IT the Practice of Property Management in Lagos

ABSTRACT

 

ne pervasive, potent force sweeping across the globe today is Information Technology. IT has become an enabler in multiple areas of human life. Business organisations, including professional services firms, in present times deploy IT to proactively and effectively drive service delivery. Appreciating that information is the lifeblood of their existence, the firms have come to the awareness that they need to embrace the opportunities presented by IT today in order to stay relevant in the marketplace. Estate surveying firms in the business of property management are no exception.

 

With a case study of Lagos State, Nigeria, this study aimed to examine the extent to which IT is employed in the professional practice of property management by estate surveying firms. The study was carried out by means of questionnaires, which were administered using the cluster sampling method. On the basis of the findings, the study posited that IT is not being significantly deployed in the practice of property management in Lagos. It was revealed that the relative high overall cost of adoption of IT is most probably responsible for the foregoing. In this wise, towards improving the level of utilization of IT in the practice of property management, the study recommended that the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, the custodian of the profession, should take the leadership role while individual and collective efforts of the firms are most pertinent.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title page                                                                                           i

Certification                                                                                      ii

Dedication                                                                                        iii

Acknowledgments                                                                            iv

Table of Contents                                                                             vi

List of Tables                                                                                   ix

List of Figures                                                                                 xi

Abstract                                                                                           xii     

 

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION                                             1       

1.1            Background to the Study                                                      1

1.2            Problem Analysis                                                                 2       

1.3            Purpose of Study                                                                  5

1.4            Research Questions                                                              5

1.5            Hypothesis of Study                                                             6       

1.6            Delimitation of Study                                                           6

1.7            Research Method                                                                  7

1.8            Significance of Study                                                           8

1.9            Definition of Terms                                                              9       

References                                                                             11

 

CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE         12

2.0            Introduction                                                                           12

2.1            Information Technology                                                        12

2.1.1    Overview                                                                                12     

2.1.2                                                    Chronicle of the Computer                             17

2.1.3    Evolution of Computer Applications                                     27

2.1.4    Contemporary Developments in IT                                        31     

2.1.5    Applications of IT                                                                  37

2.2            Property Management                                                           40

2.2.1    Overview                                                                                40

2.2.2    Development of Property Management                                 41     

2.2.3    Property Management in Nigeria                                           43

2.2.4    Functions of a Property Manager                                            48

2.2.5    IT and Property Management                                                 55     

2.3            Summary of the Chapter                                                         63

Notes                                                                                       64

References                                                                               65

 

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY OF STUDY                      68

3.0            Introduction                                                                            68

3.1            Research Method                                                                     68

3.2            Study Population                                                                     70

3.3            Sampling Design and Sample Size                                          70

3.4            Research Instrument                                                                72

3.5            Tools for Data Presentation and Analysis                               73

3.6            Limitations of the Study                                                          74

References                                                                               75     

 

CHAPTER FOUR: PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA

4.0            Introduction                                                                            76

4.1            Response Rate                                                                         76     

4.2            Respondents’ Characteristics and Classifications                   77     

4.3            Research Question 1                                                                81

4.4            Research Question 2                                                                85     

4.5            Research Question 3                                                                93

4.6            Hypothesis Testing                                                                 96

4.6.1    Research Hypothesis                                                               96

4.6.2    Statistical Hypothesis                                                             96     

4.6.3    Research Variables                                                                  97

 

CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, RECOMMENDATIONS

AND CONCLUSION                                                                        101   

5.1            Summary of Findings                                                              101   

5.2            Recommendations                                                                   102

5.3            Conclusion                                                                              103

Bibliography                                                                            105

Appendix