(Categories: Wzzup)
When Coca-cola ‘invents’ a new flavor or new design for its bottle it creates a competitive advantage. Copyrighting and patenting helps them to protect their ‘invention’ and thus their investment. Except for the fact that our culture is being limited in copying one another, which is one of the primal functions of a culture, no problems so far. But what if this company is not called Coca-Cola but Bayern and making HIV-treatments instead of softdrinks, do we still find it ok that their competitive advantage is being protected? Isn’t it in societies best interest to open up those medicine and intelligence… but than a private company would never invest in R&D. A difficult catch-22. But how about sustainability? Every company is trying to gain an advantage by being more green than the other… but shouldn’t all those new technologies be open… saving the planet instead of the market?
- Open Minds
- Visual Methodologies: An Introduction to the Interpretation of Visual Materials
- The Will to Technology and the Culture of Nihilism: Heidegger, Marx, Nietzsche (Digital Futures)
- Economies of Signs and Space (Published in association with Theory, Culture & Society)
- Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool's Guide to Surviving with Grace
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It sounds like a very socialist kind of solution to a problem that was caused by mass production and capitalism. I think the solution should be found likewise. If, like Barber says, capitalism returns to its true essence: supplying goods for the needs of consumers, instead of creating desires for wants, some sustainability issues might be resolved. Similarly, in sustainable solutions competition might work better because companies will be motivated to innovate and make money of the environment….
Sustainabillity comes with wealth. When people become more wealthy their demands switch from the bare essentials to quality and innovative products. The next step will be to pay a premium for healthy products to support a balanced life style. Sustainability will be part of that. Companies follow by marketing sustainable and organic products. Not neccessarily becasue of their idealistic values but basically because their is profit to be made. An additional benifit - but not the main driver - for companies is that their reputation improves and thier work force becomes more comfortable with the goods they are producing. In the end it will all return to a commodity (e.g. coffee companies in London that all sell organic products) and the cycle starts over again.