Construction Reports 1944-98

It is often said that in order to know where we are going, we need to know where we have been. For some years the construction industry has been challenged to deliver better performance in terms of value for money, timelier construction and defect free building. Behind this remodelling of an industry is Government. The interest by Government is not new, and report after report in the post war period has exhorted the industry to perform better.

This book documents how Government, through influential reports, has sought to shape the performance and attitudes of parties to the construction industry. It provides a critical review of 12 of the most significant, setting these against their political, social and economic background, and offers a ready reference and critique for researchers of construction management, government and economics.

List of contributors; Foreword; Preface; Introduction; The placing and management of contracts: (Simon Report 1944); The Ministry of Works party report on building (Philips Report 1950); Survey of the problems before the construction industry (Emmerson Report 1962); The placing and management of contracts for building and civil engineering work (Banwell Report 1964); Tavistock studies into the building industry (Communications in the building industry 1965 & interdependence and uncertainty 1966); Large industrial sites report (NEDC 1970); The public client and the construction industries (Wood Report 1975); Faster building for Industry (NEDO Report 1983); Faster Building for Commerce (NEDO Report 1988); Constructing the team (Latham Report 1994); Technology foresight - progress through partnership (OST Report 1995); Rethinking Construction (Egan Report 1998); Conclusions; Index "The tabular comparison between the reports is excellent.

A useful text for those wanting an overview of any of the featured reports and not wishing to read through the full version. One for recommendation to students and practitioners undertaking research into the future direction and prospects of the industry."

Richard Davis Msc MRICS ACIArb, Building Engineer

'I must report that the book is exceedingly well written and readable. ...I would class this as an essential primer for any student at Masters level or at research degree level who was looking to produce any significant piece of research on virtually any aspect of our industry.

'An excellent piece of work... should be on the shelf of every serious researcher and teacher in our field.'

Construction Management and Economics October 2003.

Mike Murray is a lecturer in construction management within the Department of Architecture & Building Science at the University of Strathclyde. He is currently at the closing stage of his PhD research and holds a first class honours degree and MSc in construction management. He has lectured at three Scottish universities and has presented research papers at both UK and overseas conferences. Mike has recently presented one-day workshops to UK contractors, Costain, Wates and Gleeson.

Professor Dave Langford is the Director of the Graduate School in the Department of Architecture & Building Science at Shrathclyde University in Glasgow. He has contributed to the field of construction management for over 25 years and has lectured and consulted throughout the world. He has written many academic papers and several books including two which he co-authored for Blackwell, Strategic Management in Construction and Construction Management in Practice.

It is often said that in order to know where we are going, we need to know where we have been. For some years the construction industry has been challenged to deliver better performance in terms of value for money, timelier construction and defect free building. Behind this remodelling of an industry is Government. The interest by Government is not new, and report after report in the post war period has exhorted the industry to perform better.

This book documents how Government, through influential reports, has sought to shape the performance and attitudes of parties to the construction industry. It provides a critical review of 12 of the most significant, setting these against their political, social and economic background, and offers a ready reference and critique for researchers of construction management, government and economics.