CLB 40002 Engineering Technologist in Society

Dr Norzahir Sapawe_July 2017

DEVELOPMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE IN TERMS OF TECHNOLOGIST

TOWARDS GLOBALIZATION

Nor Kholidi Choo Bin Nor Khalid 1*, Diyana Faziha Binti Mohamad2, Mohamad Kamal Ezzat Bin Mohamad
Lani3, Mohd Khairul Hanif Bin Mohd Nazri 4

2
Section of Process, Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian Institute of Chemical and Bioengineering Technology, Lot 1988
Vendor City, Taboh Naning, 78000 Alor Gajah, Melaka

Corresponding author: kholidichoo96@gmail.com

Abstract
The globalization and technology changing the engineering field in the world. In understanding this changing,
from the previous studies, the internal project were performed by University of Illinois regarding to the issues.
The high ranking technology executives were choose from a different company background to be interview by
team research. Four questions that related to the globalization issues in order to determine the skills needed in
engineering filed, the job functions that will be remain and eliminate due to globalization, and increasing the
understanding the job scope for technologist. A framework outlined by Steele [3] was used for analysis of the
data. From the observation, different organization have a different skill requirements with their own ways.

Keyword: Globalization, Engineering, Interview, Skills

Introduction
Engineering contribute in development of countries and make change in the world where it plays most important
roles in covering a variety of activity. As an engineer, they play important role in tinkering things and made up
something work to be better [2]. By using creativity, engineer will design an alternative way to solve the world’s
problems created. Then, as the technologist they will built up the engineer’s design to make it happen. New
technologies are created from day to day in the development of country toward globalization. Peak globalization
will provide the best way to preserve globalization and global interconnectedness, where it give economic and
environmental sustainability, and empower the people and community to strengthen democracy[4].There is a
varied range of specialty in engineering technologist disciplines fields in any types of application. It is not
limited to chemical, electrical, mechanical but also towards aerospace, computing, process, environmental,
power, energy, transport, etc. It has been suggested from economic theory, the development of a country
depends on the production of employed (labor and capital). The growth of the country can be sustained with the
efficiency of labor in produce of output is increase. Due to that reason, the investment of globalization in
generating new ideas by creating a new thing and services through innovation will give the knowledge and the
development of viable infrastructure. The development of countries will generate a new creation of
infrastructure, but not only focus on road and bridge but also include the digital and communications
infrastructure.The globalization of technological impact the change in infrastructure. It contribute a
transformations of infrastructure in the world.The creation of infrastructures, like the bridges, transport,
sanitation, water supply, waste management, digital infrastructure, and energy, the productivity for the countries
will be raise countries can raise their productivity and increase other economic variables. By generating a good
of transport and communications infrastructure, this enables countries to provide goods and services to market
and creating a job to the employee. With the strong network of communications, it enables a higher and free
flow a lot of information [1]. So, it will help most of the businesses to communicate and making the time
decision. Therefore, it clearly sees the contribution of engineering technologist toward globalization to fulfill all
of these.

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Dr Norzahir Sapawe_July 2017

Methodology
Data source
The data source is obtained by analyses the data from the report by Royal Academy of Engineering (Cebr,
2016). The information and percentage of economic development from each country are taken to manipulate it
into bar graph.

Survey from previous study

In our previous study, we had identify several aspects such as affordability of infrastructure, quality of existing
infrastructure, the need for engineering, and digital infrastructure

Interview from previous study

In the report, we collected some of the survey from experts.

Affordability of infrastructure - Mike Mc Williams about South America

Quality of infrastructure - Professor Calestous Juma about Africa
The need of engineering - Dr Allyson Lawless about South Africa
Professor Calestous Juma about California, US

Results and Discussion

Recently, engineering technology is potential to contribute a lot of infrastructure for
economic development of a country around the world. The existing infrastructure in a
country is very important to determine the growth rate of economic development under
the scope of infrastructure and hence the impact that engineering technology can have.
Most of countries and regions are in need for engineering technology and are seeing
infrastructure investment as a major factor for increasing economic development [5].
According to [2] infrastructure can be defined as the development of electricity, gas
source, telecommunication, transportation facilities and water supply, energy sustainable
and sewerage system. Public capital seems to be attractive because it is somewhat
easier to identify in many countries. But it is a broader concept that is itself quite unclear.
For instance, it can include all public buildings, including often hospitals, schools or public
housing and office stocks, or police and fire stations. Thus the extent of its relevance to
assess the impact of infrastructure on growth is at best unclear. It is in fact worsening
since, pointed out by author, the relative importance of the private sector in
infrastructure has increased a lot more than in other activities.

Based on the literature review from previous studies, data source, survey and interviews
are obtained. The data source shows the greatest infrastructure development by many
countries such as Switzerland, Malaysia, Myanmar, India, Africa and Argentina. The first
infrastructure that can increase the economic development of the country is energy
source. This energy source is very important for human development and life. This
energy infrastructure gives a positive impact toward economic and human development
of a country. The energy source consists of renewable energy such as solar energy,
hydroelectric energy, wind energy and biomass energy. For example, the solar energy is
widely used in India to generate electricity for their country. One of the examples is the
airport in India used electricity fully generated by solar energy. Transportation is another
infrastructure that can increase the economic development of the country around the
world. From data source, it stated that develop countries not have enough growth effect
of transport investments for example America countries such as Los Angeles that listed as the
world's ten worst public transit systems [4].

The second infrastructure is telecommunication. This telecommunication gives the best

impact toward economic development. This is because telecoms data is relatively easy to
access for developing countries. In addition, telecommunication infrastructure focuses on
the growth effect of ICT in many countries such as Malaysia, India, Myanmar, Los
Angeles, Africa and Switzerland. It also focuses on the impact of mobile telephony and
financial inclusion. This is quite obvious and can be seen in the recent growing research
toward technology on the importance of the access to internet ability to increase the
health competition in the sector and from there increase the social return to expansions
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in the sector[2]. For instance that the faster the access to high speed internet, the
stronger the payoff. Yet many countries fail to manage this, contributing to explain the
differences in the macroeconomic and social returns to investment in the sector. The
orders of magnitude of the gains vary across regions and across countries. But the
average payoffs are quite impressive—they are usually among the highest when the
payoffs to infrastructure are unbundled into its components. For Africa for instance, this
is one of the reasons why supranational investments on the backbones are so important.

20
18
16
14
12 Water & Sanitation
10 Telecommunication
8 Transport
6 Energy Source
4
2
0
Malaysia India Myanmar Los Angeles Africa Switzerland
Figure 1 The infrastructure development

Based on interview from previous study, the authors select several respondent that give
a different answer and opinion about economic development of infrastructure among
countries. All the answer from interviewee give the result pro and con. Table 1 below
showed summarize of conversation during the interview session from author. From that
scenario, it can be discuss that all technology right now comes from engineer and
technologist.

Table 1 The summarize conversation interview session regarding development

infrastructure (Cebr, 2016)

Respondant Answer

Mike Mc Williams This “could be as the attributable to its credit ratings or its capability to provide
guarantees and make the infrastructure on country projects that can be bankable”. He
found that the infrastructure projects in Africa appears to be becoming much harder
but with helper of technologist, it could be solved easily where there are numerous
modern technology existed. Yet, with returns on investment elsewhere much lower,
infrastructure is increasingly seen as a good investment.

Professor Calestous Commented about the issue of infrastructure which the most technology and facilities
such as existing railway networks, for example, were designed to transfer the
Juma
traditional cash crops agriculture and minerals source from Africa’s area interior to a
few ports site. This has left large parts of the continent with no capability to export
new the new products, especially from agriculture product, and he commented that
only African countries are starting do to explore how to extend them to agricultural
areas.

Dr Allyson Lawless Highlighted and supported that in South Africa the large-scale investment in
development of infrastructure associated with winning the bid for the 2010
World Cup, and opinioned the need for additional economic infrastructure of
countries. This conversation also highlights the importance of sufficient and
ongoing finance for infrastructure projects, so that they can realize their full
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potential.

As highlighted from [3], nowadays the need for infrastructure are very necessary to wake
up the development to the culture shift needed which to embrace a technology rich
future. According to (Cebr, 2016), the infrastructure can be made towards the countries which lead to high
capital cost, which meaning that affordability can be a significant factor in analyzing the investment of
infrastructure. From previous studies from interview programmed by (Cebr, 2016), the authors understand that a
key issue is a lack of access to public sector finance to develop the required infrastructure in developing
countries. Furthermore, mobilizing private sector finance can also prove to be a challenge.

The third things will be discuss in this report is the survey from previous studies. Based
on articles that been studies, there are several question or opinion among the citizens
been made in scope of economic development regarding infrastructure such as
affordability of infrastructure, quality of existing infrastructure, the need for engineering,
and lastly about digital or technology of infrastructure.

From those survey it can be justify that several countries such Switzerland are countries
that perform well in developing their technology on countries compared with Argentina is
in the bottom lines countries in terms of the quality of overall infrastructure measure.
This suggestion requires more infrastructure investment to make the ability to ‘catch-up’
with other economies which parallel with development technology. The bottom 20
countries are populated by those in sub-Saharan Africa and South America, highlighting
the potential for these economies to harness the power of engineering to enhance their
infrastructure. Figure 2 is WEF Global Competitiveness Index. The studies been compared
the development country by using the index or rating which nearly score 1 is extremely
underdeveloped of the technology and infrastructure, while the score nearest 7 is
considered as well developed and efficient by international standards of countries.

Mya nma r 1.8

Afri ca 2.2

Indi a 3.5

Los Angel es 2.7

Mal ays i a 3.2

Swi tzerl a nd 8.2

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Figure 2 The WEF Global Competitiveness Development Index (Cebr, 2016)

Conclusions
As a conclusion, we observed that some countries and regions are potential rapidly in development of
infrastructure especially by increasing in infrastructure spending. Infrastructure investment in many global
market by the environment challenging for investor that results of falls in prices, low transport capacity.
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Engineering firms have also been plagued by unpredictable regulations and government. Expanding in markets
will need to ensure that they provide a strong enabling for environment for the infrastructure growth to happen,
with the correct blend of economic, social and environmental factors to attract investment. Technologist is a skill
of creating product and maintain the mental of people and society [1]. For the definition, engineering terms were
rarely used and people may misunderstood the terms but it is convert to the science and technology which is
more easily to catch up and also results the good impression applied in society. As we can see from the result
and discussion, the country that stated to be bottom and the top for WEF Global Competitive Index (GCI) that
may be open minded for society concerns towards the globalizations. Lastly, contribution of technologist
considerably to the quality of life in society and it is important that they voice out their role clearly and firmly.
Personally, we hope that the definition of these principles will enhance their contribution, we can’t even think
about getting so modernized world because of the technologist, where almost every person exactly depends on
technology. Engineers create new innovation stuff and will continued with technologist with their differently
way of thinking, dedication and hard work they create something new or improve the products [2].

Acknowledgement
First of all we are very thankful to God which gives us such power, healthy health, knowledge and ability to
accomplish this works successfully. Without His kind help, we would unable to make this work completed. We
feel grateful to have such as good lecturer who’s Dr. Norzahir Sapawe for guide us in order to complete this
report of Globalization toward Engineering Technology World. His techniques of teaching such as strict in
handle our assignment, cheerful in class which prevent student feel boring, and also deliver clear points in every
assignment that result developing our knowledge and make us impatiently to complete the work. Besides, we
also make us proud as complete this task perfectly because in beginning, several problems came such as handle
other assignment, attend the final year project, and deal with time. In terms of teamwork, this is so important in
any works or task which build ‘sillaturrahim’ among us. Communication is the key to success where we applied
this in Whatsapp application, video call and meeting among us. Lastly, we would like to thank all our friends
that help us achieved the target. They also didn’t hesitate to volunteering if we had problems during the meeting.
May God, the almighty blessed all personalities who directly or indirectly helped us to obtain us such a good
report.

References

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development with the challenges of innovative instruction. International Journal of Engineering
Education, 17: 375-380.
2. Cebr, A. (2016). Engineering and economic growth: A global view. Royal Academy of Engineering, 26:
4-43.
3. Garrett, B. (2017). Labor pains. [Online]. [Accessed 20-October-2017]. Available from world wide
web: https://singularityhub.com/2017/10/22/peak-globalization-is-the-path-to-a-sustainable-economy/
4. Trace, S.R. (1994). The Role of the Engineer in Developing Countries. Technical Note. Institution of Civil
Engineers, 2: 105-108.
5. Mech,J.D. (2016). Why the developing world needs technologist. American Society of Mechanical Engineers.138;
8-16.