Engineering Systems Acquisition and Support

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Introduction

Abstract

Thomas Friedman once said, “In Globalisation 1.0 that began around 1492, the world went from size large to size medium. In Globalisation 2.0, the era that introduced us to multinational companies, it went from size medium to size small. And then around 2000 came Globalisation 3.0, in which the world went from being small to tiny”. Physically, the world does not shrink. What is actually changed is the ability of people to interact with one another directly among themselves, or indirect interaction through some mechanisms or processes has doubled or tripled in a short time. This chapter builds on this observation and explores the background and concepts of acquiring, operating, supporting, and servicing complex engineering ...