There is an established body of research on water use by the domestic and agricultural sectors, but very little peer-reviewed literature have been published on industrial water use. This has been attributed to the commercially competitive and complex nature of the industrial sector, and the attendant difficulties in collecting requisite data for any analysis (Reynaud, 2003). Consequent upon this, there is a growing concern over the sustainability of water-related industrial practices and processes. To this end, focusing on key waterintensive industrial subsectors, the food and drink sector which according to DEFRA (2007) and the Environment Agency 2013 has the highest rate of water use in the industrial sector, was chosen for this performance assessment, the aim being to clearly understand how various food and drink firms use water, relative to other Bcomparable^firms, and against industry standards or benchmarks. For the analyses, data on water use were collected from 53 dairy companies, for a 5-year (minimum) period, and covering three water-intensive dairy products-liquid milk, butter and cheese. Thus, data were collected from 27 liquid milk-producing companies, 13 butter-and 13 cheese-processing companies. Based on the findings, of the 53 benchmarked companies, 17 companies' water use performance were ranked Bexcellent^; 26 companies, Baverage^; while the remaining 10 companies' performance were Bpoor^. These results emphasise the need for creation of more comprehensive water management schemes and conservation clubs within the food and drink sector. From this study, benchmarking, a performance assessment and improvement process, has been established as a veritable strategy for driving behavioural change in water use by industry, and enhancing the sustainability credential of the UK industrial sector, in terms of fresh water use.
Purpose The role of construction industry in harnessing human and material resources of a nation cannot be overemphasised; hence, the emergence of the requirement of leadership. This study aims to assess the usage of factors of transactional leadership style (TSLS) by the project managers (PMs) in the Nigeria construction industry. Design/methodology/approach A survey research design approach with questionnaire as an instrument of gathering data was adopted. Out of 1,233 questionnaires distributed, data from 975 received with acceptable feedback were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings This study revealed the following factors under active management by exception as the TSLS factors often employed by PMs in Nigeria. These factors are the three frequently used factors: they are: “always give clear and final instructions to be implemented in the project”; “always observed the progress of the project, assessed risk and took precaution to avoid mistakes in the project”; and “always closely monitor performance for errors needing correction”. This study concludes that it is imperative for PMs in the study area to adopt and incorporate these factors to ensure continuous successful delivery of construction projects. Practical implications Therefore, it is hoped that the findings of this research will help the construction industry managers to address the age-long but unrecognised leadership problem confronting the sector, thereby boosting project delivery. Originality/value The findings establish the appropriateness or otherwise of adoption of factors of transactional leadership, either in part or a whole.
The aim of the study is to examine the effect of periwinkle shell ash (PSA) blended with cement on the water absorption and shrinkage of lateritic blocks. The objectives that would help achieve the stated aim are to investigate the water absorption and shrinkage properties of lateritic blocks blended with periwinkle shell ash/cement. The following methods were used during the research: sedimentation test, standard proctor test, Atterberg’s limit test, smell and Nibble tests. Specific gravity of PSA, bulk density and porosity of PSA were carried out. 5 % of the cement and percentage replacement levels of 0 %, 10 %, 20 %, 30 %, 40 % and 50 % of cement with PSA were used for block production. 21 cm × 10 cm × 10 cm blocks were moulded, cured and subjected to water absorption and shrinkage tests. Data were collected and analysed using graphs, correlation and regression analyses. Result shows that percentage water absorption for replacement levels 0 %, 10 %, 20 %, 30 % were 12.08 %, 16.38 %, 18.21 %, 19.95 %. Again, from 0 % replacement to 30 % replacement of cement with PSA, the linear shrinkage increased from 1.5 mm to 2.8 mm. It implies that up to 30 %, the maximum crack the block could form is 2.8 mm, whereas the maximum allowable crack width for walling materials is 3.0 mm. Therefore, percentage replacement of up to 30 % is recommended for use in lateritic block.
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