External Risk Management Practices of Chinese Construction Firms in Singapore

External risk management encompasses many areas such as finance, politics and national cultures, and there are many literatures that focus significantly on risk management in each area. Managing external risks are not unlike managing project risks and the same principles that are applied to project risk management may well be used to manage external risks. However, although external risk management is a critical success factor for many construction firms who have ventured out of their home countries, like project risks, this is often neglected by construction firms and construction firms generally either do not have sufficient knowledge pertinent to external risk management, or tend to overlook the effects that a lack of external risk management may have on their businesses. The objective of this study is to examine how construction firms attempt to manage external risks during the period that they venture into host countries. The study anchors on the external risk management practices of Chinese contractors that have ventured out of Mainland China into Singapore. A survey was conducted of all Chinese contractors in Singapore to gain a better insight into the external risk management practices which a typical Chinese contractor implements. From these, areas that may be improved in the current external risk management system will also be discussed to gain a learning experience from what is currently being practised in the industry.