Construction Management and Economics

Bennett, John

doi: 10.1080/01446198700000001pmid: N/A

Ewart, K.; Shields, J.; Silcock, G.

doi: 10.1080/01446198700000002pmid: N/A

This paper outlines an analysis of the cost incurred by building owners to meet the Fire Services Order, Northern Ireland, 1985. Necessary data were collected by three methods: questionnaire, inspection and detailed surveys. A statistical model is developed which enables a cost of compliance to be estimated for boarding houses having more than six bedspaces. Comparisons are also made regarding cost with previous studies in England and Wales for similar boarding houses/small hotels. Finally the cost of compliance for these houses and buildings of other types is given with an estimate of the impact of this cost on the Building Industry.

Betts, Mike

doi: 10.1080/01446198700000003pmid: N/A

In Great Britain the demands for increased public construction investment have been increasing. However, although it is necessary to establish the amount currently being spent before being able to consider the need for an increase, this is difficult as there are two disparate sets of data available on public construction investment. Expenditure data are collected from public sector clients who commission construction work and output data are supplied by the contractors who undertake the work. Between 1976/7 and 1984/5 the expenditure data exceeded the output data by an average of 81.4% and the percentage difference has been increasing. This paper identifies the causes of the differences between the two sets of data and where possible quantifies them. Even after amending for these quantifiable differences the expenditure data exceeded the output data by an average of 10.5% for new public housing work and 29.4% for new public non-housing work. As the remaining unquantifiable differences are clearly significant this paper concludes by examining possible future methods of compiling accurate data on the level of public construction investment.

Taylor, R. G.; Bowen, P. A.

doi: 10.1080/01446198700000004pmid: N/A

Building price indices provide a means of updating cost data for estimating purposes, extrapolation from existing building cost trends, forecasting future price levels, etc. and thus a definite need exists to forecast future building price index levels. In this paper the writers examine a number of forecasting techniques from a hierarchy of forecasting techniques and assess their suitability via the vehicle of the BER building cost index. Special emphasis is placed on the ability of the forecasting methods to model a changing process.

Davis* , C.

doi: 10.1080/01446198700000005pmid: N/A

This paper describes the role of matrix management in project-oriented multi-discipline consultants' organizations. The conflicting goals of project managers and functional departmental managers with regard to organization manpower levels are examined. A method, using a microcomputer spreadsheet, is developed to simulate the manpower requirements of multi-discipline organizations subject to a highly variable and uncertain project intake. A simplified model organization has been used to illustrate this procedure. A selection of construction projects, representing the anticipated future workload, with suitable durations and manpower requirements are input in an appropriate random manner into a special spreadsheet template to produce a representation of the variability of manpower requirements for the organization. The best combinations for each functional department, of permanent staff, overtime, and temporary staff at the peak manpower demands are studied. An optimization procedure is presented to minimize manpower costs and avoid over-staffing during trough periods of workload and alternatively under-staffing for peak requirements.

Lowe, John G.

doi: 10.1080/01446198700000006pmid: N/A

The materials supply industries of the UK provide some good illustrations of uncompetitive market structures. The purpose of this paper is to analyse selected materials supply industries so as to highlight the reasons for this particular market structure and the extent to which the construction industry has suffered because of this and is likely to suffer in the future. This paper identifies a number of industries within the materials supply sector where the degree of competition is limited and outlines the reasons for this but concludes that while there is potential for abuse of monopoly power, this does not appear to have been unduly misused at this time. The paper then considers whether this apparent lack of abuse stems from countervailing factors or is simply a product of the current depressed state of the UK construction industry and thus whether abuse could emerge should demand increase in the future. The paper concludes that undue advantage has not been taken of monopoly power due to the potential for countervailing power on the part of the customers, the potential for import penetration, and fear of adverse legislative or administrative action from the Government or the Monopolies and Mergers Commission, and that a modest increase in construction demand might not provoke a major price spiral.

Laufer, A.

doi: 10.1080/01446198700000007pmid: N/A

In order to induce top management of construction companies in Israel to become involved in safety, the present research undertook to prove that in Israel, too, uninsured accident costs are very high. Through in-depth interviews of 50 site managers concerning 210 accidents, complementary interviews with other officials in construction and insurance companies, study of records, and conduct of direct observations of accidents after they occurred, a conclusion contradicting the accepted view in insurance circles is reached. The research establishes that uninsured costs in construction companies with an average safety performance record amount to a mere 0.76% of the payroll. In a parallel research in large, developed companies in the USA, existing safety measurement methods feeding the information system were studied.