Interdisciplinary Themes In Food And Sustainability (YSS33806)
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Answers to the possible exam questions Interdisciplinary Themes In Food And Sustainability (YSS33806)
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Interdisciplinary Themes In Food And Sustainability (YSS33806)
Institution
Wageningen University (WUR)
This document provides answers to the “pool of possible exam questions” in the course Interdisciplinary Themes In Food And Sustainability (YSS33806). With these answers, an 8 was obtained for the exam, but this is not a guarantee that all answers are correct.
Interdisciplinary Themes In Food And Sustainability (YSS33806)
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Session 1 (PP and two articles):
1. a) What is the main difference between interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research?
Interdisciplinary research is research within academia and involves multiple different disciplines,
where transdisciplinary research goes beyond academia and also includes stakeholders from policy,
civil society etc..
b) Would you qualify the social and environmental audits conducted by Zeeman (as presented by
Bo Duijvestijn at session 8 as an example of transdisciplinary research? Please explain.
Yes, the social and environmental audits performed by Zeeman are an example of transdisciplinary
(research), as the audit process involves multiple stakeholders (factory workers, local policy), while
also involving multiple disciplines such as human rights and environmental concerns. Aim of these
audits is to discover and solve problems; trans is problem oriented
2. Based on his review of literature and research projects, Hospes distinguished three
preconditions for successful interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research. What are these three
pre-conditions?
- Recognition and respect for different knowledge systems is required.
- Umbrella or bridging concepts are required
- Institutional and personal incentive structures.
3. Please explain why and how the concept of risk can serve as a bridging concept in
transdisciplinary research.
Risk links across different disciplines, as every discipline has its own type of risk. So, risk can act as a
bridging concept. If all the involved parties understand the risk and risk management of the different
disciplines/parties, so all the types of risk (financial, environmental, sociological etc.) and how to
manage those risks, then every party is aware of the different risks. This also means that these
parties do not only look at the risk of their discipline but will keep every risk into account. Which
ensures better cooperation.
4. Ahlstrom et al. (2020) refer to two common approaches to integrating research and practice in
their article on systems thinking and transdisciplinary approaches: “first of all, using the input
from laypersons in scientific research while maintaining the ‘primacy of science’, and secondly
using research as input in decision support, ensuring the ‘primacy of practice”. Suppose these two
approaches are two extremes of a continuum. Where would Ahlstrom et al. (2020) position
transdisciplinary approaches? Please explain.
Somewhere in the middle. The spectrum Ahlstrom supposes would range from societal practice to
scientific practice. As Ahlstrom defines Transdisciplinary research as a method driven scientific
principle aiming at the solution of societal problems, transdisciplinary research would be in the
middle. Also, Ahlstrom argue that no hierarchical superiority of either academics’ or practitioners’
knowledge should be accepted. The focus should be on how to complement.
Session 2 (PP):
1. In his on-line lecture Hospes presented 11 differences between CSR and RBC. Please mention
five.
CSR RBC
1 70 years old 10 years old
, 2 Huge variety of definitions Concept has hardly been debated
3 Coined by American economist Coined by OECD
4 Norm Conduct
5 Why question How question
6 Norm Due diligence steps
7 Norm Non-financial risk and impact assessment
8 International business self-regulation International public regulation (guidelines,
principles)
9 Voluntary regulation Due diligence becomes binding
10 Do good as charity Do good by capacity development of local
suppliers and contributing to SDG’s
11 Social Social and environmental
2. A key element of RBC is the due diligence process.
a) What is due diligence?
The steps a company has to take for identifying, addressing and mitigating adverse impacts. This can
be done with the six steps of Due Diligence. These steps are:
1. Embedding RBC in policy
2. Identifying and assessing adverse impacts
3. Cease, prevent or mitigate
4. Track implementation and results
5. Communicate results
6. Provide remediation
b) CSR can be seen as international private business self-regulation. In what step of the due
diligence process, CSR could possibly be used or referred to? Please explain.
In step 1. CSR is defined as voluntary international business self-regulation. Which means that
businesses choose to do good. The ensure you do this, you have to implement it into the company’s
policies and management systems, which is step 1 of the due diligence steps.
Session 4 and 6 (PPs and four book chapters):
1. Many businesses are starting to use life cycle assessment (LCA)
a. Give an example of a (research) question for which a company would apply LCA to answer it.
Which packaging of coke is more environmental friendly: A can or a bottle?
b. Many businesses work with external partners, for example for product distribution or raw
material acquisition. Still, often the full life cycle of a product or service is assessed in the LCAs that
they perform. Why would a company want to perform a LCA on all the activities, even those
beyond their direct control?
The activities performed by external partners are part of the life cycle of these products. By including
these partners in the life cycle of the product, a more realistic result is achieved with the LCA. For
example, without including external partners, a incomplete result is achieved, whereas including
external partners would achieve a cradle-to-grave or even cradle-to-cradle result, which is more
realistic. By including the full life cycle, a company can provide more transparency to the consumer
and even use this for marketing. In addition it would make the company aware of the total impact
they create.
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