Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
particular product or production lines (Ashford, 2000; Ashford et al., 1985). Some
fi
rms
fi
nd it easier to innovate than others. The heavy, basic industries, which are also some-
times the most polluting, unsafe and resource-intensive industries, change with great
di
culty, especially when it comes to core processes. New industries, such as computer
manufacturing, can also be polluting, unsafe (for workers), and resource and energy
intensive, although conceivably they may
fi
nd it easier to meet environmental demands.
er a
variety of starting points for government policies for stimulating technological and orga-
nizational innovation. This represents an opportunity as well as a problem. The oppor-
tunity is that government does not depend on a few speci
The di
ff
erent dimensions or factors of willingness, opportunity and capability o
ff
c instruments, but may have
command of a large variety of instruments. These include removing regulatory barriers
to innovation, stimulating innovation by getting the prices for natural resources right,
using government regulation to stimulate innovation, procurement and investment to
develop new markets, advancing knowledge transfer from universities to small and
medium enterprises, implementing proactive programs for the education and training of
labor for a knowledge-based economy, and encouraging management and labor to
bargain before technological changes are planned and implemented, and last but not
least, cultural activities to enhance openness and willingness to engage in change
(Ashford, 2000).
The problem is that these instruments must be integrated in a systematic approach or
they will create various contradictory and con
fi
ects - as is often the case with
uncoordinated public policy. The coordination of a variety of policy instruments is often
a complex task which exceeds governments' capacities. The real challenge, thus, is to
fl
icting e
ff
fi
nd
e
ective approaches and methods to coordinate a complex variety of instruments with
complex impacts in a systematic way. We address this problem and its solution in the
ff
fi
nal
section of this chapter.
Trade strategies, the environment and employment
Charles and Lehner (1998) argue that 'the type of innovation which is the key to new
employment is one which develops markets in new directions and creates new markets and
thus enhances a strong leading-edge economy'. One could make the same observation for
the enhancement of the environment. As Schumpeter has pointed out, companies in the
leading-edge economy can exploit a temporary monopoly resulting from their superior
products and services (Schumpeter, 1939; 1962). Advanced-industry economies in their
innovative sectors have already shifted in the last 10 to 15 years from technocentric to
anthropocentric production systems - those that capitalize on human intelligence and are
designed for continuous improvement and learning. Instead of a cost-driven strategy that
calls for reduced labor costs, Charles and Lehner recommend that industrial economies
aim for an innovation-driven strategy, which depends on a large number of human inter-
faces in the company that are likely to produce organizational learning, creativity, new
ideas - and well-paying jobs. An innovation-driven strategy also a
ff
ords an opportunity
to modernize and improve products, processes and services.
Sustainable development should be seen as a broad concept, incorporating concerns for
the economy, the environment and employment. All three are driven or a
ected by both
technological innovation (Schumpeter, 1939; 1962) and globalized trade (Diwan and
Walton, 1997; Ekins et al., 1994). They are also in a fragile balance, are interrelated, and
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