Global and International Engineering Professor: Dr. Miguel Alonso Jr.

Outline Introduction The Evolving Global Marketplace International Opportunities for Engineers Preparing for a Global Career

Introduction Typically, students enter engineering programs because they excel in math and science They think the liberal arts and humanities courses are not required Even foreign language With the emerging globalization of the engineering discipline, these courses become much more important Due to corporate mergers, advancement of communications, and cheap labor

Introduction Before: countries competed with goods produced from within their own country Now: countries compete with goods that are produced with a combination of Today’s engineers must be better educated and properly trained to meet the challenges of the global society

The Evolving Global Market Place Changing world maps and political alliances Role of mergers, acquisitions, and international partnerships NAFTA European Union

Changing world maps Compare a map from 1990 to today’s map and the change is obvious New countries with the breakup of the soviet union Formation of the European Union Nationalistic tendencies have taken root in the Far and Middle East, Asia, and Africa September 11 and its aftermath

Evolving political alliances, new laws and regulations all affect the global market place Example: China Russia is now a partner, as are former enemies in the middle east and asia

Mergers, Acquisitions, and International Partnerships Chrysler and Daimler- Benz Pharmacia and Upjohn Boeing and McDonnell Douglas Dow Chemical and Union Carbide GM and Saab These mergers occur almost daily and affect every industry Recent Financial Mergers

Net effect: accelerated global opportunities for engineers, regardless of their interest in international careers Example: Domestic engineering company merges with an international firm: Suddenly become a global engineer Management may shift overseas Product development, design, and manufacturing may now be performed from a different cultural perspective

NAFTA North American Free Trade Agreement US, Canada, and Mexico Designed to lower tariffs and increase international competition Second largest free market in the world: 370 million people and a GDP of $6.5 trillion Has been very controversial Loss of jobs, but truth is more jobs have been lost to localities with cheaper labor than Mexico: Central America and Asia

NAFTA has achieved many positive results Trade has more than doubled between participating countries Investment has increased significantly Millions of new jobs have been created

European Union Institutional framework for the construction of a united Europe Cleared the way for a single currency, the Euro and a creation of a European Central Bank Result: Economic interdependence between US and Europe Increase in investment and an estimated 7 million US jobs connected to EU companies

International Opportunities for Engineers Automobile Manufacturing Construction Pharmaceutical Food Petroleum Chemical Processing Computer and Electronics Telecomm Environmental Industry Consulting Technical Sales

Preparing for a Global Career Language and Cultural Proficiency Study Abroad and Exchange Programs International Work Experience: Co-ops and Internships Special Considerations Choosing the Right Employer or Opportunity

Class work exercise: Develop a list of your present international skills and abilities. Suggest how you can strengthen these skills Choose an industry that has international opportunities and prepare a short (group) presentation on how well you fit into the global market place with your current international skills and go on to explain how you plan to improve them within this industry.