Globalization of Technology International Perspectives (1988) / Chapter Skim
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Globalization of Industry and Implications for the Future
Globalization of Industry and Implications for the Future
Pages 12-22
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From page 12... ...
We can predict, however, that it will become clear that all social-economic-political issues intersect and that issues of technological advance are right in the middle of every intersection, sometimes causing the problems, more often offering possibilities for their solutions, and frequently providing opportunities for the world society to rise to new, higher levels of productivity, satisfaction, and happiness. Of course, trying to predict the future with perfection is not defensible.
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From page 13... ...
Not only has nuclear weapons technology radically altered the dangers of war, but it dominates negotiations intended to prevent war between the superpowers, and the very awesomeness inherent in the technology has averted such a war, despite the noticeable and continual shortcomings of the political leadership involved. Technological advance is becoming globally pervasive, and this leads us to another prediction.
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From page 14... ...
Therefore, it is impossible for governments to keep their hands off this flow as they seek to give their domestic industry competitive advantages, to protect jobs for their nationals, or to exact revenues in return for privileges to export products into that nation or, in some nations, as the politicians try to curry favor with their constituencies. Accordingly, we can predict that the protectionist-nationalist approach to international trade will remain strong forever.
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From page 15... ...
With the rapid advance of technology becoming a worldwide phenomenon, no one company, not even the largest, can hope to originate more than a small fraction of the evolving technology that will be key to preserving its position. Every company will recognize the growing danger that a novel product invention or manufacturing process, a newly developed material critical to performance or fabrication, or a creative application of recent science may make its technology obsolete and drastically change the economics underlying its endeavors.
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From page 16... ...
Such a massive commitment of technological resources has profoundly affected the global economy. If nothing changes, another trillion dollars will be expended during the rest of the century to ensure continued mutual deterrence.
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From page 17... ...
The installed defense systems, moreover, would provide insurance against an accidental launch, cheating on arms reduction agreements, or a deliberate attack by a terrorist nation. Even for European theater military forces, favorable predictions deserve to be taken seriously.
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From page 18... ...
The greater the negotiated military reductions, the less the governments will feel required to interfere with the international flow of advanced technology and the more the nations of both the East and West will be able to invest in commercial application of the basic technologies and realize the economic rewards of the resulting trade. Trading of technological products will become freer between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
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From page 19... ...
Eventually the necessary international approach to organization and sponsorship of large-scale frontier scientific research will act as a strong catalyst to the formation of friendly teams among nations in commercial technology. In both national security matters and pure research into the laws of nature, the impacts of scientific discoveries and technological advances on the global economy and society tend to be dominated by decisions made by governments.
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From page 20... ...
Who else could prevent monopolies of information supply, transmission systems, and equipment manufacture? Who but the government could police to prevent malicious input of misinformation or tinkering with data, or fight fraud and set rules as money is shifted electronically and as distinct private activities are linked to attain efficiency in production and distribution?
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From page 21... ...
Will governments allow free border crossing of goods whose shipments are automatically scheduled by interconnected information networks? How will they set international rules to control the interconnections and the shipments?
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From page 22... ...
Even if an individual engineer is best employed in designing a microsemiconductor chip, an automobile, an airplane, or a petrochemical plant, that engineer should think of his or her profession as being broader than his or her duties. Not only the academies but virtually all other professional engineering societies, as well as the engineering departments of our universities, have tended in the past to be preoccupied with the science and technology basic to the engineering profession.
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