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Syngenta: Committing to Africa
by Forest Reinhardt Mary ShelmanIn 2012, Syngenta, one of the world's largest agricultural input company, committed to build a $1 billion business in Africa over the next 10 years. In mid-2014, CEO Michael Mack and Africa Venture Team head Dimitri Pauwels are reviewing progress. Was the company's committment to Africa still relevant and achievable?
Syngenta: Committing to Africa
by Forest Reinhardt Mary ShelmanIn 2012, Syngenta, one of the world's largest agricultural input company, committed to build a $1 billion business in Africa over the next 10 years. In mid-2014, CEO Michael Mack and Africa Venture Team head Dimitri Pauwels are reviewing progress. Was the company's committment to Africa still relevant and achievable?
Syntex Laboratories (A)
by Darrel G. ClarkeA consulting project involving a mathematical model of the sales force indicates that Syntex Labs should nearly double the size of their sales force and drastically alter their allocation of sales effort to the product line and physician specialties. The questions are whether the results are reliable and what action should be taken.
Synthes
by John T. GourvilleSynthes is the recognized leader in the U.S. orthopedic implant market, with a 50% market share in the metallic plates, rods, and screws used to fix severe bone fractures. Synthes' marketplace strength lies in the strength of its sales force and in the quality and reliability of its products. A major drawback to all metallic implants, however, is that they often need to be removed after the bones have healed. To address this problem, several major competitors have recently introduced polymer-based "bioresorbable" implants. In theory, these new implants remain rigid while the fracture heals, then gradually dissolve, eliminating their need for removal. In reality, however, some of these new implants have proven problematic--causing infection, incomplete healing, or the need for a second surgery. This leaves Synthes debating whether to enter the bioresorbable market and risk a high-profile product failure or to remain an observer and allow others to test the market and eventually validate (or invalidate) the concept.
Synthetic Biology Investment Opportunity
by Peter Barrett Karim R. Lakhani Kerry Herman Julia KelleyCase
Synthetic Data for Deep Learning (Springer Optimization and Its Applications #174)
by Sergey I. NikolenkoThis is the first book on synthetic data for deep learning, and its breadth of coverage may render this book as the default reference on synthetic data for years to come. The book can also serve as an introduction to several other important subfields of machine learning that are seldom touched upon in other books. Machine learning as a discipline would not be possible without the inner workings of optimization at hand. The book includes the necessary sinews of optimization though the crux of the discussion centers on the increasingly popular tool for training deep learning models, namely synthetic data. It is expected that the field of synthetic data will undergo exponential growth in the near future. This book serves as a comprehensive survey of the field. In the simplest case, synthetic data refers to computer-generated graphics used to train computer vision models. There are many more facets of synthetic data to consider. In the section on basic computer vision, the book discusses fundamental computer vision problems, both low-level (e.g., optical flow estimation) and high-level (e.g., object detection and semantic segmentation), synthetic environments and datasets for outdoor and urban scenes (autonomous driving), indoor scenes (indoor navigation), aerial navigation, and simulation environments for robotics. Additionally, it touches upon applications of synthetic data outside computer vision (in neural programming, bioinformatics, NLP, and more). It also surveys the work on improving synthetic data development and alternative ways to produce it such as GANs. The book introduces and reviews several different approaches to synthetic data in various domains of machine learning, most notably the following fields: domain adaptation for making synthetic data more realistic and/or adapting the models to be trained on synthetic data and differential privacy for generating synthetic data with privacy guarantees. This discussion is accompanied by an introduction into generative adversarial networks (GAN) and an introduction to differential privacy.
Synthetic Worlds: Emerging Technologies in Education and Economics
by Torsten Reiners Andreas Hebbel-Seeger Dennis SchäfferSynthetic Worlds, Virtual Worlds, and Alternate Realities are all terms used to describe the phenomenon of computer-based, simulated environments in which users inhabit and interact via avatars. The best-known commercial applications are in the form of electronic gaming, and particularly in massively-multiplayer online role-playing games like World of Warcraft or Second Life. Less known, but possibly more important, is the rapid adoption of platforms in education and business, where Serious Games are being used for training purposes, and even Second Life is being used in many situations that formerly required travel. Linden Lab, creator of Second Life, recently announced the creation of Second Life Enterprise, with customers including IBM, Northrop Grumman, and the US Naval Undersea Warfare Center. The editors of this book captures the state of research in the field intended to reflect the rapidly growing yet relatively young market in education and business. The general focus is set on the scientific community but integrates the practical applications for businesses, with papers on information systems, business models, and economics. In six parts, international authors - all experts in their field - discuss the current state-of-the-art of virtual worlds/alternate realities and how the field will develop over the next years. Chapters discuss the influences and impacts in and around virtual worlds. Part four is about education, with a focus on learning environments and experiences, pedagogical models, and the effects on the different roles in the educational sector. The book looks at business models and how companies can participate in virtual worlds while receiving a return on investment, and includes cases and scenarios of integration, from design, implementation to application.
Synthetic Worlds: The Business and Culture of Online Games
by Edward CastronovaCastronova offers the first comprehensive look at the online game industry, exploring its implications for business and culture alike. He starts with the players, giving us a revealing look into the everyday lives of the gamers--outlining what they do in their synthetic worlds and why.
Syria - Culture Smart!
by Sarah StandishAfter years of diplomatic isolation Syria is emerging from the cold. Its government is a key Middle Eastern player, and will be a major element of any possible comprehensive Middle Eastern peace deal. To visit Syria is to become acquainted with one of the most rewarding destinations in the Middle East. Its historic attractions are stunning, and the Syrians are proud and gracious hosts; you can expect to be treated like a person and not just a tourist. Of course, there are always thorns with the roses: Syria's economy is inefficient, and its youth are frustrated; the strong-man political system that has held the country together does not encourage public intellectual life, but nor does it prevent young Syrians from debating with passion in private. The Syrian sense of tradition has preserved some of the bad along with the good, and society remains highly patriarchal. Despite such drawbacks, this is a country that's rich not only in resources, but also, and especially, in its people. American author Sarah Standish looks at Syria's long history and its present-day political realities. She describes the many subgroups that make up the population as well as what unites all Syrians. She offers practical tips for traveling and on what to expect when conducting business. You'll learn how people communicate with each other, and how you can communicate with them. The Syrians will never stop surprising you: get to know a few, and they will turn the stereotypes inside out several times over.
Syria: From National Independence to Proxy War
by Ali Kadri Linda MatarThis edited collection aims to analytically reconceptualise the Syrian crisis by examining how and why the country has moved from a stable to a war-torn society. It is written by scholars from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds, all of whom make no attempt to speculate on the future trajectory of the conflict, but aim instead to examine the historical background that has laid the objective conditions for Syria’s descent to its current situation. Their work represents an attempt to dissect the multi-layered foundation of the Syrian conflict and to make understanding its complex inner workings accessible to a broader readership. The book is divided into four parts, each of which elaborates on the origins and dynamics of today’s crisis from the perspective of a different discipline. When put together, the four parts provide a holistic picture of Syria’s developmental trajectory from the early twentieth century through to the present day. Themes addressed include Syria’s postcolonial development efforts, its leap into socialism and then into neoliberalism in the late twentieth century, its politics within the resistance front, and finally its food and health security concerns.
Syrup: A Novel
by Max BarryNow a major motion picture starring Amber Heard, Shiloh Fernandez, Kellan Lutz, and Brittany Snow Scat (formerly known as Michael Holloway) is young, underemployed, and trying to make it in Los Angeles. When he comes up with the idea for the hottest new soda ever, he’s sure he’ll become the next overnight sensation, maybe even retire early. But in the treacherous waters of corporate America there are no sure things and Scat finds that he has to fight to save his idea if his yet-to-be-realized career will ever get off the ground. With the help of a scarily gorgeous and brilliant marketing director named 6, he sets out on a mission to grab hold the fame and fortune that, time and again, elude him. This sharp-witted novel is a scathingly funny satire of celebrity, the pop culture machine, and the length to which a guy will go to get ahead-and get a date while doing it. .
System Administration Ethics: Ten Commandments for Security and Compliance in a Modern Cyber World
by Igor Ljubuncic Tom LittererSuccessfully navigate through the ever-changing world of technology and ethics and reconcile system administration principles for separation of duty, account segmentation, administrative groups and data protection. As security breaches become more common, businesses need to protect themselves when facing ethical dilemmas in today’s digital landscape. This book serves as a equitable guideline in helping system administrators, engineers – as well as their managers – on coping with the ethical challenges of technology and security in the modern data center by providing real-life stories, scenarios, and use cases from companies both large and small. You'll examine the problems and challenges that people working with customer data, security and system administration may face in the cyber world and review the boundaries and tools for remaining ethical in an environment where it is so easy to step over a line - intentionally or accidentally. You'll also see how to correctly deal with multiple ethical situations, problems that arise, and their potential consequences, with examples from both classic and DevOps-based environments.Using the appropriate rules of engagement, best policies and practices, and proactive “building/strengthening” behaviors, System Administration Ethics provides the necessary tools to securely run an ethically correct environment. What You'll LearnThe concepts of Least Privilege and Need to KnowRequest change approval and conduct change communicationFollow "Break Glass" emergency proceduresCode with data breaches, hacking and security violations, and proactively embrace and design for failures Build and gain trust with employees and build the right ethical cultureReview what managers can do to improve ethics and protect their employeesWho This Book Is ForThis book’s primary audience includes system administrators and information security specialists engaged with the creation, process and administration of security policies and systems. A secondary audience includes company leaders seeking to improve the security, privacy, and behavioral practices.
System Analysis and Design, an Object-Oriented Approach with UML
by Alan Dennis Barbara Haley Wixom David Paul TegardenSystems Analysis and Design: An Object-Oriented Approach with UML, Sixth Edition helps students develop the core skills required to plan, design, analyze, and implement information systems. Offering a practical hands-on approach to the subject, this textbook is designed to keep students focused on doing SAD, rather than simply reading about it. Each chapter describes a specific part of the SAD process, providing clear instructions, a detailed example, and practice exercises. Students are guided through the topics in the same order as professional analysts working on a typical real-world project. <p><p> Now in its sixth edition, this edition has been carefully updated to reflect current methods and practices in SAD and prepare students for their future roles as systems analysts. Every essential area of systems analysis and design is clearly and thoroughly covered, from project management, to analysis and design modeling, to construction, installation, and operations. The textbook includes access to a range of teaching and learning resources, and a running case study of a fictitious healthcare company that shows students how SAD concepts are applied in real-life scenarios.
System Analysis and Modeling. Languages, Methods, and Tools for Systems Engineering: 10th International Conference, SAM 2018, Copenhagen, Denmark, October 15–16, 2018, Proceedings (Lecture Notes in Computer Science #11150)
by Ferhat Khendek Reinhard GotzheinThis book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 10th International Conference on System Analysis and Modeling, SAM 2018, held in Copenhagen Denmark, in October 2018. The 12 full papers and 2 short papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 24 submissions. The papers describe innovations, trends, and experiences in modeling and analysis of complex systems using ITU-T's Specification and Description Language (SDL-2010) and Message Sequence Chart (MSC) notations, as well as related system design languages — including UML, ASN.1, TTCN, SysML and the User Requirements Notation (URN). This year’s edition of SAM will be under the theme “Languages, Methods, and Tools for Systems Engineering”, including languages and methods standardized by the ITU-T, and domain-specific languages. Also included are software engineering technologies, such as for requirements engineering, software verification and validation, and automated code generation.
System Dependability and Analytics: Approaching System Dependability from Data, System and Analytics Perspectives (Springer Series in Reliability Engineering)
by Long Wang Karthik Pattabiraman Catello Di Martino Arjun Athreya Saurabh BagchiThis book comprises chapters authored by experts who are professors and researchers in internationally recognized universities and research institutions. The book presents the results of research and descriptions of real-world systems, services, and technologies. Reading this book, researchers, professional practitioners, and graduate students will gain a clear vision on the state of the art of the research and real-world practice on system dependability and analytics. The book is published in honor of Professor Ravishankar K. Iyer, the George and Ann Fisher Distinguished Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), Urbana, Illinois. Professor Iyer is ACM Fellow, IEEE Fellow, AAAS Fellow, and served as Interim Vice Chancellor of UIUC for research during 2008–2011. The book contains chapters written by many of his former students.
System Efficiency by Renewable Electricity: Strategies for Efficient Energy Supply until 2050
by Günther BraunerIn this book, a more detailed analysis is performed on the basis of quarter-hourly time series of the supply of wind energy and photovoltaics. The end use including electromobility is also presented with more detailed time series of the load profiles for summer and winter and thereby for weekdays and weekends in each case. The subsequent analysis clarifies whether the renewable potentials are sufficient, what the optimal generation scenarios and infrastructures of the future could look like, and what the situation is with regard to affordability and environmental compatibility.
System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot
by Rob Reich Jeremy M. Weinstein Mehran Sahami"System Error is a triumph: an analysis of the critical challenges facing our digital society that is as accessible as it is sophisticated." — Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO of New AmericaA forward-thinking manifesto from three Stanford professors—experts who have worked at ground zero of the tech revolution for decades—which reveals how big tech’s obsession with optimization and efficiency has sacrificed fundamental human values and outlines steps we can take to change course, renew our democracy, and save ourselves.In no more than the blink of an eye, a naïve optimism about technology’s liberating potential has given way to a dystopian obsession with biased algorithms, surveillance capitalism, and job-displacing robots. Yet too few of us see any alternative to accepting the onward march of technology. We have simply accepted a technological future designed for us by technologists, the venture capitalists who fund them, and the politicians who give them free rein.It doesn’t need to be this way.System Error exposes the root of our current predicament: how big tech’s relentless focus on optimization is driving a future that reinforces discrimination, erodes privacy, displaces workers, and pollutes the information we get. This optimization mindset substitutes what companies care about for the values that we as a democratic society might choose to prioritize. Well-intentioned optimizers fail to measure all that is meaningful and, when their creative disruptions achieve great scale, they impose their values upon the rest of us.Armed with an understanding of how technologists think and exercise their power, three Stanford professors—a philosopher working at the intersection of tech and ethics, a political scientist who served under Obama, and the director of the undergraduate Computer Science program at Stanford (also an early Google engineer)—reveal how we can hold that power to account.Troubled by the values that permeate the university’s student body and its culture, they worked together to chart a new path forward, creating a popular course to transform how tomorrow’s technologists approach their profession. Now, as the dominance of big tech becomes an explosive societal conundrum, they share their provocative insights and concrete solutions to help everyone understand what is happening, what is at stake, and what we can do to control technology instead of letting it control us.
System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot
by Rob Reich Jeremy Weinstein Mehran SahamiRead this if you want to understand how to shape our technological future and reinvigorate democracy along the way. -- Reed Hastings, co-founder and CEO of Netflix__________A forward-thinking manifesto from three Stanford professors which reveals how big tech's obsession with optimization and efficiency has sacrificed fundamental human values and outlines steps we can take to change course, renew our democracy, and save ourselves.__________In no more than the blink of an eye, a naïve optimism about technology's liberating potential has given way to a dystopian obsession with biased algorithms, surveillance capitalism, and job-displacing robots. Yet too few of us see any alternative to accepting the onward march of technology. We have simply accepted a technological future designed for us by technologists, the venture capitalists who fund them, and the politicians who give them free rein.It doesn't need to be this way.System Error exposes the root of our current predicament: how big tech's relentless focus on optimization is driving a future that reinforces discrimination, erodes privacy, displaces workers, and pollutes the information we get.Armed with an understanding of how technologists think and exercise their power, three Stanford professors - a philosopher working at the intersection of tech and ethics, a political scientist who served under Obama, and the director of the undergraduate Computer Science program at Stanford (also an early Google engineer) - reveal how we can hold that power to account. As the dominance of big tech becomes an explosive societal conundrum, they share their provocative insights and concrete solutions to help everyone understand what is happening, what is at stake, and what we can do to control technology instead of letting it control us.
System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot
by Rob Reich Jeremy Weinstein Mehran SahamiRead this if you want to understand how to shape our technological future and reinvigorate democracy along the way. -- Reed Hastings, co-founder and CEO of Netflix__________A forward-thinking manifesto from three Stanford professors which reveals how big tech's obsession with optimization and efficiency has sacrificed fundamental human values and outlines steps we can take to change course, renew our democracy, and save ourselves.__________In no more than the blink of an eye, a naïve optimism about technology's liberating potential has given way to a dystopian obsession with biased algorithms, surveillance capitalism, and job-displacing robots. Yet too few of us see any alternative to accepting the onward march of technology. We have simply accepted a technological future designed for us by technologists, the venture capitalists who fund them, and the politicians who give them free rein.It doesn't need to be this way.System Error exposes the root of our current predicament: how big tech's relentless focus on optimization is driving a future that reinforces discrimination, erodes privacy, displaces workers, and pollutes the information we get.Armed with an understanding of how technologists think and exercise their power, three Stanford professors - a philosopher working at the intersection of tech and ethics, a political scientist who served under Obama, and the director of the undergraduate Computer Science program at Stanford (also an early Google engineer) - reveal how we can hold that power to account. As the dominance of big tech becomes an explosive societal conundrum, they share their provocative insights and concrete solutions to help everyone understand what is happening, what is at stake, and what we can do to control technology instead of letting it control us.(P) 2021 HarperCollins Publishers
System Innovation for Sustainability 1: Perspectives on Radical Changes to Sustainable Consumption and Production
by Carlo Vezzoli Martin Charter Eivind Stø Arnold Tukker Maj Munch AndersenSustainable consumption and production (SCP) was adopted as a priority area during the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002 and has since become one of the main vehicles for targeting international sustainability policy. Sustainable consumption focuses on formulating equitable strategies that foster the highest quality of life, the efficient use of natural resources, and the effective satisfaction of human needs while simultaneously promoting equitable social development, economic competitiveness, and technological innovation. But this is a complex topic and, as the challenges of sustainability grow larger, there is a need to re-imagine how SCP policies can be formulated, governed and implemented. The EU-funded project "Sustainable Consumption Research Exchanges" (SCORE!) consists of around 200 experts in the field of sustainable innovation and sustainable consumption. The SCORE! philosophy is that innovation in SCP policy can be achieved only if experts that understand business development, (sustainable) solution design, consumer behaviour and system innovation policy work together in shaping it. Sustainable technology design can be effective only if business can profitably make the products and consumers are attracted to them. To understand how this might effectively happen, the expertise of systems thinkers must be added to the mix. System Innovation for Sustainability 1 is the first result of a unique positive confrontation between experts from all four communities. It examines what SCP is and what it could be, provides a state-of-the-art review on the governance of change in SCP policy and looks at the strengths and weaknesses of current approaches. The SCORE! experts are working with actors in industry, consumer groups and eco-labelling organisations in the key consumption areas of mobility, food and agriculture, and energy use and housing – responsible for 70% of the life-cycle environmental impacts of Western societies – with the aim of stimulating, fostering or forcing change to SCP theory in practice. The System Innovation for Sustainability series will continue with three further volumes of comprehensive case studies in each of these three critical consumption areas. Each chapter of this book examines problems and suggests solutions from a business, design, consumer and system innovation perspective. It primarily examines the differing solutions necessary in the consumer economies of the West, but also comments on the differing needs in rapidly emerging economies such as China, as well as base-of-the-pyramid economies. The System Innovation for Sustainability series is the fruit of the only major international research network on SCP and will set the standard in this field for some years to come. It will be required reading for all involved in the policy debate on sustainable production and consumption from government, business, academia and NGOs for designers, scientists, businesses and system innovators.
System Innovation for Sustainability 2: Case Studies in Sustainable Consumption and Production - Mobility
by Theo Geerken Mads BorupThe EU-funded project "Sustainable Consumption Research Exchanges" (SCORE!) consists of around 200 experts in the field of sustainable innovation and sustainable consumption. The SCORE! philosophy is that innovation in SCP (sustainable consumption and production) policy can be achieved only if experts that understand business development, (sustainable) solution design, consumer behaviour and system innovation policy work together in shaping it. Sustainable technology design can be effective only if business can make the products profitably and consumers are attracted to them. To understand how this might effectively happen, the expertise of systems thinkers must be added to the mix. The publication in 2008 of System Innovation for Sustainability 1 was the first result of a unique positive confrontation between experts from all four communities. It examined what SCP is and what it could be, provided a state-of-the-art review on the governance of change in SCP policy and looked at the strengths and weaknesses of current approaches. System Innovation for Sustainability 2 is the first of three books of case studies covering, respectively, the three key consumption areas of: mobility; food and agriculture; and energy use and housing. These three areas are responsible for 70% of the life-cycle environmental impacts of Western societies. These case studies aim to stimulate, foster or force change to SCP theory in practice. System Innovation for Sustainability 2 focuses on change towards sustainable personal mobility based on implemented cases analysed from a system perspective. It examines what changes can be made to help us reduce our need for mobility, or start to make use of more sustainable mobility systems. This is clearly a critical and highly problematic area, as increasing living standards of a growing global population have resulted in rapid rises in both car and air travel along with the associated pollution. Uniquely, this book approaches the problems and solutions from a systems perspective, explaining the meta-trends, specific issues for the mobility sector, socioeconomic trends, political considerations, socio-cultural developments and environmental issues. As well as the mobility system itself, other societal systems that impact the need for mobility, such as labour and taxation, are addressed in order to provide sustainable solutions to our current "lock-in" problems. Three major problem areas are considered (the "three Cs"): carbon emissions (and the growing contribution of mobility to the climate change crisis), congestion, and casualties. And each strategy proposed addresses one or more of these problem areas. Among the cases discussed are: Norway's carbon compensation scheme for air travel; Madrid's high-occupancy vehicle lanes; London's congestion charge scheme; market-based instruments such as eco-labelling for cars; and taxation. The book identifies opportunities for actors such as governments, manufacturers and consumers to intervene in the complex system to promote sustainable mobility. It concludes with a reflection on problems, trends and action needed. The System Innovation for Sustainability series is the fruit of the first major international research network on SCP and will set the standard in this field for some years to come. It will be required reading for all involved in the policy debate on sustainable production and consumption from government, business, academia and NGOs for designers, scientists, businesses and system innovators.
System Innovation for Sustainability 3: Case Studies in Sustainable Consumption and Production — Food and Agriculture
by Ursula Tischner Eivind Stø Unni Kjærnes Arnold TukkerThe EU-funded project "Sustainable Consumption Research Exchanges" (SCORE!) consists of around 200 experts in the field of sustainable innovation and sustainable consumption. The SCORE! philosophy is that innovation in SCP policy can be achieved only if experts that understand business development, (sustainable) solution design, consumer behaviour and system innovation policy work together in shaping it. Sustainable technology design can be effective only if business can profitably make the products and consumers are attracted to them. To understand how this might effectively happen, the expertise of systems thinkers must be added to the mix. The publication in 2008 of System Innovation for Sustainability 1 was the first result of a unique positive confrontation between experts from all four communities. It examined what SCP is and what it could be, provided a state-of-the-art review on the governance of change in SCP policy and looked at the strengths and weaknesses of current approaches. System Innovation for Sustainability 3 is the second of three books of case studies covering respectively the three key consumption areas of mobility, food and agriculture, and energy use and housing – responsible for 70% of the life-cycle environmental impacts of Western societies – with the aim of stimulating, fostering or forcing change to SCP theory in practice. The availability of healthy food for all is a basic human need. Yet, primarily due to higher food prices, the overall number of undernourished people in the world increased from 923 million in 2007 to 963 million in 2008 – the vast majority of whom live in developing countries. Experts estimate that close to half of the human impact on the environment is directly or indirectly related to food production and consumption. Food production, distribution, consumption and disposal are important in terms of land and resource use, pollution and emissions, biodiversity and landscape design. Also of key importance are health issues and issues surrounding the satisfaction of citizens' basic needs: more than 200 million adults in the European Union are overweight or even obese due to unhealthy diets and too little exercise. Sustainability issues are now clearly on the agenda for food producers and market actors, politicians and regulators, as well as being increasingly important in the decisions consumers make about food. A large number and variety of efforts to stimulate sustainability have been instigated and numerous studies, research programmes and publications have addressed such issues. Agri-food issues have also been prominent in the evolving definition of what sustainability means. This book focuses largely on providing answers to the question of how food production and consumption systems can stay within the limits of the carrying capacity of our natural environment. But it also considers the challenges of food security and nutrition in the context of sustainability and a growing world population. The book first analyses the state of the art in sustainable agriculture and food production in Europe. Eleven case studies follow, examining issues such as food policy, greening mainstream agricultural systems, organic farming, farmers' markets, sustainable food networks, eco-labelling, consumer behaviour, slow food and fair trade. Finally, a concluding chapter summarises what has been learned by the 60-plus experts active in the SCORE! food project. In brief: bottom-up and top-down processes have to be linked, industrialised nations must reduce their meat consumption, and agriculture should become a multifunctional sustainable system not only producing food but also delivering other services such as energy and material production, CO2 storage and recreation – which would have the added benefit of improving farmers' socioeconomic situations. The System Innovation for Sustainability series is the fruit of the first major international research network on SCP and will set the standard in this field for some years to come. It will be required reading
System Innovation for Sustainability 4: Case Studies in Sustainable Consumption and Production — Energy Use and the Built Environment
by Saadi LahlouThe EU-funded project "Sustainable Consumption Research Exchanges" (SCORE!) consists of around 200 experts in the field of sustainable innovation and sustainable consumption. The SCORE! philosophy is that innovation in SCP policy can be achieved only if experts that understand business development, (sustainable) solution design, consumer behaviour and system innovation policy work together in shaping it. Sustainable technology design can be effective only if business can profitably make the products and consumers are attracted to them. To understand how this might effectively happen, the expertise of systems thinkers must be added to the mix. The publication in 2008 of System Innovation for Sustainability 1 was the first result of a unique positive confrontation between experts from all four communities. It examined what SCP is and what it could be, provided a state-of-the-art review on the governance of change in SCP policy and looked at the strengths and weaknesses of current approaches. System Innovation for Sustainability 4 is the third of three books of case studies covering respectively the three key consumption areas of mobility, food and agriculture, and energy use and the built environment – responsible for 70% of the life-cycle environmental impacts of Western societies – with the aim of stimulating, fostering or forcing change to SCP theory in practice. Energy consumption is obviously a key issue for sustainability, primarily because it depletes non-renewable fossil fuels, produces CO2 and other pollution. As climate change is becoming a key political issue, and as oil prices rise, society has become acutely aware of this issue. Energy is a special case because it is a key input to almost all other consumption and production processes. Housing is, with transport and food, a major consumer of energy, accounting for about one quarter of the environmental impact from the general consumption of products in the European Union, on a par with food and transport. Energy use in houses and buildings is also set to rise as populations – and the buildings they need –continue to increase. In France, for example, energy consumption in houses and offices accounts for 43% of the total national energy consumption, and one-quarter of national greenhouse gas emissions. The UK's 21 million homes consume around 50 million tonnes of oil equivalent (responsible for 27% of UK CO2 emissions); this energy use has increased steadily by about 1.3% per year since 1990. Germany's buildings contribute one-fifth of the country's CO2 emissions. Beyond this, buildings are the environment where we spend most of our lives; they deeply influence many other consumption patterns, and are an important factor for life and comfort. The societal function and nature of buildings as they are currently constructed presents some key difficulties in moving towards sustainable consumption and production. Buildings have a long lifetime; and therefore they are a major target for any structural changes in consumption patterns. Conversely, long lifetimes come with associated strong inertia; therefore the stock of existing buildings is often an obstacle to policies aimed at behavioural change. This book examines, through a case study approach, opportunities to influence energy consumption in housing and buildings and thereby provide options for implementation at a macro, meso and micro level. A growing body of evidence shows that cases demonstrating action towards SCP in energy use in housing can inspire innovation through a range of actors. The cases include examples of steps towards the sustainable use of energy in houses and buildings, from "local experiments", to "innovative communities", to wider regime or non-local scale change in Europe and North America. The System Innovation for Sustainability series is the fruit of the first major international research network on SCP and will set the standard in this field for some years to come. It will be required reading for all involved in the policy debate on sustainable product
System Leadership for Sustainability (Routledge Frontiers in Sustainable Business Practice)
by Christopher G. BeehnerThis book is the first to explore the application of system leadership to promote sustainable solutions for contemporary and future environmental and social problems. The combination of synthesized research summaries and case studies of individuals and organizations contribute considerably to the field by expanding system leadership concepts from theory to practical application. System leadership has been identified as a method by which complex societal problems can be addressed, but it has as yet not been applied to sustainability. The first chapters introduce the background and fundamentals of system leadership and its relevance to sustainability. The chapters that propose methods of developing system leadership, examples of system leaders, and practical application of system leadership in industry, academic, government, nonprofit, and NGO settings. Each chapter includes a chapter case, interview, and/or reflection questions in order to stimulate critical thinking and provide instructional tools for academic use and practical application. The book is particularly relevant to researchers and students internationally in the fields of social development and sustainability. It is also relevant to public, private, and nonprofit/NGO management practitioners who are curious about the leadership styles and skills necessary to develop a sustainable future.