Japanese Contractors in Overseas Markets: Bridging Cultural and Communication Gaps

Kazuhito Suzuki holds B.E.(Civil Engineering) and M.E.(Civil & Environmental Engineering) degrees from Waseda University, Japan. He began his professional career at the Kajima Corporation, which is the leading general contractor in Japan, with a turnover of some S＄12.5 billion per year. He won the Kajima President’s Award for Project Management and Safety Management (2013) as well as a Special Award for Project Management from the Kajima Architectural Division (2013) before going on to complete a Ph.D. degree program at the National University of Singapore. With international experience spanning across several countries (Japan, Vietnam, Algeria, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia), Dr Suzuki is currently a Senior Construction Manager at the Kajima Corporation. Low Sui Pheng is currently a Professor of Building at the School of Design and Environment, National University of Singapore, where he previously served as Head and Vice‐Dean. He teaches construction project management and has published, researched and consulted extensively both in Singapore and overseas. A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building, he holds a Higher Doctorate D.Sc. (Civil Engineering) degree from the University of Birmingham and a Ph.D. degree from University College London.