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THE PRESENT ERA: MANAGING CHANGE IN THE INFORMATION AGE 40 element of the U.S. economy. The rise of multinational corporations in the petroleum, electronics, machinery, chemical, and other technology-intensive industries, as well as the sale of weapons systems by the government, have a substantial impact on engineering employment and business roles. The other side of this coin is that many of our allies and many newly developed nations have in recent years acquired (or regained) formidable engineering and industrial production capabilities of their own. Thus, the importation of manufactured goods becomes a major factor for American business and the economy as international competition intensifies. Also, large numbers of American engineers are now employed by foreign multinational corporations and even by foreign countries. Business is effectively becoming internationalized as geographic and language barriers dissolve. The panel believes that the rate of technology development, the quality of engineering education, and the role of the engineer in society are all far more critical under such competitive circumstances than they were at a time when American dominance of nearly every technical field was secure. It is the economic corollary of the earlier assumption by engineering of a critical role in national security. Thus, concerns about American competitiveness, particularly in "high- technology" areas, are bringing about significant changes in the orientation of government toward business. Not only are joint R&D and cooperative industry/ university and intercompany ventures being encouraged, but the possibility of targeted government assistance to industries and other forms of intervention is being considered. It is clear that these developments have major present and potential ramifications for engineering. IMPACTS ON ENGINEERING The effects of these changes in the scope and scale of American business on the engineering profession are numerous and, in some cases, profound. Because the rate of change is increased and because circumstances often affect more than one industry, impacts tend to cross disciplinary lines and to affect large segments of the profession. If the U.S. economy is no longer isolated from world events, neither are engineers isolated from societywide or worldwide events. One of the purposes of this report is to assess the extent to which the established structure of engineering is taking the strain and meeting contemporary needs. To that end, we will examine impacts on the professional disciplinary structure, on the engineering educational system, on the professional societies, and on the individual engineer.
