TABLE OF CONTENTS The master works of ancient Persian, Greco, Roman, Chinese, and Scythian civilizations all involved engineering to varying degrees, and the individuals responsible for those discoveries and enterprises were in the every respect engineers [1]. The word "engineer" is derived from the Latin ingenium, which literally means natural talent or capacity as well as "a clever invention" [2]. Nonetheless, in the modern terms the words "technology" and "engineering" may simply be described as the knowledge to manipulate nature to produce products (consumer, industrial, and commercial), energy, and services; and the understanding of the manipulation process that seeks to satisfy human social and economic needs and aspirations, respectively. Both engineering and technology interface with mathematics, physical sciences, social sciences, and humanities. An effective understanding of the former is absolutely necessary to translate innovative ideas into reality while due regard for the latter is critical for business success.
Engineering and technology management is basically concerned with managing engineering and technologies to achieve business objectives or goals. It requires skills in understanding technology and engineering in addition to managing business activities of organizations.
In today's fiercely competitive global economy, an effective management of engineering and technology is crucial for the survival of business and the maintenance of national prosperity. This chapter presents topics directly or indirectly concerned with the introductory aspects of engineering and technology management.
Although, the history of the word manage may be traced back to the Latin word manus meaning "hand," the history of modern...
