The international performance of British construction companies 1990-1996
Title:
The international performance of British construction companies 1990-1996
Author:
Crosthwaite, David
Appeared in:
Building research & information
Paging:
Volume 28 (2000) nr. 4 pages 280-290
Year:
2000-07-01
Contents:
Large construction companies are increasingly having to seek work on an international basis. A recent stated aim of some of the larger British construction companies has been to increase their overseas activities to counteract some of the problems within the domestic construction market. This paper examines the international performance of British construction firms during the period 1990-96. The principle findings indicate that British firms had increased their overseas activities during the study period. However despite theory to the contrary (Seymour, 1987) and contrary to the practice of some competitors, they had tended to conduct the major share of their overseas work in developed countries. This finding is put forward to suggest that the British companies' overseas operations have done little to offset the downturn in domestic workload, as developed countries historically suffer similar recessions to the UK. De plus en plus, les grandes societes du BTP doivent se diriger vers les marches exterieurs pour y trouver des commandes. En Grande-Bretagne, certaines de ces societes, parmi les plus importantes, ont recemment declare que leur objectif etait d'augmenter leurs activites a l'etranger pour compenser certains problemes qu'elles rencontraient sur le marche interieur. Cet article examine les resultats a l'exportation de societes britanniques du BTP entre 1990 et 1996. Il ressort de cette etude qu'au cours de cette periode, les firmes britanniques ont developpe leur activite a l'etranger. Toutefois, en depit d'une theorie contraire (Seymour, 1987) et allant a l'encontre des habitudes de certains concurrents, elles ont eu tendance a executer la majeure partie de leurs contrats a l'etranger dans des pays industrialises. Cette constatation est mise en avant pour suggerer que les industriels britanniques operant a l'etranger ont peu fait pour compenser le recul des activites sur le territoire national, alors que les pays industrialises connaissent les memes difficultes que le Royaume-Uni.
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