The role and usefulness of strategic planning has been documented over several decades of strategic management research. Despite the significant body of existing knowledge in the field of strategic planning, there remains limited empirical investigation of the construction sector, specifically professional service firms operating within it. The construction sector is hugely important to the Irish economy, yet until now, no empirical investigation has been undertaken to determine the strategic planning process in construction professional practices in Ireland.A two-phase mixed methods study was undertaken to ascertain the extent of strategic planning within Quantity Surveying practices in Ireland. Characteristics of the strategic planning process differ between practices to such a degree that three groups of practices are apparent. Groups are differentiated along dimensions of size and ownership structure, which influence the generic strategies and competitive positioning of practices. Strategic planning process formality and the existence of a written plan are positively associated with large practices that form part of a global organisation. Informal strategic planning is undertaken in practices without a written strategic plan but tends to be tactical (project-based) rather than strategic in nature.The realisation of the need for systematic strategic planning in QS practices is, however, beginning to emerge, given the turbulent environment within which the firms are competing.While, the conclusions drawn are specific to the QS profession, the research has been designed such that it has potential to be applied to other professional practices.

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. Purpose -Professional quantity surveying (QS) services are critical to successful delivery of construction projects within planned budget, quality and duration. The supply of QS professional services is largely dependent on the price level of services and the willingness of clients to pay. The pricing of professional QS consultancy services has been confronted with a myriad of pricing challenges due to rapid changes in the business environment; the pervasive influence of information technology; and the complexity of clients' expectation. It is therefore necessary for QS consultancy firms to develop strategic competences for the pricing of their services. In addition, numerous studies have not given the pricing the pricing of professional services the requisite attention. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the strategic competences for pricing professional QS services. Design/methodology/approach -The study was positioned within the positivist tradition. As a result, the quantitative approach was adopted using a survey questionnaire to collect data from QS consultants. The sample size of the study was 79 professional quantity surveyors chosen by using simple random sampling technique from a population of 372 registered professional QS of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors. Using the χ 2 test and factor analysis, the study established relationship between strategic competences and pricing of QS services. Findings -The study found that strategic competences for pricing QS professional services is significantly related to the managerial and professional competence of QS consultants. The strategic competences of QS consultants identified by this study include business management, services cost management; and production capabilities. Practical implications -This study provides an empirical basis for QS consultancy firms to focus on strategic direction of their contractual arrangement with clients. Practically, resource configuration and on strategic competences for professional service pricing would create price leadership. Originality/value -The study advances the pricing knowledge within the QS practice by demonstrating the nexus between strategic competences and the pricing of ...

Construction firms operate within a business environment characterized by uncertainty and a lack of predictability, increasing the complexity of strategic decision-making. Construction contractor firms' strategic response to environmental turbulence is appropriately documented but evidence regarding Construction Professional Service Firms (CPSF'S) remains scarce. CPSF's are characteristically different from contractor organizations due to the intangibility of services and high knowledge intensity. The purpose of the study is to ascertain the impact of environmental turbulence on strategic decision-making process characteristics in CPSF's, specifically Irish Quantity Surveying (QS) practices. Using a mixed-methods research strategy, data collected over two dissimilar stages on the economic cycle is presented. A comparative analysis over time exposes the varied impact of environmental turbulence on strategy process characteristics, however, a notable shift in the strategic choice is evident. An emergent approach to strategizing coupled with a move from written strategic plans is evident, while competitor analysis remains superficial. A taxonomy of the strategic decision-making process is derived from the empirical data which uniquely highlights the role of path dependence for CPSFs. The paper provides theoretical advancement in the discipline of CPSF strategy and also identifies a crucial component for consideration in driving transformational change required across the sector.

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