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Rework is seen as an unnecessary effort of redoing a process or activity that was incorrectly implemented the first time. It is caused due to so many factors such as architect changing design during construction, or increase in client taste. The aim of this research is to assess the rework cost of selected building projects with a view to improving the project delivery process in Nigeria.

Historical data for the study were obtained with respect to information regarding rework cost, variation cost and additional work cost and were collected on 22 completed building projects. This was achieved through the convenience sampling method where ease of access to information regarding the projects is a major determinant.

It was concluded that there is a significant relationship between rework cost and initial cost, final cost, cost overrun, initial time, final time and time overrun. It was also observed that sub‐structure has the highest rework cost with 9.4 per cent of the total average project, followed by upper floor with 8.3 per cent, while the least on the rank is roof finishes with 4.8 per cent.

The study was limited to historical data of 22 completed public building projects in Ondo state, Nigeria.

The results indicate that there is relationship between rework costs, variation cost and additional work cost. The result also indicates that sub‐structure always has the highest percentage of building elements prone to rework with an approximate figure of 9.4 per cent of the total rework cost of building element.

After giving in‐depth coverage to the concept of rework cost in building projects by examining the effects of rework cost in relation to variation cost and additional work cost, it could be concluded that rework cost is observed in most projects in Nigeria based on the historical data and should be avoided as much as possible.

It was observed that rework cannot be totally eliminated; it was then recommended that it should be reduced to a minimum in the construction industry by consulting appropriate professionals at different stages of the project at the right time.

This paper analyzes the two main divergent interpretations of Federal Reserve monetary policy in the 1920s, the expansionary view described by Rothbard (2008a [1963]) and earlier “Austrian” writers, and the contractionary view most notably held by Friedman and Schwartz (1993 [1963]) and later monetary historians. This paper argues in line with the former that the Federal Reserve engaged in expansionary monetary policy during the 1920s, as opposed to the gold sterilization view of the latter. The main rationale for this argument is that the increase in the money supply was driven by the increase in the money multiplier and total bank reserves, both of which were caused primarily by Fed policy (i.e., a decrease in reserve requirements and an increase in controlled reserves, respectively). Showing that this expansion did in fact occur provides the first step in supporting an Austrian Business Cycle Theory (ABCT) interpretation of the 1920s, namely that the Federal Reserve created a credit fueled boom that led to the Great Depression, although this is not pursued in the paper.

Using a case study approach, this article presents findings on a small plastic manufacturing firm and entrepreneur in Nigeria. The study identifies performance factors of a firm that has received hardly any external support and, as a result, the entrepreneur had to independently sustain his firm through creative abilities. Findings from the study revealed that there are external and internal constraints such as lack of financial capital, inadequate infrastructure facilities, competition from large firms, unfavorable government policies, dearth of machines and spare parts and paucity of raw materials. Internal obstacles like incompetent planning, poor organizational skills and limited knowledge were also obstacles. Funding assistance is biased on the basis of favoritism and not on developmental goals being achieved. This particular case is an example of a potential avant‐garde entrepreneur whos talent should not be neglected.

This paper reports a study of 286 Nigerians and their perception of the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) customer service. The study became necessary as NITEL, which is a century‐old monopoly, began preparing for a telecommunications market that had suddenly been opened to competition by the Nigerian government. Study outcomes showed that Nigerians did not consider NITEL’s services to be “good”, citing several complaints such as poor customer service in general, frequent line breakdowns, high costs, and lengthy installation time. Furthermore, a majority indicated preference for an alternative service provider in a competitive environment. The paper provides pointers to how best for NITEL to strategize considering the above research report. The paper argues that NITEL has very few choices as it is likely to cease existence if it fails to address lingering customer service issues in the coming years within this new competitive environment.

The purpose of the study was to assess the relationship between child sexual abuse (CSA) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in female inmates in China. A total of 471 participants were assessed for CSA, personality traits, coping strategies, and frequency of lifetime PTSD. Results demonstrated that CSA and negative coping were predictive factors for lifetime PTSD among female inmates after personality traits were controlled. The findings suggest that CSA is one potential factor contributing to lifetime PTSD among female inmates. The importance of screening for CSA among female inmates was highly emphasized. Early intervention and prevention programmes based on coping skills may be useful to forestall the development of chronic PTSD in female inmates.

This paper aims to examine the factors that are responsible for the poor credit recovery among micro‐finance institutions (MFIs) that disbursed a United Nations Development Programme's micro credit in Anambra State, Nigeria.

A total of 97 MFIs were surveyed out of a total of 129 MFIs in Anambra State in 2007. A ten‐item researcher developed questionnaire on a four‐point Likert scale was used to measure MFIs' staff assessment of factors that were responsible for poor credit recovery. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data, and conclusions and implications of the findings are presented.

From the findings of this study, it is evident that multidimensional factors contribute to low credit recovering by the MFIs. These factors can be summarised under borrowers' wrong attitude to credit repayment, MFIs' staff weak skill and corrupt tendency, and poor infrastructural provision by the government. Arguably, these factors have direct effect in encumbering genuine effort at alleviating poverty in Nigeria through the instrumentality of micro credit. This calls for a change in strategy especially on the part of the MFIs in reducing the incidence of low credit recovery.

The paper offers fresh insight that would offer better understanding of the informal sector of the financial system in Nigeria that has hitherto received limited research attention.

This paper is informative in terms of the imperativeness for public policy adjustment and firm‐level competencies required for better operation of the MFIs in Nigeria. This would translate into creating viable micro‐credit sector to support current plans to eradicate poverty and foster the development of the “bottom‐of‐the‐pyramid”.

Addresses issues related to micro credit in a highly challenged and isolated context.

The Lagos State land use charge (LUC) 2001 represents a radical and wholesome restructuring of the entire erstwhile land‐based tax system in the state, and the first of its kind in Nigeria. The purpose of this paper is to examine how this maiden holistic intervention in property tax administration in Nigeria has fared in its first nine years.

Primary data were garnered from stakeholders through personal interviews and structured questionnaires, while secondary data include information from the enabling act and other‐related materials.

It was noted that the intervention failed to conform to best practice both in policy and administration. As a result, the reform has not ceased to generate controversies, has enjoyed limited acceptability, and achieved limited success.

Taking a cue from the experiences of countries that have demonstrated best practices in property tax reform, the paper proffers suggestions, covering both policy (e.g. extensive stakeholders' consultation) and administration (e.g. improved links between tax payment and provision of local services) that would help to sustain the reform intervention and make it sufficiently worthwhile.

This study aims to deal with the multi-mode resource-constrained project scheduling problem (MRCPSP) with the ability to transport resources among multiple sites, aiming to minimize the total completion time and the total cost of the project simultaneously.

To deal with the problem under consideration, a bi-objective optimization model is developed. All activities are interconnected by finish-start precedence relations, and pre-emption is not allowed. Then, the ɛ-constraint optimization method is used to solve 24 different-sized instances, ranging from 5 to 120 activities, and report the makespan, total cost and CPU time. A set of Pareto-optimal solutions are determined for some instances, and sensitivity analyses are performed to find the impact of changing parameters on objective values.

Results highlight the importance of resource transportability assumption on project completion time and cost, providing useful insights for decision makers and practitioners.

A novel bi-objective optimization model is proposed to deal with the multi-site MRCPSP, considering both the cost and time of resource transportation between multiple sites. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, none of the studies in the project scheduling area has yet addressed this problem.

This paper aims to investigate the contemporary strategies for Health and Safety (H&S) management practices at the construction sites in Ghana.

The study used a mixed method approach in conducting a cross-sectional survey at 28 active construction sites in the Kumasi and Accra metropolises of Ghana using questionnaires and interview guide by using purposive, convenience and snowball sampling techniques. Data were collected from 170 survey respondents and 18 interview participants comprising artisans and management staff.

On H&S management practices, the study found that most construction sites have policies for H&S delivery and are duly followed and enforced. Nonetheless, construction workers moderately agreed that there was reward for; the avoidance and reduction of accidents and illnesses, good H&S behaviour and provision for insurance and hospital claims. It was also revealed that most of the construction sites adopt either one or a combination of mandatory H&S standards. Generally, most workers possessed a fairly positive perception about the H&S management practices at their sites and were either satisfied or very satisfied with its performance.

Generalizing the findings beyond the study areas is limited because of the use of the non-probability sampling techniques.

This study focused on the active construction sites in the study areas to investigate their H&S practices against the backdrop of numerous publications describing the general H&S situation in Ghana as poor. It revealed the current H&S performance of the construction sites for the benefit of the construction industry, researchers and the academia.

The purpose of this paper is to present a review of the literature within the fields of public librarianship, social exclusion and empathy.

The cross‐disciplinary review involved the consultation of material from disciplines including library and information management, politics, social policy and social sciences, cultural studies, psychology, management and organizational theory. It was structured according to the following themes: exclusion, inclusion and social policy, social inclusion in public services and the cultural sector, the role of public libraries in social inclusion and professional empathy and the public library service. Findings –The concept of social inclusion remains at the core of public library policy and strategy, and is embedded in contemporary social theory. Conflicting views have emerged as to the perceived and actual role of the public library in combating social exclusion, with a need expressed for research to be conducted that bridges the gap between the “philosophical” interpretations of community librarianship and the more practical, “real world” studies, in order to fully understand the concept of community librarianship. A critical link is made between social inclusion and public librarianship to professional empathy.

The paper provides an edited version of the overall literature review, yet it is felt that it would be of theoretical and practical relevance and value to the professional and academic communities.

Empathy is a relatively new concept in librarianship research, and prior to the study of which this review forms a part only limited findings have been available.