This book, first published in 1987, outlines the motives and methods of overseas operations by international contractors. Drawing on an economic analysis of the industry and on elements of international investment and production theory the book discusses the problems of both individual enterprises and the major nationality groups in the industry

Only 43 per cent of U.S. construction firms remain in business after four years. Why? Inadequate management, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. This is surprising because most construction firms are formed by ambitious construction project managers, executives and tradesmen who have excelled at what they have been doing. But as experienced as these entrepreneurs may be, they are not likely prepared to take on the full range of responsibilities forced on them in managing the business of construction in its entirety. While this business failure rate and its causes are based on U.S. experience, available data from a number of other industrialized countries shows they are similar. This book describes in detail what the business side of the construction equation requires of the construction firm owner. The contractor who quickly learns these requirements can identify and avoid or manage around the pitfalls that cause the high failure rate in our industry and put his or her construction firm on a level playing field with the best-run companies in the business. The detailed duties of the owner, whether in the U.S., U.K., Australia or Canada, are a common theme throughout the book. The author, Nick Ganaway, speaks peer-to-peer, and the book is sprinkled with supporting examples from his own experience. He is immersed in the industry and this book is "based on the things I've learned, used, and refined as a light-commercial general contractor in the course of starting and operating my own construction firm for 25 years." The contractor doing $5 million or $50 million or more in annual sales or the equivalent amount in other countries, or the entrepreneur who is just starting up, can use the tried and proven material in this book to build a business that is profitable, enjoyable, and enduring. Additionally, the book devotes a chapter to specializing in chain-store construction.

Over the last ten years public private partnerships have become ever more popular worldwide, expanding the body of experience among construction professionals, government agencies, and industry. In these economically challenging times, PPP has emerged as a crucial framework for providing infrastructure, and also to boost construction industry activity, while shielding the taxpayer from some of the cost. Understanding the lessons learnt is essential to ensuring the success of future projects, and this timely book will prepare the reader to do just that. Starting by defining PPP itself, part one is designed to help the novice to get to grips with the basics of this topic. Part two tackles the practicalities of PPPs, including successful implementation, managing the risks involved, and how to assess the suitability of a project for the PPP route. Part three presents detailed case studies from Asia, Africa, and Australia to illustrate how PPPs should be managed, how problems emerge, and how PPPs can differ across the world. Drawing on extensive internationally conducted research, from both industry and academia, the authors have written the essential PPP guide. Taking into consideration the perspectives of those in the public sector and the private sector, as well as built environment professionals, it is essential reading for anyone preparing to work on public private partnerships in construction.

Any project which involves an EPC contract is also likely to involve a number of other complicated contracts. The challenge of the parties to an EPC contract is not to try to eliminate risk but rather put into place a narrative structure that enables the parties to predict the contractual result that would obtain if a risk materializes. If the EPC contract does not allow the parties to determine the consequences of an unanticipated situation, they will have to look to an expert, mediator, tribunal, or court to impart guidance or pass judgment.

The sample forms of contract contained in Volume 2 of Understanding and Negotiating EPC Contracts are intended to serve as a guide to demonstrate how risks and responsibilities can be allocated among project sponsors, EPC contractors and the various other parties that may be involved in a project.

Collectively the sample forms in this volume offer an extraordinary resource that provides the benefit of lessons learned and priceless insight into any project being undertaken which can help assure the resilience of any EPC project.

Table of Contents

Introduction How To Use These Sample Contract Forms Part A Sample Form of Letter of Intent for Fixed Price, Lump Sum, Turnkey, Engineering, Procurement and Construction Contract Part B Sample Form of Limited Notice to Proceed Agreement Part C Sample Form of Fixed Price, Lump Sum, Turnkey, Engineering, Procurement and Construction Contract Part C Supplemental Provisions for Certain Types of Projects Part C 1A Power Plant Specific Provisions Part C 1A 1 Coal Fired Power Plants Part C 1A 2 Gas Fired Power Plants Part C 1A 3 Hydroelectric and Geothermal Power Plants Part C 1A 4 Solar Power Plants Part C 1A 5 Wind Power Plants Part C 2A 1 Simple Cycle Part C 2A 2 Combined Cycle Part C 2A 3 Cogeneration Part C 2A 4 With Desalinization Part C 2A Electrical Transmission Facilities Part C 2A Liquid Natural Gas Terminals Part C 2A 1 Gasification Facilities Part C 2A 2 Re Gasification Facilities Part C 3A Air Separation Units

Construction Project Administration in Practice provides a practical guide to the administration of construction projects, from inception to completion. It is intended to give an overall view of the construction process, its problems, risk and uncertainties in one volume. Drawing on his experience both as a lecturer and a quantity surveyor the author takes the reader stage by stage through the entire construction process to show how the project should progress to a successful conclusion.

In recent years, metals have been among the safest and most lucrative investments around, but they are not entirely risk free. Before you begin investing or trading in metals, you need authoritative information and proven investment strategies. You need "Precious Metal Investing For Dummies."

This straightforward guide eases you into the precious metals market with sound advice on trading and owning these profitable investments, including gold, silver, platinum, and uranium, as well as high-demand base metals such as zinc and copper. You'll learn how to research their market performance and choose among an array of proven trading plans and strategies. Plus, you'll get savvy advice on how to choose a broker, buy stocks and futures that involve metals, maximize your investment return, and minimize your risk. Discover how to: Evaluate the different metalsAdd metals to your portfolioDecide whether you're an investor or a traderIdentify your metal-investment goalsWeigh the risks and benefits of metals investingBuy physical metalsUse technical analysis to evaluate opportunitiesMake long-term investments in precious metalsDiversify your metals investmentsAnalyze base-metals companiesPurchase numismatic coinsAdd metals to your mutual fund or ETF portfolioUnderstand how politics effects metals prices

Metals can be an important and valuable addition to any investment portfolio or retirement plan. Make the most out of your investment with "Precious Metal Investing For Dummies."

Originally published in 1906, this volume presents a commercial review of the conditions and prospects of the iron and steel trades of Great Britain and its foreign competitors at the turn of the twentieth century. This title will be of interest to students of business and economics, as well as economic historians.

Knowledge management presents a new way of understanding organizations and companies, and is especially suited to sophisticated and highly technical firms and operations such as those in the construction industry. This new book draws on hard data from three separate research programs in Sweden and shows how the concept of knowledge can make sense in the construction industry, an industry which can be viewed in essence as being engaged in the material transformation of "nature into buildings". In particular it explores and examines three different businesses: a medium sized construction firm; Wingardh Architecture, Sweden's most prestigious architecture firm; and BESAB, a specialist concrete injection firm working on underground construction. An emerging theme is the situational and context-bound nature of knowledge in the construction industry, thus showing "knowledge" to be a remarkably heterogeneous concept. A range of readers should find the book useful, from students and construction managers through to researchers.

Thin-walled structures can be used to absorb impact energy during a vehicle collision. Crush Mechanics of Thin-Walled Tubes describes the analysis and design of these lightweight elements and thoroughly explains the deformation behaviors of thin-walled hollow members under crushing loading. The book covers, in detail, thin-walled structures-under axial compression, bending, and torsion. It provides a complete understanding of the underlying concepts and mechanisms of energy absorption components, includes analysis techniques, and covers existing theoretical approaches along with the author's research. Geared toward engineering students, practicing mechanical and structural engineers, and researchers interested in analyzing energy absorption and designing structures that may undergo impacts, this book: Addresses axial compression of circular and square tubes, and bending and torsion of tubes Summarizes the mechanism of collapse and associated calculations for the initial peak force and the average compressive force Explores two factors controlling the axial collapse of a plate Investigates systematically the deformation characteristics of corrugated tubes under axial crush Provides an understanding of the collapse behavior of members undergoing bending deformation when trying to evaluate strength and energy-absorption characteristics Looks at the bending deformation of circular and square tubes Explains the characteristic flattening phenomenon, the maximum moment in bending deformation, and the moment-rotation relation during bending collapse Discusses the collapse behavior of thin-walled structures with an open cross section during axial crushing and bending deformation Includes the proposition of a new method for evaluating the maximum bending moment of square tubes with consideration of sidewall buckling Proposes a new technique that can be used to determine the relation between the bending moment M and the rotation angle Presents analysis methods for predicting the maximum torsion moment in each case A shelf-worthy reference showcasing structural mechanics, Crush Mechanics of Thin-Walled Tubes provides a basic understanding of the fundamental concepts and mechanisms of crushing deformations in thin-walled structures and serves as a guide for both teaching and self-study.

This book provides comprehensive coverage of issues that facility managers in the property industry need to understand and apply in the pursuit of value for money over the life span of built facilities. The authors introduce the fast-growing discipline of facility management, examine the core competencies that facility managers should possess and study different contemporary drivers of change. The book emphasises the need to consider facilities management issues at the pre-design stage of the construction process, rather than only when the building is completed, in order to maximise value for money.

Supply chain management in the construction industry has passed through different eras - yet throughout, the construction industry has experienced fragmentation, late project delivery and other Gordian Knots due to its slow adoption of innovative modern technologies and principles in the supply chain processes. Addressing the need to harmonise the construction supply chain and establish the industry as the lynchpin of the economy, Construction Supply Chain Management in the Fourth Industrial Revolution Era acts as a roadmap, re-aligning the activities of the construction supply chain stakeholders with the principles and tenets of Industry 4.0. Gathering evidence on both the benefits and disruptive potentials within the current construction supply chain management domain, this collection determines the acceptable practice and standard for regulatory bodies and managers, appealing also to researchers as it expands the frontiers of knowledge in the fourth industrial era.

The financing of modern construction projects reflects the need to address the costs and benefits of the whole life of the project. This means that end of life economics can now have a far greater impact on the planning and feasibility phases. During the project itself, decisions on construction materials and processes all influence the schedule as well as both immediate and down-the-line costs. Massimo Pica and his co-authors explain in detail the fundamentals of project life cycle economics and how they apply in the context of complex modern construction. This is an essential guide for those involved in construction project design, tendering and contracting; to help ensure the sustainability of the project or their contribution to it, from the start. It is also important for those involved in the delivery of the project to help them make the choices to keep the project on a financial even keel. Government, corporations and other organizations are looking for new models of collaborative working to fund their large construction and infrastructure projects in the face of changing attitudes to risk; a better educated and more demanding base of end-user clients and the increasing requirements for projects that are environmentally responsible and sustainable. Project Life Cycle Economics is a fundamental primer for those commissioning and those delivering construction.

Volume 26 of Studies in the Development of Accounting Thought was written by the late Professor Kevin Christopher Carduff, who taught at several institutions including Case Western Reserve University and the College of Charleston. Establishing a historical account explaining financial reporting's current form, Corporate Reporting examines the complete annual reports from 1902 to 2006 of The United States Steel Corporation - the first United States' company to attain the billion-dollar capitalization in U.S. markets. Studies in the Development of Accounting Thought informs readers of the historical foundations on which the profession is based, the historical antecedents of today's accounting institutions, the historical impact of accounting, as well as exploring the lives and works of pre-eminent individuals in the profession's history. The series focuses on bringing the past into today and using it to point towards the future. Topics featured include finding and utilizing archival materials; the growing importance of the Internet in historical research; the issues involved in writing to historical paradigms; and the pivotal influence and immediacy of oral history.

CONSTRUCTION MICROECONOMICS Unique and comprehensive reference describing microeconomic approaches, theories, and models adapted to and developed for the construction industry Construction Microeconomics provides comprehensive coverage of microeconomics applied to the construction industry, focusing on construction clients, who initiate construction projects, and on contractors who transform the ideas and plans of clients into infrastructure and buildings. With the help of microeconomic theory, it tries to answer questions about decision-making by clients, contractors, and governments with respect to projects in the built environment. It includes discussions of alternative theories to mainstream microeconomics, such as new institutional economics, behavioral economics, and the capability approach. Applications from the construction sector including land supply, sustainability, industrialization, and lean construction are provided to ground the theory in practical construction. In Construction Microeconomics, readers will learn: How microeconomic theory relies heavily on assumptions for modeling and the nuances of adjusting those assumptions How heterogenous contract goods affect supply and demand, markets, information, technology, and accordingly, the theories of contractors and owners How interaction influences the production process and how land as a production factor changes the production function How ex-ante costs determine the cost theory of the contractor and why contracting is more akin to the service sector than the goods sector Advanced undergraduate and masters students, lecturers and academics in -construction and related disciplines, and professionals in the construction industry looking for expert analysis into a unique facet of the field will find Construction Microeconomics to be a valuable, complete, and authoritative reference on the subject.

Exploring the social complexities of the Frieda River Project in Papua New Guinea, this book tells the story of local stakeholder strategies on the eve of industrial development, largely from the perspective of the Paiyamo - one of the project's so-called 'impact communities'. Engaging ideas of knowledge, belief and personhood, it explains how fifty years of encounters with exploration companies shaped the Paiyamo's aspirations, made them revisit and re-examine their past, and develop new strategies to move towards a better, more prosperous future.

Over the last ten years public private partnerships have become ever more popular worldwide, expanding the body of experience among construction professionals, government agencies, and industry. In these economically challenging times, PPP has emerged as a crucial framework for providing infrastructure, and also to boost construction industry activity, while shielding the taxpayer from some of the cost. Understanding the lessons learnt is essential to ensuring the success of future projects, and this timely book will prepare the reader to do just that. Starting by defining PPP itself, part one is designed to help the novice to get to grips with the basics of this topic. Part two tackles the practicalities of PPPs, including successful implementation, managing the risks involved, and how to assess the suitability of a project for the PPP route. Part three presents detailed case studies from Asia, Africa, and Australia to illustrate how PPPs should be managed, how problems emerge, and how PPPs can differ across the world. Drawing on extensive internationally conducted research, from both industry and academia, the authors have written the essential PPP guide. Taking into consideration the perspectives of those in the public sector and the private sector, as well as built environment professionals, it is essential reading for anyone preparing to work on public private partnerships in construction.

Only 43 per cent of U.S. construction firms remain in business after four years. Why? Inadequate management, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. This is surprising because most construction firms are formed by ambitious construction project managers, executives and tradesmen who have excelled at what they have been doing. But as experienced as these entrepreneurs may be, they are not likely prepared to take on the full range of responsibilities forced on them in managing the business of construction in its entirety.
While this business failure rate and its causes are based on U.S. experience, available data from a number of other industrialized countries shows they are similar.
This book describes in detail what the business side of the construction equation requires of the construction firm owner. The contractor who quickly learns these requirements can identify and avoid or manage around the pitfalls that cause the high failure rate in our industry and put his or her construction firm on a level playing field with the best-run companies in the business. The detailed duties of the owner, whether in the U.S., U.K., Australia or Canada, are a common theme throughout the book.
The author, Nick Ganaway, speaks peer-to-peer, and the book is sprinkled with supporting examples from his own experience. He is immersed in the industry and this book is "based on the things I've learned, used, and refined as a light-commercial general contractor in the course of starting and operating my own construction firm for 25 years." The contractor doing $5 million or $50 million or more in annual sales or the equivalent amount in other countries, or the entrepreneur who is juststarting up, can use the tried and proven material in this book to build a business that is profitable, enjoyable, and enduring.
Additionally, the book devotes a chapter to specializing in chain-store construction.
* Learn what you need to succeed in the construction sector
* How to target, land and retain profitable customers
* Avoid the pitfalls of running your own construction business

The construction logistics manager plays an increasingly central role in the construction process. In fact, their decisions can crucially affect the success or failure of a project. Recognition of the critical role they play has spurred evermore interest in this budding field amongst both researchers and practitioners. An accessible text on construction logistics, Supply Chain Management and Logistics in Construction provides essential guidance and expert advice for construction managers, as well as researchers and students in the field. This important new title looks at arrangements with suppliers, the use of returnable packaging and off-site manufacture and assembly, IT systems used to manage the supply chain and logistics operations, such as delivery management systems, warehouse management systems and material planning and forecasting systems. It also considers aspects of the contractual relationships between client, developer, main contractor and lower-tier contractors, all of which have an impact on how the supply chain is managed. In addition to providing a range of fresh ground-breaking case studies, the book features contributions from leading experts in the field who have been involved in projects with companies such as TFL, BAA, The Red Cross, as well as big construction programmes such as the Olympics and Cross Rail.

Economic growth and socio-economic development are particuliarly important for developing countries, and the construction industry plays a central role in driving both of these.

Traditionally the issues faced have been assumed to be merely offshoots of those encountered in industrialised nations and are usually discussed only in this context. In addition, research in construction management and economics has generally failed to take proper account of the unique or highly emphasised characteristics of the industries in developing countries, or their economic and social environment. This volume challenges underlying assumptions and focuses on the distinct characteristics of construction in developing countries. In so doing it considers the issues from the perspective of the developing countries themselves to present a strong contemporary picture for researchers.

It forms a companion volume to New Perspectives on Construction in Developing Countries which provides an update on the generic subjects relating to the construction industry in developing countries, and covers new concepts and issues.

Value management has been applied to construction projects throughout the world, but in some regions, it is just gaining popularity. Therefore, it is necessary to create awareness of value management among stakeholders and understand various obstacles to its implementation. Value Management Implementation in Construction addresses various factors that can enhance the application of the discipline as well as its adoption among concerned stakeholders. This book discusses the practice of value management in various developed and developing countries by exposing the techniques and models that can be employed in value management exercises, with a view to achieving sustainable development while delivering projects to the satisfaction of clients. This book provides guidance on value management as a tool for improving the delivery of infrastructural projects for construction professionals, employers of labour, researchers and students alike with evidence from various countries around the world.

By the end of the 1980s, the once mighty U.S. steel industry seemed on its last legs. More than a quarter of a million jobs had been lost, and communities like Pittsburgh and Bethlehem were devastated. Yet today, the industry again stands as a world-class competitor. In The Renaissance ofAmerican Steel, Roger Ahlbrandt, Richard Fruehan, and Frank Giarratani illuminate the forces behind this remarkable comeback, drawing valuable lessons for managers not only in the steel business but in any business now battling the global marketplace.
Citing evidence from a wide range of companies in the U.S., the U.K., and Japan, and clearly explaining the basics of steel production, the authors show how the industry's rebirth resulted both from the downsizing of big companies and the rise of minimills capturing markets from the larger companies. They describe how large, traditional firms--including U.S. Steel, British Steel, and Nippon Steel--recognized that they had to reduce the scope of their operations and reorganize to become more competitive. U.S. Steel CEO Tom Graham, for instance, closed plants and refocused the firm's resources on the market for flat-rolled products. The book also examines how minimills--such as Nucor, Birmingham Steel, Oregon Steel, Tokyo Steel, and Co-Steel Sheerness--have redefined the industry's structure and competitive dynamics. Nucor, in particular, has emerged as the leader among the minimills--the largest electric furnace-based steel company in the U.S., with annual sales exceeding $3 billion. The reader learns how CEO Ken Iverson, recognizing the opportunities to be seized if Nucor moved beyond traditional products (such as steel joists and rebar), created the most innovative steel mill in the world, with a consistent record of investing in new technologies to lower operating costs and to move into sophisticated, value-added products. Throughout the book, the authors offer sharp insights into the steel industry in the U.S. and abroad--but more important, they highlight the lessons to be learned for managers in all industries. The authors conclude, for instance, that success for both large and small steel producers depends on a critical interplay of factors that touch on leadership, new technologies, and decentralized management. Effective leaders, the authors find, don't micromanage; they set a goal for the company and communicate it broadly to gain employees' commitment. High-performing companies aggressively seek technical know-how, even if it means purchasing it from foreign competitors or securing joint agreements. And finally, successful companies decentralize, empowering employees far down in the organization to handle daily decisionmaking.
This in-depth analysis of a radically changed industry speaks volumes about the value of flexibility in business. It is an essential resource for any manager working in today's global economy.

A nation's construction industry is essentially home grown, a derivative of its culture, history, geography and economic circumstances with every building or road a unique product, always a prototype, unlike the honed prototypes set up for efficient production runs of other industries. In terms of what was built and the standards achieved, Construction Industry Advance and Change: Progress in Eight Asian Economies since 1995 describes construction industry progress between 1995 and 2019 in Hong Kong , India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. The 25-year accounts provide insight into the nature of these individual construction industries, their shared characteristics, and their differing priorities. The book will add knowledge and contextual reference for construction industry professionals, public policy makers and academic researchers studying the industry. New students in construction industry management courses, will find the information and context needed to appreciate the nature of construction industries and the factors affecting industry output performance.

Most construction projects are large and costly. Collaborative working involves two or more stakeholders sharing their efforts and resources to complete the project more effectively and efficiently.

Collaborative, integrative and multi-disciplinary teams can tackle the complex issues involved in creating a viable built environment. This tends to be looked at from three interrelated perspectives: the technological, organizational, and social; and of these the key issue is to improve productivity and enable innovation through the empowerment and motivation of people.

This book provides insights for researchers and practitioners in the building and construction industry as well as graduate students, written by an international group of leading scholars and professionals into the potential use, development and limitations of current collaborative technologies and practices. Material is grouped into the themes of advanced technologies for collaborative working, virtual prototyping in design and construction, building information modelling, managing the collaborative processes, and human issues in collaborative working.

On February 4, 1986, the lives of thousands of workers changed in ways they could only begin to imagine. On that day, United Technologies Corporation ordered the closure of the 76-year-old American Bosch manufacturing plant in Springfield, Massachusetts, capping a nearly 32-year history of job loss and work relocation from the sprawling factory. The author, a former Bosch worker and the business agent for the union representing nearly 1,200 Bosch employees when the plant closed, interjects his personal recollections into the story.For more than 150 years Springfield stood at the center of a prosperous 200-mile industrial corridor along the Connecticut River, between Bridgeport, Connecticut, and Springfield, Vermont, populated with hundreds of machine tool and metalworking plants and thousands of workers. This book is a historical account of the profound economic collapse of the Connecticut River Valley region, with a particular focus on Bosch, its workers, and its union. The shutdown is placed in the context of the wider region's deindustrialization. The closure marked the watershed for large-firm metalworking and metalworking unions in the Connecticut River Valley. The book also describes how the United States, in a ten-year period from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, went from being the world's leading exporter of machine tools to its leading importer, and how that sharp decline affected the region's leading city, Springfield, Massachusetts, which by 2005 was in danger of bankruptcy.

Mounting emphasis on construction supply chain management (CSCM) is due to both global sourcing of materials and a shortage of labor. These factors force increasing amounts of value-added work to be conducted off-site deep in the supply chain. Construction Supply Chain Management Handbook compiles in one comprehensive source an overview of the diverse research and examples of construction supply chain practice around the world. Reflecting the emergence of CSCM as an important area of multi-national research and practice, this volume takes an interdisciplinary perspective with contributions from leading international authors in three major areas: production and operations analysis, organizational perspectives, and information technology. The book begins with a survey of the current literature on modeling construction supply chain production and describes a set of approaches and methods for designing and operating project supply chains with references to design and materials production. It provides the basic framework for understanding the challenges and approaches to representing and improving supply chain performance. The next section recognizes the importance of considering arrangements between the different firms involved in designing, procuring, and assembling construction, and reviews various perspectives to understanding and improving organizational issues in the supply chain. The final section provides an overview of a range of information technologies that can contribute to supply chain performance, as well as examples of effective use. The organization and sourcing of materials is increasingly complex across the global construction industry. Construction clients are demanding faster, more responsive construction processes and higher quality facilities. This volume provides an invaluable resource to understanding the implications of supply chain management, which is sure to result in more effective construction project execution.