Roger Hayter - Böcker

British Columbia's forest economy is at a crucial crossroads. Its survival, Roger Hayter argues, rests on its ability to remain flexible and open to innovation -- a future by no means assured given recent policy initiatives and the current contested nature of British Columbia's forests.Flexible Crossroads looks at the contemporary restructuring of British Columbia's forest economy, demonstrating how both resource dynamics -- the transition from old growth to managed forests -- and industrial dynamics -- changing technology and global market forces -- have shaped this transformation. Conceptually, the restructuring is portrayed as a shift from a commodity-based, cost-minimizing production system (Fordism) to a more product-differentiated, value-maximizing production system informed by the imperative of flexibility.The first part of the book provides global and historical perspectives by situating British Columbia's forest economy within the wider context of global industrialization, the history of resource dynamics, and the current shift from Fordist to more flexible systems of production. In the second part, Hayter assesses the extent to which British Columbia's forest economy is enacting this shift by focusing on factors such as foreign ownership, the strategies and structure of MacMillan Bloedel, the role of small firms, trade relations, employment and labour relations, forest community development, environmentalism and resource use, and innovation policy.Flexible Crossroads will appeal to geographers, political economists and forestry professionals, as well as to students of British Columbia's economy and forest economies generally.

British Columbia's forest economy is at a crucial crossroads. Its survival, Roger Hayter argues, rests on its ability to remain flexible and open to innovation -- a future by no means assured given recent policy initiatives and the current contested nature of British Columbia's forests.Flexible Crossroads looks at the contemporary restructuring of British Columbia's forest economy, demonstrating how both resource dynamics -- the transition from old growth to managed forests -- and industrial dynamics -- changing technology and global market forces -- have shaped this transformation. Conceptually, the restructuring is portrayed as a shift from a commodity-based, cost-minimizing production system (Fordism) to a more product-differentiated, value-maximizing production system informed by the imperative of flexibility.The first part of the book provides global and historical perspectives by situating British Columbia's forest economy within the wider context of global industrialization, the history of resource dynamics, and the current shift from Fordist to more flexible systems of production. In the second part, Hayter assesses the extent to which British Columbia's forest economy is enacting this shift by focusing on factors such as foreign ownership, the strategies and structure of MacMillan Bloedel, the role of small firms, trade relations, employment and labour relations, forest community development, environmentalism and resource use, and innovation policy.Flexible Crossroads will appeal to geographers, political economists and forestry professionals, as well as to students of British Columbia's economy and forest economies generally.

Aligned with global trends in post-industrialization, the economy of Metro Vancouver is changing, but along its own trajectory. The focus is shifting away from resource-based activities to local entrepreneurial initiatives across a remarkable range of industries, from software to craft beer, biopharmaceuticals to mountain bikes. This evolution is being shaped by local business and the city's location on the national and global periphery.The Thin Edge of Innovation focusses on the performance of signature businesses in these entrepreneurial sectors to grow and foster industrial clusters and integrate with the global economy. The contributors give a mixed report card to this economic transition. Within Metro Vancouver, innovation has stimulated economic diversification and promises to deliver high-income jobs. But this diversification has also been thinly spread and lacks deep local roots or dominant anchor companies.This constructive study examines the distinctive opportunities facing Metro Vancouver. Despite challenges, it reveals a region with undoubted potential for sustained, broadly beneficial local development

Aligned with global trends in post-industrialization, the economy of Metro Vancouver is changing, but along its own trajectory. The focus is shifting away from resource-based activities to local entrepreneurial initiatives across a remarkable range of industries, from software to craft beer, biopharmaceuticals to mountain bikes. This evolution is being shaped by local business and the city's location on the national and global periphery.The Thin Edge of Innovation focusses on the performance of signature businesses in these entrepreneurial sectors to grow and foster industrial clusters and integrate with the global economy. The contributors give a mixed report card to this economic transition. Within Metro Vancouver, innovation has stimulated economic diversification and promises to deliver high-income jobs. But this diversification has also been thinly spread and lacks deep local roots or dominant anchor companies.This constructive study examines the distinctive opportunities facing Metro Vancouver. Despite challenges, it reveals a region with undoubted potential for sustained, broadly beneficial local development

This title was first published in 2002. Bringing together a wide range of theoretical and empirical case studies from Canada, New Zealand, South Korea, Turkey, China, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Poland, South Africa, Japan, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom, this book addresses these neglected issues, in particular, contemplating the vitally important nexus between industry, environment and the knowledge economy.Throughout the book, four key themes and issues are explored: institution building strategies; agglomeration as territorial context; sustainable industrial-environmental processes and policy initiatives; globalization, learning and industrial location dynamics. The book concludes with an outline of future research directions within the paradigm.