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1 – 10 of 19Charles Igwe, Fuzhan Nasiri and Amin Hammad
This study highlights the findings of an empirical study to investigate waste factors (WFs) affecting the performance and delivery of construction projects in developing…
Abstract
Purpose
This study highlights the findings of an empirical study to investigate waste factors (WFs) affecting the performance and delivery of construction projects in developing countries. The objectives of this study are to identify non-physical WFs in developing nations and rank the identified factors based on their degree of influence on the key performance indicators (KPIs) of cost, quality and time.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 34 WFs were identified through a detailed literature review and consolidated using semi-structured interviews with construction practitioners. The statistical analysis involved a normality test using the Shapiro–Wilk test to determine if sample data have been drawn from a normally distributed population, ranking the WFs using the Frequency Index (FI), Severity Index (SI) and Importance Index (IMPI), ranking the WFs based on their effect on the project KPIs of cost, quality and time, and identify clustering structures for the identified WFs to using factor analysis (FA).
Findings
The results revealed ineffective planning and scheduling, rework/repair of defective work and resource quality problems (human, material and equipment) as the three most important WFs affecting construction projects. The factor analyses showed that WFs can be grouped into five interrelated components, suggesting the need for integrated and holistic strategies to overcome the identified WF.
Practical implications
Understanding the effects of WFs on construction projects is a first step towards designing holistic solutions to ensuring projects deliver value to the clients and other stakeholders. The findings of this study provide direction to construction practitioners on where to focus appropriate strategies to manage the identified WFs effectively and, therefore, improve the productivity of construction projects.
Originality/value
This study provides the first holistic analysis of WFs affecting the productivity of construction projects in developing countries.
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Ugochukwu Chinonso Okolie, Paul Agu Igwe, Chinyere Augusta Nwajiuba, Sunday Mlanga, Michael Olayinka Binuomote, Hyginus Emeka Nwosu and Charles O. Ogbaekirigwe
There has been much debate in recent times about the factors that improve the quality of teaching in higher education (HE) institutions. This has been especially fueled by the…
Abstract
Purpose
There has been much debate in recent times about the factors that improve the quality of teaching in higher education (HE) institutions. This has been especially fueled by the increasing importance attached to Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) qualification. To fill the existing gap in the current literature in this regard, this study aims to investigate whether HE teachers (lecturers) who undergo pedagogical training (PT) in addition to obtaining PhD qualification possess higher knowledge and pedagogical competencies (PCs) than those that relied only on having PhD qualification without further teaching qualifications.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing upon data collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 1,174 Nigerian HE teachers in various disciplines from 39 HE institutions, in addition to two focus groups, the study adopts a mixed-methods research. The quantitative data were analyzed descriptively while qualitatively data were coded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed thematically.
Findings
This article proposes that teachers who undergo PT in addition to obtaining PhD tend to have more PCs and perform better than those that have not undergone any form of PT. Also, it found a statistically significant difference between PCs of HE teachers who have undergone PT in addition to PhD qualification from those without PT. The implication is that teachers who have undergone PT are more effective in facilitating teaching and learning than those who have not completed PT.
Research limitations/implications
Despite the merits of the mixed-methods research, a major limitation of this study is the failure to compare students' achievements or successes based on the two distinct samples. However, the limitations create opportunities for further studies into the subject matter.
Originality/value
This study is timely, given that Nigeria (like many African countries) has a low quality HE system and low graduate outcomes (related to knowledge, employability, and skills). More so, research into pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and practices are rare or nonexistent in the literature related to Nigeria and other African countries' HE system.
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Paul Agu Igwe, Nnamdi O. Madichie and David Gamariel Rugara
This study aims to reflect on the extent to which research approaches need to be deconstructed and re-imagined towards developing inclusive knowledge and non-extractive research…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to reflect on the extent to which research approaches need to be deconstructed and re-imagined towards developing inclusive knowledge and non-extractive research approaches from a Global South perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
Conceptually, integrating the methodological logic and strategy of community-based participatory research (CBPR) and a postcolonial paradigm of decolonising research, this study proposes a research process that engages cultural diversity and an inclusive environment. CBPR approach enables involving, informing and consulting Indigenous communities in espousing theoretical approaches and giving voice to marginalised groups.
Findings
This study answers pertinent questions on what “decolonising” means and how to decolonise research by developing a model of culturally inclusive research approaches. This study ultimately posits that colonialism dominates research and limits knowledge transmission among Indigenous research ideologies.
Research limitations/implications
In recent years, the world has witnessed major socio-political protests that challenges systemic racism and the role of education and institutions in perpetuating racial inequality. This study advocates that researchers consider integrating communities in the designing, conducting, gathering of data, analysing, interpreting and reporting research.
Practical implications
This study advocates knowledge creation through research that considers integrating the voices of Indigenous communities in the design, analysis, interpretation and reporting of research protocols.
Originality/value
In the light of anticolonial thought, decolonising research approaches provides a means for a radical change in research ethics protocol. A model of culturally inclusive research approach was developed, using the framework of CBPR, decolonising the research approaches comprising 6 Rs (respect, relevance, reciprocity, responsibility, relationships and relationality).
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Hande Karabatak Binns, Bettina von Stamm and Meltem Etcheberry
Hande Karabatak Binns, Bettina von Stamm and Meltem Etcheberry
Maria Goulina Rabany, Bettina von Stamm and Meltem Etcheberry
Triana Navarro de Chollet, Bettina von Stamm and Meltem Etcheberry
Parveen Marrington‐Mir and Annette Rimmer
This paper challenges the medically dominated mental health orthodoxy in Britain. It advocates an integrated community development approach underpinned by anti‐racist, empowering…
Abstract
This paper challenges the medically dominated mental health orthodoxy in Britain. It advocates an integrated community development approach underpinned by anti‐racist, empowering practice. It offers successful practice examples of a holistic, self‐governed mental health system for Black people in Britain. The paper draws on the philosophy of social action and Ubuntu, the African model of collective support, and arguments for empowerment and participation. Together these influences form the basis of community development work in Britain and globally.
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Latisha Reynolds, Samantha McClellan, Susan Finley, George Martinez and Rosalinda Hernandez Linares
This paper aims to highlight recent resources on information literacy (IL) and library instruction, providing an introductory overview and a selected annotated bibliography of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to highlight recent resources on information literacy (IL) and library instruction, providing an introductory overview and a selected annotated bibliography of publications covering all library types.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper introduces and annotates English-language periodical articles, monographs, dissertations and other materials on library instruction and IL published in 2015.
Findings
This paper provides information about each source, describes the characteristics of current scholarship and highlights sources that contain either unique or significant scholarly contributions.
Originality/value
The information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and IL.
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This paper aims to present the Igbo management philosophy as having the potential to bring about success in Africa and propose a framework that comprises a set of values and three…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present the Igbo management philosophy as having the potential to bring about success in Africa and propose a framework that comprises a set of values and three key institutions: the marketplace, the family and the apprenticeship system. The paper shows that effective leaders are servant-leaders who sacrifice for others.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper relied on earlier and contemporary peer-reviewed, news media and books. These materials offered insight into what Igbos believed, how they behaved and how they historically organized their lives. Materials authored by both African and non-African authors were considered.
Findings
The researcher concluded that Igbos developed a management system based on a philosophy that is African, which is different from the Western system. A framework for the Igbo management philosophy is derived from complex interactions of values and institutions in Igbo societies. The researcher finds that a set of values, particularly, the value of sacrifice, is crucial for ensuring effective business leadership.
Originality/value
Western influence on management has persisted. However, with the economic rise of China, Asian philosophical thought has taken a more center stage in academic management scholarship. Even though human civilization occurred in Africa, it is perplexing that African management systems are not mainstream. There has been research on indigenous African systems and African management philosophy in general. Previous scholarship has also explored the Igbo culture as a whole and their apprenticeship system; however, to the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first time a framework for an Igbo management philosophy is proposed.
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