Engineers and Contractors Go Global

Lewis, Brian J.; ,

Engineers and Contractors Go Global

by Brian J. Lewis, Management Consultant; Wilmington, N.C.,

Serial Information: Worldwide Projects, 1994, Vol. 2, Issue 1, Pg. 20-24

Document Type: Feature article

Abstract:

The telecommunication explosion and the rise of free-trade agreements are pushing consulting engineers and construction companies toward globalization, a trend seen in past decades among such professionals as lawyers and advertising agencies. The author, a management consultant, notes the differences between a firm's having an international presence and its being truly global, and discusses the growth of several U.S. and British firms that have grown far beyond their original spheres. There are various ways of expanding, he notes, not all of which may be suitable for particular companies; among them are acquiring or investing abroad, forming third-party firms, and full international mergers. Rising investment in U.S. engineering firms and contractors by foreign firms since 1980 is also discussed.

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