Description:

Course is oriented mainly on practical applications of corporate construction management systems. It includes corporate strategy, corporate finance and budgeting, marketing and methods of business development, etc. Sustainable profitability of the construction business and the best practice at both - field and corporate level is explained.
Lectures are based on the real practice experience of all course's lecturers and various case studies are studied and solved.
Online Building Industry Game (BIG) will be played by all course participants through the whole semester (a computer simulation of a realistic business environment where participants play the role of contractors, competing in a market with variable demand for construction work). In this online game, developed and directly operated by the California Polytechnic State University, students act as contractors, managing both, their companies and projects.

Contents:

1. Strategy and Construction Business
2. Business Strategies to Minimize the Risk of Business Failure, Risk management
3. Organizing in Construction Company
4. Contractors and Subcontractors
5. Estimating and Cost Accounting in Construction Business
6. Bidding and Contract Documents
7. Marketing and Business Development
8. Controlling in Construction Company
9. Human Resources & Ethics
10. How to Keep Construction Company Profitable
11. Leadership Challenges
12. Financially Troubled Contractor
13. Company Performance Checklist
14. Summary and Recap

Seminar contents:

Tutorials correspond to the contents of lectures. They provide practical case studies and examples.
Participation in online computer construction business and entrepreneur game from CalPoly, CA, USA.

Recommended literature:

!Clough,R. et al. Construction Contracting: Practical Guide to Company Management, New Jersey : Wiley, 8th.ed. 2015. ISBN 978-1-118-69321-6.
!Schleifer, T.C., Sullivan, K. T., Murdough, J.M. Managing the Profitable Construction Business, New Jersey : Wiley, 2014. 978-1-118-83694-1.
?Civitello, A.M., Levy, S.M. Construction Operations Manual of Policies and Procedures, McGraw-Hill, 5th ed., 2014, ISBN 978-0071826945.
!Schaufelberger, J. Management of Construction Projects, New York : Routledge. 2nd ed. 2017, ISBN 978--1-138-69389.
?McCaffer, R., Harris, F., Edum-Fotwe, F. Modern Construction Management, Oxford : Wiley-Blackwell, 7th edition, 2013, ISBN 978-0-470-67217-4.

Keywords:

construction company management, construction company profitability

Abbreviations used:

Semester:

• W ... winter semester (usually October - February)
• S ... spring semester (usually March - June)
• W,S ... both semesters

Mode of completion of the course:

• A ... Assessment (no grade is given to this course but credits are awarded. You will receive only P (Passed) of F (Failed) and number of credits)
• GA ... Graded Assessment (a grade is awarded for this course)
• EX ... Examination (a grade is awarded for this course)
• A, EX ... Examination (the award of Assessment is a precondition for taking the Examination in the given subject, a grade is awarded for this course)

Weekly load (hours per week):

• P ... lecture
• C ... seminar
• L ... laboratory
• R ... proseminar
• S ... seminar