Culture in International Construction

Other text in scientific journal, 2013

In the preface to Culture in International Construction, the reader is promised ‘extensive insights from hands-on experiences, combined with a state-of-the-art overview of the latest results from leading research’ (p. xiii). After reading the book, a promotional blurb readily comes to mind: ‘Two for the price of one’. Indeed, rather than one book, the hard covers in hand enfold two texts, seemingly with different approaches and different aims, speaking to different audiences in very different styles. From the point of view of the promise quoted above, the first three chapters provide the academic overview while the three last chapters tackle the hands-on experiences. Although each part of the book displays a rich array of information and interesting aspects of the construction industry and its people, the lack of an overall coherent framing and focus not only makes for difficult reading, but also raises more questions than the book answers.