Regional Innovation Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Regional Innovation Policy - Essay Example Any regional initiative must evolve from a partnership of business, governments, non-profits and education/training institutions. In the Cleveland area, a partnership in North-eastern Ohio undertook a project to identify industry "clusters" within the region that were competitive in the global economy. The project, the Northeast Ohio Regional Economic Development Strategies Initiative, is a partnership of the Akron Regional Development Board or ARDB, Cleveland Tomorrow (a committee of the CEO's of the region's largest companies), and the Greater Cleveland Growth Association or GCGA (the Chamber of Commerce for the City of Cleveland). NOREDSI's goal was to promote industrial clusters in the region, so as to become more globally competitive. This initiative sought to generate a bottom-up, private sector program in which interrelated private firms within an identifiable "cluster" could work together to identify and resolve common needs and concerns. This research identified six industry clusters (metalworking, plastic products and chemicals, motor vehicles and equipment, insurance, biomedical products, and instruments & controls) that were relatively competitive or had competitive advantages in the region. In a series of cluster forums with these industries, private sector participants identified six main issues as barriers to retaining regional competitive advantages. They were: workforce/education; technology/R&D; entrepreneurship; regulatory/tax policies; quality of life; and, infrastructure. Unfortunately for the Cleveland area, the need for human capital development appears to be especially great if its major industries are not to wither. If a region is attempting to be globally competitive, a well-trained workforce is essential to increasing the levels of productivity. One of the public sector's most vital economic development initiatives, first, is to reach consensus with regional industries on the skill sets needed by firms and, then, to adopt policies ensuring that students can attain them in all districts throughout the region. Another very important area is constituted by the services that state and local governments provide to businesses directly. These include promoting entrepreneurial skills and technological upgrading, providing an advanced physical infrastructure, and helping businesses through tax and regulatory relief. Finally, state governments should develop and encourage taxing policies, which benefit regions. The most commonly used example of tax policy designed to enhance the economic development benefits to a region is Minnesota's shared tax base. Put simply, economic benefits (e.g., taxes) generated by a firm's location in a city in the region accrue to all cities in the region. The regional level may be important for firms attempting to achieve global competitiveness. The question arises as to what strategies local communities can commence, and what policies local or state governments can initiate, in order to raise the innovativeness and competitiveness of regional firms. Regional innovation policy and its relationship with the regio

Cell Phone Use Should Be Prohibited While Driving Essay

Cell Phone Use Should Be Prohibited While Driving - Essay Example A 2005 study conducted by Virginia Tech found that 80% of all automobile crashes were associated with driver inattention (Box). Drivers that become distracted lose the concentration on the road that is necessary for safe driving. A distraction that lasts for only a few seconds, such as dialing a phone, can be sufficient to cause an accident. The study further found that the use of phones, and other wireless devices, was the leading cause of driver distraction events (Box). Young drivers, who are already struggling with driver safety, are put at even greater risk as we see the pervasive numbers of cell phones escalate in the 16-24 year old group ("Cell Phones and Driving"). All drivers need to focus on the task of driving and not be allowed to be distracted by a phone call. When we are driving, we rely on our peripheral vision to tell us the location of traffic that may be around us. When we have a cell phone to our ear we are limiting the vision from our left eye. Traffic to the left of us may go unnoticed or critical road signs may be missed. Using a cell phone while driving is like trying to drive with your left eye closed. Hands free devices offer little improvement as drivers develop tunnel vision while concentrating on the phone call and staring straight ahead (Evans).