Proverbs, D G; Holt, G D and Cheok, H Y (2000) Construction industry problems: The views of UK construction directors. In: Akintoye, A (ed.) Proceedings of 16th Annual ARCOM Conference, 6-8 September 2000, Glasgow, UK.
Abstract
Following a detailed literature review, eighteen prevalent problems facing the UK construction industry are identified. The severity of these problems as opined by experienced UK construction company directors, obtained through a questionnaire survey, are subsequently presented. Findings reveal that the two severest issues are considered to be the poor image and reputation of the industry, allied with a preponderance of 'cowboy builders'. Design changes are ranked third, followed by late payments, time restraints and reliance on competitive tendering procedures. In response to these views it is recommended that the industry's priority should be towards abolishing unscrupulous firms in the domestic repair, maintenance and improvement sector, thus leading towards the development of a more professional image. This should be combined with an attempt by all construction participants to eradicate the existing adversarial nature of the industry. A long-term strategic plan is needed if such generic industry-wide problems are to be addressed effectively in the new millennium.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | competitive tendering; image; strategic plan; contractors; cowboy builders; problem identification |
| Index terms: | questionnaire, late payment, construction industry, competitive tendering, design change, literature review, domestic repair, builder, survey, construction company |
| Subjects: | contractual arrangements, data analysis and analytics, practitioner, data collection methods, organization, industry analysis, payment, tendering, maintenance engineering |
| Topics: | Procurement, Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Contract Administration |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here