Richard Ajayi Jimoh

Relationship between competitive strategy and construction organisation performance: The moderating role of organisational characteristics

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the possible moderating role of organisational characteristics (organisational structure, management style and decision-making style) in the relationship between strategy and organisational performance among large construction organisations in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a quantitative research approach using a questionnaire survey to obtain data from 72 large construction organisations in South Africa. Using hierarchical multiple regression, the paper examines the relationship between the constructs discussed in the study. Findings The internal characteristics of the organisation form the vital basis for achieving optimal performance. The results obtained from the analysis revealed that decision-making style directly influences the measure of organisational effectiveness, while it could also be inferred that organisational characteristics partly moderate the relationship between competitive strategy and organisational performance. The findings indicate that internal characteristics is one of the means through which organisational strategic factors and contextual aspects are organised to achieve greater organisational performance levels. Originality/value The findings have theoretical implications for strategic management literature in construction as it extends the scope of research on strategic management from assessing a set of individual management practices to evaluating a complex mechanism that connects internal characteristics and competitive advantage. It is believed that this study will contribute positively to the role of organisational characteristics in the competitive strategy-performance relationships in large construction organisations in South Africa and to the ongoing discussion on emerging strategic management issues in construction.

Analysis of causes and impact of variation order on educational building projects

Purpose Construction process is complex and traditionally fragmented; thus, it is almost impossible to have a project completed without changes to the original plan or the construction process. The purpose of this study is to identify and examine the causes of variation orders, ascertain their effects and establish the cost and time performance implication as a result of variation orders. Design/methodology/approach This study obtained information from 90 construction stakeholders on 30 completed educational building projects to ascertain the causes and effects of variation orders on project delivery using questionnaire survey. In addition to this, a pro forma document was designed to obtain the project characteristics, cost and time data from these 30 completed educational building projects. Factor analysis was used to categorise the causes of variation orders, while severity index was used to examine their effects on project delivery. The hypothesised statement was tested using paired t-statistics to examine whether a statistically significant difference existed between variation orders, cost and time performance of the projects. Findings The study identified 13 main factors as causes of variation orders and the results revealed that the most frequent effects of variations were increase in construction costs, time, client dissatisfaction, increase construction project rework and demolition and project abandonment. The results also showed that variation orders had significant effects on both cost and scheduled performance of the educational building projects with average cost and time escalation of 33.95 and 29.45 per cent of the original project cost and time, respectively, for the entire projects studied, while average cost implication of variation orders is 23.79 per cent. Practical implications The findings in this study will be of assistance to government agencies and management of public works in higher institutions of learning in managing variations in construction projects. The study will also add to the current literature on the impact of variation orders on educational building projects in developing countries. Finally, it will create the much-needed awareness on the severity and implication of change or variation orders on project delivery. Originality/value The study identified and examined the causes of variation orders, ascertained their effects and established the cost and time effects of the causes of variation order on project performance. This will assist project initiators, contractors, consultants and other stakeholders to fully appreciate and understand the significant effects of variation orders on project performance.

Total quality management practices and organizational performance: the mediating roles of strategies for continuous improvement

ABSTRACT The relationship between total quality management (TQM) practices and organizational performance has been widely reported in literature without consensus on its nature. This study examined the nature of relationship as well as influence of TQM practices and strategies for continuous improvement on different measures of performance among large- and medium-sized construction companies in the Nigerian construction industry. Unlike earlier studies, the research gives specific thought to how the relationship between TQM practices and performance is mediated by strategies for continuous improvement. The study was conducted using sequential mixed methods. In-depth structured interviews were first conducted which formed the basis for cross-sectional survey that subsequently followed. One hundred and twenty-eight valid questionnaires from well-structured questionnaires that were self-administered to 155 medium- and large-sized construction companies were received. Based on the factor analysis and partial least square structural equation modelling that were carried out, the study revealed that TQM practices have significant effects on organizational performance. However, the mediating roles of strategies for continuous improvement are necessary to ensuring better organizational performance. Therefore, it is imperative for organizations that are craving for competitive advantage to place high premium on TQM practices while ensuring that the right strategies for continuous improvement are put in place.

Women professionals’ participation in the nigerian construction industry: finding voice for the voiceless

Abstract The construction industry is a male-dominated industry globally, with poor women representation in every facet of the construction profession and the involved jobs. In this context, this study investigated the current level of women participation, challenges faced by professional women, factors that influence them in the course of developing careers in construction and the criteria that can be used to encourage women participation in the Nigerian construction industry. This was done through self-administration of 145 structured questionnaires to 93 women professionals in the built environment and 52 employers of built environment labour in Abuja, Nigeria. The analyses showed that the construction industry is largely dominated by men, with women having a lot of challenges ranging from lack of self-confidence to compete with their male counterparts to insecurity in the midst of men to execute their work as professionals. Therefore, the study recommends that making young women aware of construction industry opportunities is needed to encourage them to build their careers in construction from the school stage in order to increase the number of professional women participating in the future. In addition to this, professional women should be given equal job opportunities as their male counterparts to ensure better representation of women so that the impact of women professionals in the construction industry can be extended.

Infrastructure financing in selected Local Government Areas in Kogi state-Nigeria

The adequacy of infrastructure can affect the success of a country. In spite of the huge investment in infrastructure the world over, close to 3 billion people, or about 40% of the world’s population will, by 2030, be in need of improved housing and basic infrastructure services (UN-Habitat, 2007). In this study, which set out to investigate the correlation between population density and budget allocations for infrastructural development, historical data on budget allocations for the period of 1997-2000 for infrastructural development in 15 Local Government Areas of Kogi State in Nigeria were examined, including the budgetary allocations made to rural electrification; water resources and water supply; roads and bridges; environmental sewage and drainage; town and country planning; and community development. Questionnaires were also administered to the Local Governments identified. Simple regression analysis was used to analyse the data. The results show that there was no statistically significant relationship between the variables measured and population density. Efforts should be made by the local governments of the areas to explore new ways and methods of boosting their internally generated revenues in order to bridge the gap between their revenues and responsibilities in relation to population density.