Where organisations set out their sustainable values and make publically available their sustainable strategy, the rhetoric establishes an agenda against which, should deviation occur, the company can be publically held to account. As a result of recent scandals, it is not surprising that some people remain cautious or even cynical with regard to corporate sustainability, especially where it is found that the actual practices of an organisation are different to that reported. The research provides a review of company reports to identify how multinational organisations advocate their sustainable position. Both construction and non-construction companies are considered with regard to the use of the term 'sustainable'. The review finds that the multinational organisations, both construction and non-construction have in recent years provided a position on sustainability. While heavy construction companies are setting a commitment toward sustainability, the positions stated against which the companies may be measured are often vague. There were, however, company reports where commitments to sustainability were detailed and the statements could be considered measureable. Nevertheless, most company reports use sustainability terms that remain generic and lend themselves to a more flexible approach to sustainability or, cynically, are providing the rhetoric for public relations.

The legal arguments that surround delay and disruption claims offer little practical guidance for the ‘delay analyst’. Most publications proclaiming guidance overlook the technicalities of documenting, recording and analysing project data. Embedded in delay analysis are ‘logical’ assumptions used to interlink tasks and activities. Practices vary and there is little reliable advice on what ‘logic’ is and is not acceptable. Through a case study, retrospective analysis was applied to a subcontractor’s work package to assess the impact of delays caused by the main contractor. The report discusses the practical issues associated with retrospective analysis and the obstacles that need to be overcome in order to produce a coherent model of events. Reflections on the experience of gathering data associated with time, resource and logic from both subcontractor and contractor are discussed along with the issues associated with retrospective analysis. Although many emphasise the importance of the critical path analysis, it is argued that this is just a part of the resource logic and the disruption surrounding the critical path can be equally important. Logical assumptions made and their potential limitations are presented and discussed.

In previous work, the authors have shown that the UK construction industry has been slow to exploit many of the benefits of Information Technology in the running of its routine work. While software is quite widely used, in most cases only a fraction of the capabilities are employed. In discussions with representatives from the industry, the opinion was expressed that this might well be due to a lack of integration in the operating systems of most companies. Following these discussions the authors carried out a survey of construction firms to determine their attitudes to data integration. This paper deals with the concept of an integrated data handling system and the problems facing its introduction in the UK construction industry. The results of the survey are analysed and discussed. The influences of such issues as the industry climate and culture are taken into account.

Just In Time (JIT) methods, and their potential in the construction industry have been discussed at length by many authors. Their implementation in house building has also been considered. Whilst one is aware of limited improvements being made material waste continues to be a problem for a variety of reasons. This paper reports the initial findings of a study into the specific and detailed use of Computer Aided Project Management (CAPM) methods on a house-building site in Yorkshire, UK. The programme attempted to facilitate 'partial JIT' by using the software to enhance supply chain communication. Development of the software model is considered along with a commentary on views of suppliers and the potential for more extensive implementation of the systems.