Book excerpt: The primary purpose of this handbook is to make available to general contractors, consulting engineers, construction managers, specialty contractors, and subcontractors, as well as to professors and students in Universities and technical institutes which offer courses on the subject, the fundamentals of construction management together with the most workable types of organization, and the necessary capabilities they must include to reasonably ensure success and minimize the possibility of failure in this most hazardous profession. The second and equally important purpose is to furnish equipment manufacturers, dealers, material suppliers, bankers, surety bondsmen, and others, who traditionally rely on financial statements and general reputation, something more concrete to look for-the type of management and organization, and its scope and capability-in deciding how far to go along with contractors with whom they deal or wish to deal. This, the second edition of the Handbook, is an updated version of the work published in 1973. The book covers very many subjects which are part of construction. The greatest care was exercised in consideration of their practical aspects based on the theory and practice of construction management and its structure, and the functions of the various departments, both in the field and central offices, that make up construction organization. Leading specialists in their particular fields were selected to write chapters on the vital segments making up the structure of construction management and organization. These fields include construction contracts and conditions, job organization by general types of projects, equipment maintenance and preventive maintenance and overhaul, engineering and estimating, scheduling and controls, data processing and the use of computer equipment in engineering and accounting techniques, office administration, corporate and cost accounting, payroll, employment and labor relations, safety, public relations, legal and contractural problems, banking and finance, taxes, surety bonding, insurance, pension and retirement problems and others.