Business and the Sustainability Challenge: An Integrated Perspective

by Peter N. Nemetz

Overview

It is vitally important for businesses to have a holistic understanding of the many issues surrounding and shaping sustainability, from competitors to government and political factors, to economics and ecological science. This integrated textbook for MBA and senior-level undergraduates offers a comprehensive overview of the issues of sustainability as they relate to business and influence corporate strategy. It also features a wide range of cases and an extensive discussion of tools to incorporate sustainability issues into strategic decision making, helping instructors and students to build and then apply a solid understanding of sustainability in business.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415882415
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	08/13/2013
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	560
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Peter N. Nemetz is a Professor of Strategy and Business Economics at The University of British Colombia, Canada.

Table of Contents

@Contents: Preface 1. Book Outline and Rationale Part 1: Foundations 2. A brief historical overview of economic development and the environment, Part 1 - Pre and Post Agricultural Revolution 3. A brief historical overview of economic development and the environment, Part 2 - The Industrial Revolution and Sequel Appendix: A Primer on Input-Output Analysis 4. What Are We Trying to Achieve? Measuring Wealth and Well-being Appendix One: The World Bank’s Calculation of Total Wealth Appendix Two: Well-being indicator variables used by the OECD 5. An Overview of Environmental Economics Appendix One: Case Study of Sulfur Dioxide Trading the U.S. Appendix Two: The TRI and its Effects 6. An Outline of Ecological Economics Appendix One: Valuing Ecosystem Services of North America’s Boreal Forest Appendix Two: Case Study of Thai Shrimp Farming 7. Cost-Benefit Analysis and Measuring Environmental Benefits Appendix One: Applying Evaluation Methodology – Case Study of the U.S Clean Air Act Appendix Two: Placing a Value on Ecosystem Services – Case Study of New York City’s Water Supply Appendix Three: A Brief Overview of Multi-Attribute Decision Making 8. Placing a Value on Human Life Appendix: Philip Morris’ Report to the Government of Czechoslovakia 9. Risk Analysis and the Precautionary Principle Appendix One: Two classic examples of the framing of risk Appendix Two: The Precautionary Principle and Global Warming 10. Some Relevant Ecological Principles Part 2: The Private Sector 11. A Brief History of Corporate Response to Sustainability Issues 12. Waste to Profits. The Case of Consolidated Mining and Smelting Ltd. 13. Designing the Corporation of the 21^st Century. Case Study of Interface Inc. 14. Assessing Interface Inc. Appendix: A Note on Assessing the Credibility of Corporate Sustainability Reporting 15. Eco-efficiency and other paradigms 16. Closing the Loop: Mimicking Nature – Biomimicry and Industrial Ecology 17. Thinking Systemically (I) Mass Balances and Industrial Metabolism 18. Thinking Systematically (II) Life-Cycle Analysis 19. Thinking Systemically (III): Carbon Accounting 20. Thinking Systematically (IV): LCA, Carbon Footprinting and Input-Output Analysis 21. The Search for Innovative Business Models. Case Study of Ooteel Forest Products Ltd. 22. Assessing Ooteel’s Strategic Options Appendix: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) 23. Defining Sustainability and its Components. Case Study of Suncor Ltd. 24. Assessing Suncor Ltd. Appendix: A brief note on carbon capture and storage 25. Internalizing Sustainability into Corporate Strategy 26. Social Enterprise and the Social Return to Investment 27. Sustainability and Corporate Culture 28. Afterword