Soviet state procurement eschews state of the art
Article Abstract:
The procurement system in the Soviet Union is the tortoise compared to the US procurement hare. The Soviet system relies on product improvement rather than the latest technology. The Soviet defense industry is huge, representing 7-8 percent of the Soviet GNP. Massive modernization and expansion took place within their defense industry in the 1970s, with the primary reliance on conventional weapons. The Soviet defense industry is successful compared to the general Soviet economy. This is largely due to three factors: the underlying design philosophy, the way procurement is organized, and its responsiveness to change. The Soviet philosophy is to make existing weapons even better. The US philosophy is to try never-before-used technology, with the problems of production, maintenance, and operation left for later. The Soviets emphasize producibility. The Soviets do recognize a new revolution on microprocessor applications and remote sensing devices, something their present acquisition systems are not geared up for.
Publication Name: IEEE Spectrum
Subject: Engineering and manufacturing industries
ISSN: 0018-9235
Year: 1988
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
Project delivery and the U.S. Department of State
Article Abstract:
The State Dept's Office of Foreign Buildings has been tasked with designing and constructing American embassies throughout the world. It has an annual budget of $874 million and manages more than 2,000 facilities worldwide. Global terrorism was a major reason why the State Dept implemented a major building program in the late 1970s to correct security deficiencies. The plan, more known as the Inman program, identified urgently needed projects in the Middle East, South America, Africa and the Far East. Its first completed project is the blast-resistant embassy in Sanaa, Yemen.
Publication Name: Journal of Management in Engineering
Subject: Engineering and manufacturing industries
ISSN: 0742-597X
Year: 1998
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
State of the nuclear economy
Article Abstract:
The nuclear generation of electricity became a reality in the 1950s when the federal government initiated a series of key activities to support the concept. Nuclear generation of electricity has been accepted by most leading economies as part of the solution to their energy needs despite the fact the sector has stopped growing. It is not clear whether nuclear energy will enter a period of stagnation and decline or whether conditions will enable it to survive in the first few decades of the 21st century.
Publication Name: IEEE Spectrum
Subject: Engineering and manufacturing industries
ISSN: 0018-9235
Year: 1997
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
- Abstracts: Strategic partnering: process instead of event. Buyer beware. Integrating R&D organizations in a merger & acquisition
- Abstracts: Sensitivity study of the CUSUM control chart with an economic model. Techno-economic evaluation of waste lube oil refining
- Abstracts: Customer feedback from the classroom. From the classroom to the boardroom. Distance learning in a cyber classroom
- Abstracts: Managerial and Economic Barriers and Incentives to the Commercialization of Solar Energy Technologies. Solar System Sorties: Ending the Hiatus
- Abstracts: The best-practice company and other benchmarking myths. Increased Hiring Seen for 1984