Emmanuel Esezobor

Name: Emmanuel Love Esezobor

Research Title: Sustainability in Project Management; An Analysis of Public Sector Construction Projects in Nigeria

Name of Director of Studies: Dr. Rachel Curzon

Key Contact Details - Email: Emmanuel.Esezobor@bcu.ac.uk

About the Project: Sustainability is among the most recent challenges of our time, and most companies are looking for ways to integrate the concept into their daily practice (Silvius, et al, 2013). While studies are abound on the concept of sustainability, they are mostly descriptive with little information on practical ways to integrate sustainability principles (Barnard, et al, 2011; Gareis, et al 2011).

This research will explore the extent construction organisations in Nigeria consider and apply sustainability in their business practice. It will specifically explore various stakeholder views and discuss typical practice to determine the level of integration in the project management process and methods through a case based approach. From this it will be possible to determine practical techniques to integrate sustainability principles into their daily project management methods and also develop a strategy for change to improve current practice.

Research Activities: This research centres on an empirical study to find out the extent construction organisations in Nigeria consider, and apply sustainability in their project management practice, with the view to determining practical techniques to better integrate sustainability principles into their daily practice.

The objectives of this research will be addressed through a case study strategy and data will be collected through a combination of methods (interviews, questionnaires and documents). This research will adopt the triangulation technique, i.e. “the combination of methodologies in the study of same phenomenon (Denzin, 1978, p.291)”. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods will be used for gathering data, and evidence produced from these research methods will be compared and cross-referenced with the literature (Gorard, et al, 2004, p.43). This approach will enhance reliability, minimise bias and also provide a rich contextual basis for interpreting and validating research findings, more so than the use of one method alone (Smith, et al, 2008).