CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION:

1.1     BACKGROUND OF STUDY

          The history of public corporation is dated around 1950, following the end of the 2nd World War.

          These corporations were established by either the Federal State and Local governments with a view to alleviate the sufferings of the entire populace, by given them maximum service at the cheapest rate.

          The service of Enugu State Housing Development Corporation (ESGDC), which is one of the public corporation segment in its service to the people. The Enugu State Housing Development Corporation was established with aim to increase in the state, the available stock of dwelling houses, commercial and industrial buildings for acquisition by members of the public. It also undertakes the designing, planning, development of Housing Estates either alone or in association or partnership with other companies corporations or bodies all are aimed at reducing the housing problems in the state and at cheapest rate and with best services.

          Government owned public corporations are of different categories. Some are statutory corporations which merely render definite services not essentially for any economy sense. It could be seen that most of these corporations undertake commercial and industrial ventures and need to be run on commercial ways. It is the reason why they are separated from the immediate control of the civil services and take away also from the private sector. These types of corporation are mid-way between the private business whose main interest is to make profit for its owners and the government department which can hardly run commercial business on account of strict public control the form of civil service procedures. However, they are usually attached to relevant government departments for the purpose of government control and legislative accountability.

          Public corporations are set up by Acts of parliament edicts or decrees and are arms of the government. The advantage they have over a department of government is that they are not being bound by civil servant red tape they can often taken major decision by themselves within the scope of their powers subject to certain safeguards in the national interest. As Franklin Blitz put it the chief objective of public corporation is to free them from detailed civil service control and so to enable them to operate successfully as commercial undertakings.

          There are three fundamental objectives for the established of public corporations according to professor Robson and they are:

(1)             To prevent consumers from being exploited by an undue use of monopolistic position enjoyed by them.

(2)             To satisfy the government parliament and the public that they are being run efficiently and progressively.

(3)             To ensure that labour relations and personnel management are sufficiently good to avoid stop payes of work owing to trade disputes.

The management of Enugu State Housing Development Corporation (ESHDC) has been a great concern to the public and has been greatly criticized.

1.2     STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

          The problems that will be cooked into in Enugu State Housing Development Corporation are as follows:

(i)                State of maintenance and service in the Enugu State Housing Development Corporation.

(ii)             Adequacy of sharp contrasts in the management of ESHDC.

(iii)           ESHDC and mismanagement of unproducivity.

1.3     OBJECTIVE OF STUDY

The purpose of this research is as follows

i.                   to identify the problems that effect efficient management in the ESHDC

ii.                 to determine if there is a policy guiding the activities of the corporation.

iii.              To find out the future prospect of Enugu State Housing Development Corporation.

iv.              To ascertain solution and make recommendation on how best to ensure and maintain ESHDC.

1.4     RESEARCH QUESTION /HYPOTHESIS

i.                   What are the major problems militating against the progress of the corporation.

ii.                 Are there any structural changes in the corporation due to change of government from military to civilian?

iii.              How does rapid urbanization give rise to the accommodation problems of the corporation?

iv.              How favourable are the conditions of service as regards to the welfare of staff in the corporation?

v.                 To what extent have the housing policies and programmes of the government helped to reduce housing problems of the state?

vi.              Whether there is a good working relationship between management and labour in the corporation.

1.5     SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

1.                 This is very important in many aspects when the problems are identified it will help the researcher to find an everlasting solution to the management problems of (ESHDC).

2.                 The state will also base on the recommendations that would be made to embark on a better corrective measure towards upgrading the present state of housing development.

3.                 This study is important to students who intends to carry out further research in related area.

4.                 Finally, adherence to recommendation will help solve or at least reduce to problem facing ESHDC which will lead to improvement in the state.

1.6     SCOPE OF THE STUDY

          Considering the type of study being carried out, one observes that the best method to be applied is cross-sectional survey. The organization we are studying here which is ESHDC is also located at Enugu urban. It is cross-dimensional because it involves more than one location. Some workers and tenants of the organization are selected through the use of stratified sampling method. Since the researcher cannot interview all the 158 workers, and 500 tenants of the ESHDC.

          The researcher applies descriptive analysis based on the outcome of statistics technique, which is stratified sampling. The target population as said above in this research is a total population of 658 workers and tenants but only a sample of 87 respondents is selected 21 workers and 66 tenants.

          Finally, the validity and reliability of instrument used in the collection of data were also tested.

1.7     DEFINITION OF TERMS

          The following terms used in their technical senses are here under defined for purposes of clarity and understanding.

a.                  Administration: this is an act of management.

b.                 Impersonality: this is the act of not having any personal reference.

c.                  Indiscipline: it is an uncultural behaviour

d.                 Management: it is a purposeful employment of resources to achieve predetermined objectives or goals of the organizations.

e.                  Meritocracy: this is a system of government or control by persons of high practical or intellectual ability.

f.                   Mismanagement: this is an incompetency in the management.

g.                 Organisation: This is the act of doing preparation condition of being prepared and putting things in order.

h.                 Specialization: This is an area of perfection

i.                   Unproductivity: Not profitable. 

LIMITATIONS OF STUDY

          In this research project, some of the problems the researcher encountered are discussed below.

          The non availability of enough old works on this project topic was a major problem for literature review process of data collection which involved moving about to conduct interviews and distribution of questionnaires to people who found it difficult to corporate with the researcher under the pretence that their evidence will be used against them.

          Again, the problem of time factor hindered the researcher from extending the work. The researcher was to carry on with other academic work load. So that much time was therefore not allocated to the project which was doe to beat the deadline.

          Finance is the bedrock of any project, therefore, non availability of enough funds contributed to short comings in this work.

          Then again, the non availability of subject to be interview is another problem. The researcher checks the respondents both in the offices and in the houses without success. This hinders the research work is distance. This is because of the problem between the researcher and the respondents which delayed the research work.

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