowed to be diminished in their goals and objective for economic growth and development of a country or countries

Toward a framework for the sustainable management of social (public) housing estates in Nigeria

Housing is a centre for many socio-economic activities and often provides a mark of prosperity, social acceptance, and an element of urban development and growth in a country. However, it is suspected that the significance of housing to people in the Niger Delta of Nigeria is lacking because of poor post-construction management practice that is currently in place. At the same time, there are housing shortages, uncompleted, vandalized and abandoned social housing stock in the Nigeria Delta. This has been a continuing challenge facing people in this region as reported in previous studies. Therefore, the overall aim of the study is to develop a framework for the sustainable management of social (public) housing estates in the Niger Delta of Nigeria. This paper aims to set out the context for the research, identify its overall aim and objectives and thereafter considers issues related to the determination of an appropriate scope for the study. It argues that the management of social housing estates in a sustainable manner needs to adopt the principles of sustainability in combination with effective people-centred management and building maintenance practices. It further asserts that the development of such a framework would be a panacea approach in meeting the social housing challenges faced in the Niger Delta and in Nigeria at large

Effective compact agreements : Improving public housing estates’ delivery and post-construction management in Nigeria

Practicing effective compact agreement building among the relevant stakeholders’ in the public housing sector is becoming necessary and indispensable to progress public housing estates development and the post-construction management. Irrespective of this, evidence of a lack of effectiveness in this area is prevalent, especially in Nigeria, that most public housing estates are uncompleted and have no thereafter management care. This study assesses the importance and benefits of building an effective compact agreement, to improving the public housing estates delivery and the post-construction management. A qualitative documentary inquiry of relevant online and visual document resources, shadowed by a revelatory of categories and limits of various information contained in the resources to the singularity in the study was adopted. The Relative Importance Index (RII) techniques and some SPSS descriptive packages were used in the analysis of the primary data, with the overall results thematically assessed utilising context analysis approach. The study reveals that improvements in the social housing estates’ development and the post-construction management is realisable and sustainable when a sound and solid treaty is concretised and embraced in the housing estates’ project development by the relevant stakeholders’. It further underscores that an effective compact agreement in the housing estate development and post-construction management encourages successful: project development and post-construction management; transparency; good governance; accountability; and sustainability; and that sixteen factors were important in the successful compact building. Accessing appropriate and adequate shelter by people is essential since it improves living conditions and welfare. Studying the importance of an effective compact in public housing estates development and post-construction management exposes and distinguishes the potential benefits to the relevant stakeholders. It assists improve the unattractive physical state of affairs of public housing estates in Nigeria and should be seen as a best practice in order to achieve public housing estates development and post-construction management sustainability

Rural water supply projects and sustainable development in Nigeria

The study reviews the sustainability issues that are associated with rural community water provision and some of the challenges experienced in the in Niger Delta region of Nigeria within the context of project benefits sustenance. Several rural communities in Nigeria derive water supply through hand pump operated water supply wells. The sustainability of this approach to water provision was assessed using a qualitative research methodology and undertaking a comparative review of Micro-Projects Programme (MPP3) in Nigeria with that of Volta Region Community Water Supply Programme (VRCWSP), in Ghana. The findings reveal the absence of sustainability in the current approach and the paper recommends that if community based hand pump operated rural water supply projects are to be sustainable; the sustainability factors must be given full consideration in its design and implementation. A post-project management approach is suggested which should be effectively monitored, assessed, linked and integrated into the implementation and post-operational management of hand pumps water supply systems. The use of a community based and community driven project-management options in the management of community rural water supply is proposed as this remains a credible alternative over control by external or government agencies