ÖZET Bu çalışmanın amacı, Yurt dışı İnşaat Sektöründe faaliyet gösteren Türk müteahhit firmaların bu pazarlardaki rekabet gücünün ve pazardaki diğer firmalar karşısındaki göreceli konumunun belirlenmesidir. Çalışma Türkiye'de 197011 yılların başından günümüze dek yurt dışında iş üstlenen 20 özel müteahhit işletmeyi kapsayan bir anket uygulamasının sonuçlarına dayanmaktadır. Bu kapsamda çalışma, yurt dışı pazarlara ilişkin bir tanımlayıcı inceleme niteliği taşımaktadır. Yurt dışı Müteahhitlik Hizmetleri, teknoloji birikimi ; istihdam, döviz girdisi ve ihracat açısından ülkemiz ekonomisine önemli katkılar sağlayan bir sektördür. Bu incelemede, ` ekonominin lokomotifi ` sayılan İnşaat Sektörü içinde yer alan Dış Müteahhitlik Hizmetlerinin yaşadığı sorunlar araştırılmış ve bu hizmetlerin geliştirilmesi için bir dizi öneri sunulmaya çalışılmıştır. Bulgulara dayanılarak çalışmanın sonucu şöyle özetlenebilir: Türk müteahhit firmaların yurt dışı pazarlarda rakiplerine karşı avantajlı olduğu yönler ( çabuk organize edilebilir ve ucuz işgücü, firmaların geçmiş iş tecrübeleri ) yanısıra, dezavantajlı olduğu yönlerin pazarda yaşadıkları sorunlardan kaynaklandığı tespit edilmiştir. Bu sorunların çözümü ile ilgili olarak kamu ve özel sektörün çalışmalarını hızlandırması gerekmektedir. IX SUMMARY TURKISH CONTRACTORS' OPERATIONS IN THE INTERNATIONAL MARKETS In the late 1970's, the construction / contracting sector began to expand its activities abroad. While transferring its own knowledge and experience to other countries, the sector was faced with the challenge of adapting to more advanced techniques and technologies in many areas, and therefore adopted a structure capable of keeping up with current developments in order to be able to remain competetive at the international level. The oil price shock of 1973 boosted the foreign currency reserves of the oil producing countries, and the rapid increase of investment in these countries created a large market for contracting services. However, the subsequent fall in oil prices, the eventual completion of major investments, as well as the emergence of local contractors have contributed to a slowdown of entry into these markets during recent years. Furthermore, The Gulf War has also had a negative effect on the sector, which resulted in the loss of contracts worth 4 billion dollars. The process of reforms and the transition to a market economy in the Soviet Union however, is beginning to compensate for losses elsewhere by opening new horizons for the Turkish contracting sector. The subsequent disintegration of the USSR, the emergence of the Independent Turkish Republics have reinforced enriched these new horizons. Projects undertaken included hospitals, social facilities, hotels, housing complexes, business centers, water treatment plants, storage and distribution facilities for drugs.In addition, all the reconstruction activity that has been Mated by the unification of Germany has created yet another foreign market for Turkish contractors, and the possibility that they might be able to bring their own workers to employ in Germany makes this market very valuable both for them and for economy as a whole. Turkish contracting and consulting companies, which have been expanding their activities abroad extensively since 1977, are now competing fiecely in international markets with the major contractor companies of the world. The number of huge projects undertaken by Turkish companies in The Middle East, North Africa and Russia, has steadily increased since the late 70's. This new phenomenon, which has now become one of the major prospects for the Turkish economy, has come about thanks to the successful achievements of Turkish contracting companies, who are also the major and reputed representatives of the Turkish economy abroad. Turkish construction companies, which were originally established to meet the necessities of the State's intensive construction programs in the 1950's, gained importance and experience thanks to their activities in domestic construction markets during this period. Up to the end of the 1970's this market was very fertile soil for the development of construction companies. However, with the beginning of a depressed home market following this period of prosperity, major companies of necessity turned their attentions towards foreign markets. The enormous Middle Eastern construction market was the closest and easiest one for Turkish contractors to enter, so initially they moved into this region as subcontractors. Since then they have built up a substantial involvement in Middle Eastern markets. Particularly in the early 1980's, most of the larger firms quickly progressed to the direct handling of major projects. The Turkish construction industry, after first capturing the domestic market, took its trained manpower, experienced management teams and broad range of equipment and machinery into tough foreign markets and in a very short time succeeded in holding a good position in those markets. According to a survey conducted by the Middle East Economic Digest in 1983, of the 100 top contractors in the Middle Eastern and North African construction markets, where the strongest contractors of the U.S.A., South Korea, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, West Germany and France are all engaged in cut- XIthroat competition, 8 are Turkish, On the list of ` Top 100 Contractors in the Middle East ` prepared by MEED, a Turkish company occupies the eight position, while another occupies the 10th, and six other Turkish contracting firms all occupy positions among the top fifty or so companies. The achievements of Turkish contractors in those markets are impressive, especially if one considers the fierce competition of major contracting firms of world. As of end 1991, most of the sector's continuing activities in oil-producing countries have come to be concentrated in Libya, while none of the 20 companies which were previously active in Iraq have remained there after the crisis. The amount of foreign currency actually repatriated by Turkish contractors operating abroad was 2.9 billion dollars as of end 1991. Turkish contractors, having acquired considerable experience and knowledge through collaboration with experienced European and American companies in the oil producing contries, have, over the years, fed this experience and technology back into domestic projects, thereby contributing to a qualitative jump at home. Turkey possesses vast human resources in the form of trained technical personnel and both skilled and unskilled labour, all of which can be exported to the target countries relatively little time. Turkish contractors accumulated considerable knowledge and experience in' their initial operations working as subcontractors to major West European firms. This was a fortunate way to begin, because by this arrangement they were shielded from direct confrontation with foreign employers while providing themselves with access to Western tecnology and know-how. In addition to this human capital and technical expertise Turkish construction firms working abroad also have access to a relatively broad base of physical capital in the form of up-to-date machinery and equipment. Turkish construction firms have also been able to increase their sources of financing both from Turkey and abroad. Many Turkish firms, despite their successfull achievements in the Middle Eastern and North African markets feel their potential has not yet been fully appreciated overseas. They feel they are doing work abroad which is weel below their technological capacity, and in fact even below what they have already achieved XUat home. In the coining years, Turkish contractors will undertake greater and more complicated projects abroad and spread their area of activity worldwide. Turkish contractors have widened their foreign market considerably during past twenty years. They have started their activities in North Africa and The Middle East and expanded over former USSR, and Pakhistan. Together with the efforts of contracting companies, Turkish Contractors Association and Union of International Contractors of Turkey have also contributed to this improvement. However, contractors are still facing many problems concerning their operations abroad, including social security of workers, taxation, temporary export and import of machinery, and financial problems. Turkish contractors have built more than buildings in Russia. These contractors are making a significant contributions to the economic growth of Turkey and to the establishment of pride in Turkish works on an international level. The thesis has two aims. One of them is to investigate problems concerning Turkish contractors' operations abroad. The other one is to compare Turkish Contractors with their rivals in the international markets. To achieve these goals, a questionaire was applied to Turkish contractors. The study consists of introduction, four main sections and results. The aim of the study and the methods used are mentioned in the introduction. The second section of the thesis, defines what is meant by ` international markets `. The market strategies, the risk factors and theoretical approaches are summarized in this section. The third section of the thesis analyzes the problems associated with Turkish Contractors' operations abroad. The fourth section of the thesis explains the methods of the study and the research design. This section includes the basic approach, questionnaire design, data collection and statistical techniques used. The fifth section of the thesis is devoted to the findings of the study. These findings are based on a survey of 20 contractor firms operating abroad. As a result, it was concluded that Turkish Contractors are still facing many problems in international markets. It is observed that most of the weaknesses of the Turkish Contractors are related to these market problems. X1UAs a consequence, it is easily seen that the conditions of the international markets are not ideal for the Turkish Contractors. There are many problems in these markets. For example ; social security of workers, taxation, temporary export and import of machinery, and financial bottlenecks. Therefore, higher performance from the construction firms does not seem to be a near future prospect. XIV 146