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The past 50 years has seen a steady increase in the number of construction businesses operating on a global basis. However, in recent years, there has been a total transformation of the international business market into more of an integrated holistic community and this transformation can be put down to three key developments:
- The first and most dramatic has been the improvement of communication systems, including satellite technology and the development of computer information technology.
- The second is the manner in which international trade has developed since the Second World War. The establishment of the United Nations and associated bodies (such as the World Health Organisation) was the first step in encouraging nations to work together to solve world problems. Since then, governments have set up a number of organizations to help develop and regulate the world economy and international trade.
- The third and most recent development has been the realization that most of the world’s resources are finite and will not support current rates of economic and industrial growth indefinitely.
Strategic Management Applied to International Construction has been specifically written to provide a broad coverage of the knowledge required to address strategic issues relating to the business of construction on a global scale. Unlike previous books in this area, it is not biased towards practice in any particular country. Instead, it provides knowledge that is universally applicable and this knowledge is supported by a series of case studies of leading consultants, contractors and suppliers of products, materials and construction equipment to highlight current best practice by organizations in America, Japan and Europe. Supporting the text are numerous diagrams, charts and tables to help visualize the key issues.
Strategic management applied to international construction will be an excellent reference work for practitioners across all construction related disciplines who are seeking to supplement their strategic business knowledge and expertise in the broad spectrum of international construction. The book will also be essential reading for postgraduate students studying construction management and for undergraduates who are studying specialist options, or who have selected subjects related to international construction as a final year dissertation topic.
