Fred Wellings – författare

British Housebuilders is the first comprehensive account of the corporate history of the twentieth-century speculative housebuilding industry - the firms that `supplied` those houses and the entrepreneurs who created those firms.The transition from the local housebuilders of the 1930s, through the regional diversification of the 1960s, to the national housebuilders of today is charted via a series of industry league tables. The rationale for the growth in national firms is analysed. The conventional explanation of economies of scale is rejected: instead, the stock market is found to play a key role both in facilitating acquisitions and in demanding growth from its constituent companies. The supply-side analysis also addresses the frequent corporate failures: succession issues, lack of focus and the 1974 and 1990 recessions have played their part in equal measure. British Housebuilders provides the first opportunity to review the evidence drawn from a century of speculative housebuilding; it is only with this historical perspective that sound judgements can be made on the corporate role in housebuilding.

British Housebuilders is the first comprehensive account of the corporate history of the twentieth-century speculative housebuilding industry - the firms that `supplied` those houses and the entrepreneurs who created those firms.

The transition from the local housebuilders of the 1930s, through the regional diversification of the 1960s, to the national housebuilders of today is charted via a series of industry league tables.

The rationale for the growth in national firms is analysed. The conventional explanation of economies of scale is rejected: instead, the stock market is found to play a key role both in facilitating acquisitions and in demanding growth from its constituent companies.

The supply-side analysis also addresses the frequent corporate failures: succession issues, lack of focus and the 1974 and 1990 recessions have played their part in equal measure.

British Housebuilders provides the first opportunity to review the evidence drawn from a century of speculative housebuilding; it is only with this historical perspective that sound judgements can be made on the corporate role in housebuilding.

The construction and housing markets have an importance in the economy which goes beyond the confines of the FTA Index sub-sector. After an examination of the history of the construction industry and the development of construction companies the book goes on to look at contractors and developers, the different types of contracts and their risks and the structure of the industry workload. The second half of the book concentrates on the financial side of the profession including forecasting, a look at risk profiles, accounting practices, the overseas markets and share price performance.

In the first book to look from a thoroughly practical perspective on the crucial business of profits forecasting, Fred Wellings provides an integrated approach to the theories which underpin the forecasting process. This approach also recognises the limitations faced by the outsider in the real world where both time and hard facts may be in equally short supply. It lays emphasis on the patterns of industrial and corporate behaviour and the forecaster's ability to recognise and anticipate these patterns. The first part of the book covers the industrial background within which the individual companies operate, and part two moves the forecaster on from the industry to the company.