Halpin, D W; Paulson, B C; Schub, A and Willenbrock, J H (1987) Construction education and research in central Europe. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 113(3), pp. 468-479. ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Construction engineering and management education in Central Europe, and its relationship to practice in the construction industry, have concepts that could benefit their counterparts in the United States. This paper first describes the system of education in Central European technical universities, then reviews curricula in four cases. University research practices are also examined and compared to U.S. counterparts, as is the role of academics in industry. While there are many similarities between the two systems, there is more technical content in European degree programs, but at the expense of liberal arts courses. They have more decentralized autonomy in budgeting and staffing, with larger staff sizes to support comparable numbers of faculty and students; but they have lower capital equipment budgets. Finally, characteristics of the Central European construction industry that support research and innovation are examined. These include top management's greater interest in technology and innovation, a comparative lack of the legal liability problems, a bid evaluation system which encourages contractors to submit design alternatives, in-house contractor research laboratories, and a more cooperative contract administration climate.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Index terms: | research practice, top management, construction education, program, budgeting, liability, laboratory, United States, construction industry, construction engineering, bid evaluation, Europe, contract administration |
| Subjects: | Geography, contract management, financial management, management, physical geography and landforms, tendering, software systems, engineering methods, industry analysis, liability law, research management, professional education, research design and methodology |
| Topics: | Procurement, Business Strategy, Engineering Principles, Geographical Context, Research Practice, Organizational Design, Contract Administration, Education, Digital Applications, Legal Issues |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here