Ecoefficiency (measures to minimize environmental impact

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Ecoefficiency (measures
to minimize environmental
impact through the reduction
Line or elimination of waste from
(5) production processes) has
become a goal for companies
worldwide, with many realizing
significant cost savings from
such innovations. Peter Senge
(10) and Goran Carstedt see this
development as laudable but
suggest that simply adopting
ecoefficiency innovations could
actually worsen environmental
(15) stresses in the future. Such
innovations reduce production
waste but do not alter the number
of products manufactured
nor the waste generated from
(20) their use and discard; indeed,
most companies invest in ecoefficiency
improvements in
order to increase profits and
growth. Moreover, there is
(25) no guarantee that increased
economic growth from ecoefficiency
will come in similarly
ecoefficient ways, since in
today’s global markets,
(30) greater profits may be turned
into investment capital that
could easily be reinvested
in old-style eco-inefficient
industries. Even a vastly
(35) more ecoefficient industrial
system could, were it to grow
much larger, generate more
total waste and destroy more
habitat and species than would
(40) a smaller, less ecoefficient
economy. Senge and Carstedt
argue that to preserve the
global environment and sustain
economic growth, businesses
(45) must develop a new systemic
approach that reduces total
material use and total accumulated
waste. Focusing
exclusively on ecoefficiency,
(50) which offers a compelling
business case according
to established thinking, may
distract companies from
pursuing radically different
(55) products and business
models.
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Q4:
The primary purpose of the passage is to
A. explain why a particular business strategy has been less successful than was once
anticipated
B. propose an alternative to a particular business strategy that has inadvertently
caused ecological damage
C. present a concern about the possible consequences of pursuing a particular
business strategy
D. make a case for applying a particular business strategy on a larger scale than is
currently practiced
E. suggest several possible outcomes of companies’ failure to understand the
economic impact of a particular business strategy
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Q5:
According to the passage, an exclusive pursuit of ecoefficiency may cause companies to
A. neglect the development of alternative business models and products
B. keep the number of products that they manufacture unchanged
C. invest capital from increased profits primarily in inefficient and outmoded
industries that may prove unprofitable
D. overemphasize the production process as the key to increasing profits and growth
E. focus more on reducing costs than on reducing the environmental impact of
production processes
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Q6:
The passage mentions which of the following as a possible consequence of companies’
realization of greater profits through ecoefficiency?
A. The companies may be able to sell a greater number of products by lowering
prices.
B. The companies may be better able to attract investment capital in the global
market.
C. The profits may be reinvested to increase economic growth through ecoefficiency.
D. The profits may be used as investment capital for industries that are not
ecoefficient.
E. The profits may encourage companies to make further innovations in reducing
production waste.
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Q7:
The passage implies that which of the following is a possible consequence of a
company’s adoption of innovations that increase its ecoefficiency?
A. Company profits resulting from such innovations may be reinvested in that
company with no guarantee that the company will continue to make further
improvements in ecoefficiency.
B. Company growth fostered by cost savings from such innovations may allow that
company to manufacture a greater number of products that will be used and
discarded, thus worsening environmental stress.
C. A company that fails to realize significant cost savings from such innovations
may have little incentive to continue to minimize the environmental impact of its
production processes.
D. A company that comes to depend on such innovations to increase its profits and
growth may be vulnerable in the global market to competition from old-style ecoinefficient
industries.
E. A company that meets its ecoefficiency goals is unlikely to invest its increased
profits in the development of new and innovative ecoefficiency measures.

IMO

C
B
D
B

Could you elaborate answer to Q4 please? why not D?

This is what i got, not sure
4-C
5-A - why 5 is B ?
6-D
7-B

singalong ,

Could you elaborate answer to Q4 please? why not D?

Ans choice D says: D. make a case for applying a particular business strategy on a larger scale than is currently practiced.

--> The passage no were say of applying any new or alternative business strategy. Word in the ans D : "case for applying " - i think this is the catch.

this is what i got:

4 C
5 A
6 D
7 B

The answer to Q4 is C and you can get that when you outline the passage on your first read - connecting the dots.

As you read the answer choices, it's important that you make clear what "a particular business strategy" refers to.

Answer choice D states this:
D. make a case for applying a particular business strategy on a larger scale than is
currently practiced

Key Points
1. What is this "particular business strategy"?
2. Is there a case for applying it on a larger scale than currently practiced?

1. After your first read of the passage, you should be able to break down the following:

First sentence is an introduction of what ecoefficiency is: that it's a goal!
Second sentence provides the PERSPECTIVE: provides peter and goran's perspective. What is this perspective? That ADOPTING ecoefficiency innovations WORSEN the environment!
Next 3 points of the passage help support this perspective: that THIS BUSINESS STRATEGY is bad for the environment for 3 reasons.
Lastly, Peter/Goran encourage folks to focus on ALTERNATIVES, not what they are currently doing which is focusing on ecoefficiency innovations.

The question is a "PRIMARY PURPOSE" - type question. We know it MUST connect the dots throughout the passage in order to qualify as being a correct answer.

So.....applying a business strategy on larger scale....?


Hmmm.....actually, no!. The perspective in this passage is that the current business strategy is BAD. They should be focusing on ALTERNATIVES, not making that strategy even bigger than it is!

So if you used sentence structure to help you breakdown and figure out the author's PERSPECTIVE, you should be able to see that D is COMPLETELY WRONG!


When it comes to reading comprehension passages, you really need to use sentence structure to help you figure out what PERSPECTIVE the author is taking.

THis question is actually from the Official Guide and as such, I did a video tutorial explaining my thought process as I read this passage for the first time. It's only available for my members but if you want to browse the other demos, you'll start seeing that piecing together sentence structure is going to be the key to DOMINATING the RC Section of the GMAT Exam.

Video Explanation
http://www.gmatpill.com/special/verbal- ... iency.html

thanks a lot.

"Senge and Carstedt argue that to preserve the global environment and sustain economic growth, businesses must develop a new systemic approach that reduces total material use and total accumulated waste. Focusing exclusively on ecoefficiency, which offers a compelling business case according to established thinking, may distract companies from pursuing radically different products and business models."

The last 3 sentences(above) talk about Senge and Carstedt making a point that businesses MUST develop...blah blah.. approach... which offers BUSINESS CASE...

Thats why I chose D.

I have a question on #7.. Majority is going for answer B. But I am not understanding why that is a viable answer because. The passage suggests that the reduction in costs will not alter the total number of products being manufactured.

The last sentence says that Focusing
exclusively on ecoefficiency,
(50) which offers a compelling
business case according
to established thinking, may
distract companies from
pursuing radically different
(55) products and business
models.

That is the case unless the authors suggestions is adopted, correct. So I am getting the answer as E.

they will stops innovations.

4 C
5 A
6 D
7 B

C
A
D
B

I don't understand why the answer in Q7 cannot be choice A.

The text says:
"Moreover, there is no guarantee that increased economic growth from ecoefficiency will come in similarly ecoefficient ways, since in today’s global markets, greater profits may be turned into investment capital that could easily be reinvested in old-style eco-inefficient industries".

And that's what choice A says!. Check it out:
"Company profits resulting from such innovations may be reinvested in that
company with no guarantee that the company will continue to make further
improvements in ecoefficiency."

IMO, they both say the same. Please, your help. :s

I had exactly the same doubt metallicafan.
The explanation for this question suck in OG.



This is how I convinced myself that B is better than A.

Text : No guarantee of future effeciency. profits --> old style INEFFICIENT companies
Answer choice : Profits --> ECOFFICIENT companies. No guarantee of future effeciency.

I think the difference lies in the companies where the profits are invested.

Please correct me if I am wrong.