營建業國際化模型與國際營造廠因應開發中國家制度壓力之策略模型

Abstract

儘管建築行業本質上是“當地”的，但建築行業的全球化已成為不可避免的 現實。由於發達國家的基礎設施發展趨于飽和，市場機會有限，營造廠必須跨越國界尋找潛在市場和就業機會。營造廠在國際化過程會面臨各種嚴峻的挑戰，本研究針對營造廠國際化兩個重要且在過去研究被忽略的兩個議題進行理論模型建立以及個案實證探討，並且得出模型之應用意涵以供廠商參考：第一個議題為「營造廠之國際化過程與策略」，第二個議題為「營造廠應如何因應新興國家之制度環境的壓力與挑戰」。 第一，針對營造廠之國際化過程與策略，本研究提出了一個營造廠國際化過程的動態概念模型，即動態OLI營建國際化模型，其融合了兩種主要且互補的觀點。接著，本研究依據所提出之動態概念模型進一步推導出營造廠的國際化應用模型，其描述了國際化過程的三個階段，並解釋了在每個階段應採取的策略及這些策略的制定方式。最後，為評估所提出的模型，本研究以享有盛譽且在日本營造業國際化歷程中國際化程度最高的「熊谷組」株式會社為個案進行其七十多年國際化過程之縱向研究。 第二個議題是關乎國際營造廠的專案執行問題。由前面國際化過程的模型我們看見營造廠面臨許多挑戰，其中較少人關注但卻極其重要的議題便是如何因應不同國家的制度環境與壓力，尤其在新興國家。新興國家之基礎設施的開發為營建業的企業提供了潛在的市場，然而這些國家的專案環境通常受到不穩定的經濟、法律和政治體系的影響，其獨特的社會文化和制度規範常常主導著正式制度，展現出已開發國家所不熟悉的特徵。由於這些制度環境的特殊性，來自已開發國家的國際投資者在執行專案時，往往面臨艱鉅的挑戰。本研究提出了一種名為GPLEN的權變模型，用於制定因應策略並指引業者在新興國家執行國際專案時如何應對地主國制度環境的壓力或挑戰。為驗證所開發的情境模型，本研究針對尼泊爾，一個新興的低度開發國家(LDC)，的兩個大型國際專案進行了深入的探索性研究，分析了專案執行中與當地制度環境密切相關的10個事件。 就學術貢獻而言，本研究提出了營造廠國際化模型，彌補了營建管理文獻在國際化過程探討的缺口，又針對國際化過程中必然會經歷、影響重大、但卻未被深入研究之制度環境與壓力議題，提出了因應策略之模型；同時，本研究針對所提出之模型亦進行了實證之評估。就實務貢獻而言，本研究提供了營造廠應該如何進行國際化之策略框架與指引，亦提供了營造廠在新興國家應如何因應制度環境與壓力之策略。

Even though the construction industry is “Local” by nature, its globalization has become unavoidable. Limitation of the market opportunities in developed countries by saturation in infrastructure development the firms involved in the construction industry have to pave their path across the border in search of potential market and job opportunities. However, construction firms face various critical challenges in the process of internationalization. In this study, we focused on two crucial but not well studied issues, developed theoretical models concerning the two issues, and provided empirical evaluations for the proposed theoretical models. The first issue is the construction firms’ internationalization process and the strategies for internationalization. The second issue is how international construction firms should respond strategically to the institutional challenges in different countries, especially in emerging countries. First, regarding the internationalization process and strategies of construction firms, this study proposed a conceptual model called the Dynamic-OLI model for the dynamic process of internationalization, which integrated two primary and complementary views of internationalization. Then, an application model was developed based on the proposed conceptual model. The application model hypothesized the internationalization process as a sequential development of three stages and provided strategies for each stage. At last, a longitudinal case study of Kumagai Gumi’s more than seventy years of internationalization process was conducted to evaluate the proposed models empirically. The second issue concerns the implementation of international projects. Among the many problems international firms face during their project implementation, one important but not well studied issue is how to tackle institutional challenges across different countries, especially emerging ones. The infrastructure development of emerging countries creates potential markets for construction firms in the construction industry. The project environment in emerging countries is often characterized by unstable economic, Juridical, and legislative systems, so the distinctive societal culture and normative institutions frequently have a dominant position within formal institutions, displaying unique characteristics uncommon in developed economies. Due to this unique characteristic of institutional settings, investors from developed nations in the construction sector often encounter exceptional difficulties associated with the local organizational and institutional environments when undertaking construction projects in emerging economies. Therefore, a contingency model called GPLEN was developed to derive strategies and to guide the entrant construction firms on appropriate approaches to handle institutional pressures or challenges exerted by the host’s institutional environments during the execution of international projects in emerging countries. An in-depth exploratory study of two major international projects implemented in an emerging LDC is conducted to validate the developed contingency model. The case study analyzed the critical events during the implementation of each project, identified the crucial institutional knowledge to be learned, and described how to derive strategies while responding to institutional issues in emerging countries. This study's academic contribution to the literature is filling the gaps in knowledge concerning the internationalization process, its strategies and strategic responses to institutional challenges during project implementation. Practically, this study may help construction firms devise better strategies at each stage of the internationalization process and know how to respond strategically to the institutional challenges that international construction firms might be facing.