Ofori, G (2015) Nature of the construction industry, its needs and its development: A review of four decades of research. Journal of Construction in Developing Countries, 20(2), pp. 115-135. ISSN 1823-6499
Abstract
The construction industry is not well understood. There is no common definition, and there are even arguments about whether it is an industry or a sector that comprises many industries. The contribution of the construction industry to economic growth and long-term national development is widely acknowledged, highlighting its importance, particularly to developing countries. For the benefit of these countries, it is important to investigate the nature, essential characteristics and particular requirements of the construction industry and to use them to develop programmes for its improvement. A research programme that started in 1974 and is still continuing is discussed. The subjects studied in the research programme have included the nature of the construction industry, its importance in development, its needs and its development. Elements of the process of construction industry development that have been studied include ways and means of improving the performance of construction firms, focusing on contractors and technology development. The findings from these early studies influenced the formulation of policies and legislation for establishing construction industry development agencies in a number of countries. Other aspects of the construction industry that are studied in the research programme include the parameters of performance in the industry, such as productivity and environmental performance. An information technology framework for construction was also developed. As the world entered the information age, the implications for the industry were also studied. Finally, the concepts of leadership, ethics and transparency and their importance on construction projects and in the construction industry were also studied. The focus here is on industry development and its application to the delivery of housing. It is suggested that effective methods should be found to reduce the tendency to duplicate studies and to effectively build on relevant findings over time. A research agenda is proposed.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | environmental performance; industry development; leadership; technology development |
| Index terms: | industry development, transparency, economic growth, construction industry, environmental performance, construction industry development, ethics, productivity, construction project, housing, information technology, agency, technology development, legislation, developing country, research agenda, programme, construction firm |
| Subjects: | computing systems, construction type, organization, ethical practice, innovation and technology management, legal systems, production management, professional development, development economics, economic development, sustainability assessment, management, industry analysis, project controls, research management, sociology |
| Topics: | Legal Issues, Digital Applications, International Construction, Time Control, Business Strategy, Research Practice, Project Management, Engineering Principles, Information Management, Construction Technology, Sustainability |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
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