e–Business in Construction

With a number of disparate, often geographically distributed, organisations involved in the delivery of construction projects, there has been considerable interest in e–business tools within the construction industry. These tools open up a range of possibilities for the industry to rethink existing processes and working methods, so their use is increasingly common. Nevertheless, there has been little definitive guidance for practitioners, researchers and students on the major issues in electronic business from a construction perspective.
By bringing together 16 contributions from research and industry covering theory, technological issues, practical implementation and legal matters, and illustrated with a number of case studies, e–Business in Construction fills that gap. Starting with the theoretical aspects of e–commerce and moving on to consider the specifics of the construction context, it includes a mechanism for the assessment of the e–readiness of construction sector organisations. The middle part of the book focuses on the role of various technologies in e–business, with examples included as appropriate. This is followed by a discussion of practical, legal and trust issues. The potential of next generation of information and communication technologies is also addressed.
With a fine blend of theoretical and practical aspects of e–commerce in construction, and well illustrated with a number of industrial case studies, e–Business in Construction will find an appreciative audience of construction practitioners, researchers and students at all levels.

Spis treści:
Chapter 1. Introduction (Prof. Chimay Anumba/Dr Kirti Ruikar – Loughborough University).
Chapter 2. Fundamentals of e–Business (Dr Kirti Ruikar/Prof. Chimay Anumba – Loughborough University).
Chapter 3. e–Business: The Construction Context (Dr Kirti Ruikar/Prof. Chimay Anumba/Prof. Patr icia Carrillo – Loughborough University).
Chapter 4. Organisational Readiness for e–Business (Dr Kirti Ruikar/Prof. Chimay Anumba/Prof. Patricia Carrillo – Loughborough University).
Chapter 5. Integrated Multi–Disciplinary e–Commerce Infrastructure Framework (Dr V. Kamat et al – University of Michigan).
Chapter 6. The Role of Extranets in Construction e–Business (Paul Wilkinson, BIW Technologies).
Chapter 7. Agent–based e–Commerce (Dr Esther Obonyo – University of Florida/ Prof. Chimay Anumba – Loughborough University).
Chapter 8. The Role of e–Hubs in e–Business (Dr Z. Ren – University of Glamorgan/ Prof. Chimay Anumba/ Dr Tarek Hassan – Loughborough University).
Chapter 9: Web Services and aecXML–based e–Commerce for Construction Products Procurement (Stephen Kong and Prof. Heng Li – Hong Kong Polytechnic University/Prof. Chimay Anumba – Loughborough University).
Chapter 10. Next Generation Web Technologies for e–Commerce (Dr Darshan Ruikar – Arup/ Prof. Chimay Anumba – Loughborough University/ Dr Alistair Duke – BT plc).
Chapter 11. Trust in e–Commerce (Dr Z. Ren – University of Glamorgan/ Dr Tarek Hassan – Loughborough University).
Chapter 12. Legal Issues in e–Commerce (Dr V. Kamat et al – University of Michigan).
Chapter 13. Knowledge Management for Improved e–Business Performance (Prof. Charles Egbu – Glasgow Caledonian University).
Chapter 14. e–Business in UK Construction – Industrial Case Studies (Tim Cole, Causeway Technologies).
Chapter 15. e–Business Implementation in the US Construction Industry (Prof. Raymond Issa et al – University of Florida).
Chapter 16. Summary and Concluding Notes (Dr Kirti Ruikar and Prof. Chimay Anumba – Loughborough University).
References.
Appendices

Nota biografic zna:
Chimay J. Anumba BSc, PhD, DSc, Dr.h.c., PGCE, CEng, FICE, FIStructE, FCIOB, FASCE was until recently Professor of Construction Engineering & Informatics at Loughborough University, UK. He is currently Professor of Architectural Engineering and Head of the Department of Architectural Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University, USA
Kirti Ruikar BArch, MSc, EngD is a Lecturer in Architectural Engineering at Loughborough University.

Okładka tylna:
With a number of disparate, often geographically distributed, organisations involved in the delivery of construction projects, there has been considerable interest in e–business tools within the construction industry. These tools open up a range of possibilities for the industry to rethink existing processes and working methods, so their use is increasingly common. Nevertheless, there has been little definitive guidance for practitioners, researchers and students on the major issues in electronic business from a construction perspective.
By bringing together 16 contributions from research and industry covering theory, technological issues, practical implementation and legal matters, and illustrated with a number of case studies, e–Business in Construction fills that gap. Starting with the theoretical aspects of e–commerce and moving on to consider the specifics of the construction context, it includes a mechanism for the assessment of the e–readiness of construction sector organisations. The middle part of the book focuses on the role of various technologies in e–business, with examples included as appropriate. This is followed by a discussion of practical, legal and trust issues. The potential of next generation of information and communication technologies is also addressed.
With a fine blend of theoretical and practical aspects of e–commerce in construction, and well illustrated with a number of industrial ca se studies, e–Business in Construction will find an appreciative audience of construction practitioners, researchers and students at all levels.