(NTUST, 5908701)

Part 5, Advanced Civil Construction, 台科大高等土木施工學教材(2022) 

MT KAO (Blog: http://mtkaoforum31.blogspot.tw/)

(mtkaoforum31@gmail.com)

3) The social factors that interact and influent the industry and professionals

a. The level and timing infrastructure works having been built in relation with stages of economy development in different countries:

Quick developing economy really needs good infrastructure to keep bustling, or to lose momentum. Consider the case in IT-savvy India, the dilapidated roads, ports, and power systems often slash several point GDP off every year while Japan, Asian tigers, and China seem not to be bothered by poorly or untimely construction of infrastructure for their economic success.

Construction of infrastructure projects for its diverse requirement will stimulate demand of building material, construction machine and tools, furniture, and services like advertisement banking. On the other hand, when social and economic developments come up, the construction industry will be benefited, for example, people are more affordable for new houses.

b. Culture, custom and history as background of construction contracts and their execution.

Civil engineering is always considered as sort of physical science and employees or managers of construction companies require high degree of engineering expertise and mechanical knowledge; this is especially true in developing countries where tradition could be dismissed as a redundancy soon to be given away in the course toward modernization. 

Unlike manufacturing or IT industries, construction has its origin and background in history, culture, custom, geography, and even memory, it links to human affairs, conventional, reflective but also transformative and thus require both rational approach and sentimental interpretation. 

So even people with transcending mind must understand that the contracts and the trading system they based on can be functioning and become significant only when they’re known to conform to the concept and behavior of the market which may not be occidental as they learned under western influence.

It's easy for engineer, to accept science and engineering fundamentals in school and be a good expert afterward; but to be a successful construction industrialist one has to secure more humanities attainment when he want to be the company leader and industry visionary later in the career with "construction" is an art rather than a science in his mind.

An engineer sometimes may feel frustrated when he encountered resistance trying to promote top notch infrastructure projects but fails to convince the general public. However, he should realize the implementation of public works should always be kind of choices rather than direct conviction that pure scientific matter will rule.

The civil engineers should realize the efforts he rendered explaining the new idea or criticize the existing unreasonable things will not be in vain, because each time he gives reasoning, persuasion and novel idea, he can shake, crumble, and change public perception incrementally and it finally will be crystalized in his favor, the process further demonstrate the construction industry is not a yes or no scientific verdict.

On the other hand, the civil engineer should also know all the information give to public will only be considered as brute data instead of precise evidence, which can be refine or redefined as environment and situation will change from time to time.

c. How serious a society is concerned with public affairs and their trust on technical people in terms of national development plans, budget allocation and relevant laws?

Important government posts in young democracies need participation of civil engineers. Often, they hold positions up to the cabinet level drawing national development plans for years and decades. It is the term “technocrats" applicable for those people that their expertise is hardly to be replaced under regimes of different ideologies. Possibly their political life will outlive the politicians promoted them.

d. The stability, clarity and efficiency of political system:

However, construction people sometimes risked to become accomplices of those powerful stealing public money. It is because infrastructure contracts usually involve tremendous sums and require different 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 foreign governments eager to provide unrestricted loans and aids in the name of infrastructure development to the unprincipled and unaccountable politicians for bad political intention.

Thus, many developing countries with abundant resources can be end up in debt and poverty, the so-called resource curses, because the politicians and their cronies will take every advantage of countries' limited fortune. Under the circumstance the money spent will never buy worthy and required infrastructure and civil work contractors are highly blamed.  

The bad story of construction conglomerate, Odebrecht of Brazil demonstrates the farce/tragedy in the past few years: presidents, premiers, ministers, parliamentarian, businessman and people of significant suicided, imprisoned, indicted in more than 10 countries.

(http://mtkaoforum31.blogspot.com/2019/04/)

Contractors always excuse the need to survive as the reason to be part of the kleptocracy, but the cruel truth is construction contracts can be lucrative, and most of the times flawless, under the coverage of the powerful. Systematic fraud will have devastated the entire economy and the civil engineers can be blamed as conspirators of the scam.

Professionalism should be the only antidote to fight the greedy and impunity behind the organized corruption. Ethic education has to be enforced since the early days of engineers training. Of course, it needs time and patience to take effect especially in a society of obscurity.

e. Power, organization and the leader.

The implementation of construction projects needs a robust industry consist of more than individuals. The organizations in the form of companies and institutes fulfill the requirement; and it means, the exercise of leadership and coordination between the different organizations and individuals are essential to the efficiency and success.

Interestingly, people always refrain from acknowledging the importance of “power” as to administer or lead an organization.   

Man loves power, and its essence is boundless and never are satisfactory to obtain. Sometimes the synonym of power is glory, and the remuneration, fame and promotion of the both can be used as useful and positive incentives within the organization for individuals. And so, we’ve leader and their authority.

Leaders in the construction industry can be exhibited in the form of bosses, managers or doyens; people with different personality will be able to find their places.

2. Preparation and Choices by Engineers for their Career

1) Keep curiosity and sensitivity for things around:

a. Identify the model figures in the related academy, companies or business; either for their achievement or failures. Through the following up of the individuals and their career, young men will know more about the industry and the business.

It’s important to learn from your rivals; the competition, envy or simple disdainfulness could serve as strong motives for people serious to obtain progress. 

Man needs enemy but he also needs to know ow to make reconciliation.

b. Make certain for what you really want, and set up your career goal as early as possible. 

Whether or not the goal is achievable or reasonable must and can be checked with rationality.

As an engineer, the efforts to realize career goal must be passionate and sustainable; a state of complacency will stop one’s learning process and is the major reason that an engineer cease to advance. 

So, when people find they’re not so curious about many things in daily life as before, it will be alarming for losing a critical tool in developing their wisdom.
Sometimes, commercial success can confuse the career goal that people set for their original intention, either people can go contented or even wilder. It has to be balanced.

 

c. Try to be an intellectual not to bend to the public opinion easily.

During the proceeding of public works construction, many people that may include politicians, end users, stake holders, contracting parties, and work crews, will try to exercise their influence for their benefit. 

The means can be persuasion, violence, contractual imperatives, overwhelming public opinions, or anything that may cause much pressures to bend the professionals.

And only the Engineers are intellectuals, sorts of brainy persons who engages in intensive reasoning and deep thinking, they shall be responsible for the works completed in common good; he shall defy the illogic and fight against near sight of the ordinary people though knows they are holding power. 

2) Understand your own: 

a. Personality decided over 50% of what and how people will take their jobs -

Introvert or extrovert, competitive or pacific, simple or sophisticated, work in solo or in group, daring or scrupulous, acute or slow, commanding or compliant, polemics or quiet, etc.

b. Capability 

Knowledge, expertise, proficiency, logic, skill, common sense, morality quotient, etc., though are difficult to be evaluated objectively, but all can be learned through endeavors, and therefore measured by the people themselves.

c. Background and experience 

While it’s a fact that people are much influenced by their back-ground, family, friends, teachers, seniors, neighbors, etc., for their interest, intention and future; many fail to distinguish it’s a “gift” or a” must”.

3) Education and training

a. Expertise according to mechanics and disciplines: 

geotechnics, structure, architecture, hydrology and irrigation, roadwork, coastal and marine, mechanic, electric, HVAC, etc.

b. Disciplines according to the necessity to implement the projects: 

planning, design, construction methodology, survey and set out, supervision, drafting, progress, quality assurance and control, cost control, quantity survey, machine and plant control, contract administration, litigation, inventory, first aid, financial management, accounting, information, administration, etc.

c. Young engineers shall Identify their own roles in an uncertain future and prepare skill and proficiency according to individual's aptitude for adaptation:

However, in a real world they should not be too sentimental and bound by degrees of the objectivism; so, in most of the cases he has to obtain as many as possible licenses, certificates, and academic degrees in line with many countries' system: diploma, licenses, certificates, verdicts of on job training, etc. 

d. Professional " skill" to be nurtured: 

complex problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, people management, coordinating with others, emotional intelligence, judgement and decision making, service orientation, negotiation, and cognitive flexibility, though not to be stringently followed but meaningful in the practice.

e. The professionals shall make a choice as early as possible according to their own awareness and capability: 

consultant or contractor, technical or managerial, in-house or at site, official or private, domestic or international, employed or boss; before coming to age, say 30s. The reasons are in two: 1). there won’t be employers permit you to work many different jobs and make final choice. 2). your brain power won’t allow you to swift between jobs of opposite nature passing the peak.

 

f. Among all, attitude will decide everything:

Young engineers modest in their approach at workplace will allow them to develop the required leadership, and accumulate the knowledge regarding professionalism and humanity; all are indispensable to their maturity. The kind of gracious start will grant them a prominent position in the industry and help to grip the trend of market change.

 

In other words, people when contact with complicated real world, habitual vision will probably prejudice them for long before back to a more rational and pragmatical track. 

Defiance to the establishment, either the organizations or the powerful is usual for young men. However, if the distant uncertainty of one’s future can be conceptualized into a firm belief that the norms of the competing world will be built on rules and discipline, the struggles that every man is enemy to every man won’t last long.

Open mind shall be most important to young hearts; though it’s difficult!