Rowlinson, S and Croker, N (2006) IT sophistication, performance and progress towards formal electronic communication in the Hong Kong construction industry. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 13(2), pp. 154-170. ISSN 0969-9988
Abstract
Purpose - The adoption of computer technology by the construction industry has been driven by the competitive advantages offered by the available technology. The continuing evolution of information technology (IT) in the construction industry has led to widespread e-mail use for informal project communications but, as yet, only limited use of IT for formal communications. This study aims to address this issue Design/methodology/approach - An industry survey was conducted to assess the improvement towards IT literacy and increased competitiveness through the use of IT in Hong Kong, by comparison with previous surveys in the UK, Australia and Hong Kong. Findings - The research found that the Hong Kong construction industry's IT technical maturity and technical infrastructure are well advanced and remain at about the same level as Australia and the UK. Construction professionals commonly perceived benefits in migration to formal electronic communications. Originality/value - The perceived obstacles to the industry's adoption of formal IT-based communications were found to be additional cost and security/confidentiality concerns, but there are underlying obstacles in the industry's structure and lack of incentive (and budget) at project level.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | communications; construction industry; Hong Kong; information management |
| Index terms: | competitive advantage, construction professional, information technology, e-mail, construction industry, project communication, migration, evolution, electronic communication, methodology, Hong Kong, survey, confidentiality, competitiveness, Australia |
| Subjects: | research methods, industry analysis, Geography, environmental science, computing systems, demography, market analysis, information systems, data collection methods, professional development, communication, professional ethics |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Legal Issues, Sustainability, Urban Studies, Geographical Context, Information Management, Digital Applications |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
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