Corporate strategy in construction : understanding today's theory and practice / Steven McCabe.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McCabe, Steven.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Construction industry--Management.

Construction industry.

Strategic planning.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (338 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Ames, IA : Blackwell Pub., 2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This book draws together the main elements of strategic management theory and considers their relevance to contemporary practice in construction. It helps students understand what corporate strategy involves and how it is possible to develop a proactive approach to the management of key organisational resources that are essential to attain objectives. Understanding of the importance of strategic management has developed rapidly in the past decade. Recent economic events have shown that all organisations must continually reassess their approach to achieving intended objectives, especially imp

Contents:

Corporate Strategy in Construction; Contents; Foreword; Preface; About the author; Acknowledgements; Dedication; Chapter 1: Introduction; 1.1 Trying to predict the future - a task fraught with risk; 1.2 A journey towards strategy: art or science?; 1.3 Strategy, a problem of expectation?; 1.4 The dilemmas of a formal definition of strategy; 1.5 The context of construction - a truly unique industry?; 1.6 Developing an understanding of who 'consumes' construction; 1.7 The structure of this book

Chapter 2: Strategic management theory: its origins, development and relevance to contemporary organisations2.1 Objectives of this chapter; 2.2 Early origins; 2.3 The rise and rise of strategy as a corporate tool; 2.4 So what are the main concepts of strategy - back to the problems of definition?; 2.5 Mintzberg's 'Five Ps' conceptualisation of strategy; 2.6 The hierarchy of strategy; 2.7 Terms associated with strategy; 2.8 Attaining success: the importance of analysis, development and implementation; 2.9 The three essentials of strategic decision-making; 2.10 Lynch's test of 'good' strategy

2.11 What will really work? An exploration of major theoretical perspectives2.12 The relevance of strategic theory and some considerations of Whittington's generic perspective; 2.13 Conclusion; Chapter 3: A short socio-historical analysis of the development of the British construction industry; 3.1 Objectives of this chapter; 3.2 Early origins - the beginning of civilisation; 3.3 The Roman influence; 3.4 Medieval organisation - the emergence of the guild system; 3.5 The malign influence of merchants; 3.6 The end of artisans and the emergence of alternative arrangements

3.7 Contracting and its long-term effects on people, processes and production3.8 The rise and fall of trade unionism in construction; 3.9 The national building strike and its long-term consequences; 3.10 Time for change?; 3.12 So where is construction currently and what is next?; 3.13 Conclusion; Chapter 4: Understanding the environment - markets and competition; 4.1 Objectives of this chapter; 4.2 Appreciating the context of construction; 4.3 How are markets considered?; 4.4 Appreciating the dynamics of markets and competition; 4.5 Overall analysis of the environment

4.6 What are the dynamics of competition?4.7 Analysing competitive behaviour - a consideration of adaptive strategy; 4.8 How do markets grow?; 4.9 Competitive advantage; 4.10 Conclusion; Chapter 5: Strategy and its connection with consumers and customers - the arbiters of success; 5.1 Objectives of this chapter; 5.2 Defining consumers and customers; 5.3 Customers - who are they and what do they want?; 5.4 The use of 'customer-profiling'; 5.5 Customer-competitor matrix; 5.6 Importance-performance analysis; 5.7 Market segmentation

5.8 Revisiting Miles and Snow's analytical model of competitive behaviour

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786612483301

9781282483309

1282483307

9781444318760

1444318764

OCLC:

593275458