Russell, J S; Hanna, A; Bank, L C and Shapira, A (2007) Education in construction engineering and management built on tradition: Blueprint for tomorrow. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 133(9), pp. 661-668. ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Construction continues to be a significant part of the global economy and shapes the built environment and quality of life for people around the world. In the United States, construction is a multibillion dollar annual enterprise, employing nearly 10 million people. However, it appears that the fragmented nature of the industry continues to hamper productivity and hoped-for gains in efficiency. Issues involve an array of regulatory and legal constructs that: (1) redistribute risk; (2) present only low barriers to entry (making company startup somewhat easy); and (3) fail to provide the quality and quantity of labor necessary. These factors continue to produce overall inefficiencies throughout the construction industry, and ill prepare the industry for the formidable challenges of globalization, sustainability, population growth, and wise use of resources. The purpose of this paper is to review the past and present of construction engineering within the context of civil engineering, and to prescribe practical change to revitalize construction engineering education to meet future demands.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction management; curricula; engineering education; information technology |
| Index terms: | efficiency, engineering education, productivity, built environment, startup, construction engineering, construction industry, United States, quality of life, globalization, population, information technology |
| Subjects: | computing systems, business, infrastructure and transport systems, industry analysis, economic factors, demography, professional education, Geography, management, public and environmental health, engineering methods, performance management |
| Topics: | International Construction, Quality Management, Digital Applications, Urban Studies, Education, Engineering Principles, Geographical Context, Research Practice, Health and Safety, Business Strategy |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
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