CHAPTER ONE

1.0       Background of the Study

Any country that will be on her feet of survival must have a productive workforce. The workforce in manufacturing, industrial, energy, banking, educational, commercial and construction must be productive so as to see that such country survives the global trend of economic development. However, construction sector is a giant sector in any economy which should be given a proper attention in seeing that the workforce is highly productive. As the 20th century began, certain managers who wanted to improve the practice of management began to put their ideas in writing. The managers were particularly concerned with two issues; increasing the productivity of individuals performing work; and increasing the productivity of organizations within which work is performed.

Directing the attention of individual performing work and their strengths to determine how to manage work, an organization produces high level of output by a better use of resources. A body of management known as the classical approach addresses jobs and productivities which are critical issues for modern managers. The problem of low productivity has been a perennial one, which has to be solved once and for all.

            Gibson (1999) notes that, to improve productivity, managers functions would have to be efficiently practiced. The management process will necessitate direct attention to productivity, planning and action. Planning, organizing and controlling will need to focus in the relationship of quantities of output and inputs. He further stated that productivity can be boosted through the new equipment and job design. People are also extremely important workers who should be given a befitting respect.

            Abiola (2004) is of the opinion that productivity improvement is a central challenge or management in all types and sizes of organization. Productivity also involves the relationship between input and output goods and services. However, many construction industry outputs include all goods and services produced during a given time while inputs include all resources consumed to produce an output. Labour, capital, materials and energy are the inputs resources used or consumed. He further noted that improved utilization of manpower asset is the key to the significant short and long term productivity improvement. This productivity improvement is concerned with increasing output, reducing cost and the profitability of the company.

            Productivity indicators and measures help in goal setting, identifying the best cost of action that will optimize resources utilization and cost effectiveness. An analysis of the past productivity trends and development can help in making decisions that will determine the future of the enterprise.

            Planning is the most basic of the management functions because it involves the determination of organization mission, strategies and objectives. Productivity is a major objective for most organizations. It is logistical to suggest that this goal is part of the organization planning strategies. Organizations realize this everyday by making efforts to integrate productivity improvement into strategic planning.

            Therefore, the purpose of this research work is to look at the role of management in improving productivity in Nigeria building construction project, also to examine those factors that affect the low level of productivity. To come up with solutions to those problems, and the tools to be used by the management for effective use of the resources put together to increase productivity.

1.1       Statement of Research Problem

            During recent decades it has been possible to identify several problems in construction industry project management, related to systematic failures in terms of fulfilling its schedule, cost and quality targets, which highlights a need for an evaluation of the factors that may cause these failures. Therefore, it is important to understand how project managers plan the projects so that the performance and the result can be improved. However it is important to understand if other areas beyond cost and time management that are mentioned on several studies as the most critical areas, receive the necessary attention from construction project managers. Despite the cost and time are the most sensitive areas/fields, there are several other factors that may lead to project failure and this research  aims at understanding the reasons that may cause the deviation in terms of cost, time and quality.

1.2     Research Questions

This research is conducted to examine the role of reward management on organizational performance with specific reference to University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus. The research questions are posed as follows:

i)                   Do          monetary rewards influence employees' performance among staff in UNN?

ii)                Do non-monetary rewards influence employees' performance among staff in UNN?

iii)              Is  there a positive relationship between reward and employee motivation?

iv)              What factors facilitate the role of reward system/management on organizational performance?

1.3     Objectives of the Study

The main objective of the study is to examine the role of reward management on organizational performance with specific reference to University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). Specific objectives of the study include the followings:

       i.            To examine the relationship between monetary rewards and employees' performance in an organization.

     ii.            To examine the relationship between non-monetary reward and employees' performance in an organization.

  iii.            To determine if there is a relationship between reward and employee motivation.

  iv.            To determine the factors that facilitates the role of reward management on organizational performance in UNN.

1.4     Research Hypotheses

Subsequent to the aforementioned objectives and research questions, the following hypotheses have been formulated and shall be subjected to a suitable empirical statistical test.

Hypothesis I

Ho: There is no positive relationship between monetary rewards and employees' performance among staff in UNN.

H1: There is a positive relationship between monetary reward and employees' performance among staff in UNN.

Hypothesis II

Ho: There is no significant relationship between non-monetary reward and employees' performance among staff in UNN.

H1: There is a significant relationship between non-monetary reward and employees' performance among staff in UNN.

Hypothesis III

Ho: There is no positive relationship between reward and employee motivation among staff in UNN.

H1: There is a positive relationship between reward and employee motivation among staff in UNN.

1.5      Justification of Study

            The beneficiaries of the outcome of this project include the clients, contractor and the consultant involved in the construction project. And the benefit of project management is to increase the contractors’ productivity in Nigeria, to increase and maintain a constant output by reducing the input resource.

            Also, it will help the client in terms of quality of work, make the work economical and reduce time. It will help the contractor to save money and maximize profit and to reduce the consultants stress and also saves money for running the project.

            Moreover, it will be a useful material for the upcoming student that want to embark on the relevant project topic.

1.6       Scope and Limitation of the Study

Construction work encompasses building and engineering projects but due to limited time for completing the work and also high cost, this research work shall be limited to building work and excluding engineering project.

1.7    Definition of Terms

The key words or terminologies in this study shall be defined thus:

MANAGEMENT: The process of dealing with or controlling people. It is the function that coordinates the effort of people to accomplish a common goal.

PRODUCTIVITY: It is an average measure of the efficiency of a person, machine, factory, system etc.

WORKFORCE: The total number of persons employed or employable in a particular firm or industry or the total number of workers in a specific undertaking.

You either get what you want or your money back. T&C Apply

Share a Comment