Culture can be a significant contributor to, or hindrance to, a team’s success. Research has clearly established that failing to have a cohesive team culture creates a severe challenge to any team effort. Culture is also something that everyone brings with them to the team. Yet, developing an understanding of what the team culture is, what constitutes a cohesive team culture, and how to modify it such that it enhances the probability of team success is a challenge to team leaders. Cultural team challenges exist within holistic, that is, teams from a single nation, or multinational teams. Cultural Influences in Engineering Projects provides team leaders and interested individuals a cohesive source of information, ideas, and approaches on how to understand, analyze, develop cultural transition plans, and methods which can improve or modify a team’s culture toward success. Cultural Influences in Engineering Projects also includes an extensive literature review reference set which provides the reader a ready source where they can continue to expand their cultural knowledge base and ultimately improve their probability of successfully managing holistic and multinational teams.

This book presents the proceedings of CRIOCM2018, 23rd International Symposium on Advancement of Construction Management and Real Estate, sharing the latest developments in real estate and construction management around the globe. The conference was organized by the Chinese Research Institute of Construction Management (CRIOCM) working in close collaboration with Guizhou Institute of Technology (GIT). Written by international academics and professionals, the proceedings discuss the latest achievements, research findings and advances in frontier disciplines in the field of construction management and real estate. Covering a wide range of topics, including New-type urbanization, land development and land use, urban planning and infrastructure construction, housing market and housing policy, real estate finance and investment, new theories and practices on construction project management, smart city, BIM technologies and applications, construction management in big data era, green architecture and eco-city, rural rejuvenation and eco-civilization, other topics related to construction management and real estate, the discussions provide valuable insights into the advancement of construction management and real estate in the new era. The book is an outstanding reference resource for academics and professionals alike.

To enhance the nation's economic productivity and improve the quality of life worldwide, engineering education in the United States must anticipate and adapt to the dramatic changes of engineering practice. The Engineer of 2020 urges the engineering profession to recognize what engineers can build for the future through a wide range of leadership roles in industry, government, and academia-not just through technical jobs. Engineering schools should attract the best and brightest students and be open to new teaching and training approaches. With the appropriate education and training, the engineer of the future will be called upon to become a leader not only in business but also in nonprofit and government sectors. The book finds that the next several decades will offer more opportunities for engineers, with exciting possibilities expected from nanotechnology, information technology, and bioengineering. Other engineering applications, such as transgenic food, technologies that affect personal privacy, and nuclear technologies, raise complex social and ethical challenges. Future engineers must be prepared to help the public consider and resolve these dilemmas along with challenges that will arise from new global competition, requiring thoughtful and concerted action if engineering in the United States is to retain its vibrancy and strength.

Engineering skills and knowledge are foundational to technological innovation and development that drive long-term economic growth and help solve societal challenges. Therefore, to ensure national competitiveness and quality of life it is important to understand and to continuously adapt and improve the educational and career pathways of engineers in the United States. To gather this understanding it is necessary to study the people with the engineering skills and knowledge as well as the evolving system of institutions, policies, markets, people, and other resources that together prepare, deploy, and replenish the nation's engineering workforce. This report explores the characteristics and career choices of engineering graduates, particularly those with a BS or MS degree, who constitute the vast majority of degreed engineers, as well as the characteristics of those with non-engineering degrees who are employed as engineers in the United States. It provides insight into their educational and career pathways and related decision making, the forces that influence their decisions, and the implications for major elements of engineering education-to-workforce pathways.

Without an effective network it is much harder to get a job, find business, influence people and much more. Most people are aware of this, but are not so sure how to go about building, maintaining and using a network. "Payforward Networking" is for these people. Based on the networking workshops taught for many years by communication consultant Andrew Hennigan in business schools and companies, it presents a simple, methodical approach to networking that is both effective and easy to master. At the same time it is also built on ethical "white hat" methods that will not make you feel uncomfortable or manipulative. The book covers the basics of networking in real-life and online, the essentials of online reputation management, the impact of culture on networking, strategic networking and much more.

Although institutions of higher education have recognized the need for preparing their graduates for a digitalized, global workplace, these efforts have been sporadic, individualized, and varied from discipline to discipline. Nevertheless, over the past 10 years, trends such as “double classrooms,” “inverted classrooms,” and “collaborative online international learning” (COIL) have gained traction at universities across the globe. With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, efforts to engage students in the use of digital tools and virtual collaborative teamwork increased tenfold. Creative and innovative virtual learning environments (VLEs) have emerged, and instructors have used them to connect with their students much more frequently. The holistic nature of virtual learning, its impact on employability, and the development of global citizenry have become prime areas of research amongst the digital education landscape. Now more than ever, it is essential to look at virtual learning environments and how they can be used to prepare students and employees for the opportunities and challenges of a global, digital workplace. Developments in Virtual Learning Environments and the Global Workplace provides readers with a rationale and tool kit for facilitating virtual learning in a wide variety of contexts in response to the opportunities and challenges presented by the digital global workplace. This book covers virtual learning practices, the value of virtual learning for professionals and employers, and the best practices in online learning in different settings. Additionally, the chapters dive into the future perspectives and trends within virtual learning environments and the creation/evaluation of virtual learning strategies. These insights range from diverse countries, education levels, industry sectors, and academic disciplines, making this book a comprehensive research tool. This book will greatly benefit e-learning and instructional designers, university senior managers, university staff responsible for mobility and exchange, researchers, professionals responsible for organizational development and further education, human resource directors, global company executives, managers, practitioners, stakeholders, academicians, and students looking for information on how virtual learning environments are preparing students for the global workplace.

For newly hired young engineers assigned to their first real 'project', there has been little to offer in the way of advice on 'where to begin', 'what to look out for and avoid', and 'how to get the job done right'. This book gives this advice from an author with long experience as senior engineer in government and industry (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Exxon-Mobil). Beginning with guidance on understanding the typical organizational structure of any type of technical firm or company, author Plummer incorporates numerous hands-on examples and provides help on getting started with a project team, understanding key roles, and avoiding common pitfalls. In addition, he offers unique help on first-time experiences of working in other countries with engineering cultures that can be considerably different from the US. Reviews essentials of management for any new engineer suddenly thrust into responsibility Emphasizes skills that can get you promoted—and pitfalls that can get you fired Expanded case study to show typical evolution of a new engineer handed responsibility for a major design project