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Employment and utilization of engineers among defense contractors
Author(s) -
Goldberg Matthew S.,
Frazier Thomas P.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
naval research logistics (nrl)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.665
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1520-6750
pISSN - 0894-069X
DOI - 10.1002/1520-6750(199412)41:7<853::aid-nav3220410702>3.0.co;2-8
Subject(s) - production (economics) , work (physics) , product (mathematics) , volume (thermodynamics) , period (music) , business , computer science , operations research , operations management , marketing , engineering , economics , microeconomics , mathematics , mechanical engineering , physics , geometry , quantum mechanics , acoustics
Defense contractors retain engineers for two reasons. First, engineers work on current‐period production contracts. Second, engineers conduct independent research and development (IR&D) and write bids and proposals (B&P) for future contracts. The amount of IR&D/B&P activity, however, understates the amount of effort devoted to learning that reduces the cost of future production. Even some engineers who work on current‐period production may engage in learning, as a by‐product of their efforts. This article develops and implements a model for estimating the volume of learning activity undertaken by four large manufacturers of military aircraft. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.