This Course Guide has been taken from the most recent presentation of the course. It would be useful for reference purposes but please note that there may be updates for the following presentation.
ENGG S228
Engineers in Society
Welcome to ENGG S228 Engineers in Society.
The School of Science and Technology offers ENGG S228 Engineers in Society. The course aims to introduce you to the economic and technology issues which affect the promotion and improvement of industrial activity in Hong Kong. The course supports the development of skills, knowledge and qualities important for professional engineers in the global marketplace.
The course does not attempt to make you an expert in any particular field. For example, the coverage of environmental legislation is such that you learn about the foundation issues for any professional engineer. You should then be able to investigate any particular issues for your own discipline with a good background knowledge. You will not be an environmental legislation expert and it may be necessary to seek professional legal help for specific problems you may encounter in your work.
Engineers in Society is developed with Hong Kong engineers in mind. The local context is introduced through supplementary readings, journal articles, examples and short case studies. The materials make reference to the specific situation in Hong Kong wherever possible and refer to the latest information at the time of writing (mid-1999).
There is no doubt that engineering in Hong Kong and associated operations in mainland China are crucial to Hong Kong's future industrial prosperity. The Hong Kong Government is aware of this despite a strong focus on new information technology (IT) policies and initiatives. The course attempts to present a balanced view of all those with a professional concern for the future of Hong Kong industry.
As Hong Kong manufacturing consists of so many small companies, it is difficult to get an accurate picture of professional engineering practice in Hong Kong. This is significant as this proliferation of small companies means that individual engineers must take more responsibility in their role, as many small companies lack formal policies in important areas such as health and safety and environmental management.
Attempting to establish common practice in engineering is also made more difficult as many Hong Kong based engineering operations adapt to become engineering services companies. These companies are also important for industrial growth, as they are more likely to adopt new IT based strategies in servicing the manufacturing and export needs of their mainland counterparts. All these issues are covered in the course as you investigate and explore what it means to be a professional engineer in Hong Kong.
References to relevant websites are also made, so that you have access to the latest information on each topic. These resources are recommended to you to enhance your studies, but they are not a required part of this course.
This Course Guide is designed to introduce you to the overall course content and the various components of the study units. Read through it as it will help you as you start Unit 1, as you will already have an overview of what to expect and how the units are presented.
Begin by reviewing the course aims and learning outcomes in the next section. Refer back to them as you complete the course units and check your progress in achieving them.
Course aims
The course ENGG S228 Engineers in Society aims to:
Course learning outcomes
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
In this section, you are presented with an overview of the content of the course and how it is organized. Although the course is presented as distinct units, under distinct headings, the issues investigated all affect and impact on each other very closely. For example, environmental issues are closely related to safety and health concerns, as well as being closely related to ethical and product liability responsibilities. As another example, the new IT revolution is affecting not only business-to-business communication and trade, but also the manufacturing processes and opportunities for new innovations in design and prototyping.
Where appropriate, the course attempts to highlight connections between topics. Ultimately though, it is your successful attainment of the overall aims and learning outcomes of the course that will enable you to demonstrate an appreciation of the wide ranging issues facing you in your professional engineering career.
ENGG S228 Engineers in Society is a five credit, middle level course. There are no pre-requisite courses that need to be completed. The course consists of five units:
Unit 1 presents an overview of the development of Hong Kong industry and explores the shift to a post-industrial society as information technology and services gain importance. The unit introduces the work of the Innovation and Technology Commission and related developments, as Hong Kong positions itself to become a major technology based business centre in the region.
Unit 2 explores the professional environment of engineers in Hong Kong. Ethical and risk issues are explored through case study examples.
Unit 3 concentrates on three specific areas: safety and health, environmental management, and intellectual property. An overview of product liability and consumer law is also included.
Unit 4 introduces the product development process as a tool to encourage innovation in product design, and encourages a flexible approach by engineers. The increasing role of IT in industry is explored from the perspective of design tools used and the improvements to processes which are possible. Quality management and its relevance to Hong Kong is introduced and the unit ends with the product and technology life-cycle, to lead into the next unit.
Unit 5 builds on the product development process introduced in Unit 4, bringing out the business issues for small technology based start-up companies. The unit introduces the development of a business plan and sources of finance in Hong Kong.
The following chart gives a general overview of the course structure.
| Unit | Title | Weeks | Assessment activity (end of unit) |
| 1 | An introduction to Hong Kong industry | 3 | |
| 2 | Professional practice | 3 | Assignment 1 |
| 3 | The engineer in society | 3 | |
| 4 | An introduction to product engineering | 3 | |
| 5 | Engineering business development | 2 | Assignment 2 |
| Revision | 2 | ||
| TOTAL | 16 |
ENGG S228 Engineers in Society will be delivered primarily as five print based units and this Course Guide. There will be no course textbooks, but external readings will be included where they are required. All the readings are provided as print copies included with each of the units. Many of these are available on the Internet and the web addresses are included if you wish to access them this way. They will also be available through a list of hyperlinks on a homepage for the course.
Although the course includes external references and highlights current issues, it is part of your responsibility as a professional engineer to keep up to date. This is important not only in your specific discipline, but also in society as a whole. For example, intellectual property and environmental legislation are developing rapidly in both Hong Kong and on the mainland. It is important that you keep up to date to ensure that you are addressing your responsibilities to society within your work, as well as the needs of your employer.
To support you in your studies, the course integrates a number of components throughout all the units. Before exploring each of them, it is important that you appreciate that the study units lead the way.
Study units lead the way
As with most HKMU courses, study units direct your studies. They are designed to introduce and review each topic in a way that helps you learn the ideas and concepts most appropriately.
This means that you should not skip readings or activities to progress further or faster. Frequently, the study notes following an activity or reading will refer directly to it and the ideas and concepts it covers. You will also find that each unit builds on the previous one and may often refer back to materials in earlier units. Remember though, you are not required to access the websites included in the reference sites at the end of most major parts of the units.
Activities
Activities are included within the study notes to help you think in more detail about the topics covered. The activities are particularly focused towards applying what is covered to your own organization, or one with which you are familiar. Immediately following each activity, feedback is given on how you might have responded. More detailed feedback may be referenced in the back of the unit. Some activities build on the previous ones, so keep and label any notes you make for each of them as you go.
Case examples
Case examples are normally short cases integrated into the topic notes to highlight specific issues or practices in industry.
Readings
Readings are integrated with the study notes. These enable you to look at an issue in more depth or to see an alternative view. All the readings are numbered and print copies are included with each unit. In addition, where a reading is also available online, a World Wide Web address is included.
Specifically, the course integrates a number of excerpts of an interview with Dr Raymond Ho, the Legislative Councillor for the Engineering Functional Constituency in Hong Kong. This interview — conducted specifically for use on ENGG S228 — attempts to highlight current issues to balance government views and policies.
Self tests
Self tests are provided at the end of each unit. Feedback on these questions is included at the end of the unit. They are an important tool to help you check your progress. Spend some time on them and review any topics in the units where you find difficulty answering questions.
References and further reading
References and further reading includes citations for all the quotes and readings used in the unit. Additional texts and website resources covering the unit topics are identified for further research.
Reference sites
Reference sites are included at the end of each major part of the units. They are only included for further reference and accessing them is not a required part of the course. A course homepage will be made available that provides a list of hyperlinks to websites which are referred to in the course units.
A total of ten hours of tutorials are included in this course, based on two hours for each of the five course units:
Unit 1: An introduction to Hong Kong industry
Unit 2: Professional practice
Unit 3: The engineer in society
Unit 4: An introduction to product engineering
Unit 5: Engineering business development.
Tutorials will be based on the major course units and tutors may also introduce further explanations, examples and readings. In addition, surgeries may be used as required and industry presented seminars will also be scheduled as part of school activities for a range of courses.
The overall assessment strategy is based on assignments and an end of course examination. Each will count for 50% of the final award.
Assignments
There are two assignments in the course.
Examination
The final examination will be three hours in duration, and will account for 50% of the overall course credit. Questions will cover all five units of the course and there will be an emphasis on questions related to content which is not covered in the assignments.
| Assessment type | Marks | |
| Assignments | 50% | |
| Assignment 1 | 25% | |
| Assignment 2 | 25% | |
| Examination | 50% | |
| TOTAL | 100% | |
Keith Pretty (Units 1-5)
Keith Pretty earned his BSc (Hons) in Engineering Product Design from South Bank University (1987) and his MBA from Dorset Business School (1992). While teaching at Bournemouth University he developed and directed a range of innovative degree courses which integrate technical, design and business disciplines.
With the onset of the Internet revolution, Keith adapted and developed his computer design and programming skills to the creation of web-based applications and teaching materials. Keith lives and works in Hong Kong and is the managing director of Learning Connections, which develops educational multimedia resources for Hong Kong universities.
Keith is currently studying for a doctorate in education (EdD) at Durham University, in the UK, where his research focuses on the integration of university online learning networks with electronic commerce systems.
