This biography of Andrew Carnegie emphasizes the economic dimension of his career in industry. It examines his life as a dynamic innovator during the period when the steel industry rapidly expanded and the United States became a major industrial power. Carnegie rose from a poverty-stricken Scottish childhood to a position of international industrial leadership, philanthropy, and peace advocacy, by means of intelligence, entrepreneurship, ambition, tenacity, guile, and ruthless determination. It is shown that Carnegie excelled as an economic actor. His alertness to expected profit opportunities, and success in coping with the uncertainties of the marketplace, made him a major influence on the growth of many of the most important industries of late-nineteenth century United States and world economies. His contribution to the better coordination of the actions of both demanders and suppliers in those industries by managerial, technological, and institutional innovations is emphasized. It is also argued that those profit-seeking actions and innovations occurred in the context of political policies and social institutions that produced a tremendous mal-investment of resources. This mal-investment was a result of protective tariffs, the stimulus and waste of war, and government subsidization of the railroad industry. Carnegie's role in this massive diversion of resources from other uses to those from which he personally benefitted is also emphasized. Lastly, Carnegie's actions in giving away the great personal fortune that he accumulated as he built his business empire are examined and their economic implications assessed.

Veins of iron run deep in the history of America. Iron making began almost as soon as European settlement, with the establishment of the first ironworks in colonial Massachusetts. Yet it was Great Britain that became the Atlantic world's dominant low-cost, high-volume producer of iron, a position it retained throughout the nineteenth century. It was not until after the Civil War that American iron producers began to match the scale and efficiency of the British iron industry. In "Mastering Iron", Anne Kelly Knowles argues that the prolonged development of the American iron industry was largely due to geographical problems the British did not face. Pairing exhaustive manuscript research with analysis of a detailed geospatial database that she built of the industry, Knowles reconstructs the American iron industry in unprecedented depth, from locating hundreds of iron companies in their social and environmental contexts to explaining workplace culture and social relations between workers and managers. She demonstrates how ironworks in Alabama, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia struggled to replicate British technologies but, in the attempt, brought about changes in the American industry that set the stage for the subsequent age of steel. Richly illustrated with dozens of original maps and period art work, all in full color, "Mastering Iron" sheds new light on American ambitions and high-lights the challenges a young nation faced as it grappled with its geographic conditions.

Steel companies were at the birth of the modern business corporation. The first billion dollar corporation ever formed was US Steel in 1901. By the mid-Twentieth Century the steel mill and the automobile plant were the two pillars upon which the Twentieth Century industrial economy rested. Given the scale of capital and operations, vertical integration was seen to be pivotal, from the raw materials of iron ore and coal on one end of the supply chain to the myriad of finished products on the other. By the end of the century, however, things had dramatically changed. The dominance of the steel industry by the United States was being challenged by competitors abroad. Perhaps conceding defeat, U.S. Steel companies spun off assets and businesses in order to focus on core operations. Even more critical, a common assumption had arisen by then that, moving into the new millennium, the growth of the U.S. economy would be less reliant upon manufacturing and more reliant upon services and information. It was widely perceived that the country was moving from an industrial age into an information age, driven by high technology.That process is now being reversed. It now appears that the death knell of the manufacturing economy in the United States was premature. A rejuvenation of the steel industry is underway and that rejuvenation is of global proportions. For the first time, steel companies exist that are truly global in scope; and because steel and manufacturing are inseparable, the fate of the North American steel industry depends on whether the United States and Canada conclude that manufacturing matters. At the center of the current financial crisis is the imbalance between the trade surplus countries (China and Germany) and the deficit countries (most everybody else). The financial uncertainty persists. What is certain is that a rebalancing of the world economy will require a rejuvenation of advanced manufacturing.The proposed book will offer a concise history of the steel industry; a presentation of the economics of the industry; an overview of how the industry operates and the environment in which it operates; a discussion of regulation of the industry; a documentation of the reasons why a rejuvenated steel industry will be critical to the economic health of the United States and Canada; and a rationale for the reemergence of the steel industry in particular, and manufacturing in general, as a vital force in the North American economy of the new millennium.

From a farming background in Cumbria, John Wilkinson's remarkable abilities and ambitions ensured his rise to pre-eminence among the gifted pioneers of the industrial revolution. His colleagues and friends were similarly talented characters, including James Watt, Josiah Wedgwood, Richard Crawshay and Thomas Telford. Wilkinson achieved great leaps in the iron industry and munitions, including the first use of sound castings and accurate boring for cannon manufacture, but he was also influential in the development of steam railway engines, waterways, and copper refining, and worked extensively with lead and chemicals. But while Wilkinson's technological triumphs were admired by his contemporaries, his personal affairs were complicated and sometimes tragic. This well-informed and readable book, based on research by the author born of a fascination with Wilkinson after living at his family home, gives a unique insight into the character and thinking of the man Telford named 'King of the Ironmasters'.

Cowboy spurs are a pure form of American folk art. Like the cowboy himself, the way spurs developed was molded by their use and the environment of the range, along with a generous dose of individualism and pride. "Cowboy Spurs and Their Makers" tells for the first time the fascinating story of this western art and the artisans who professional historians, and westerners and valuable reference for identifying spurs used by riders of Texas and the Southwest.
A visit with contemporary spur maker Jerry Lindley, with pictures of him at work, traces the process and mechanics of hand forging spurs and decorating them by the overlay method. Individual chapters are devoted to the most prominent makers of cowboy spurs--manufacturers Buermann and North & Judd, the spur and bit companies of Crockett, Shipley, and Kelly, and hometown blacksmiths such as Bianchi, Causey, and the Boone clan. In lively detail their histories unfold, along with helpful descriptions of their techniques and most representative spurs.
Eighty-five black-and-white photographs and twelve color plates lavishly illustrate the spurs and their makers. An appendix lists many other artisans, past and present, with the locations of their shops and the identifying characteristics of their products. This book will become a standard reference for students, historians, and general readers alike--for everyone who values the important contribution of the cowboy to our cultural heritage and of the blacksmith who shaped the cowboy's badge of honor, his spurs.

John Tishman is a true pioneer in the Construction Management industry. Through his CM leadership, some of America's most well-known buildings have been brought to successful completion. ---Bruce D'Agostino, president and chief executive, Construction Management Association of America Building Tall will provide readers with insights into John Tishman's career as a visionary engineer, landmark builder, and great businessman. Responsible for some of the construction world's most magnificent projects, John is one of the preeminent alumni in the history of Michigan Engineering. His perspectives have helped me throughout my time as dean, and his impact will influence generations of Construction Management professionals and students. ---David C. Munson, Jr., Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering, University of Michigan In this memoir, University of Michigan graduate John L. Tishman recounts the experiences and rationale that led him to create the entirely new profession now recognized and practiced as Construction Management. It evolved from his work as the construction lead of the owner/builder firm Tishman Realty and Construction, and his personal role as hands-on Construction Manager in the building of an astonishing array of what were at the time the world's tallest and most complex projects. These include The world's first three 100-story towers---the original twin towers of the World Trade Center in Manhattan and the Hancock Tower in Chicago. The Epcot Center at Disney World. The Renaissance Center in Detroit. New York's Madison Square Garden. Tishman interweaves the stories behind the construction of these and many other important buildings and projects with personal reminiscences of his dealings with Henry Ford, Jr., Disney's Michael Eisner, casino magnate Steve Wynn, and many others into a practical history of the field of Construction Management, which he pioneered. This book will be of interest not only to a general public interested in the stories and personalities behind many of the most iconic construction projects of the post-World War II period in the United States but to students of engineering and architecture and members of the new field of Construction Management.

James Moore Swank (1832 1914) was a US expert on iron and steel, and wrote widely about the industry. In 1873 he became secretary of the American Iron and Steel Association. This second edition (1892) of his influential book on iron manufacture was significantly expanded compared to the 1884 original, with 132 more pages, 15 extra chapters, and revisions throughout the text. Swank aimed to move away from the highly technical approach and European focus that had dominated previous works. Instead, he would emphasise names, dates, facts and results, and give special attention to the growth of the industry in the United States while providing an international context. He includes every country and US state that produced iron. The book is organised chronologically, and provides a fascinating account of the manufacture of iron from the ancient Egyptian period through early modern Britain to late nineteenth-century America.

Presented in a straightforward, non-technical manner, this book describes how one strategic industry has adapted to powerful technological and structural changes, ushering in a new phase in the global steel business.--Daniel Madar is a professor of political science at Brock University and the author of Heavy Traffic: Deregulation, Trade, and Transformation in North American Trucking.--"Big Steel explores an industry that has been in near continual transformation for a generation or more and captures the shape and structure of these changes. Perhaps even more significantly, it makes the case that developments in the new millennium denote a new phase in the global steel business, which portends even more dramatic changes of behaviour and performance." - Peter Clancy, author, Micro-Politics and Canadian Business: Paper, Steel and the Airlines.

Construction productivity-how well, how quickly, and at what cost buildings and infrastructure can be constructed-directly affects prices for homes and consumer goods and the robustness of the national economy. Industry analysts differ on whether construction industry productivity is improving or declining. Still, advances in available and emerging technologies offer significant opportunities to improve construction efficiency substantially in the 21st century and to help meet other national challenges, such as environmental sustainability. Advancing the Competitiveness and Efficiency of the U.S. Construction Industry identifies five interrelated activities that could significantly improve the quality, timeliness, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability of construction projects. These activities include widespread deployment and use of interoperable technology applications; improved job-site efficiency through more effective interfacing of people, processes, materials, equipment, and information; greater use of prefabrication, preassembly, modularization, and off-site fabrication techniques and processes; innovative, widespread use of demonstration installations; and effective performance measurement to drive efficiency and support innovation. The book recommends that the National Institute of Standards and Technology work with industry leaders to develop a collaborative strategy to fully implement and deploy the five activities Table of Contents Front Matter Summary 1 Background 2 Obstacles to Improving Construction Productivity 3 Opportunities for Breakthrough Improvements in the U.S. Construction Industry 4 Implementing Activities for Breakthrough Improvements: Recommended Actions References Appendixes Appendix A: Biosketches of Committee Members Appendix B: Workshop Agenda and List of Participants Appendix C: An International Perspective on Construction Competitiveness and Productivity--Carl Haas Appendix D: Technical Change and Its Impact on Construction Productivity--Paul M. Goodrum Appendix E: Creating and Cultivating the Next Generation of Construction Professionals--Jeffrey S. Russell

Contracts are vital to the construction delivery process; they direct and govern every move. This book strips the legal mystique and jargon from contracts and exposes their basic logic. It is presented in three parts, covering issues that arise during the three stages of contract administration: the components of contracts and methods of project delivery; tendering and sub-contracting; specific contracts and dealing with contract disputes. It is an essential guide for tertiary students of construction management, civil engineering, building and architecture, but also covers topics that are essential for practitioners in the construction industry.

This guide shows design practices and other construction professionals how to manage knowledge successfully. It explains how to develop and implement a knowledge management strategy, and how to avoid the pitfalls, focusing on the techniques of learning and knowledge sharing that are most relevant in professional practice. Expensive IT-based 'solutions' bought off-the-shelf rarely succeed in a practice context, so the emphasis here is on people-centred techniques, which recognise and meet real business knowledge needs and fit in with the organisational culture.

Knowledge is supplanting physical assets as the dominant basis of capital value and an understanding of how knowledge is acquired, shared and used is increasingly crucial in organisational success. Most business leaders recognise this, but few have yet succeeded in making it the pervasive influence on management practice that it needs to become; that has turned out to be harder than it looks.

Construction professionals are among those who have furthest to go, and most to gain. Design is a knowledge-based activity, and project managers, contractors and clients, as well as architects and engineers, have always learned from experience and shared their knowledge with immediate colleagues. But the intuitive processes they have traditionally used break down alarmingly quickly as organisations grow; even simply dividing the office over two floors can noticeably reduce communication. At the same time, increasingly sophisticated construction technology and more demanding markets are making effective management of knowledge ever more important. Other knowledge-intensive industries (such as management consultancy, pharmaceuticals, and IT), are well ahead in adopting a more systematic approach to learning and sharing knowledge, and seeing the benefits in improved technical capacity, efficiency, customer satisfaction and reduced risk.

The construction industry is now facing unprecedented challenges resulting from the advances in information technology and networking through the web. Procurement paradigm of the construction industry has changed significantly in the last decade. More and more projects are requiring the contracting parties to adopt a co-operative attitude for financing, design, project management and operation integration. This changing face of procurement requires a total new mode of contracting behavior - co-operative contracting for maximizing the synergistic effect. This volume identifies the most critical driver for co-operative behavior - 'Trust'. Its legal and behavioral implications will be carefully examined. This book provides a comprehensive discussion on trust in co-operative contracting. Directed from both management and legal perspectives with findings supported by empirical researches, it is hoped that professionals, researchers and students will find the book interesting.

Decision Making and Operations Research Techniques for Construction Management challenges the traditional empirical approach to problem solving and provides construction practitioners with a seasoned account to resolving day-to-day complicated issues in construction project management. This book provides scientific tools for practitioners to resolve some practical problems which are administered empirically at present and may lead to inconsistent results and human errors. The modern decision-making tools introduced in this book include Multi-criteria Decision-making Models, Artificial Neural Network, Genetic Algorithms, Construction Simulation, Rough Set Theory and Advanced Statistical Techniques for construction. This book will serve as a useful companion for those managing construction projects that are becoming more and more quantitative in nature, and will provide an invaluable source of reference for both undergraduate and advanced postgraduate students.

When Stothert & Pitt announced, in January 1989, the closure of its engineering works, 580 local people lost their jobs and the city of Bath lost its single largest manufacturer. For over 250 years the heavy engineering and metalworking business had employed local people (over 2,000 in 1945) and supplied a wide variety of products from bedsteads to boilers and cement mixers to cranes. Today, when Bath is renowned for an 'industry-free' elegance, refined and displayed for tourists, this opportunity to remind us that heavy industry has played its part in the city's evolution could not be more timely. In 1980 the director of the Science Museum claimed that the work of Stothert & Pitt, as a supplier of heavy engineering across the world, was Bath's greatest contribution to world history. This apparently surprising remark reveals an acknowledgement of the company's significance, locally, nationally and internationally.

Mark Twain's boyhood home of Hannibal, Missouri, often brings to mind romanticized images of Twain's fictional characters Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer exploring caves and fishing from the banks of the Mississippi River. In "City of Dust, " Gregg Andrews tells another story of the Hannibal area, the very real story of the exploitation and eventual destruction of Ilasco, Missouri, an industrial town created to serve the purposes of the Atlas Portland Cement Company.

In this new edition, Andrews provides an introduction detailing the impact of this book since its initial publication in 1996. He writes of a new twist in the Ilasco saga, one that concerns the Continental Cement Company's attempt, not unlike Atlas's one hundred years earlier, to manipulate the sale of a piece of land near its plant in the town. He explores the uneasy relationship between preservationists and the plant's CEO and officials in St. Louis; the growing movement to preserve Ilasco's heritage, including the building of a monument to commemorate the early residents of the town; and the grassroots petition drive and letter-writing campaign that stopped the Continental Cement Company's machinations.

Adjudication was introduced in construction contracts as a requirement of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act in 1998 to tackle the large number of disputes which dog most projects. Provisions for adjudication are now included in all standard construction forms and are implied into all construction contracts that do not expressly include them.

When adjudication was first launched there were enormous uncertainties about how it would work in practice, and books published to coincide with the launch could only speculate on this.

This new guide, written by a construction lawyer and experienced adjudicator, is the first to explain how adjudication is actually working in practice. It covers all the major court decisions which have clarified enforcement, adjudicator errors and problems such as definition of construction contracts, jurisdiction, insolvency, natural justice and human rights. It also deals with the complex requirements of the legislation regarding payment terms.

This will provide a highly readable, but authoritative guide for all involved in adjudications, whether contracts directors, construction consultants, lawyers or adjudicators.

Peter Marsh's book has long been recognized as a standard work. With its emphasis on the commercial aspects of contracting, this book represents an eminently practical guide to this complex subject for purchaser and contractor alike. This edition reflects recent changes in case law and legislation, the major change being the passing of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996. The book also charts changes to model forms of contract conditions, in particular the new PACE forms of government contracts. Contracts covered are those for the construction of buildings and civil engineering works, the supply and installation of mechanical, electrical and process plants and also for computer system and facilities management. Methods of contracting, including PFI schemes, are critically examined and reference is made to the Government's latest thinking on prime contracting. As in previous editions, this book covers contract planning and contract administration, deals with both the preparation and the appraisal of tenders and explains in detail how to draft the key clauses in a contract to ensure the maximum advantage. In this revised version, Contracting for Engineering and Construction Projects will continue to serve the needs of purchasing and contracts staff, engineers, quantity surveyors, project managers and legal advisers seeking a reliable source of guidance.

Having come of age during a period of vibrant union-centered activism, Jack Metzgar begins this book wondering how his father, a U.S> Steel shop steward in the 1950s and '60s, and so many contemporary historians could forget what this country owes to the union movement. Combining personal memoir and historical narrative, Striking Steel argues for reassessment of unionism in American life during the second half of the twentieth century and a recasting of \u0022official memory.\u0022 As he traces the history of union steelworkers after World War II, Metzgar draws on his father's powerful stories about the publishing work in the mills, stories in which time is divided between \u0022before the union\u0022 and since. His father, Johnny Metzgar, fought ardently for workplace rules as a means of giving \u0022the men\u0022 some control over their working conditions and protection from venal foremen. He pursued grievances until he eroded management's authority, and he badgered foremen until he established shop-floor practices that would become part of the next negotiated contract. As a passionate advocate of solidarity, he urged coworkers to stick together so that the rules were upheld and everyone could earn a decent wage. Striking Steel's pivotal event is the four-month nationwide steel strike of 1959, a landmark union victory that has been all but erased from public memory. With remarkable tenacity, union members held out for the shop-floor rules that gave them dignity in the workplace and raised their standard of living. Their victory underscored the value of sticking together and reinforced their sense that they were contributing to a general improvement in American working and living conditions. The Metzgar family's story vividly illustrates the larger narrative of how unionism lifted the fortunes and prospects of working-class families. It also offers an account of how the broad social changes of the period helped to shift the balance of power in a conflict-ridden, patriarchal household. Even if the optimism of his generation faded in the upheavals of the 1960s, Johnny Metzgar's commitment to his union and the strike itself stands as an honorable example of what a collective action can and did achieve. Jack Metzgar's Striking Steel is a stirring call to remember and renew the struggle.

This report has been written with the specific aim of opening up the subject presented by the Secretary of State to consider the interaction between engineering, the environment, economics and politics.

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.

This work provides a summary of recent research into health and safety on construction sites. Topics covered include: safety and health regulations and statistics; social and human issues on construction safety; health issues in the construction process; and safety training and education.

The world is beginning to feel the crunch of depleting conventional energy sources and these desperate times call for exploring newer vistas in terms of alternative sources of energy. The construction sector is expected to require a major overhaul involving strategic advancements in the utilization of green energy given the rapid urban growth. A number of policy initiatives to mainstream energy efficiency are in place in most countries that are expected to accelerate energy efficiency and sustainability in buildings. Streamlining the green building movement requires coordinated monitoring and intelligent control of a building's vital functions. This can be achieved through building management systems (BMS) involving the integration of structures, systems, services, and management. Green building movements should examine the potential of power generation from urban, municipal, and industrial wastes. Equitable distribution of water resources should be carefully planned-monsoon-dominated countries should adopt efficient rain-water harvesting measures to provide clean water to thirsty nations. These overarching concepts are well woven into themed chapters in Green Structures: Energy Efficient Buildings. Easily comprehensible to undergraduates in civil, structural, and environmental engineering; graduate students and researchers; town planners; and architects worldwide, the content of this book not only comes from courses on energy efficient buildings taught by the authors, but also from new and original research. This definitive resource has an enduring appeal for all those concerned with green structures.

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 repeal the CDM Regulations 1994 and the Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996; containing all the legal duties regarding the design and management of a construction project and the safe operating standards expected on a construction site. CDM 2007: Questions and Answers by Pat Perry is a pragmatic, common-sense approach to interpreting the many queries which will inevitably arise from the new Regulations, no matter how simplified they purport to be. The author details practical solutions to a wide range of legal compliance issues and explores answers which go beyond the rather limited information contained in the Approved Code of Practice which supports the Regulations. The various duty holders, project stages and safety issues are dealt with in different chapters and the book can be used for detailed reference or for a quick refresher on specific subjects.

A successful underground project is one where relationships are strong, the objectives as understood by each party are met or exceeded, and the work product serves its stakeholders and is maintainable in a way that fits with the project vision. High-level metrics for project success relate to safety, quality, schedule, and budget.The first edition of Recommended Contract Practices for Underground Construction has become a valued resource for the underground industry, serving as a concise guide for drafting and implementation of contract provisions. It provided improvements to underground contracting practices during all project stages. It also presented clear roles and responsibilities for project participants to promote better contracts. This second edition was undertaken by the UCA of SME because the industry has undergone numerous changes over the last decade. Changes in tunneling technology, more common use of design-build as a contracting mechanism, and many lessons learned have sparked some creative contract approaches. The recommendations contained in this edition are intended to guide owners and their engineers in developing and administering contracts and to give contractors a better understanding of the rationale behind contract provisions. The goal is that more underground projects in this country can be best projects, where improved relationships and fair contracts enable all project participants to personally invest in cost-effective, profitable projects, ensuring the continued health of the underground industry.