journal article
Download Only Collection
Home
doi: 10.1080/01446199400000038pmid: N/A
There has been a frequent misconception in analyses of construction sectors of the national economy: the tendency to describe these activities as ‘an industry’ or a small and stable set of ‘industries’. This has led to confusion. Construction was inappropriately assimilated to various forms of manufacturing industry. Characteristics of the construction process were treated as ‘problems’, to whose solution substantial energies were unnecessarily diverted. There has been muddle about the extent to which macro-level planning is appropriate, notably on R&D strategies and innovation for improved industrial efficiency. Construction projects increasingly use unfamiliar technological bases, comparable to ‘technology fusion’ in other sectors. A more fruitful emphasis may be to regard construction as organized as agglomerations of projects - rather than as a discrete industry or a fixed constellation of firms. The idea of the ‘demand chain’ is introduced. The paper concludes that a ‘technological paradigm’ should replace the ‘industry paradigm’ and that an enduring question remains to explore what is meant by construction ‘capacity’.
doi: 10.1080/01446199400000039pmid: N/A
Despite the importance of construction in national economies and in socio-economic development, construction economics, as a field of study, is still fledgling. Its foundations are weak and there is confusion about many of its concepts and terms. Worse, there are indications that unless a conscious effort is made to advance the field further, progress will be slow. This paper considers the present state of construction economics and its causes and effects. It considers whether construction economics is a distinct academic discipline. It is observed that construction economics lacks a conceptual structure, a key attribute of a discipline. Main areas where further study is required are highlighted. It is suggested that the development of construction economics should be managed if the field is to be advanced further.
doi: 10.1080/01446199400000040pmid: N/A
The aim of the paper is to raise the awareness of all those who use or have an interest in construction statistics of the need to ensure that available data correctly reflect their expectations and requirements. The paper is in four sections. It first examines the reasons for the recent rise in interest in construction statistics and the claim that industry's needs for them fail to be met by existing public and private data. It goes on to illustrate the links between providers of information, processors and users of data. The third section focuses on the quantitative and qualitative aspects of statistics. The final section explains the steps which are being taken to ensure better communications between government statisticians responsible for producing construction data and users. This endeavour should foster a better understanding of each other's requirements and, hence, a more satisfactory supply of data to all interested parties. The ultirnate goal is a comprehensive body of statistics which can be readily adapted to reflect the development and changing circumstances of the construction industry.
Meikle, James L.; Connaughton, John N.
doi: 10.1080/01446199400000041pmid: N/A
The housing stock in England is ageing. Furthermore, the long-term trend in house building indicates that the existing stock of housing is not being replaced within its design life. New houses are required largely to satisfy new demand in the form of increasing household formation. A key conclusion is that existing-and new-houses will have to last for many hundreds of years. The ownership of housing in England has changed significantly in recent years. The responsibility for maintaining and replacing the housing stock is increasingly in the hands of individual owner-occupiers who have little incentive or opportunity to replace it. The paper discusses some of the implications of these trends for those who design and construct new housing and for public policy makers. The paper concludes that further research is needed to explore the implications for construction, in particular, of the need to maintain and build housing which must last far longer than is usually envisaged.
doi: 10.1080/01446199400000042pmid: N/A
This paper presents strategies to maximize construction sector employment in labour-surplus economies. These emerge as an integral part of any technology that seeks to maximize contruction output at the same time. This technology is determined in a dynamic framework by the resources available, however, without ignoring the relevant political, social and economic circumstances and related constraints. It is found to be unique for a given situation. The case study of Sri Lanka, recognizing the above principles, establishes concrete policies necessary to eliminate supply and demand side constraints and for steady growth of construction output and employment, within the bounds of this appropriate technology.
doi: 10.1080/01446199400000043pmid: N/A
When applied to construction organizations the extensive literature on organization theory can be confusing and conflicting. This paper provides a path through some of those theories of organization which have been found of value in understanding how construction organizations function. It suggests that although they may take quite different perspectives and be based on quite different assumptions there exists valuable linkages between some of the most well-known theories and their associated models of organization.
doi: 10.1080/01446199400000044pmid: N/A
Two sets of firms are identified from the UK of the 1980s, as the dominant types of ‘construction majors’: bisectoral conglomerates (BSCs) and diversified construction groups (DCGs). These types and the phenomena of industrial structure that they describe are contrasted with other forms of industrial ownership and corporate growth. The present importance of such firms is measured and described. DCGs are considered both as a structural phenomenon, rooted in particular economic structures, and as the result of a process of corporate growth and of certain strategic choices. To illuminate the structural and institutional determinants of this form, we compare its characteristics in Britain and in France. To attempt an explanation in terms of corporate strategy, we consider various hypotheses. Two hypotheses, which we term ‘cash-flow balancing’ and ‘profit smoothing’, are considered worthy of further investigation. Finally, we consider the future competitive advantage of firms with the DCG form and the impact of structural as well as conjunctural changes upon this form.
doi: 10.1080/01446199400000045pmid: N/A
This paper reports the situation in early 1993 at the end of the consultation period and before negotiations between the Construction Industry Council and the Health and Safety Executive commenced. These have led to the great majority of the Council's recommendations being accepted. In June 1992 the Council of the European Communities adopted the Directive ‘The minimum safety and health requirements at temporary or mobile construction sites’.This is to be transposed into UK law by new Regulations made under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The Directive and the Regulations set out to improve coordination of health and safety matters throughout construction, from inception to completion and beyond. New duties will be imposed on clients, designers, on planning supervisors (in fact a coordinator) and on principal contractors. Whilst professionals support the Health and Safety Commission's aims, there is great concern about the practicality of the proposed arrangements and the liability they will create. This paper sets the scene, states the Health and Safety Commission's proposals and the Construction Industry Council's recommendations to make them more practical and cost-effective and indicates ways in which academies might tackle interesting and relevant issues including options for change.
Showing 1 to 10 of 10 Articles