Unethical performance is an impediment for economic development and good governance. It is more than true to say it is the bane of development in developing nations of the world under which Nigeria is categorized. The construction sector was highlighted for its practices in areas such as bribery, environmental destruction, capital flight, dangerous practices, poor quality, whistle blowing, etc. and it is also associated with unethical behaviour through the entire construction life cycle. This paper therefore, x-rayed the determinants of unethical performance in Nigerian construction industry with a view to identifying the causes in all the stages of building project. Well structured questionnaires were self administered to direct stakeholder involved in the execution of building projects considered for this research work. Literature review revealed that corruption is evident in the construction industry which causes a lot of setback to project such as abandonment of such project and if complete may be completed below standard. Data were presented and analyzed using non parametric statistic; tools used were Severity indices and Relative importance index rather than mean scores since the data were ordinal in nature. It was observed that the building construction industry is perceived to be more susceptible to ethical problems because of several features and that corruption has effect on all stages of construction right from Planning, Tender stage to Completion stage. It was recommended that viable legislation as a mechanism to deal with small levels of corruption by strengthening professional institutions that will punish erring members will prevent corruption to a certain degree; and enforcement and monitoring measures of anti corruption agencies is believed can enhance transparency, accountability and reduced unethical behavior, and this will create an enabling environment possible for the industry to thrive, operate, and improve on quality and quantity of infrastructure on a more sustainable basis and thereby foster good construction practice ethics.

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.

The construction industry plays a significant role in the infrastructure development of many countries. Construction projects suffer from a lot of setbacks despite sophistication and advancement in technology and pro­fessionalism. This study, therefore, assessed the factors that triggered the emergence of rework and the benefits derived from eliminating such triggers in the Nigerian construction industry. The study adopted a quantitative survey approach in which a structured questionnaire was adopted as the research instrument. Factor analysis using principal component analysis was adopted to determine the factors that triggered the rework and the pattern of relationship that existed amongst the factors; relative importance index (RII) was used to assess the benefits of eliminating rework triggers. The study concluded that the factors that triggered the emergence of rework were omis­sion and planning issues, change issues, funding and communication issues, and poor workers and resource control. Repeat patronage, higher productivity, and reduced delivery time reduced the rework and waste and improved the employee job satisfaction and morale; they were the benefits derived from eliminating rework trig­gers. It was recommended that there is a need for clarity, effectiveness, and timeliness of instruction and informa­tion dissemination amongst project participants and the participation of contractors, subcontractors, and other stakeholders at the design stages to avoid omissions and construction changes

Rework is systemic and a recurring decimal and It is triggered by several factors, which emergence create scenarios, which degrades project cost, quality and schedule performance, and overall project performance. This study therefore examined the perception of construction professionals on the factors that triggers the emergence of rework in the Nigerian construction industry. This was achieved by determining the predominant rework triggers that affect project performance, identifying rework triggers in which the professionals view varies significantly, and examining the category of rework risks triggers that contribute more to rework incidences. The study adopted a quantitative survey approach in which structured questionnaire was adopted as the research instrument. Mean item score was used in ranking the professionals perception on rework triggers, and Kruskal-Wallis H test was used to identify the variables in which the professionals view varies. The study concluded that: contractor-related and design-related causes are the major categories of rework risks triggers. Unclear instruction to workers, Shortage of skilled supervisors, incomplete and inaccurate information are the predominant triggers of rework. The professionals view varies significantly on nine factors which cut across the four categories of rework triggers. It was recommended that there is need for clarity, effectiveness and timeliness of instruction and information dissemination among project participants, and the use of skilled and experienced professionals, skilled supervisors and proper implementation of quality management practices by both the design consultant and contractor throughout the project’s phases

Purpose This study aims to identify and establish effective housing financing concepts to be adopted by government in achieving its mandate of providing sustainable affordable housing for the poor to decrease the building of shacks, as well as proposing solutions to the housing deficit in South Africa. A rise in demand and shortage in supply of housing calls for the need to address issues of affordable housing in South Africa, and developing countries in general, to ensure a stable and promising future for poor families. Design/methodology/approach Literature has revealed that the South African government, at all levels, accorded high priority to the provision of low-cost housing. Thus, government has adopted subsidy payment as a method of financing affordable housing to ensure that houses are allocated free to the beneficiaries. This also addresses the historically race-based inequalities of the past, but unfortunately, this has not been fully realised. This study uses a sequential mixed method approach, where private housing developers and general building contractors were the research participants. The qualitative data were analysed using a case-by-case analysis, and quantitative data were analysed using a descriptive statistical technique on SPSS. Findings The results of the qualitative analysis reveal a gross abuse of the housing subsidies system by the beneficiaries of government-funded housing in South Africa. This is evident from illegal sale of the houses below market value. This has led to a continual building of shacks and an increased number of people on the housing waiting list instead of a decrease in the housing deficit. The results from quantitative analysis affirm the use of “Mortgage Payment Subsidies, Mortgage Payment Deductions, Down-Payment Grant and Mortgage Interest Deductions” as viable alternatives to subsidy payment currently in use to finance affordable housing projects by the South African Government. Practical implications At the moment, the focus of the South African National Government is continual provision of free housing to the historically disadvantage citizens, but the housing financing method being used encourages unapproved transfer of ownership in the affordable housing sector. This study thus recommends the use of an all-inclusive housing financing method that requires a monetary contribution from the beneficiaries to enable them take control of the process. Originality/value The relational interface model proposed in this study will reduce pressure on government budgetary provision for housing and guarantee quick return of private developers’ investment in housing. Government must, as a matter of urgency, launch a continuous awareness programme to educate the low-income population on the value and the long-term benefits of the housing.