Track: Quality

Abstract

Construction in many nations is one of the prevalent industries that uses both skilled and unskilled labor, as well as providing an opportunity for seasonal employment of various age groups. Construction work is a major component of all infrastructure and industrial development, such as buildings, highways, airports, railroads, hospitals, schools, housing, dams, irrigation systems, etc. With increasing growth in the construction industry, the construction business has become a competitive environment in recent years. To keep up with this competitive challenge, organizations throughout the world employ many factors, such as public-sector awards, profits derived from changes instead of sticking to the initial bid, access to state-subsidized financing, and preference for constructors who employ unionized workers, among others. One of the main factors for firms to consider in such a competitive environment is the need to strike a balance between the level of end-product quality and concomitant expenses. The increasing costs of material supplies and wages greatly impact construction activity costs, thus raising expenditures for businesses and organizations. Although a number of studies have been conducted over the past two decades to address these issues, there is still a gap in the current literature review. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to theoretically assess studies on the cost of poor quality in different sectors. The results of the critical analysis of the current literature clearly demonstrates that there are flaws in the current body of knowledge related to the choice of company size and the research methodology used.