Improving Engineering Design: Designing for Competitive Advantage (1991)
Chapter: Appendix B Course Outline for Contemporary Engineering
Appendix B
Course Outline for Contemporary Engineering *
* Preliminary draft developed by Dr. Joel Spira, Lutron Electronics Company, Coopersburg, PA. January 6, 1990. |
The Engineer's Environment/Engineering Practice:
“What The Practicing Engineer Must Deal With In Today's Environment.”
List of Topics
Design
Philosophy of Design
Manufacturability
User-Friendly Presentation to Operator
Worst Case Testing
Reliability
Aesthetics/Appearance/Industrial Design
Cost vs. Pricing
Utility
Product Design
Appropriateness to Market
International Considerations
Standards: Safety & Industry
Legal
Product Liability
Environmental/Pollution
Contracts
Ethics
Intellectual Property
Importance of Intellectual Property (I.P.)
Patents
Trade Secrets
Copyrights
International Trademarks
Six Significant Cases of I.P.
Economics
Keynesian
Supply Side
Inflation
Interest Rates
Business Cycles
Industry Cycles
Recession/Boom
International
Currency Rates/Consequences
Marketing
Quality, Price, Delivery
Size and Definition of Markets
Distribution
Creation of New Markets
Creation of New Goods and Services
Sales
Service
Pricing
International
Demographics
Quality
Garvin - Define
Contribution of:
Deming
Juran, Crosby
Japanese
Statistical Quality Control
Financial
What a P & L looks like/means
What a Balance Sheet looks like/means
Capital Formation
Cost Accounting
Cost Control
Technology & Science (T & S)
Brief History of T & S since 1900
Brief History of T & S since World War II
Current T & S issues and consequences
U.S. T & S vs. Europe and Asia
Manufacturing
Relationship to:
Quality
Design
Cost
Delivery
Flexibility to Market Forces
Domestic vs. Offshore
Impact of the Computer
Assembly
Materials Control
CAD/CAM
Marketing Relation to Manufacturing
Flexible Specialization (Pioro-Sabel)
Niche (short run) vs. General Market (high volume, low cost)
New Character of the Work Force
(More educated and skilled and also less educated and skilled)
New Materials and Manufacturing Techniques
Manufacturing and Purchasing is now aninternational worldwide operation
