Space ventures and society long-term perspectives

A futuristic evaluation of mankind's potential long term future in space is presented. Progress in space will not be inhibited by shortages of the Earth's physical resources, since long term economic growth will be focused on ways to constrain industrial productivity by changing social values, management styles, or government competence. Future technological progress is likely to accelerate with an emphasis on international cooperation, making possible such large joint projects as lunar colonies or space stations on Mars. The long term future in space looks exceedingly bright even in relatively pessimistic scenarios. The principal driving forces will be technological progress, commercial and public-oriented satellites, space industrialization, space travel, and eventually space colonization

Sustainability and the next industrial revolution: A Revolutionary approach

The concept of the Next Industrial Revolution is relatively new. Information regarding this topic is not mainstream. There is little literature on how design, and the scientific principles, outlined in the Natural Step, are interconnected within the concept of the Next Industrial Revolution. In this thesis, I explore the big picture of where companies are today regarding sustainability issues, and how some companies are taking the lead in participating in this revolutionary new idea of the Next Industrial Revolution. How are these companies different? What are the similarities? Why and when do some companies choose to take revolutionary approaches, while others progress in an evolutionary fashion? These are the questions I have attempted to answer. Through casestudies, this thesis identifies who is preparing for the Next Industrial Revolution, what steps are being taken in preparation, what tools are needed, and how well the companies are progressing towards their goals. The casestudies highlight challenges companies experience in defining and reaching the goal of sustainable development. This approach also includes companies that are not implementing strategies and/or the tool of the Next Industrial Revolution, and attempts to explain the issues surrounding their decision to not take this path

Harmonizing Labor Standards for Global Integration

ABSTRACT Professor Ron Brown University of Hawai‘i Law School LLRN Conference Amsterdam Track 3: Friday June 26 16:45-18:15 ©June 26, 2015 ASEAN: Harmonizing Labor Standards for Global Integration ASEAN is an emerging entity which has the potential to be one of the largest economies and markets in the world. If ASEAN were one economy, it would be seventh largest in the world with a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of $2.4 trillion in 2013, the fourth largest by 2050 if growth trends continue; with its over 600 million people, and with a potential market larger than the European Union or North America, next to the People\u27s Republic of China and India; Examining the ASEAN goal of becoming a region fully integrated into the global economy, this paper looks at what steps have already been taken by ASEAN and its member states to integrate into the global community through ratification of ILO labor standards, participation in Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with social dimension provisions on labor, including TPP, RCEP, P-4, FTAAP, and domestic implementation of international labor standards. In search of a platform for harmonizing the labor policies and laws of ASEAN members in coordination with international labor standards, this paper will examine the guiding documents of ASEAN, its commitments to ILO labor standards, and its progress on its expressed goals to achieve higher labor standards within ASEAN. Also discussed are possible models for harmonization and steps to be taken toward nurturing the development of the currently divergent labor laws in ASEAN

Industry 4.0 (I4.0) Based Virtual Organization Model for the Coordination of Sustainable Textile Supply Chain

The lack of attention on the forward and backward supply chain issues, i.e., the transparency between supply chain agents, information sharing, resource deployment, workforce knowledge, waste reduction, cost efficiency, and resource management are the major problems of textile supply chain. The coordination of forward and backward supply chain becomes difficult due to the players\u27 self-interest and firmographics. It becomes much complicated when we consider the triple bottom line of sustainability (TBLS) in the supply chain. Therefore, in this paper, we propose an Industry 4.0 (I4.0) based virtual organization model for the coordination of the forward and backward supply chain. The results obtained through virtual organization model are also compared with the centralized supply chain and traditional cost-sharing contract. The results reveal that virtual organization model can perform better than the price only contract and it will be help firms in achieving greater sustainability with respect to traditional contract mechanisms

D2.7 Online mapping of Chinese and European ICT industrial associations – Final report

This document is a deliverable of CHOICE project task 2.2 Bringing together European and Chinese Industrial Associations. This task will, at the end of the project, have delivered a final version of an online database of relevant Chinese and European ICT industrial associations. This document is a report on the information gathered for the development of the online database of relevant Chinese and European ICT industrial associations. It maps Chinese industrial associations to European industrial associations in ICT. It does this by providing details of the Chinese industrial associations and other relevant bodies that are a Chinese priority for collaboration with their EU counterparts related to EU-China collaborative ICT R&D&I. Other such Chinese bodies that are not a Chinese priority for such collaboration that map to European industrial associations in ICT are then summarised so that a complete mapping of Chinese industrial associations and related bodies to European industrial associations in ICT can be made. Mappings are made based on the best matches in terms of the subject matter covered by the associations, in each case the best match based on this criteria is identified and highlighted by being given in bold type. If a mapped Chinese association is not a priority for collaboration it is identified in italics. The Chinese selection of Chinese bodies that are a priority for collaboration with EU counterparts reflects the relevant policy guidance provided on behalf of the Chinese government on how the aims of the "Twelfth Five-Year" National Strategic Emerging Industry Development Plan are to be achieved. An overview of the policy guidance relevant to ICT R&D&I is given in section one of CHOICE deliverable D2.4: Handbook for China ICT Industrial Support Services. Based on this mapping opportunities to foster interaction between the associations in China and Europe are identified. A DVD of the modest database that exists on the basis of the mapping presented in this report accompanies the report

Enforcement, Enforcement, What Enforcement?

The protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights has been a very hot topic in the past few years. From the introduction of the PROTECT IP Act of 2011 to the adoption of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) to a recent U.S.-China dispute before the WTO, the topic has dominated policy debates at both the domestic and international levels. While most policymakers, industry representatives, and commentators have recognized the critical importance of intellectual property enforcement, there has been neither philosophical nor normative consensus on the appropriate norms in this area. Like three blind men trying to describe an elephant, different people have different conceptions of what enforcement comprises, which enforcement standards governments should implement, and how much these implementation efforts should cost. Delivered as the Inaugural Franklin Pierce Center for Intellectual Property Distinguished Speaker in Intellectual Property Lecture, this Article outlines three different types of common enforcement challenges: crossborder enforcement, digital enforcement, and transborder enforcement. It then examines one recent effort to address these challenges: the development of ACTA. It explores why this highly controversial agreement is unlikely to provide stronger global enforcement of intellectual property rights. In view of the many flaws inherent in ACTA, this Article suggests four guiding principles that can be used to develop a better and more effective intellectual property enforcement treaty. It concludes with four alternative enforcement strategies that policymakers can use to supplement or substitute for the treaty-based approach