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The purpose of this paper is to consider factors affecting the effective utilisation of information and communication technology (ICT) and the adoption of more sophisticated ICT solutions in small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in Lagos, Nigeria.

The study adopts a case study approach. Semi‐structured interviews in 25 SMEs were used as tools for data collection.

The paper identifies eight key factors that affect the effective utilisation and adoption of more sophisticated or advanced ICT solutions in Nigerian SMEs.

The data for this research are drawn from a particular region in Nigeria, therefore, the findings are not generalisable to SMEs in other regions. Also, the data are collected from various industry sectors hence, it is not possible to have sector‐specific conclusions.

Effective utilisation of sophisticated ICT solutions in SMEs has great impact on SMEs' competitiveness. Also, the study could assist owner‐managers, policy makers and stakeholders to better understand the major challenges faced by Nigerian SMEs and create various initiatives to assist these SMEs.

The study provides insight into the adoption of sophisticated ICT solutions within Nigerian SMEs that is of value to owner‐managers, policy makers and academic researchers. The study further suggests means to achieve a successful and sustainable technology adoption in SMEs.

Neuroscience research on human motivation in the workplace is still in its infancy. There is a large industrial and organizational (IO) psychology literature containing numerous theories of motivation, relating to prosocial and productive, and, less so, “darker” antisocial and counter-productive, behaviors. However, the development of a viable over-arching theoretical framework has proved elusive. In this chapter, we argue that basic neuropsychological systems related to approach, avoidance, and their conflict, may provide such a framework, one which we discuss in terms of the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST) of personality. We argue that workplace behaviors may be understood by reference to the motivational types that are formed from the combination of basic approach, avoidance, and conflict-related personalities. We offer suggestions for future research to explore workplace behaviors in terms of the wider literature on the neuroscience of motivation.

The purpose of this study is to explore the formative development of construction supply chain guidelines or proposals in a UK region's schools' estates procurement process to more effectively address a forthcoming increase in investment.

The research approach is interpretive. Using an action research approach, repeated semi‐structured interviews and focus groups with a range of stakeholders are conducted.

The current construction supply chain in schools' estate procurement has many difficulties, not least given the highly fragmented and disconnected nature of the projects. Synergies are being missed and there is little or no continuous improvement. Drawing on these findings, the research iteratively develops a range of proposals and guidelines to address this situation.

This research adds weight to the current focus on pressing for change in the construction industry. It presents potentially valuable insights into the benefits of partnering arrangements and how these might usefully be incorporated into schools' estate supply chain.

A set of guidelines is developed to guide the public procurement of schools' estate in a UK region. These guidelines are set within the context of the Modernising and Rethinking Construction agenda.

The action research approach enabled the researchers to gain a unique insight into how public procurement and contractor personnel interact and to establish effective practical guidelines.

The purpose of this paper is to explore corporate buildings as discursive entities. They are machines designed to tell the corporate story; they embody the aspirations of a culture. This is particularly the case with headquarters buildings, which are rhetorical artefacts proclaiming a narrative of identity, designed to legitimise past, present and future decisions and strategies. Buildings such as the Vatican, Windsor Castle, the Houses of Parliament and the old Prudential Insurance Building proclaim that the organisation is old and venerable, trustworthy, a model of probity, stable, and here to stay.

The approach employed in this paper uses literature as a way of representing organisations. This paper works with an archaic genre to present a traveller's tale. This has been used to attempt to open up a third space between literary techniques used to analyse organisations and literature as a management education strategy. By opening up this possibility of a third position, it is hoped that readers will be encouraged to make their own interpretations.

The paper posits that organisations attempt to affirm their “brand” consciously, or unconsciously, through their public buildings. They tell their “stories” materially. However, despite their best efforts at image control, counter‐narratives leach out from these structures as their use of space is experienced by human subjects.

The paper attempts to open up a third space for readers to co‐create meaning with the author and for themselves. There is a clear political purpose here: to expose the oppressive practices of organisations which legitimate their existence in part at least through their corporate buildings, but the paper also signals the aesthetic delight, the pleasure that we can take in allowing ourselves to be enchanted by these buildings.

Universities are expected to prepare accounting students to conduct themselves with integrity in all environments, including those that utilize information technology (IT). Our study investigates student integrity in an online environment to determine if students are honest about accessing unauthorized Internet solutions. We then evaluate student responsiveness to interventions designed to discourage unauthorized access using techniques suggested by the literature to foster ethical behavior. Our examination of such factors as moral development, moral identity, age, gender, and grade point average finds no significant relationship with student ethical behavior. More problematic, classroom interventions proved ineffective in preventing students from accessing unauthorized online solutions. We conclude with suggestions for developing and encouraging ethical behavior among accounting students in IT learning environments.

This chapter develops a conceptual framework to explain variance in the functioning of multinational work teams. We draw upon existing theories of multinational teams (MNTs) looking at the core internal dynamics that provide critical building blocks for understanding team functioning. These dynamics are then examined in terms of the cultural intelligence of team members and how it interacts with the core features of an MNT. We discuss the ramifications of these results for structuring and running global teams in the field.

In this study, artificial neural networks have been developed to acquire construction knowledge from past projects to integrate buildability considerations into the preliminary structural design process. Four artificial neural network models are presented. These allow the generation of an expeditious solution for given sets of design and buildability constraints. Once information is entered into the models, a recommendation of which structural scheme to choose is generated instantaneously. Thus, valuable design time is released, allowing designers the opportunity to invest in other equally important design tasks. The information entered into the models consists of site‐related information including site access; availability of working space; and speed of erection, and conceptual design information including type of building; number of storeys and gross floor area. The results show that artificial neural networks can be successfully used for the implementation of buildability at the preliminary stage of design.