UNDERSTANDING CRITICAL VARIABLES CONTRIBUTING TO COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES OF INTERNATIONAL HIGHSPEED RAILWAY CONTRACTORS

摘要

This article is devoted to identifying and explaining the critical variables contributing to competitive advantages in international High-Speed Railway (HSR) projects from the contractor's perspective. A total of 24 variables were identified by the literature review and a pilot study. An international questionnaire survey was performed to obtain professional opinions from both practitioners and the academy. The 24 variables were ranked and clustered into 6 factors using exploratory factor analysis. Furthermore, a case study of the Early Train Operator project of the California HSR was carried out by the survey, interview, and first-hand data. The results indicated that the top six ranked variables are (1) None Accident History, (2) Eligibility & International Criteria, (3) Contract Reputation, (4) Marketing Strategy, (5) Risk Management Capability, and (6) Technical Responsiveness. Furthermore, the 24 variables are grouped into six dimensions: Glocalization, Marketing, Safety, Economics, Technology, and Responsibility. The case study indicated that the factor framework was suitable and tractable for the application. The findings of this paper could (1) assist international HSR contractors in obtaining a better understanding of the deeper determinates of competitive advantages and (2) serve as a valuable reference for developing their competitive advantages in the international HSR market.