Discussion of “Barriers of Implementing Modern Methods of Construction” by M. Motiar Rahman

According to the Department of Business, Innovations and Skills (BIS 2013), the United Kingdom’s construction industry in 2011 consisted of 280,000 firms employing close to 3 million people. This number contrasts with the newest data reported by the European Center for Small and Medium Enterprises (EU SME 2013) showing that China’s number of construction employees declined from 42 million in 2010 to 36 million people in 2012. It is apparent that both countries are served by large numbers of construction companies providing work for employees but that the number of such companies is 10 times higher in China than in the United Kingdom. As will be discussed later, such vast industries on two different continents require special consideration in the design and execution of scientific surveys. Data collected without adhering to basic standards that ensure statistical validity lead to misleading and often incorrect conclusions even if proper mathematical procedures are used.