Construction Industry in the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Construction Industry in the UK - Essay Example Issues discussed include the condition of the industry and where it needs to go from here. In the end some recommendations such as, the government trying to stabilise the economy will help the industry prosper in the upcoming future, the industry focusing on not only building structures but diversification and more research and development. The theme that I have chosen from the leadership module is communication. Communication is the process through which we can assign and convey meaning to create shared understanding. It is basically exchange of thoughts and ideas from one person to another. The built environment/construction industry sector is a vital part of our economy. Human beings need houses to live in and that need to be built or constructed. Houses or structures have evolved through time. Today the structure of a building is more contemporary than. The industry is divided into three main sectors: the construction of building, heavy and civil engineering construction contractors and specialty trade contractors. The construction industry in the UK is quite large; it employs 2.2 million people and is Britain's largest industry. The industry is quite dangerous to work inn because of the large number of accidents that take place in the working environment. The industry accounts for 5 per cent of the UK GVA i.e. Gross Value Added. UK has the second highest level of construction value added per capita. The industry is worth 65 billion per annum and its total output in 2002 was 81.9 billion. It comes in the top ten construction industries in the world. The industry is skewed towards small firms, but these firms contribute a small share to the output and employment of people. Apart from all of this, the construction industry in any part of the world not only UK, is highly dependent on the business cycle. Any change in the environment affects the industry and decisions related to the industry. Thus, the better the economy is doing the better the environment for the construction industry to thrive in. Aims/Objective In this paper we will discuss the construction industry and we will see how the communication theme of the module affects the industry. Also, communication is a vital part of any industry or business environment, we will see the part that it plays in this particular industry. Literature Review The name of the literature is mentioned in the bibliography, but I will give a brief overview of all the literature that I went through in this section. According to the Fatal statistics released by Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for 2006/07 show there was a 28% increase in the number of fatal accidents to workers in the construction industry. Tragically 77 workers lost their lives in construction up from 60 in 2005/06, which was the lowest figure on record. (HSE Construction: Live Issues). Thus there are many health hazards in the industry. Corruption is also an issue even though the people involved in the sector have differing views about it making the problem very complex. A council has been developed to represent the professional bodies, research organisations and specialist business associations within this industry. This council is the Construction Industry Council (CIC). Internet has made a profound impact on the business communication in the construction industry. Free flows of information, open collaboration and diminishing international