Search results for ""Author Hedley Smyth""

The emphasis here is to explore the key issues influencing the culture, strategies and management operations of professional practices. The focus is upon established practices from growing ones to large international firms in the built environment. A key aim of the book is to promote aspects of management by function and activities, with discipline acting as context rather than the primary focus. The book is structured into sections around 3 main themes: managing the organisation; and managing specific issues that affect operations, and a third section reflects upon management from practitioner experience. Section I: 'Managing the organisation' looks at how the history of the firm creates both opportunities and rigidities for developing the practice, in terms of culture and market position, strategies and implementation, financial, marketing and HR management. Section II: 'Managing specific strategic and tactical issues' looks at how these affect approaches a discipline and operational processes in practices. These issues compliment those covered in Section I. Section III: 'Reflecting on practice' covers experience of those in practice and top practitioners detail how they are addressing key issues in their practice and for their discipline. Each chapter by a practitioner has a postscript from academic authors to make links back to research on theory and application. Addresses the key issues facing practice managers Collects latest research from leading academics Offers comment on current practice from top practitioners

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Construction Project Organising Discover foundational and cutting-edge ideas in the organisation of construction projects In Construction Project Organising, an authoritative team of construction researchers delivers a comprehensive exploration of the many organisational processes and forms that can be found in construction project organising and the many dimensions that can influence these forms. The authors examine these dimensions, detailing their importance to projects and enabling managers to respond to calls by industry professionals for more collaborative forms of organising that focus on value creation. The book investigates the relationship between structure and action, and how patterns of action are created, recreated and maintained by scrutinising the myriad of organisational arrangements between clients, financiers, design teams, contractors, stakeholders and supply chains. It also discusses different concepts in the development and management of construction project organisations, including formation and maintenance issues. Construction Project Organising highlights some of the key issues that remain underdeveloped in the modern literature. It also includes: A thorough description of the rapidly changing socio-economic, technological, digital and data-driven context in which construction projects are designed and delivered A comprehensive examination of different concepts in the development and management of construction project organisations A practical investigation of the relationship between structure and action and how action patterns are created, recreated and maintained Grounded advice to help readers respond to calls by industry for more collaborative forms of project organisation focused on value creation Perfect for researchers, academics and advanced students of construction and similar disciplines, Construction Project Organising is also a must-read resource for construction professionals and the consultants who serve them.

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The latest research is presented here on both contractual and conceptual collaborative practices in construction. The editors identify common problems faced by the industry and draw out practical implications. Construction projects are increasingly run in ways that challenge the traditional boundary of the firm – and sometimes also the definition of the project coalition and programme management. And all this in the context of construction firms whose clients demand ever increasing performance improvements and who also want to improve their strategies for greater collaboration to give themselves competitive advantage. In Collaborative Relationships in Construction the editors identify three main themes: collaborative relationships, operating both in frameworks and within networks of contacts, e.g. relational contracting in partnering, supply chain management and other procurement-driven initiatives. The second theme is frameworks, both contractual frameworks binding parties together over a series of contracts, and conceptual frameworks used to develop future performance improvement arising from the proactive strategies of firms. The third theme is the network of relationships that supports individuals and firms within the project coalition in delivering services and adding value to improve performance. These networks define the investment and incentives supporting the inter-firm and intra-firm relationships, as well as the formal contractual conditions through which such incentives flow. Networks of information exchange define the structure of the activity and help predict organisational configurations for successful project outcomes. The book probes the corporate entities of both client and contractor organisations, analysing new ways of working to encourage the move towards more collaborative practices in the construction industry.

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