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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 20 December 2022

Nathaniel Ayinde Olatunde, Angel M. Gento, Victor N. Okorie, Olumide W. Oyewo, Modupe Cecilia Mewomo and Imoleayo Abraham Awodele

Construction 4.0 technology is a novel innovative technology that has been proved to enhance project performance. However, information on the concept's awareness, adoption…

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Abstract

Purpose

Construction 4.0 technology is a novel innovative technology that has been proved to enhance project performance. However, information on the concept's awareness, adoption readiness and challenges in developing economies is still scanty. The purpose of the study is to appraise awareness, adoption readiness and challenges of Construction 4.0 technologies in Nigeria to bring to the fore the state of art of these innovative technologies in the study area.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a convenient sampling technique to select 129 construction professionals (architects, engineers and quantity surveyors) in Osun State, Nigeria, who provided data for the study through a closed-ended structure questionnaire survey. The quantitative data supplied were analysed using frequency, percentile, Cronbach's alpha, mean score (MS) analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA).

Findings

The overall awareness level of construction professionals in the study area about Construction 4.0 technologies is at a moderate level (MS = 3.03). The analysis of each component of the Construction 4.0 technologies shows that BIM (MS = 3.69) has the highest level of awareness, while augmented reality (MS = 2.51) has the least awareness level. More results show a significant difference in the opinion of the respondents, a significant difference in the respondents on 36% of the components of Construction 4.0 technologies. The adoption readiness of the Nigerian construction industry (NCI) to Construction 4.0 technologies is at an initial level (MS = 2.86). However, the 3D printing (MS = 3.36) and augmented reality (MS = 2.49) have the highest and lowest adoption readiness ratings, respectively. There is no significant difference in how respondents ranked the NCI adoption readiness on 73% of the components of Construction 4.0 technologies. The main challenges of Construction 4.0 technologies in the study area are lack of standardisation (MS = 4.02), lack of investment in research and development and cost of implementation (MS = 3.87) each. The result shows that there is perfect unanimity in the way respondents ranked the challenges of Construction 4.0.

Practical implications

The study provided information on the status quo of Construction 4.0 technologies in the NCI to enhance improvement in practice and the attendant project delivery.

Originality/value

The study attempted to bring to the fore the state of the art on awareness, adoption readiness and challenges of Construction 4.0 technologies in Nigeria. The study's information will be valuable to improve project delivery.

Details

Frontiers in Engineering and Built Environment, vol. 3 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2634-2499

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 October 2022

Nathaniel Ayinde Olatunde, Angel Manuel Gento Municio and Imoleayo Abraham Awodele

Disruption caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to the ways and manners businesses are conducted worldwide is phenomenon. The study therefore examined the survival…

Abstract

Purpose

Disruption caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to the ways and manners businesses are conducted worldwide is phenomenon. The study therefore examined the survival strategies adopted by quantity surveying firms (QSFs) in Lagos State, Nigeria, with the intention of improving their performance.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a systematic sampling method to select three QSFs from 20 local government areas in the state. Of the 60 QSFs contacted for interview, only 42 agreed to participate. A questionnaire was designed to collect the required qualitative information, which was then analyzed using content analysis.

Findings

The results revealed that the main survival strategies adopted by QSFs in Lagos State, Nigeria, during the COVID-19 disruptions were downsizing, contract staffing, salary cuts, work from home and service negotiation strategies.

Research limitations/implications

Due to the chosen research approach, the research results may not be generalizable. The incidence of the pandemic and the socio-economic situation of the study area have to be considered.

Practical implications

The survival strategies employed by QSFs in Lagos Nigeria in the middle of COVID-19 are palliative (unsustainable) as the impact of the disruptions is biting hard on QSFs in Lagos Nigeria as such a more robust and sustainable method to enhance the performance of QSFs in the study area.

Originality/value

This study attempted to unearth the survival strategies of QSFs amidst COVID-19 in Lagos State, Nigeria, with the aim of improving the performance of such firms.

Details

African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, vol. 14 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-0705

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 September 2004

Angel M. Gento

In the present time, there are large databases with parameters related to the maintenance of different equipment and installations. Given that manual analysis of sensors connected…

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Abstract

In the present time, there are large databases with parameters related to the maintenance of different equipment and installations. Given that manual analysis of sensors connected to machines is practically impossible, maintenance decisions from these databases can be difficult if the information automatically updated from these sensors is huge. Those great amounts of information are essentially useless if the knowledge contained inside cannot be extracted. Rough set theory facilitates this work by detecting those parameters that are truly significant for establishing the decision rules of the maintenance. In order to show the power of rough sets this paper contains a real case of a plastic injection installation for the analysis. Practical implications. An effective use of resource allocation in manufacturing processes could be achieved by using certain decision rules to indicate where and when maintenance decisions and tasks should be undertaken. This paper illustrates how the powerful theory of rough sets handles these issues. Therefore, the use of this technique is highly recommended for those industrial processes with a great amount of data and time (or in general, any resource) limitations.

Details

Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering, vol. 10 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2511

Keywords

Abstract

Details

African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, vol. 14 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-0705

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 24 April 2024

Saskia Stoker, Sue Rossano-Rivero, Sarah Davis, Ingrid Wakkee and Iulia Stroila

All entrepreneurs interact simultaneously with multiple entrepreneurial contexts throughout their entrepreneurial journey. This conceptual paper has two central aims: (1) it…

Abstract

Purpose

All entrepreneurs interact simultaneously with multiple entrepreneurial contexts throughout their entrepreneurial journey. This conceptual paper has two central aims: (1) it synthesises the current literature on gender and entrepreneurship, and (2) it increases our understanding of how gender norms, contextual embeddedness and (in)equality mechanisms interact within contexts. Illustrative contexts that are discussed include entrepreneurship education, business networks and finance.

Design/methodology/approach

This conceptual paper draws upon extant literature to develop its proposed conceptual framework. It provides suggestions for systemic policy interventions as well as pointing to promising paths for future research.

Findings

A literature-generated conceptual framework is developed to explain and address the systemic barriers faced by opportunity-driven women as they engage in entrepreneurial contexts. This conceptual framework visualises the interplay between gender norms, contextual embeddedness and inequality mechanisms to explain systemic disparities. An extra dimension is integrated in the framework to account for the power of agency within women and with others, whereby agency, either individually or collectively, may disrupt and subvert the current interplay with inequality mechanisms.

Originality/value

This work advances understanding of the underrepresentation of women entrepreneurs. The paper offers a conceptual framework that provides policymakers with a useful tool to understand how to intervene and increase contextual embeddedness for all entrepreneurs. Additionally, this paper suggests moving beyond “fixing” women entrepreneurs and points towards disrupting systemic disparities to accomplish this contextual embeddedness for all entrepreneurs. By doing so, this research adds to academic knowledge on the construction and reconstruction of gender in the field of entrepreneurship.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

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