Established in 2006, TATA Africa Services (Nigeria) Limited operates as the nodal point for Tata businesses in West Africa. TATA Africa Services (Nigeria) Limited has a strong presence in Nigeria with investments exceeding USD 10 million. The company was established in Lagos, Nigeria as a subsidiary of TATA Africa Holdings (SA) (Pty) Limited, South Africa and serves as the hub of Tata’s operations in Nigeria and the rest of West Africa.

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Theory in Practice: Increasing Professional Effectiveness

How the combination of Circular Economy and Industry 4.0 can contribute towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

David Coghlan and Teresa Brannick (2009): Doing Action Research in Your Own Organisation Sage, London 2010, (3rd edition), $ 44.95, euro 27.99 (amazon), pp. 184, Paperback ISBN: 9781848602168 Reviewed by Richard Ennals This new edition of a popular text, used by researchers and practitioners, focuses attention on central issues in Action Research. David Coghlan has been an active participant in many of the separate traditions of Action Research. Both he and his co-author Teresa Brannick teach in University Business Schools in Dublin, moving Action Research into the mainstream. This new edition takes the opportunity to refer to the latest literature in a fastgrowing and diverse field. It provides a valuable foundation for new researchers in the field. There has been a separate literature, for example dealing with Educational Action Research (Noffke/Somekh 2009; McNiff/Whitehead 2009), with a focus on the individual reflective practitioner. By contrast we can point to work on Action Research and Organisational Renewal, which has included consideration of major managed programmes (Gustavsen et al. 2001; Levin 2002; Fricke/Totterdill 2004) which have deployed Action Research in order to pursue policy objectives. This has raised questions as to how Action Research is itself to be defined (Greenwood/Levin 2007). At this point we may have concluded that what different instances of Action Research have in common is that they are cited as instances of Action Research. There are family resemblances. However, readers of earlier editions of works in the field (e.g. Reason/Bradbury 2001) will have noticed limited cross-citations of literature from other traditions. Coghlan and Brannick have made a welcome contribution, both in the breadth of their referenees, and in the platform which they provide for further debate and development. The title of the book deals with Action Research in one's own organisation. The implication is that such research is not necessarily part of a larger scale managed programme. Reliance is not to be placed on research expertise from outside. The authors define Action Research as "an approach to research which aims at both taking action and creating knowledge or theory about that action. The outcomes are both an action and a research outcome, unlike traditional research approaches which aim at creating knowledge only". They set out the cyclical process of planning, taking action, and evaluating. They emphasise the collaborative dimension, whereby the members of the system which is being studied participate actively in the cyclical process. They highlight the diversity of approaches. The focus is on the combination of organisational roles with the additional demands of a role of inquiry and research. This raises practical challenges such as the selection of a research question, attaining some sense of objectivity, and choice of frameworks for viewing and understanding the data. Action Research work can be undertaken for different reasons, including securing academic qualifications, with some expectation of benefit for the organisation. Action Research can involve dealing with emergent processes, and leading radical change, which requires a capacity for self-reflection, realistic expectations, self-containment and an ability to learn. The book is intended to complement books exploring the theory and practice of action research (Greenwood/Levin 2007; Reason/Bradbury 2008; Shani et al. 2008). The three sections of the book cover "Foundations", "Implementation", and "Issues and Challenges in Researching Your Own Organisation". The book ends with discussion of closeness and distance with respect to the organisation under study, contexts of politics and ethics, and hints on writing an Action Research Dissertation. The style of the book is clear and non-dogmatic, making good use of diagrams and summaries. Researchers and research students will have encountered scepticism about Action Research, and arguments that more traditional approaches are "safer", in the context of the need for academic recognition. …

Doing Action Research in Your Own Organisation

Recent shifts in education and labour market policy have resulted in universities being placed under increasing pressure to produce employable graduates. However, contention exists regarding exactly what constitutes employability and which graduate attributes are required to foster employability in tertiary students. This paper argues that in the context of a rapidly changing information- and knowledge-intensive economy, employability involves far more than possession of the generic skills listed by graduate employers as attractive. Rather, for optimal economic and social outcomes, graduates must be able to proactively navigate the world of work and self-manage the career building process. A model of desirable graduate attributes that acknowledges the importance of self-management and career building skills to lifelong career management and enhanced employability is presented. Some important considerations for the implementation of effective university career management programs are then outlined.

The graduate attributes we've overlooked : enhancing graduate employability through career management skills

Factors influencing green campus implementation performance in a South African University of Technology: A qualitative analysis

Reviews of previous investigations into the causes of restiveness and economic deprivation in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria reveal that the payment of inadequate compensation for acquired landed assets has contributed immensely to this incidence of these circumstances. Whereas several studies have sought to investigate the reasons for such complaints, a paucity of studies seeking to conduct such investigation from a theory development praxis has been noted. This study is prompted by this observation. A parallel convergent mixed method research design was deployed for data elicitation. Data was obtained through a mix of interviews and questionnaire surveys. The information sought was premised on the need to understand the approaches used by valuers and to determine if any research approach was applied during the process. The emergent data was using descriptive statistics. Findings from the study indicate that the dominant method for valuation of wetlands for compensation purposes; the pre-determined compensation rates method, was predicated on the deductive approach. After a review of the four approaches available, the paper recommends the adoption of an abductive research approach for value determination in such instances due to the inherent principles associated with the approach.

Engendering Transparency In Value Determination of Wetlands In Nigeria's Niger Delta: A Case For An Abductive Approach

Models and frameworks have been described as platforms for resolving contemporary real-world challenges. This is due to their ability to provide a symbolic depiction of real-world scenarios. As such, various studies have relied on models and frameworks in proffering solutions to different problems. A prevalence of models and frameworks developed and validated through overt reliance on quantitative data have been observed in the literature. This is particularly the case with model development in the Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) disciplines. In chapter, the process of model development and validation based on qualitative data is explicated. A three-tier approach to model validation which had been hitherto deployed in the validation and verification of Human, Social, Cultural and Behavioural (HSCB) models was utilized. Also, the systematic combining approach was used in establishing the model-theory fit as suggested in similar studies which had adopted abductive reasoning logic. In summary, this chapter provides a step by step account of the approaches which can be deployed in model validation and verification using qualitative data set in AEC research using a viable infrastructure delivery systems model (VIDM) exemplar.

Model Development and Initial Validation

Contractual Payment Arrangements and Continuous Improvement

In most developed nations, a formal recycling industry oversees the management of solid waste. The opposite happens to be the case in underdeveloped nations wherein, the informal recycling sector has assumed such functions. The informal methods used in Nigeria for managing buildings' end-of-life situations has shown in many ways to be compliant with the sustainability goal since they provide an excellent example of how the waste hierarchy may evolve independently, with little or no assistance from policy and regulatory bodies. The purpose of this study is to conceptualise the processes through which salvaged materials from buildings in Kano State, Nigeria is processed in a step-by-step manner, ensuring that least amounts of materials end up in a landfill. Adopting a qualitative research design to achieve the study's aim, this study engaged 19 purposively selected experts through semi-structured interviews in the city of Kano, Nigeria. The collected data was analysed using thematic analysis. Using the biomorphic adaptation of an African snail's shell, the study's findings led to the development of a conceptual model that depicts the actual scenario of handling demolition waste in Nigeria while highlighting the important elements and the inherent interactions among them. Based on these findings, the study recommends that the identified limitations in the Nigerian construction industry be addressed for the purposes of practice improvement and emergence of a comprehensive framework for the sustainable handling of building demolition waste (BDW). 

Bankole Awuzie

Papers

Factors influencing green campus implementation performance in a South African University of Technology: A qualitative analysis

Engendering Transparency In Value Determination of Wetlands In Nigeria's Niger Delta: A Case For An Abductive Approach

Model Development and Initial Validation

Contractual Payment Arrangements and Continuous Improvement

Conceptualising an ethno‐mimetic model for effective buildings' end‐of‐life waste management: A Nigerian exemplar