Strategic Corporate Management for Engineering / Edition 1

by Paul S. Chinowsky, James E. Meredith

Overview

Strategic Corporate Management for Engineering bridges the gap between business and engineering textbooks and reference books. This groundbreaking text is the first book to apply the concepts of strategic management to the specifics of the civil engineering industry. Strategic Corporate Management for Engineering presents seven areas of strategic management for engineering organizations, emphasizing the need to address these areas as a complement to traditional project management practices. A step-by-step, question-and-answer approach leads readers through the preparation for strategic management and the internal and external issues that must be faced, including managing organizational change, forecasting emerging technologies, and implementing strategic management plans. Each chapter features the use of case studies that place readers in senior positions within regional, national, and international engineering and construction organizations. These case studies expose students and aspiring executives to real-life situations faced by civil engineering professionals.
Ideal for courses in engineering organizations, organizational or project management, and construction management, Strategic Corporate Management for Engineering also serves as a valuable resource for professionals. Addressing a critical need in the civil engineering industry, it provides students, educators, and professionals with the basic tools to effectively compete in the changing global marketplace for engineering and construction services. The text is accompanied by a website at http://www.aecstrategies.com/stratmgt, which contains a table of contents, a discussion forum for educators to discuss cases, and information from the course in which the text was developed.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195124675
Publisher:	Oxford University Press, USA
Publication date:	02/17/2000
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	416
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 7.40(h) x 0.90(d)

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
PART I: PREPARING FOR STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
1. STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT: A BACKGROUND
The Strategic Management History
Discussion Questions
2. THE STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT FOUNDATION
The Context of Emerging Issues
The Project Management Tradition
Civil Engineering Knowledge Requirements
Strategy—The Definitional Basis
The Question-Answer Methodology
Taking the Next Step
Discussion Questions
II. INTERNAL STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT ISSUES
3. THE FIRST STEPS: VISIONS, MISSIONS, AND GOALS
The Organization Vision
The Mission Statement
The Organization Goals
Leadership in Strategic Management
Discussion Questions
Case Study: Vision, Mission, and Goals in Business Creation
Questions
4. CORE COMPETENCIES OF THE CIVIL ENGINEERING FIRM
Examining Core Competencies
The Need for Core Competencies
Identifying Core Competencies
Taking the Next Step
Discussion Questions
Case Study: Shifing Core Competencies
Questions
5. KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION RESOURCES
The Changing Resources of Organizations
Knowledge Workers as an Organization Investment
Technology Resources: Enhancing Knowledge Exchange
A New Role
The Strategic Transition
Establishing a Technology Integration Strategy
Discussion Questions
Case Study: Knowledge Resources for Market Competition
Questions
6. ORGANIZATION EDUCATION
Why Education as a Focus
What To Study
How To Educate
The Common Issue—Dissemination
Organization Education Examples
Justifying Education Costs
Summary
Next Steps
Discussion Questions
Case Study: Integrating Education into the Organization Environment
Questions
PART III: EXTERNAL STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT ISSUES
7. FISCAL MANAGEMENT: PUTTING A FOCUS ON LONG-TERM BOTTOM-LINES
The Three Perspectives of Financial Numbers
Project-Based Finances—A Project Perspective
Organization Finances—An Internal Perspective
Industry and Regional Economics—An External Perspective
The Strategic Application of Finance
Economic Forecasting: Surviving Economic Roller Coasters
Return on Management: An Emerging Financial Concept for Civil Engineering
Summary
Next Steps
Discussion Questions
Case Study: Short-Term vs. Long-Term Financials
Questions
8. EVALUATING MARKET OPPORTUNITIES
Why Market Analysis and Expansion
Reactive versus Proactive Market Responses
Determining Market Opportunities
The International Market
Risk Analysis: The Final Step in Market Expansion
A Summary Checkpoint
Next Steps
Discussion Questions
Case Study: Expanding beyond an Established Market
Questions
9. COMPETITION: BATTLE IN THE CIVIL ENGINEERING ARENA
Putting Competition into a Strategic Advantage Perspective
Competitive Perspectives
Remembering the Personal Relationship
Putting the Battle Plan in Place: Technological Marketing in the Twenty-First Century
Summary
Discussion Questions
Case Study: Battling the Home Field Advantage
Questions
10. PUTTING STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT INTO ACTION
Step 1: Where Are You Now?
Step 2: Action Perspective
Step 3: Putting a Strategic Management Team in Place
Step 4: First Steps
Closing Thoughts
References
Index