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Perspectives of Knowledge Translation Within Sustainable Product Development

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Technologies and Eco-innovation towards Sustainability II

Abstract

A closer look at current activities in and methods used for knowledge production, problem-solving, business operating, and policy-making reveals that traditional approaches are increasingly becoming subject to severe modifications and revisions as well to theory as to practice. Knowledge seems to transform into a kind of commodity with knowledge production itself widely viewed as the driving force of both the economy and the sciences in developed nations. However, generation of knowledge seems to have become as complex, uncoordinated, and unsustainable as the current dynamic interactions between society and nature. This state of affairs is reflected, among other things, by the dereliction and shortcomings of policy instruments and programs to produce outcomes as planned and by the prevalence of various hurdles, which still impede the diffusion of newly emerging knowledge and insight aimed at supporting sustainable development. Hence, there appears to be a huge gap between what we know and what is currently done. In this chapter, selected aspects are discussed pertaining to knowledge translation with a focus on balancing learning/unlearning, knowledge organization and representation, and knowledge flows related to reverse innovation.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Industrial Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy

    Harald E. Otto

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  1. Harald E. Otto
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Correspondence to Harald E. Otto .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, Taiwan

    Allen H. Hu

  2. National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan

    Mitsutaka Matsumoto

  3. Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan, Taiwan

    Tsai Chi Kuo

  4. National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Shana Smith

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Otto, H.E. (2019). Perspectives of Knowledge Translation Within Sustainable Product Development. In: Hu, A., Matsumoto, M., Kuo, T., Smith, S. (eds) Technologies and Eco-innovation towards Sustainability II. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1196-3_1

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