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The purpose of this paper is to examine the possible moderating role of organisational characteristics (organisational structure, management style and decision-making style) in the relationship between strategy and organisational performance among large construction organisations in South Africa.

The study adopted a quantitative research approach using a questionnaire survey to obtain data from 72 large construction organisations in South Africa. Using hierarchical multiple regression, the paper examines the relationship between the constructs discussed in the study.

The internal characteristics of the organisation form the vital basis for achieving optimal performance. The results obtained from the analysis revealed that decision-making style directly influences the measure of organisational effectiveness, while it could also be inferred that organisational characteristics partly moderate the relationship between competitive strategy and organisational performance. The findings indicate that internal characteristics is one of the means through which organisational strategic factors and contextual aspects are organised to achieve greater organisational performance levels.

The findings have theoretical implications for strategic management literature in construction as it extends the scope of research on strategic management from assessing a set of individual management practices to evaluating a complex mechanism that connects internal characteristics and competitive advantage. It is believed that this study will contribute positively to the role of organisational characteristics in the competitive strategy-performance relationships in large construction organisations in South Africa and to the ongoing discussion on emerging strategic management issues in construction.

This study examines the level of awareness about high blood pressure and the role of librarians in the dissemination of health information among residents in Lagos State, Nigeria.

The population comprised high blood pressure patients at the University of Lagos Teaching Hospital in Lagos State, Nigeria. A sample of 900 patients was taken from the existing population of high blood pressure patients comprising male and female aged 15-55 years and above. Data for the study were collected through the use of a structured questionnaire. Few in-depth interviews were also conducted to enrich the data from the structured questionnaire. Some descriptive statistical techniques were used to analyze the data obtained from the structured questionnaire, while the data obtained from the in-depth interviews were subjected to content analysis.

The findings revealed that awareness about high blood pressure was generally low among the study population. It was also discovered that the librarians working in the medical and public libraries in Lagos State provided information services to members of the communities. However, the librarians affirmed that their role in the dissemination of information to the public was inadequate.

The study was limited to the high blood pressure patients at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, while the patients attending other hospitals in Lagos State were not included as a result of time factor and lack of funding for the research. The views of the excluded category of patients on the level of awareness of high blood pressure may vary.

Good health is the bedrock of human development, and awareness is the first step in the battle against the scourge of ill-health. Recognizing the need for increased level of awareness and the value of disseminating useful information are vital to patients in the management of high blood pressure.