Analyzing business management and technology characteristics of small and medium sized architectural design firms in Turkey

Abstract

Globalization affects the way business is conducted. The worldwideopenness of the markets creates both opportunities and threats for localcompanies. To survive and prosper in the new economic system, companieswill need to develop new strategies. Therefore, analyzing the businessand technology characteristics of small to medium size firms is criticalin order to develop strategies to facilitate their integration toglobalization. The paper presents the technology and businesscharacteristics of small and medium sized (SMEs) architectural designfirms in Turkey. The findings related to firms' strengths include thatSMEs can adopt new technologies as long as commercial benefits areevident, that they are well aware of the importance of businessdevelopment skills, and that they have an extensive partnershipexperience as well as some strategic planning culture. The findingsrelated to firms' weaknesses indicate that SMEs lack the necessaryskills to manage organizational growth, do not use project managementsoftware extensively, are not actively involved in new and effectiveproject management technologies, and display low levels ofspecialization.