Abstract
The Construction sector is a major part of the UK economy which contributes some 7% of GDP which is worth about £110 billion per annum, comprising of three main sub sectors: commercial and social, residential and infrastructure (GCS, 2011). However, it has long been seen as an inefficient and underachieving industry (Latham, 1994; Egan, 1998; Fairclough, 2002; GCS, 2011). There has been stream of reports published which identify the need of performance improvement in the construction industry (Latham, 1994; Egan, 1998; 2002; Fairclough, 2002). Many authors recommend that the industry should pay greater attention to processes and organisations should move towards a focus of ‘process thinking’ in order to achieve desired improvements (Latham, 1994; Egan, 1998; 2002; Atkin et al., 2003; Harris and McCaffer, 2013). Electronic business (e-business) is defined as a means of developing new ways of carrying out business activities with the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) (Li, 2007). It has become a significant source of innovation for modern businesses in every industry including Construction. e-Business is an innovative approach for traditional construction organisations to gain competitive advantages and product, process and performance improvements. It has substantial benefits for every type of organisation.e-Business processes can play important roles in each stage of a construction project and they have been proven to have the potential to improve many industry processes through time and cost savings (Anumba and Ruikar, 2008; Schneider, 2010; Chaffey, 2011). Construction organisations have strategically redesigned their business processes by complementing ICTs in such a way that the processes are more efficient and effective (Love et al., 2004). Keraminiyage et al. (2008) confirm a relationship between the IT and some of the existing process improvement initiatives. Improved productivity and efficiency in the construction industry would have significant impact on the national economy.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Advances in Construction ICT and e-Business |
Editors | Srinath Perera, Bingunath Ingirige, Kirti D. Ruikar, Esther A. Obonyo |
Place of Publication | U.K. |
Publisher | Routledge |
Pages | 263-295 |
Number of pages | 33 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781317427872 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781138914582 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2017 |
Keywords
- capability maturity models
- construction industry
- electronic commerce
- performance