THESIS ABSTRACT
AUTHOR: MUHAMMAD HASAN AL-AMIR
TITLE OF THESIS: COMPUTER UTILIZATION BY CONSTRUCTION
CONTRACTORS IN SAUDI ARABIA
DATE OF DEGREE: JANUARY 1994
The accelerating pace of the information technology and the growing
size and power of both computer systems and software make the use of
computers in many industries essential. This study investigates the use of
computers by large, medium, and small sized contractors in Saudi Arabia.
The main objectives of this study is to investigate the type and the extent of
computer use among contractors, to reveal the areas and functions of
contractors that are computerized, and to investigate the factors that are
responsible for the observed extent of use.
A questionnaire was developed and mailed to 300 construction
contractors all over Saudi Arabia. These contractors were selected randomly
from a list of classified contractors. Ninety three contractors participated in
the study.
The results show that only 55 percent of all contractors are using
computers, mainly microcomputers, in their firms. However, it was found
that as the size of the firms get bigger, the percent of users increases. All
large sized contractors, sixty two percent of medium sized contractors, and
only 4 1 percent of small sized contractors are using computers in their
business operations.
The results show that accounting process is widely computerized
among those who use computers. The creation of databases is the second
function that computers are used for in construction films. Contractors use
computers widely for word processing.
The results indicate that lack of computer experience and difficulty in
selecting the appropriate computer systems are heavily ranked as factors
hindering the use of computer technology by construction contractors,
especially small and medium sized contractors.