BUSINESS and availability, particularly vexing for the U.K. chemical industry. Large elec U.K. chemical production tricity users, such as ICI, with its chlorwill turn back up this year alkali operations, have already begun % annual change vigorous public campaigns to convey the message that U.K. power costs are disproportionately high. 6 On the other hand, one area in which the industry must fight its own lonely battle is in recruitment into the indus 4 try. It's not a problem now, companies report, but they are worried about the 2 pipeline of entering people—it is not filling up. In part, this reflects the low _C^ opinion held by the general British 0 population of the chemical industry. But it also reflects what has been hap -2 pening in the industry as well. 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992s Employment in the chemical indus a Estimate. Source: Chemical Industries Association try has fallen from 383,000 in 1981 to just under 300,000 this year. The annu One result has been to make the major al graduate recruitment survey, pub organizations representing various in lished by CIA, shows that this year the dustries that much more important for industry expects to recruit 21% fewer lobbying to government. That, in turn, is graduates than last year. The reason arousing an interest in the more special given in this year's survey: depressed ized sectors of the industry, for more for trading conditions worldwide. malized representation before govern Graduate recruitment by the chemi ment. cal industry has fallen substantially Last month, for example, CIA presi from the high levels of 1989 and 1990, dent Knowland proposed a Specialized the survey indicates. Only in biological Organic Chemicals Sector Association, science does the decline appear to have separate from, but integrated with and halted. Chemists are the largest catego involved with CIA, with ready access ry of recruits, accounting for nearly to CIA's common services such as par 30% of the total recruited in 1992. The liamentary and media affairs. In a way, next largest category is chemical engi this would replace the specialized or- neers, at 18%. However, the results will strike a fa ganics group within NEDO, which had miliar chord with observers in the U.S. been one of its more active groups. Among the lobbying grounds for With graduate recruitment going down, CIA are the problems of energy costs students are reacting to this message of the marketplace, and opting for other ca reers. Careers in finance are particularly appealing in the U.K., whether in "the Chemical capital spending City," London's equivalent to Wall is down since 1989 peak Street, or in the abundantly populated $ Billions profession of accounting. 31 Industry is working with the educa tion profession to train teachers, on the theory that that can help inspire scien tific career choices later on in a stu 2I dent's life. Says Cox, "You won't have people in science at the university and college level, unless they have had ex citing science at the younger levels. 1 "Our determination on educational is sues is here to stay. For now, we are tending to attract and retain the talent we want—but we want it to be on a pos η itive basis, not because there's a reces 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992" sion in the City. We want people to a Estimate. Source: Chemical Industries Association make this industry their first choice." •
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OCTOBER 12,1992 C&EN
SCI medalist airs views on industry issues This week, H. Eugene McBrayer, former president of Exxon Chemical, will re ceive the Chemical Industry Medal. The American Section of the Society of the Chemical Industry (SCI) awards the medal for "conspicuous service to ap plied chemistry." McBrayer succeeded Edwin C. Holmer as president of Exxon Chemical and like Holmer he is also now a recipient of the SCI Medal. McBrayer retired in 1990 after 20 years with Exxon Chemical and 37 years with Exxon Corp. During his career at Exxon, he served on the board of the Chemical Manufacturers Associa tion (CMA), retiring from the organiza tion after serving as its 1990-91 chair man. In a recent interview with C&EN, McBrayer discussed some of the issues he sees as most important, including chemical industry credibility and the condition of science education in the U.S., two issues he says are inter twined. McBrayer says that if the chemical industry is unable to attract capable people, the industry could well lose its innovative edge. The current climate of opinion is set against the chemical in dustry, he says, and, in turn, affects the educational choices young people make in selecting their careers. The problem is not at the university level. In fact, there the technical level of achievement is "outstanding." Howev er, in the lower grades science literacy is suffering. One reason, perhaps, is that the chemical industry has lost credibility. Increasingly, polls "find us more the source of problems than of solutions," McBrayer says. The step the industry has taken in adopting its Responsible Care pro gram, he says, will go a long way both toward changing public attitudes about the chemical industry and gaining wid er acceptance for chemistry as an ac ceptable career path. McBrayer was in volved in much of the early planning for the Responsible Care program, the industry's comprehensive commitment to health, safety, and the environment. It was during his tenure as CMA chair man that the organization instituted its $8.5 million advertising program to open a dialogue with the public about
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the industry's commitment to the prin ciples of Responsible Care. McBrayer readily admits that telling the public about "our individual con tribution to the quality of life" will not change public perception. 'Telling the public they are wrong will not do it ei ther," he says. What has changed is the chemical industry's attitude. It "real ized that the public felt we could do better." In addition, the industry also realized that the public is "more so phisticated than we realized about the value of our products." Washington, D.C., was picked as the site for CMA to get the chemical indus try's views heard by lawmakers and regulators, McBrayer says. But the in dustry group has changed, he asserts. It has instead turned into a disciplined organization whose objective is to make sure all its members' environ mental practices meet the highest stan dards. Many within the organization initially worried that the high stan dards might "drive people out of the organization." But actually, he says, they held the members together. And though they increased the amount of work members did both through the organization and within their compa nies, the new standards "lowered the standard of deviation" for the industry as a whole. As an expression of its resolution to enforce the principles of the Responsi ble Care program, CMA has indicated
it will expel members who fail to en dorse and live up to the standards of the program. "I hope we do not have to boot someone out" for that, McBray er says. However, "when I left the CMA board, they were prepared to deal harshly with backsliders." Just as it will take a voluntary effort to make the Responsible Care program work, precollege science education will improve only if the industry lends a hand to educators, says McBrayer. Like other chemical industry companies, Exxon has a program to provide aid to grade school and science teachers, he points out. The company also supports volunteers and provides funding in support of science education "to help rebalance the equation." As far as bringing more minority stu dents into the chemical industry, Mc Brayer believes that the industiy has "not done enough." He emphasizes the need for both chemical companies and their employees to "take risks" to reach inner-city children. He believes compa nies should set up mentor programs for minority children. Those few minority chemists and chemical engineers now working for large corporations ought to be encouraged and given the where withal to "serve as mentors to their com munities." The industry also must do better at bringing women and minorities into leadership roles, says McBrayer. In the past, executive managers tended to re cruit new executives who "looked and acted like we did." And because of that, he says, "We missed a lot of rich ness in solutions." Exxon, for instance, considers itself a global company, and as such it now has a large number of "non-Americans" running its business es. In one case a British national is run ning Exxon's U.S. olefins business, and a French national is running the U.S. polymers business. Diversity extends not only to endors ing greater acceptance of minorities and foreign nationals in the executive suite, McBrayer notes. "Diversity in cludes recognizing scientists' opin ions, too." By listening to and funding scientific inquiry, corporations are like ly to reap benefits in scientific break throughs. Thus, McBrayer believes that industry managers in general still val ue scientists' opinions because of what scientific inquiry and technological in novation have done for the industry. Marc Reisch
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