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Is Anyone Listening?
Author(s) -
Ehrenfeld David
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
conservation biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.2
H-Index - 222
eISSN - 1523-1739
pISSN - 0888-8892
DOI - 10.1111/j.1523-1739.1989.tb00249.x
Subject(s) - active listening , citation , computer science , library science , information retrieval , psychology , communication
Emerging industries such as the life sciences, animal health, agricultural biotechnology and environmental products offer both a potential for economic growth and improvements in quality of life, crop and stock yield, the environment, and industrial productivity. The growth and success of these industries depends on a combination of good science and good business. Biotechnology, for instance, is one emerging industry that has promised much, yet the delivery still seems to be some way off. Diffi culties convincing well-informed investors of the virtues of biotechnology may be indicative of a wider communication failure. Despite numerous initiatives to popularize and sell science, it seems the attitudes and understanding of society towards science and scientists and the importance scientists place on communicating with society remains depressingly low. One-way late-stage communication models have proven ineffective and have only further alienated the very audiences they meant to attract. Solving these problems requires the involvement of both the scientifi c community and wider society, where appropriate information is presented in a non-guarded and accessible language, and is received by open and willing ears, setting the scene for interactive, educated debates that can progress rather than hinder the science. This paper explores the various science – society interactions and identifi es a need for early-stage two-way communication models. Journal of Commercial Biotechnology (2007) 13, 86 – 98. doi: 10.1057/palgrave.jcb.3050043