|
MARCH
2001
World
Bytes
You May Benefit by What's Going On Abroad
by
Terrance Malkinson
Author’s Note:
Welcome to "World Bytes," a column
dedicated to providing insight about the global engineering community.
As trade barriers fall and the ease of international communication and
transportation increases, it becomes more important than ever for
engineers to gain an "international perspective" and
understanding of the impact of and opportunities to be gained by
globalization, as we seek ways to sustain employability and achieve
career success.
From time to time, this column will offer a glimpse of engineering
trends and practices from around the globe. This "big picture"
perspective may give you ideas about implementing change in your career,
guidance on working with the technical community abroad, or simply a
better understanding about the vastness of the engineering profession
and its possibilities. By learning of the experiences of engineers from
other countries, we can stretch our minds, broaden our horizons, and be
enriched both professionally and personally.
In this introductory column, I offer tidbits of some of the events
occurring and approaches being taken by the world’s engineers. Future
columns will explore such topics as collaborative international
strategic alliances, international career opportunities, diffusion of
engineering in developing countries, international engineering best
practices, and international knowledge networks. My goal is to give you
food for thought, with the hope of helping to facilitate your career
success.
I welcome your
comments and opinions as well as your suggestions for column
topics. Please send your comments, questions and ideas to: todaysengineer@ieee.org.
World News Bytes
- Increasing the effectiveness of
technology transfer has strategic
implications for both nations and companies. To read a discussion
about China’s experience in technology transfer from higher
education institutions, as well as the benefits, research, and
practical implications related to that experience, check out Technovation,
volume 21, issue 3:175-188, 2001.
- One of the fundamental tasks necessary for conducting business
internationally is to establish appropriate information technology
platforms. Five important dimensions—configuration of value chain
activities, coordination of those activities, centralization,
strategic alliances, and market integration—have important
implications for evaluating current and designing future business
information systems. These are discussed in Information &
Management, 38:201-215, 2001.
- Practical issues related to
global IT management are discussed in Information
Systems Management, 18:34-46, 2001.
- The legal aspects of negotiation are important when companies and
individuals set up international alliances. Strategic alliances are
much more effective when parties discuss the legal aspects early on.
Important tips can be found in Business Horizons, 44: 19-26,
2001.
- Obstacles to labor mobility are undermining competitiveness among
European Union countries. These obstacles include vagaries of
schooling, taxes, and pensions. Less than 0.4 percent of the EU’s
population move to another country each year—1/6 of the U.S.
statistic. Plans are currently being developed to promote a more
mobile European labor market by 2005. To find out more, refer to Financial
Times, 28 February 2001, page 2.
Experiences of engineers from other countries can provide us with
innovative insights into engineering practices that we can consider
applying to our own careers, and that may enrich our personal lives.
Terrance
Malkinson is a documentation specialist with GE Capital IT Solutions. |
