Advanced Civil Engineering Construction
1. Pre-words: Young men drift off to see the world after graduation always have feeling of curiosity, strangeness, and sometimes nervousness. Engineering graduates are feeling better because they’re considered to be more promising in term of income and status compared with other social groups. Teachers in the classroom and classmates of congeniality continue to say so, though they may not be sensitive enough to the economic changes since turn of century. And it is true that the wealth generated by investment, ventures and rent collecting has been more prominent and professionals are not sitting on the upper rungs of social ladder as comfortable as before. This course try to impart knowledge based on the facts taking place everywhere, and also render brief introduction to construction industry, with the hopes the students who may devote their entire life for civil engineering will not fall into category of “lumpen professional” and know how to adapt in an ever changing economic system.
(前言：年輕畢業生出校門後對事物常持好奇、陌生及不安之心，但工程師因其薪資、地位較佳，會較有信心。然世事已有變化，雖其師長、同學未能察覺，本世紀以來相較於專業技能，資本、投機，或尋租之利得或創造之財富，已更豐厚。故專業工程師只要努力，即能功成名就之觀念，大有疑問。本課程告訴期待以工程做為終生志業之學生種種社會現象，並對營建業作一簡單介紹，盼同學們能了解一直變化中之工作環境，作最好之調適，切勿陷入徒有專業技能，一輩子卻窮酸無助之困境)
2. The income distribution changes in the total economy last few hundred years; and its implication to the earning and social status of professionals.
(從分配與地位來看，專業才能在現代經濟中扮演的角色)
1) The ratio between the income through personal capability and efforts, and that from investment and bequests (between generations) does change since the industrial revolution; and how it influences the allocation of talent between generations.
(工業革命以來，個人才能與努力所得，相對於資本、財產報酬占整體所得比重的變化。)
2) Continuous technology improvement makes economy flourish and life better, still some people in each social class need to struggle for livelihood and survival as distribution inequality persist.
(因科技持續進步，經濟興旺，人們生活改善，但不同社會階層在每一個階段還是有不同的生活與生存問題。)
3) What will a young civil engineer choose to be? Occupational, professionals or super managers considering their restrained income compared to capitalist and renter (or rent seekers)? Is it correct to borrow “meritocratic extremism” to justify the tremendous pay difference among the individuals?
(工程師作為資本家與收租者之外的選擇：職業、專業、超級經理人？極端才能主義是否能用來合理化薪資的高度不均？)
4) Will it be practical for engineers to follow code of engineering ethic in terms of faith, integrity, law abiding, and conduct of secrecy at the era when digital economy and artificial intelligence is about to dominate.
(工程師在數位經濟與人工智慧時代，是否或如何信守，誠信、正直、守法、保密等專業倫理規範。)
5) Can “Engineering as a Vocation” be honored in Taiwan when material reward is meager compared with devotion paid? Can the passion, inspiration and rationality as a professional be kept as the vocation is life time choice?
(以工程做為終生志業，在台灣是否可行？如果無窮的專業付出只能換得有限物質報酬，是不是還能維持作為工程師的熱情、靈感與理性？)
6) Lines from “Capital in the Twenty-First Century” by Thomas Piketty, “Le Pere Goriot” by H Balzac, to tell how the excellent brains were paid by ruling class historically.
從湯瑪斯.皮凱提的「二十一世紀資本論」或巴爾札克的「高老頭」，字裡行間，我們可以知道歷史上統治階級薪酬上如何報答第一流頭腦。
3. How will young man start his professional career?
(年輕人如何學習去做一個優秀工程師)
1) Try to understand the ways that political institutions, social establishment, and commercial interest groups exert influences on each other and make their compromise to function the government and sustain the economy growth. Never mind the possibility that bad side of humanity always have chances to get through in an open society and free market; only trust that a simple-hearted beginner will be able to save the world one day.
(要去瞭解現實世界上政治機關、社會既有建制、工商利益團體是怎樣從想辦法發揮影響力，到終能解決分歧，讓政府持續運轉、經濟成長的抗衡與折衝過程。
2) Young professionals need to equip themselves “knowledge” through education and training; “skill” to apply correctly the concept, principle and information learnt; finally, to exercise good “judgement” based on experience, analysis and meaningful attempts to deliver any project assignment it may be.
(專業人士執業需要具備「知識」、「技能」和「判斷」：「知識」須經由教育與訓練取得；「技能」就是將學習得來的概念、原則和資訊應用在實務，獲致成果；「判斷」成敗的關鍵在對經驗、分析與有意識努力的尊重。)
3) Right altitude shall be most important for freshmen; they’ve to be steadfast when offered elementary skill and details and must determine what they will be in the near future at earlier stage according to awareness and capability: consultant or contractor, technical or managerial, domestic or international, employed or boss.
(態度最重要，從草根細節學起，並依性向及能力，及早定位自己要扮演的角色：顧問或施工、技術或管理、本土或國際、員工或經營者？)
4) The young student must understand that the modern construction industry essentially is governed with human distrust: terms of contracts, laws, certificates, checks, guarantees, tests, investigations and reports, are used to stimulate the antagonism between, and also to protect, parties with confronting interests. Young professionals with less confrontational mentality may strive to turn the tendency that non engineer’s gradual domination on the industry to prove the technical world is still belong to the engineers.
(作為「工程師」，要了解因為人性趨向「互不信任」，現代工程必須要有契約、認證、查核、保證、試驗、調查、報告等繁文縟節，以保護各方參與者的權益。且專業工程師應避免「非工程師」藉誇大人性弱點，涉入、甚至支配工程事業。)
5) The young engineers shall trust the systems and accept the lead of the higher-up with patience from the moment he join the organization employ him. He needs to cultivate personal character, discipline and professional strength, and to lead an engineering team when time ripen.
(從加入專業公司開始，即耐心接受管理，培養品格、鬥志，與堅強的專業實力；適時挺身而出，承擔責任，領導團隊。)
6) Unlike manufacturing or IT industries, construction business has its origin and background attached to history, culture and custom of the vernacular country. So the contracts and the trading systems used for engineering related contracts also need to have tight link with human affairs and common sense of the vernacular country.
(與生產或資訊業不同，營建業植根於所在國歷史、文化、風俗，契約與交易習慣，須與人文與常識緊密連結。)
4. Of the macro-Economy and Construction Industry
(總體經濟發展與基礎工程)
1) A fast developing economy needs infrastructure to keep momentum. Consider the case in IT-savvy India, the dilapidated roads, ports, and power systems often slash several point GDP off every year.
(國家經濟要發展，基礎工程要好，印度因道路、電廠、港口欠佳，成長少了好幾個百分點)
2) For example, a housing boom will boost and upgrade the demand of building material, construction machine and tools, furniture, and services like advertisement, and banking. Also when social and economic developments come up, the construction industry benefited from growth of other businesses.
(營建業與其他產業發展相輔相成)
3) Civil engineers always hold important government positions in young democracies for years and decades because they draw up long term development plans and their expertise is hardly to be replaced even under regimes of different ideologies.
(國家開始建設須重用土木工程師，不論意識形態，技術官僚成為內閣重要職位。)
4) Construction people sometimes risked to become accomplices of people in power stealing public money. Because infrastructure contracts usually involve tremendous sums and require many sub tier companies to perform the works, so that the illicit money is easy to hide and their parking is handy. The harm can't be controlled as there are wicket government officers of developing countries eager to laundry money in the name of infrastructure construction.
(基礎工程合約金額大，包括各類材料、設備與子工程，是貪汙、洗錢最好工具，土木工程師可能成為政客輔助犯)
5) Contractors always excuse the need to survive as the reason to be part of the scheme, plus the cruel truth that the construction contracts are lucrative, and most of the times impunity works under the coverage of the powerful. Systematic fraud will have devastated the entire economy and the civil engineers blamed as conspirators of the scam. Professionalism should be the only antidote to fight the greedy and impunity behind the organized corruption.
(營建廠商以求生存作為不得不參與共謀理由，但實質上卻是貪圖基礎工程利潤並認為不會被抓到，結果常是身敗名裂，專業精神是對抗貪腐唯一解方。)
6) An engineer should realize what and how to do of public works should always be the choices of the people and shouldn’t feel frustrated when he encountered resistance to his proposal which he considered most logic and sensible. He must appreciate that each time he gives reasoning, persuasion and idea, he can shake, and change public perception incrementally and it finally will close to the best solution. It's an achievement.
(營建工程非絕對科學，故工程師應尊重公眾對公共工程之選擇，其努力，縱然不為接受，即可改變他人成見，不能自認已做最好之專業建議，而感愠怒。)
5. The Modern Construction Industry and its Major Players
(營建業與主要參與者)
1) Frontage Players: general contractors, engineers and consultants, architects, specialty contractors, labor gangs, investors.
(第一線工作者：主承商、顧問公司、建築師、專業承商、勞務承攬、業主)
2) Supporting Entities: banks, insurance company, bondsman Investment Company or fund, operator.
(間接參與者：銀行、保險公司、保證人(美式)、投資公司或基金、代操作者)
3) Third Party Participants: notaries, law firms, inspectors, laboratories, certifiers, appraisers, unions, arbitrators
(第三方參與者：公證人、律師事務所、稽查、實驗室、驗證師、鑑價師、工會、仲裁人)
4) Stakeholders: public, authority, facility user, neighborhood and locals.
(利害關係人：公眾、主管與權責機關、設施使用者、鄰里與地方人士)
6. Features of Construction Industry explained in 5M:
1). Man:
(1) Power to drive Individuals and Organizations to achieve Business Goal
(驅使個人或組織達成事業目標的動力。)
(2) Managerial cadre, Professional, Occupational.
(管理幹部、專業、一般工作者的不同。)
(3) Disciplines, expertise, project based management, functional department oriented management
(不同專長、技術，專案導向管理系統、功能部門導向管理系統)
(4) Personal and organizational behaviors, coordination and communication under high or low context culture.
(個人與組織行為、高低情境文化下的協調與溝通)
(5) Labor laws, quality, incentives, unions, big bosses.
(勞動法令、素質、激勵手段、工會、大老闆)
2) Machine
(1) Prototype, bespoke; portable, fixed.
(制式與訂製；移動與固定式)
(2) Operation, maintenance and repair.
(操作、維護、修理)
(3) Rental and owning.
(租賃與自有)
(4) Construction method and machine selected.
(施工方法與選用機械)
3) Material
(1) Local, traditional construction material as first choice.
(優先選用當地、傳統材料)
(2) Material and Equipment to be incorporated into Project.
(安裝在工程的永久性設備與設施)
4) Money
(1) Payment: cash, in kinds or goods (barter), deferred (BT), franchise revenue (BOT, PMI).
(付款方式：現金、原料或實物【以物易物】、延遲付款【BT】、特許收入【BOT, PMI】)
(2) Standard international contracts to regulate: FIDIC, NEC3 (New Engineering Contract3), AIA(American Institute of Architects), JCT forms of Contract(Joint Contract Tribunal)...etc..
(國際範本契約： FIDIC, NEC3【New Engineering Contract3】, AIA【American Institute of Architects】, JCT forms of Contract(【oint Contract Tribunal】...etc.。)
(3) Money beget Money.
(錢滾錢)
5) Market
(1) Contractors with Lemming Mentality
(旅鼠心態的承商)
(2) Style of Competition: Lowest Bid, Evaluated Lowest bid, Value for Money.
(競標類別：最低標、評估最低標、物超所值的有利標)
(3) Elements of Competition.
(評比的考量)
(4) Defying the International Norms.
(對國際實務與慣例的挑戰)
