Title: Resource productivity-oriented innovative solutions: selection/development ways, and indicators to measure and assess their global advantage

Authors: Giancarlo Barbiroli

Addresses: Department of Business Science, University of Bologna, Area Technology and Resource Valorization, Piazza Scaravilli 2, Bologna, 40126, Italy

Abstract: A high increase of resource productivity can be gradually achieved if enterprises will be able to consider the resources limitedness as an opportunity of advantageous change, so as to primarily improve their competitiveness in the market. This result could be pursued by continuously developing and implementing innovative solutions, at all stages of the production cycle, generating revenue, on the one side, and meeting societies’ needs, in a sustainable perspective, on the other. These goals could be achieved if products and processes will be devised and realised by integrating all elements contributing to the global effectiveness/performance, in order to maximise the results related to the main factors influencing on competitiveness: resources-environment, quality-productivity, variety-scale and risk-safety. The ways to select and develop a resource productivity-oriented innovative solution are here identified, and some suited indicators are proposed, able to measure the results at company, local and socio-economic levels.

Keywords: resource productivity; innovative solutions; enterprises; results; advantage; competitiveness; indicators.

DOI: 10.1504/IJISD.2011.043355

International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development, 2011 Vol.5 No.4, pp.333 - 357

Published online: 25 Oct 2011 *

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