Industrial construction competitiveness. Venezuelan case study

Published in: Innovation and Development for the Americas: Engineering, Education, Research and Development: Proceedings of the 8th Latin American and Caribbean Conference for Engineering and Technology
Date of Conference: June 1-4, 2010
Location of Conference: Arequipa, Peru
Authors: Licia Pietrosemoli de Dikdan
Carlos Rodríguez Monroy
Refereed Paper: #56

Abstract

Current global challenges force individuals, companies and countries to reach the best performance levels in order to find and exceed the results planned accordingly for each need. Competitiveness is a mechanism to measure performance, it serves as a benchmark to evaluate what sort of problems are presented to individuals, states and companies and the solutions that can be completed to achieve better results. As construction is one of the most important activities worldwide because of the jobs and revenue it generates, it is essential to identify factors that may help to improve its results. Therefore, this research, conducted through document review and field work in Venezuela's industrial construction company assesses factors affecting the competitive performance of the case study and country in general, understanding that similar problems may have a significant impact on other developing nations. Finally, some strategies are proposed to improve competitiveness and favor sustainable development. Among them competitive policy development, knowledge management, cultural changes and coordinated work between states, individuals, universities and companies.