A Survey of Computer Use in the New Zealand Building and Construction Industry

Computers are now a vital part of all effective businesses. However, the current extent of computer use in the New Zealand building and construction industry is not known. This article is based on a survey commissioned by the Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ) and carried out by Salesoft. It attempts to measure computer usage for the main functional roles, detail what is used, how such use has changed in the past five years, and assess what direction the industry is now heading in regard to the use of computers. One of the conclusions reached is that a large minority of businesses either does not use computers or use them only casually. It is not known how significant this is. A similarly large minority needs to upgrade their computers. Growth is expected in electronic information services, especially on the Internet. There is an apparent need for advice in the area of businesses better managing their use of computers.