Investigation of Construction Materials Shortage - Case Study Example

The paper 'Investigation of Construction Materials Shortage' is a wonderful example of a Management Case Study. The construction industry is a major driver for economic development. It provides other sectors with the infrastructure they require to flourish. It also satisfies one of the basic human needs, housing. Many authors and international bodies have examined the role of the construction industry in the economy. House provision and maintenance and other infrastructure networks and structures are important to the domestic economy. There is some element of construction in nearly all the sectors of the economy, such as health, communications, agriculture, and industry (Arnold, 2001). Construction activity is a fundamental part of a nation’s industrial and infrastructure development. It includes houses, offices, townships, hospitals, schools, water supply, drainage, sewerage, railways, airports, highways, roads, irrigation systems, power systems, and telecommunications among others. Construction covers an extensive spectrum making it the key input for economic development. The construction industry is greatly linked to the materials industry since a wide variety of these materials are used to construct different types of infrastructure (Bailey, and Farmer, 2009). This study will investigate the issue of materials shortage in construction sites in the Oman construction industry.

2.0 Materials Shortage

The Oman Construction industry is recently experiencing substantial growth that is expected to be sustained for the next several years. This growth is being propelled by the high demand in the public and private sectors. The successful implementation of the public and private sector projects depends upon the effective functioning of the construction materials sector (Langford, & Male, 2001). These projects would falter without the essential construction materials being accessible and delivered at the right time and at a reasonable price. Thus, there is a need for a healthy construction materials sector. However, the construction industry has for several years been experiencing varying degrees of materials shortage that have led to uncertainties about the dates of deliveries and prices of these items. Materials shortage refers to the unavailability of particular materials or the extra time needed to acquire them.