IDENTIFYING IT BENEFITS FOR MALAYSIAN CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES

Construction companies are experiencing an increasing use of IT in different disciplines. Previous studies reported problems of insufficient bandwidth, lack of training, and the unavailability of expert users in construction companies in Malaysia. Furthermore, the existing infrastructure of IT is deficient and the number of trained workers is inadequate. Additionally, the full potential of the Internet has not been utilized by Malaysian construction companies; however, 50% of them make a decision to implement IT without a feasibility study. Consequently, there is a need for more focus on the benefits of IT in the construction industry. The objective of this study is to identify the benefits of IT that have been achieved by construction companies of Malaysia. To achieve study objectives, data was collected using a questionnaire survey. The study focused on 3,705 Grade Seven G7 construction companies. About 805 questionnaires were sent and about 103 of the questionnaires were completed and returned. This study categorized IT benefits in 12 clusters then came up with three main benefits as a result of the questionnaire survey. The study findings showed that while construction company managers realized that IT usage improved management but did not see an increase in flexibility due to IT usage. Additionally, the construction companies did not see increased profits due to IT usage. However, the overall findings showed that construction companies were aware of the benefits of IT usage but were still in the preliminary stage of IT use. Future studies may examine the realized IT benefits in other fields of construction industry and in other regions as well.