Development aid: The moral obligation to innovation

The prominent, though not exclusive, role of basic needs strategies to attain ethically acceptable development goals raises the question of the ability of development agencies to find and employ basic needs strategies. The obligation to prevent severe human suffering leads to the obligation to employ basic needs strategies to attain basic needs goals. The history of failure by development agencies in finding and employing basic needs tools leads to a further obligation to cultivate bureaucratic environments which foster profound innovation. This requires not only new tools but also new bureaucratic behaviour. An understandable obstacle to simultaneously technological and bureaucratic innovation lies in the tension between responsible behaviour and behaviour promoting fundamental change. Since this tension is based on the unpredictability of creative change, a series of axioms and corollaries which reduce the unpredictability is given. They include: (1) an obligation to seek innovation; (2) a clear statement of basic needs goals and intent to use some basic needs tools; (3) increase in effective knowledge of the poor and their survival strategies; (4) bureaucratic learning flexibility; (5) participatory development and allied emphasis on sustainable resource technologies. The embodiment of these in the learning process approach is illustrated.     

Site selection for a data centre – a multi-criteria decision-making model

IT data centres (DCs) are a huge investment and most mid-size companies need to set up their own DCs to run their business operations. Building new DCs is a time-consuming effort needing millions of dollars and months of planning. Companies cannot afford to make a wrong decision when designing and setting up a new DC as these need to build for a life of around 20 years. In this paper, we studied the challenges and issues faced by enterprise DCs and explored various criteria which can be used for selecting a site for a new DC. We use a hierarchical model to look into various financial, environmental, social, political and geographical factors which an organisation need to look into when choosing a city for their DC. The model discussed in the paper provides a general framework and can be adopted by a company operating in any industry and any country.     

从生态文明视角谈文化产业园区发展路径创新

概述了我国文化产业在发展过程中出现的诸如文化国际贸易污染转移、资源成本透支以及生态结构不合理等问题,根据生态和文化天生具有亲近性和共同特征,建议通过树立“生态消费”观念、进行结构调整等对策实现文化产业与生态文明的有机结合.     

Unpacking the black box of cleaner technology

This paper scrutinizes the concept of cleaner technology, drawing on both a review of the literature and case study analysis of new data. By analysing the intentions behind innovations as separate from outcomes, a complex relationship between intentions and outcomes, as well as between different motives, is revealed. The paper argues that cleaner technology is not in fact a type of technology, that the concept obscures the role of underlying environmental motives and ambitions and that cleaner technology innovations do not necessarily deliver the economic gains they are normally understood to do.     

安全工程本科与研究生专业课创新教学中的对比分析与研究

从创新教育的基本理念出发,通过对安全工程专业本科与研究生专业课程的创新教学进行对比分析与研究认为:应对在安全工程专业课程教学中实施创新教育的必要性及可行性进行研究;根据安全工程专业学士和硕士的不同就业特点,结合笔者多年为本科生和研究生开设《防火与防爆》课程的教学实践,必须从激发学生创新意识、培养创新思维、提高创新能力等方面对专业课程教学进行改革和创新,并在教学内容和教学方式上应该有所侧重;实践表明在本科与研究生专业课教学中既要实施创新教育,在教学方式上又要有所不同,才能为社会培养不同层次的更多的优秀安全工程专业人才。     

Diffusion of Lead-free Soldering in Electronics Industry in China

The EU directives on e-waste management (WEEE and RoHS) have drawn the attention of electronics producers around the world to the environmental benign technologies in recent years. One of the technological challenges to the electronics manufacturers is the adoption of the lead-free soldering system. This article studies the diffusion of lead-free soldering technology among the electronics producers in China, and finds out the relevance of clusters for the diffusion of environmental benign technological innovation among firms. Four agents, as key promoters, were identified within the production network –leading global brand-name companies, the OEM companies who provide integrated manufacturing service, the suppliers of lead-free components, and specialized consultant companies. The conclusion is that industrial cluster facilitates communications among all agents for the diffusion of innovation, whereas, the incentives for firms within the cluster, to collaborate for innovation, comes from outside.     

地理邻近性与区域创新关系探讨

与“地理学已死”的认识相反．由于知识的特性和创新的背量依赖，在区域创新的研究中地理邻近得到重视。地理邻近在区域创新经济学中的位置与传统空间经济学中的位置一样．只是创新的促进因素．而不是决定性因素。空间经济学和创新经济学在目的上是一样的．但由于各自不同的经济决定变量导致了对地理邻近性的认识是不一样的。尝试从知识流动和集体学习视角，对一直被视为“黑箱”的地理邻近性的作用机理进行探讨。研究表明。地理邻近是“距离产生美”，太多或太少的地理邻近对集体学习和区域创新都是不利的。同时地理邻近性既不是区域创新的充分条件，也不是必要条件，它和其它类型的邻近相互促进．相互替代。ICIS的发展使传统空间经济学中地理邻近的重要性降低，ICIS更进一步发展同样会使区域创新经济学中的地理邻近性重要性降低，也许未来的虚拟经济的世界里真的不太需要物理世界的地理邻近。     

Institutional effectiveness of REDD+ MRV: Countries progress in implementing technical guidelines and good governance requirements

The UNFCCC requires REDD+ countries wishing to receive results-based payments to measure, report and verify (MRV) REDD+ impacts; and outlines technical guidelines and good governance requirements for MRV. This article examines institutional effectiveness of REDD+ MRV by assessing countries’ progress in implementing these technical guidelines and good governance requirements, from three dimensions. Ownership of technical methods examines whether countries own technical methods for forest area and area change measuring, and for estimating forest carbon stocks; and whether national MRV systems cover all forests, land uses and carbon pools. Administrative capacity examines development of administrative competence to implement MRV. Good governance examines whether countries espouses norms of good governance in their MRV systems. We apply these dimensions to assess and compare progress in 13 REDD+ countries, based on a review of national and international documents. Findings show that REDD+ countries have high to very high ownership of technical methods. However, majority ranks only low to moderate on administrative capacity and good governance. This means that although countries have started developing technical methods for MRV, they are yet to develop the competence necessary to administer MRV and to inculcate good governance in MRV. The article explain the scores and suggest ways of improving implementation of REDD+ MRV.     

Community‐based preparedness programmes and the 2009 Australian bushfires: policy implications derived from applying theory

The Victorian Country Fire Authority in Australia runs the Community Fireguard (CFG) programme to assist individuals and communities in preparing for fire. The objective of this qualitative research was to understand the impact of CFG groups on their members' fire preparedness and response during the 2009 Australian bushfires. Social connectedness emerged as a strong theme, leading to an analysis of data using social capital theory. The main strength of the CFG programme was that it was driven by innovative community members; however, concerns arose regarding the extent to which the programme covered all vulnerable areas, which led the research team to explore the theory of diffusion of innovation. The article concludes by stepping back from the evaluation and using both applied theories to reflect on broad options for community fire preparedness programmes in general. The exercise produced two contrasting options for principles underlying community fire preparedness programmes.     

Leadership of scientists and engineers: A three‐vector model

Existing models have not adequately accounted for the leadership of scientists and engineers engaged in creative work. In this Incubator, we present a model of creative leadership of scientists and engineers and argue that such leaders should possess expertise in three vectors. Implications and directions for future research are discussed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.