Share:


Competitive advantages and barriers in international construction: an origin-host market approach

    Alicia Lozano-Torró   Affiliation
    ; Tatiana García-Segura   Affiliation
    ; Laura Montalbán-Domingo Affiliation
    ; Eugenio Pellicer   Affiliation

Abstract

The growing importance of international construction activity forces companies to find out what competitive advantages to provide and barriers to overcome to achieve success, considering the particular characteristics of their origin and destination countries. Seventy six articles regarding success in the international construction market in the period 2008–2017 are reviewed to identify the barriers and the competitive advantages that most affect the international success of contractors. The Chi-Square (χ²) statistical test is used to verify the influence of the origin and destination countries on these variables. The literature identifies the provision of trained human resources as the most important competitive advantage and cultural differences and political risks as the main barriers. The Chi-Square (χ²) test indicates a dependency relationship between the origin country and the competitive advantage “managerial ability” to achieve international success, and between the external barriers “link between countries”, “political environment” and “economic environment” with the target market. Results of this paper provide valuable information for any construction company seeking international success.

Keyword : international construction market, competitive advantages, barriers, success, origin country, host country

How to Cite
Lozano-Torró, A. ., García-Segura, T. ., Montalbán-Domingo, L. ., & Pellicer, E. . (2020). Competitive advantages and barriers in international construction: an origin-host market approach. Journal of Civil Engineering and Management, 26(5), 475-489. https://doi.org/10.3846/jcem.2020.12180
Published in Issue
May 26, 2020
Abstract Views
1906
PDF Downloads
1381
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

References

Abdelghany, Y., & Ezeldin, A. S. (2010, May). Classification of risks for international construction joint ventures (ICJV) projects. In Construction Research Congress 2010. Banff, Alberta, Canada. https://doi.org/10.1061/41109(373)126

Abdul-Aziz, A.-R., Nor Azmi, H.-A. C. M., Law, Y.-H., & Pengiran, D. N. (2013). Internationalization of construction-related consultants: Impact of age and size. Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice, 139(2), 148–155. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)EI.1943-5541.0000135

Ahmed, R., & Azmi bin Mohamad, N. (2016). Exploring the relationship between multi-dimensional top management support and project success: an international study. Engineering Management Journal, 28(1), 54–67. https://doi.org/10.1080/10429247.2015.1136525

Ajmal, M. M. (2015). Cultural effects on trust building in international projects’ stakeholders. International Journal of Information Technology Project Management, 6(3), 41–57. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJITPM.2015070103

Akgul, B. K., Ozorhon, B., Dikmen, I., & Birgonul, M. T. (2017). Social network analysis of construction companies operating in international markets: Case of Turkish contractors. Journal of Civil Engineering and Management, 23(3), 327–337. https://doi.org/10.3846/13923730.2015.1073617

Alashwal, A. M., Fareed, N. F., & Al-obaidi, K. M. (2017). Determining success criteria and success factors for international construction projects for Malaysian contractors. Construction Economics and Building, 17(2), 62–80. https://doi.org/10.5130/AJCEB.v17i2.5319

Awil, A. U., & Abdul-Aziz, A. R. (2005, July). The role of government in the internationalization of Malaysian housing developers. In Queensland University of Technology Research Week International Conference (pp. 4–8), Brisbane, Australia.

Bannò, M., & Redondi, R. (2014). Air connectivity and foreign direct investments: Economic effects of the introduction of new routes. European Transport Research Review, 6(4), 355–363. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12544-014-0136-2

Barkema, H. G., Bell, J. H. J., & Pennings, J. M. (1996). Foreign entry, cultural barriers, and learning. Strategic Management Journal, 17(2), 151–166. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199602)17:2<151::AID-SMJ799>3.0.CO;2-Z

Belassi, W., & Tukel, O. I. (1996). A new framework for determining critical success/failure factors in projects. International Journal of Project Management, 14(3), 141–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/0263-7863(95)00064-X

Brewer, P. (2001). International market selection: Developing a model from Australian case studies. International Business Review, 10(2), 155–174. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0969-5931(00)00049-4

Bryman, A. (2016). Social research methods. Oxford University Press.

Burnard, P. (1991). A method of analysing interview transcripts in qualitative research. Nurse Education Today, 11(6), 461–466. https://doi.org/10.1016/0260-6917(91)90009-Y

Carnevalli, J. A., & Miguel, P. C. (2008). Review, analysis and classification of the literature on QFD-Types of research, difficulties and benefits. International Journal of Production Economics, 114(2), 737–754. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2008.03.006

Carpintero, S. (2011). The competitive advantages of the Spanish companies in the international toll road industry. Journal of Civil Engineering and Management, 17(4), 483–493. https://doi.org/10.3846/13923730.2011.625632

Chen, C. (2008). Entry mode selection for international construction markets: The influence of host country related factors. Construction Management and Economics, 26(3), 303– 314. https://doi.org/10.1080/01446190701882382

Chen, M. X., Otsuki, T., & Wilson, J. S. (Eds). (2006). Do standards matter for export success? (Policy research working papers). World Bank Publications. https://doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-3809

Chen, C., & Orr, R. J. (2009). Chinese contractors in Africa: Home government support, coordination mechanisms, and market entry strategies. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 135(11), 1201–1210. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000082

Chen, C., Wang, Q., Martek, I., & Li, H. (2016). International market selection model for large Chinese contractors. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 142(10), 04016044. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001122

Chew, D. A. S., Yan, S., & Cheah, C. Y. J. (2008). Core capability and competitive strategy for construction SMEs in China. Chinese Management Studies, 2(3), 203–214. https://doi.org/10.1108/17506140810895898

Chua, D. K. H., Wang, Y., & Tan, W. T. (2003). Impacts of obstacles in East Asian cross-border construction. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 129(2), 131–141. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2003)129:2(131)

Deng, X., & Low, S. P. (2014). Exploring critical variables that affect political risk level in international construction projects: Case study from Chinese contractors. Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice, 140(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtice.2016.03.001

DeSarbo, W. S., Di Benedetto, C. A., Song, M., & Sinha, I. (2005). Revisiting the miles and snow strategic framework: Uncovering interrelationships between strategic types, capabilities, environmental uncertainty, and firm performance. Strategic Management Journal, 26(1), 47–74. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.431

Dey, I. (2003). Qualitative data analysis: A user friendly guide for social scientists. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203412497

Diawara, M. (1998). Towards a regional imaginary in Africa. Duke University Press.

Diaz-Sarachaga, J. M., Jato-Espino, D., Alsulami, B., & CastroFresno, D. (2016). Evaluation of existing sustainable infrastructure rating systems for their application in developing countries. Ecological Indicators, 71, 491–502. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.07.033

Diaz-Sarachaga, J. M., Jato-Espino, D., & Castro-Fresno, D. (2017). Methodology for the development of a new Sustainable Infrastructure Rating System for Developing Countries (SIRSDEC). Environmental Science & Policy, 69, 65–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2016.12.010

Downe-Wamboldt, B. (1992). Content analysis: method, applications, and issues. Health Care for Women International, 13(3), 313–321. https://doi.org/10.1080/07399339209516006

Du, L., Tang, W., Liu, C., Wang, S., Wang, T., Shen, W., & Zhou, Y. (2016). Enhancing engineer-procure-construct project performance by partnering in international markets: Perspective from Chinese construction companies. International Journal of Project Management, 34(1), 30–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2015.09.003

Dunning, J. H. (2000). The eclectic paradigm as an envelope for economic and business theories of MNE activity. International Business Review, 9(2), 163–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0969-5931(99)00035-9

Duvholt, J. E., Follinglo, K. A., Lædre, O., & Lohne, J. (2016). International competition on the Norwegian infrastructure market. Energy Procedia, 96, 855–867. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2016.09.147

Engineering News Record (ENR). (2017). The top 250 international contractors.

Ercan, T., & Koksal, A. (2016). Competitive Strategic Performance Benchmarking (CSPB) model for international construction companies. KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering, 20, 1657–1668. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-015-0733-1

Erramilli, M. K., Agarwal, S., & Kim, S. S. (1997). Are firm-specific advantages location-specific too? Journal of International Business Studies, 28(4), 735–757. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490117

Essl, I., & Mauerhofer, V. (2018). Opportunities for mutual implementation of nature conservation and climate change policies: A multilevel case study based on local stakeholder perceptions. Journal of Cleaner Production, 183, 898–907. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.01.210

Fang, D., Li, M., Fong, P. S. W., & Shen, L. (2004). Risks in Chinese construction market – Contractors’ perspective. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 130(6), 853–861. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2004)130:6(853)

Faridi, A. S., & El-Sayegh, S. M. (2006). Significant factors causing delay in the UAE construction industry. Construction Management and Economics, 24(11), 1167–1176. https://doi.org/10.1080/01446190600827033

Field, A. (2013). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics. Sage Publicactions.

Ghemawat, P. (2004). Distance still matters: The hard reality of global expansion. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2001/09/distance-still-matters-the-hard-reality-of-globalexpansion

Gundes, S., & Aydogan, G. (2016). Bibliometric analysis of research in international construction. Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, 43(4), 304–311. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjce-2015-0127

Gunhan, S., & Arditi, D. (2005). Factors affecting international construction. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 131(3), 273–282. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2005)131:3(273)

Han, S. H., Park, S. H., Kim, D. Y., Kim, H., & Kang, Y. W. (2007). Causes of bad profit in overseas construction projects. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 133(12), 932–943. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2007)133:12(932)

Hong, Y., Chan, D. W., Chan, A. P., & Yeung, J. F. (2011). Critical analysis of partnering research trend in construction journals. Journal of Management in Engineering, 28(2), 82–95. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000084

Ika, L. A., & Donnelly, J. (2017). Success conditions for international development capacity building projects. International Journal of Project Management, 35(6), 1022–1023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2016.10.005

Jang, W., Lee, J. K., Lee, J., & Han, S. H. (2015). Naive Bayesian classifier for selecting good/bad projects during the early stage of international construction bidding decisions. Mathematical Problems in Engineering, 2015, ID 830781. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/830781

Javernick-Will, A. (2013). Local embeddedness and knowledge management strategies for project-based multi-national firms. Engineering Management Journal, 25(3), 16–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/10429247.2013.11431979

Jewell, C. A. (2010). Exporting construction professional services in a global service economy. http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.687.4922&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Jung, W., Han, S. H., Park, H., & Kim, D. Y. (2010). Empirical assessment of internationalization strategies for small and medium construction companies. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 136(12), 1306–1316. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000237

Jung, W., Han, S. H., Koo, B., & Jang, W. (2012). Which strategies are more effective for international contractors during boom and recession periods? Journal of Management in Engineering, 28(3), 281–290. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000087

Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (2007). Using the balanced scorecard as a strategic management system. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2007/07/using-the-balanced-scorecard-as-a-strategic-management-system

Khang, D. B., & Moe, T. L. (2008). Success criteria and factors for international development projects: A life-cycle-based framework. Project Management Journal, 39(1), 72–84. https://doi.org/10.1002/pmj.20034

Kim, D. Y., Ashuri, B., & Han, S. H. (2013). Financial valuation of investments in international construction markets: Realoptions approach for market-entry decisions. Journal of Management in Engineering, 29(4), 355–368. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000152

Kirsch, R. J., Laird, K. R., & Evans, T. G. (2002). The entry of international CPA firms into emerging markets: Motivational factors and growth strategies. The International Journal of Accounting, 35(1), 99–119. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0020-7063(99)00048-5

Kivrak, S., Arslan, G., Tuncan, M., & Birgonul, M. T. (2014). Impact of national culture on knowledge sharing in international construction projects. Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, 41(7), 642–649. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjce-2013-0408

Konijn, P., & van Tulder, R. (2015). Resources-for-infrastructure (R4I) swaps a new model for successful internationalisation strategies of rising power firms? Critical Perspectives on International Business, 11(3/4), 259–284. https://doi.org/10.1108/cpoib-02-2013-0008

Korkmaz, S., & Messner, J. I. (2008). Competitive positioning and continuity of construction firms in international markets. Journal of Management in Engineering, 24(4), 207–216. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0742-597X(2008)24:4(207)

Kytle, B., & Ruggie, J. G. (2005). Corporate social responsibility as risk management. A model for multinationals (Working paper No. 10). Harvard University.

Lambert, D. R. (1980). Price as a quality signal: the tip of the iceberg. Economic Inquiry, 18(1), 144–150. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1465-7295.1980.tb00565.x

Lee, S.-H., Jeon, R.-K., Kim, J.-H., & Kim, J.-J. (2011). Strategies for developing countries to expand their shares in the global construction market: Phase-based SWOT and AAA analyses of Korea. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 137(6), 460–470. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000316

Lee, K.-W., Han, S. H., Park, H., & David Jeong, H. (2016). Empirical analysis of host-country effects in the international construction market: An industry-level approach. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 142(3), 04015092. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001083

Lei, Z., Tang, W., Duffield, C., Zhang, L., & Hui, F. K. P. (2017). The impact of technical standards on international project performance: Chinese contractors’ experience. International Journal of Project Management, 35(8), 1597–1607. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2017.09.002

Ling, F. Y. Y., & Hoi, L. (2006). Risks faced by Singapore firms when undertaking construction projects in India. International Journal of Project Management, 24(3), 261–270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2005.11.003

Liu, X., Buck, T., & Shu, C. (2005). Chinese economic development, the next stage: Outward FDI? International Business Review, 14(1), 97–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2004.12.003

Lu, W., Li, H., Shen, L., & Huang, T. (2009). Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis of Chinese construction companies in the global market. Journal of Management in Engineering, 25(4), 166–176. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0742-597X(2009)25:4(166)

Lu, W., Liu, A. M. M., Rowlinson, S., & Poon, S. W. (2013). Sharpening competitive edge through procurement innovation: Perspectives from Chinese international construction companies. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 139(3), 347–351. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000614

Luu, V. T., Kim, S. Y., & Huynh, T. A. (2008). Improving project management performance of large contractors using benchmarking approach. International Journal of Project Management, 26(7), 758–769. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2007.10.002

Marinič, P., & Záthurecký, V. (2014). Evaluation of the construction industry’s economic situation and expected development according to managers of SMBs. Central European Journal of Management, 1(1), 49–64. https://doi.org/10.5817/CEJM2014-1-5

Meyer, J. W., & Rowan, B. (1977). Institutionalized organizations: Formal structure as myth and ceremony. American Journal of Sociology, 83(2), 340–363. https://doi.org/10.1086/226550

Mizuno, S. (1993). Gerência para melhoria da qualidade: as sete novas ferramentas de controle da qualidade. Rio de Janeiro: LTC.

Mohr, A. T., & Puck, J. F. (2005). Managing functional diversity to improve the performance of international joint ventures. Long Range Planning, 38(2), 163–182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2005.02.004

Monroy Antón, A. J., Sáez Rodríguez, G., & Rodríguez López, Á. (2011). Financial risks in construction projects. African Journal of Business Management, 5(31), 12325–12328. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJBM11.1463

Mosley, J. C., & Bubshait, A. A. (2016). Performance evaluation of international contractors in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice, 142(1), 04015007. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)EI.1943-5541.0000254

Ngowi, A. B., Pienaar, E., Talukhaba, A., & Mbachu, J. (2005). The globalisation of the construction industry – A review. Building and Environment, 40(1), 135–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2004.05.008

Office of Government Commerce. (2009). Managing successful projects with PRINCE2. The Stationery Office.

Öz, Ö. (2001). Sources of competitive advantage of Turkish construction companies in international markets. Construction Management and Economics, 19(2), 135–144. https://doi.org/10.1080/01446190010009988

Ozorhon, B., Arditi, D., Dikmen, I., & Birgonul, M. T. (2010). Performance of international joint ventures in construction. Journal of Management in Engineering, 26(4), 209–222. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000022

Papadopoulos, N., & Martín Martín, O. (2011). International market selection and segmentation: Perspectives and challenges. International Marketing Review, 28(2), 132–149. https://doi.org/10.1108/02651331111122632

Park, H., Lee, K.-W., Jeong, H. D., & Han, S. H. (2014, May). Effect of institutional risks on the performance of international construction projects. In Construction Research Congress 2014. Atlanta, Georgia, USA. https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784413517.216

Parkhe, A. (1991). Interfirm diversity, organizational learning, and longevity in global strategic alliances. Journal of International Business Studies, 22, 579–601. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490315

Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2004). Nursing research: Principles and methods. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Price, A. D. F., & Newson, E. (2003). Strategic management: Consideration of paradoxes, processes, and associated concepts as applied to construction. Journal of Management in Engineering, 19(4), 183–192. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0742-597X(2003)19:4(183)

Rutihinda, C. (2008). Factors influencing the internationalization of small and medium size enterprises. International Business & Economics Research Journal, 7(12), 45–53. https://doi.org/10.19030/iber.v7i12.3312

Sakakibara, M., & Porter, M. E. (2001). Competing at home to win abroad: evidence from Japanese industry. Review of Economics and Statistics, 83(2), 310–322. https://doi.org/10.1162/00346530151143842

Salaman, G., & Asch, D. (2003). Strategy and capability: sustaining organizational change. Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Sambasivan, M., & Soon, Y. W. (2007). Causes and effects of delays in Malaysian construction industry. International Journal of Project Management, 25(5), 517–526. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2006.11.007

Scherer, F. M., & Ross, D. (1990). Industrial market structure and economic performance. University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign’s Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership Historical Research Reference in Entrepreneurship. https://ssrn.com/abstract=1496716

Serra, L. A., Pellicer, E., & Yepes, V. (2017). Method for estimating the social sustainability of infrastructure projects. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 65, 41–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2017.02.004

Sierra, L. A., Yepes, V., & Pellicer, E. (2018). A review of multicriteria assessment of the social sustainability of infrastructures. Journal of Cleaner Production, 187, 496–513. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.03.022

Sullivan, D., & Bauerschmidt, A. (1990). Incremental internationalization: A test of Johanson and Vahlne’s thesis. MIR: Management International Review, 30(1), 19–30.

Utama, W. P., Chan, A. P. C., Zahoor, H., & Gao, R. (2016). Review of research trend in international construction projects: A bibliometric analysis. Construction Economics and Building, 16(2), 71–82. https://doi.org/10.5130/AJCEB.v16i2.4866

Wang, S. Q., Tiong, R. L. K., Ting, S. K., & Ashley, D. (1999). Political risks: Analysis of key contract clauses in China’s BOT project. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 125(3), 190–197. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(1999)125:3(190)

Watt, D. J., Kayis, B., & Willey, K. (2010). The relative importance of tender evaluation and contractor selection criteria. International Journal of Project Management, 28(1), 51–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2009.04.003

Welch, D. E., Welch, L. S., & Marschan-Piekkari, R. (2001). The persistent impact of language on global operations. Prometheus, 19(3), 193–209. https://doi.org/10.1080/08109020110072180

Winch, G. M. (2008). Internationalisation strategies in businessto-business services: The case of architectural practice. Service Industries Journal, 28(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642060701725347

Wu, C. L., Fang, D. P., Liao, P. C., Xue, J. W., Li, Y., & Wang, T. (2015). Perception of corporate social responsibility: The case of Chinese international contractors. Journal of Cleaner Production, 107, 185–194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.04.143

Xia, B., Chan, A., Molenaar, K., & Skitmore, M. (2012). Determining the appropriate proportion of owner-provided design in design-build contracts: Content analysis approach. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 138(9), 1017– 1022. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000522

Xiaopeng, D., & Pheng, L. S. (2013). Understanding the critical variables affecting the level of political risks in international construction projects. KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering, 17, 895–907. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-013-0354-5

Yalegama, S., Chileshe, N., & Ma, T. (2016). Critical success factors for community-driven development projects: A Sri Lankan community perspective. International Journal of Project Management, 34(4), 643–657. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2016.02.006

Yang, H., Chan, A. P. C., & Yeung, J. F. Y. (2015). Niche width, competitive positioning, and performance of international construction contractors (1992–2009). Journal of Management in Engineering, 31(3), 04014040. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000250

Ye, K., Lu, W., & Jiang, W. (2009). Concentration in the international construction market. Construction Management and Economics, 27(12), 1197–1207. https://doi.org/10.1080/01446190903222429

Yildiz, A. E., Dikmen, I., Birgonul, M. T., Ercoskun, K., & Alten, S. (2014). A knowledge-based risk mapping tool for cost estimation of international construction projects. Automation in Construction, 43, 144–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2014.03.010

Yitmen, I. (2013). Organizational cultural intelligence: A competitive capability for strategic alliances in the international construction industry. Project Management Journal, 44(4), 5–25. https://doi.org/10.1002/pmj.21356

Zafar, S., Tabish, S., & Jha, K. N. (2012). Success traits for a construction project. Jornal of Construction Engineering and Management, 138(10), 1131–1138. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000538

Zhao, Z.-Y., Tang, C., Zhang, X., & Skitmore, M. (2017). Agglomeration and competitive position of contractors in the international construction sector. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 143(6), 04017004. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001284

Zhao, Z. Y., & Shen, L. Y. (2008). Are Chinese contractors competitive in international markets? Construction Management and Economics, 26(3), 225–236. https://doi.org/10.1080/01446190801905380

Zhao, Z. Y., Shen, L. Y., & Zuo, J. (2009). Performance and strategy of Chinese contractors in the international market. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 135(2), 108–118. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2009)135:2(108)

Zhao, Z. Y., Xu, K., Zuo, J., & Tang, C. (2016). Developing the international construction contracting market: Enterprise niche approach. Journal of Management in Engineering, 33(1), 04016027. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000470

Zich, R. (2014). An analysis of terminology of concepts of competitiveness in the presentations of strategic development of selected car manufacturers. Central European Journal of Management, 1(1), 13–24. https://doi.org/10.5817/CEJM2014-1-2