The Internationalization of Engineering Consultancies: Problems of Breaking into the Club

Changing global trends in the location of engineering consultancies are examined. This reveals the relative decline of firms headquartered in North America and the rise of European-based counterparts. It raises the question of why multinationals located in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East have not broken into this Western club in greater numbers. Of particular interest is the relatively poor showing of consultancies based in Japan, Korea, and the Philippines—countries conspicuously successful in exporting construction contracting.

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