The Socio-Economics of Women Inclusion in Green Construction

The female population represents one of the greatest untapped resources for economic growth and revitalization in most sectors. The purpose of the study was to examine the socio-economics of women’s inclusion in green construction. The study utilized the use of questionnaires which were distributed to female professionals in the Nigerian construction industry. A total of 120 female construction professionals were used for this study. The data gathered was analysed using SPSS v17.0 with tests such as Frequencies, Percentages, Mean Score, ANOVA, and Factor Analysis. The result revealed a low level of participation by women in green construction. Women in construction exhibited moderate participation in Solar panel manufacturing, installation, and maintenance and in the enforcement of environmentally friendly practices on-site. The study revealed that the stressful nature of works, low interest from women, low career growth/progression and low investments in green works are significant barriers affecting women’s inclusion in green construction. In conclusion, the study identified three (3) socio-economic benefits of women’s inclusion in green construction. These are family/women related benefits, environment related benefits, and green energy market related benefits. The study suggested measures to increase women’s participation in green construction

Exploring anti-corruption capabilities of e-procurement in construction project delivery in Nigeria

The use of electronic (e-­) procurement to support the execution of supply chain management activities in the different industrial sectors is permeating all regions of the world. However, in countries in sub-Saharan Africa where there is a significant level of corruption and unethical practices in the procurement process, there is a need for a better understanding of how e-Procurement can help to check the incidence of corrupt and unethical practices in construction project delivery. This study relied on a cross-sectional survey of 759 respondents, including architects, builders, engineers, estate/facilities managers, contractors, construction/project managers, quantity surveyors, supply chain managers and others to identify and analyse the anti-corruption capabilities of e-Procurement in construction project delivery in Nigeria. The results of the descriptive statistics, relative importance index and principal components analysis identified 18 anti-corruption capabilities in e-Procurement in construction project delivery with the three most important ones being the capability of e-Procurement to ensure good inventory management/record keeping; accountability by providing audit services trail and minimise direct human contacts during bidding. The key underlying dimensions of these capabilities include the advantage of e-Procurement over the traditional paper-based method; transparent bidding process and increase in competition in construction project delivery process. The findings of this study have implications, especially, on the use of e-Procurement to curb corruption in construction procurement activities

Target Output, Extended Output and Site Productivity: Tales of the Expected

Target output, extended output and moderate output  are compared for selected construction projects  in some selected sites in Nigeria. The objective of this study is to examine the attributes of extended and moderate output, setting of benchmarks for purpose of  analysis of worker productivity, determination of derivable benefits, with a view to identifying if the effect are the same for both methods. The study procures the primary data used in this study through the use of questionnaires designed in Likert scale 1 to 5, which are sent to clients, builders and consultants. In all, 120 questionnaires were sent to these respondents who recently completed their housing projects based on the two methods. Results of the study indicate that there is  significant difference between both methods in terms of risks of value for money, guaranteed sense of self accomplishment, while a significant difference exists between both methods in job burnt- out effect, timely completion of project, and exhaustion, Moderate target output method demonstrates less risk of timely completion of project than the extended target output.  This study concludes that there are various types of risks inherent in use of both methods in housing projects. The study displays characteristics of early completion of project and prospects of getting good value for money. Recommendations of the study are that clients, contractors and consultants should use Moderate target output for execution of their future housing projects job allocations, and also they are at liberty to use any of the two methods as they best satisfy their requirements. Implications of this study to policy makers and other stakeholders in the construction industry is that  Moderate labour output method should be explored for use in large and complex projects as  considerable cost savings can be achieved, timely delivery of project and good value for money are equally derivable benefits of the method.  The outcome of this study serves as a watershed to other peculiar issues inn site productivity and job beats’ allocations. Keywords: Moderate Output, Extended Output, Productivity, Targe

Factors influencing e-Procurement adoption in the Nigerian building industry

Against the backdrop of increasing adoption of e-Procurement in supply chain management, there is a need for adequate knowledge of the factors that influence the decision by organizations in the building industry to use e-Procurement. This study aims to fill the knowledge gap through investigating the factors influencing e-Procurement adoption based on the data sourced in a questionnaire survey involving 213 organizations in the building industry. The survey was conducted between June and November 2015 in Nigeria. Descriptive statistics, factor and categorical regression analyses were used to analyze the data. The results show that the three most important factors influencing the adoption of e-Procurement amongst the participants, in order of importance, were: the benefits of e-Procurement in enhancing efficiency in project delivery; eliminating geographic barriers and effective communication among project team members. The 29 factors were investigated in seven different dimensions - the benefits of e-Procurement use; level of awareness on e-Procurement in construction; and the availability and cost of e-Procurement applications emerged as the three most significant predictors of e-Procurement adoption in the survey. The study concludes by identifying strategies that should be engaged in increasing the uptake and maximizing the benefits of e-Procurement in the Nigerian building industry. 

Survey dataset on occupational hazards on construction sites

The construction site provides an unfriendly working conditions, exposing workers to one of the harshest environments at a workplace. In this dataset, a structured questionnaire was design directed to thirty-five (35) craftsmen selected through a purposive sampling technique on various construction sites in one of the most populous cities in sub-Saharan Africa. The set of descriptive statistics is presented with tables, stacked bar chats and pie charts. Common occupational health conditions affecting the cardiovascular, respiratory and musculoskeletal systems of craftsmen on construction sites were identified. The effects of occupational health hazards on craftsmen and on construction project performance can be determined when the data is analyzed. Moreover, contractors’ commitment to occupational health and safety (OHS) can be obtained from the analysis of the survey data. Keywords: Accidents, Construction industry, Craftsmen, Health, Occupational hazard

Survey dataset on work-life conflict of women in the construction industry

Work-life conflict can have a detrimental effect on family life, particularly for women who have to work in order to support their families financially. The data set presents the views of 50 female construction professionals in Lagos, Nigeria through a purposive sampling technique with the aid of questionnaire. Categorical Regression was used to assess the effect of work pressure on family expectations. The features of the respondents in terms of profession, years of experience, office location and household characteristics were presented in bar chart. Analysis of the data can provide information on the work experiences of women in the construction industry particularly work load, hours worked per day, work on weekends and work on holidays. The data can also provide insights on the family expectations that are significantly affected by work pressure

Co-creation of entrepreneurship education: challenges and opportunities for university, industry and public sector collaboration in Nigeria

Against the backdrop of a Nigerian government directive to make entrepreneurship education compulsory in Nigeria’s higher education institutions, this chapter assesses the current state of entrepreneurship education provision and how a new model of partnership between university, industry and public sector stakeholders can facilitate improved delivery and better outcomes of EE programmes. The chapter therefore draws from the Triple Helix theory to propose a new conceptual framework to examine the prospects and opportunities for multi-stakeholder co-creation of entrepreneurship education. The framework is further explored in the light of the case study of Covenant University, a leading Nigerian university that has had some considerable success in delivery of EE programmes. The chapter concludes with recommendations a new collaborative approach to entrepreneurship education design and delivery, and support for the emergence of new entrepreneurial universities that are better equipped for both knowledge production and knowledge capitalisation

Dataset for material logistics on construction sites

Data in this article describes logistics management on construction sites in Abuja, Nigeria. Data was elicited from 55 construction professionals comprising of Architects, Builders, Civil Engineers, Project Managers and Quantity Surveyors. The Data set in this study consists of responses on: factors affecting material purchase on construction sites, factors affecting accuracy of material delivery, challenges encountered during material delivery, benefits of material delivery on construction sites and methods of forecasting material demand on construction sites. This article provides insight into logistics management on construction sites in Nigeria and it can be a useful guide for similar research in other contexts. Keywords: Construction industry, Logistics management, Material managemen

Exploring the Cyber Technology Critical Success Factors for Sustainable Building Projects: A Stationary Analysis Approach

We sought to identify and examine the critical success factors (CSFs) necessary for incorporating cyber technology into residential building projects to augment operational performance and sustainability. An iterative two-stage approach was adopted to explore the phenomena under investigation. General CSFs for cyber technology were first identified from the extant literature, and subsequently explored using primary questionnaire survey data accrued from professionals within the Nigerian building industry. The survey results illustrated that the availability of sensors, good communication networks, mobile devices, and device layers and the creation of workable virtual modes are the main critical success factors for adopting cyber technology. Moreover, Gini’s mean difference measure of dispersion showed that the success factor in stationary cyber technology adoption is government support. The study’s findings guide building industry stakeholders to embrace cyber technology to improve cost and sustainability performance in the Nigerian building industry. Due to the originality of the findings of this study, a strong basis is provided for critically evaluating and analyzing the many vital aspects of cyber technology success