This open access book introduces design for Sustainable Product-Service Systems (S.PSS) and for Sustainable Distributed Economies (S.DE). These are introduced as technical and operative tools for the development of a new generation of designers, responsible and capable of designing environmentally, socially and economically sustainable solutions, accessible to all. The book provides a comprehensive framework and also practical tools to support the system design for sustainability process. It overviews methodologies, tools and strategies for Sustainable PSS design applied to Distributed Economies (DE) and provides strategies and design guidelines. All of these are highlighted and expanded upon with international case studies.

This book provides professionals, as well as students, with the understanding that Social Entrepreneurship and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) are now core business principles for sustainably. It encourages social entrepreneurs in their role as forerunners, in creating new business models that develop, facilitate or implement constructive solutions to social, cultural and environmental issues. At the same time, this book views corporate social responsibility as a means of challenging existing entities to realize and modify prior unsustainable and predatory business models; and to increase social, cultural and environmental accountability. By linking these two concepts, this book prompts a paradigmatic awakening, whereby the foundational driver of business creation and management no longer rests on profit maximization, but on improvement of the quality of life for society.

This book provides a comprehensive exploration into the identification and development of sustainable business models as well as their implementation, management and evaluation. With ever-increasing pressure on organisations to respond to societal change and improve competition through sustainable business model innovation (SBMI), this book aims to contribute to the knowledge of their design and management. The chapters explore the role of partnerships, the Internet of Things and the circular economy, among other factors, in developing SBM and how SBMI is facilitated through ideation and in entrepreneurial settings. Providing new typologies, patterns and a framework to evaluate the level of sustainability of business models, this book critically reviews existing literature on the topic to examine the potential of SBMI in research and in practice. The contributing authors employ a number of case studies and case examples to illustrate the integration of sustainable business models throughout the value chain, and their influence on wider social, environmental and business activities.

The Soulful Art of Persuasion is a revolutionary guide to becoming a master influencer in an age of distrust through the cultivation of character-building habits that are essential to both personal growth and sustained business success. This isn't a book full of tips and life-hacks. Instead, The Soulful Art of Persuasion will develop the habits that others want to be influenced by. This book is based on a radical idea: Persuasion isn't about facts and argument. It's all about personal character. Jason Harris, CEO of the powerhouse creative agency Mekanism, argues that genuine persuasion in the twenty-first century is about developing character rather than relying on the easy tactics of flattery, manipulation, and short-term gains. It is about engaging rather than insisting; it is about developing empathy and communicating your values. Based on his experience in and out of the boardroom, and drawing on the latest in-depth research on trust, influence, and habit formation, Harris shows that being persuasive in a culture plagued by deception means rejecting the ethos of the quick and embracing the commitment of putting your truest self forward and playing the long game. Through instructive and entertaining stories, Harris lays out the 11 habits that will guide readers to become authentically persuasive, including Earning respect through collaboration Becoming the person others want to be around Practicing generosity through gestures big and small Persuasion today is about personal excellence, sharing the stage, and respecting other people's motivations. In The Soulful Art of Persuasion, Jason Harris shows us the way.

On the backdrop of the institutionalisation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability, and the emergence of multi-stakeholder-driven voluntary regulation, this timely collection places special emphasis on India and explores its international voluntary sustainability standards. The authors analyse the adoption and implementation of voluntary governance initiatives across a range of industries, offering insightful sectoral discussion and evaluation of voluntary sustainability standards as forms of transnational private regulation. This book will be of interest to anyone researching CSR, sustainability and supply chain management in emerging markets.

This book addresses key aspects of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and explores them from a variety of perspectives in a case study on the Marange diamond mines in Zimbabwe. The business case of the Marange mines is presented to demonstrate the challenge of practicing social responsibility while considering and balancing the needs of a developing nation, environmental protection, community involvement and international business. Lessons learned from the case study will help business leaders and strategists in developing countries and multinational corporations to better understand and employ CSR principles so as to enhance sustainability and social impact. Further, the book provides a unique combination of academic, industrial and local approaches.

Sustainable entrepreneurship focuses on how the environment is embedded within business practices. This book examines collaboration strategies and initiatives for sustainable entrepreneurs with a wide variety of partners, and demonstrates how they can be used to increase overall performance and achieve global competitiveness. Based on the latest empirical evidence from emerging economies, the book's respective chapters address sustainability issues in connection with knowledge creation and learning, outsourcing, and the roles of universities, consultants, and the public sector.

This book addresses the rising concept of 21st century societal marketing which entails that marketers should fulfill the needs of their target group in ways that enhance the well-being of a society as a whole. In the past, social responsibility and corporate ethics may not have been the key elements of corporate and business strategy. However, in the last decade the picture has changed dramatically. Consumers are more concerned about ethical issues and the effects of business activities on the environment and the society. The impact and importance of ethical consumerism is escalating. The consumers are more attentive and expect companies promote their ethical credentials in order to make them more accountable of their actions. This book also reveals how companies should realize that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is not an illustration of corporate altruism but a source of opportunity, and competitive advantage. Finding and following social initiatives as a part of the key business model is proved to be one of the competitive strengths in many instances. This book covers different issues related to ethics, social responsibility and sustainability in marketing and presents different cases and applications from different countries. Together with the best practices, each case and research is expected to shed light on how to improve the role of marketing in helping to the development and well-being of the society.

This book focuses on the application of sustainable development principles through consultation with, and partnerships between commerce and the community. Offering international perspectives, the authors show that the issues are global and that we can best arrive at solutions through a synthesis of these various perspectives. The book also examines changes to corporate and institutional behavior and discusses the extent to which the focus has changed, making it necessary to consider new approaches to our understanding of sustainability and differing effects in practice. This approach is based on the tradition of the Social Responsibility Research Network, which in its 17-year history has sought to broaden the discourse and to treat all research as inter-related and relevant to business. This book consists of the best contributions from the 17th International Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility and 8th Organisational Governance Conference, held in Bangalore, India in September 2018

This edited volume comprises ideas, visions, strategies, and dreams of entrepreneurs, managers, scientists and political experts who share their best practice experience relating to the joint goal of a more sustainable, humanistic, and responsible fashion industry. Readers will find a variety of approaches and strategies that in sum represent a rich pool of insights and cases for anyone interested in the study of new management perspectives and in the systematic advancement of sustainable fashion.In 14 chapters, international authors discuss topics such as Sustainable Business Models, Cradle-to-Cradle, Circular Economy, Human Rights, Ethical Supply Chain Management, Sustainable Fashion Consumption, Certification and Auditing, Traceability, Impact Measurement, and Industry Transformation. Business case studies include H&M, Filippa K, Melawear, Otto, Tauko, and Tchibo. Further brands that are discussed in the book are Prada, Burberry, Hermes, Hugo Boss, and many more. The book demonstrates that sustainable fashion can hardly be realized by just one actor or by using just one business tool or governance instrument. The sustainable transformation of the textile sector requires concerted action of businesses, governments, NGOs, and consumers to clearly demonstrate a coalition for change and a willingness and power to end inhumane and unsustainable business practices in the 21st century. The sum of innovative approaches and solutions presented in this book shows that the momentum for change is strong and that mutual learning, respect and collaboration can lead to interesting and effective new paths of co-creation and shared responsibility in the fashion industry.

This book examines the role of intangible assets (IA) in companies and countries for achieving sustainable economic growth. The authors particularly focus on Sweden and other Nordic countries to analyse the IA gap using a systematized "IA metrics" approach. They also discuss the incentives needed for strategic investments into useful IA to gain national competitiveness from an economic, social and environmental policy perspective. The authors contend that despite the increasing importance of IA and intellectual capital (IC) in the economy, the current discussion has only been centered on intellectual property, which is one of the more prominent forms of intangibles. As this book demonstrates, IC and IA encompass wider dimensions of human, process, market, and renewal capital, among others. Featuring real case examples from Spotify, Minecraft and Izettle, this book offers a strategy for the resurrection of competitive advantage in the globalized economy and the advancement of some key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

How businesses can and are acting to redress social and environmental issues is a question of growing academic interest. Bringing together a range of interdisciplinary perspectives, this insightful Research Agenda evaluates the current state of the art of sustainability and business and assesses key challenges for the field. Multidisciplinary chapters provide instrumental, economic, network and political perspectives on issues that are crucial in gaining insight into sustainability challenges facing businesses today, from socially responsible consumption behaviours and organisational resilience to climate change and sustainability transitions in extractive industries. Its diverse contributions highlight the breadth and depth of analyses and perspectives that are necessary to set a dynamic agenda for future research on sustainability and business. Advancing novel research questions and methodologies, the editors illustrate the path ahead for carrying out research that impacts the science and practice of business and sustainability, as well as creating meaningful change for our species and planet. Offering an advanced yet accessible introduction to the current state and future direction of sustainability and business, this incisive Research Agenda will be an invaluable resource for students and scholars of business, sustainability studies, and environment studies. Its practical insights will also benefit MBA students and business executives moving into sustainability.

This book presents innovative strategies for sustainable, socially responsible enterprise management from leading thinkers in the fields of corporate citizenship, nonprofit management, social entrepreneurship, impact investing, community-based economic development and urban design. The book's integration of research and practitioner perspectives with focused best practice examples offers an in-depth, balanced analysis, providing new insights into the social issues that are most relevant to organizational stakeholders. This integrated focus on sustainable social innovation differentiates the book from academic research monographs on stakeholder theory and practitioner guides to managing traditional Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs. Managing for Social Impact features 15 contributed chapters written by thought leaders, industry analysts, and managers of global and local organizations who are engaged with innovative models of sustainable social impact. The editors also provide a substantive introductory chapter describing a new strategic framework for enhancing the Return on Social Innovation (ROSI) through four pillars of social change: Open Circles, Focused Purpose Sharing, Mutuality of Success, and a Persistent Change Perspective.

Can we align global production and consumption systems with sustainability? Can business growth actually lead to a healthier planet? Can companies innovate through the circular economy to create competitive advantage and genuine impact? Waste to Wealth proved that the emerging circular economy advantage exists - now Lacy, Long and Spindler show you how to realize it at speed and scale in The Circular Economy Handbook. We stand at a crossroads, with rising geopolitical and geo-economic tensions, massive technological change and a host of social and environmental challenges. We are pushing planetary boundaries to their limits, with climate change and threats to biodiversity and oceans as just a few examples. Significant impacts are already being felt, and both people and planet face potentially catastrophic and irreversible consequences if we don't urgently change our global model and systems. Our current linear "take, make, waste" models of production and consumption will not be sustainable in a world of some 9 billion people by 2050, especially with ever-expanding rates of consumption. Thriving within these dynamics demands more than incremental adjustments to business-as-usual. The circular economy offers a powerful means to decouple growth from use of scarce and harmful resources, enabling greater production and consumption with fewer negative environmental impacts-at the same time, making companies more innovative and competitive. In fact, this book shows that $4.5 trillion in economic value is at stake. Delivering on the promise of a circular economy demands impact and scale, extending through value chains and, ultimately, disrupting the entire economic system. In The Circular Economy Handbook, the authors illuminate the path from insight to action, from linear to circular. With case studies, advice and practical guidance, they show leaders how to pivot towards a holistic circular organization, embedding circularity internally and delivering broad-based system change. With unique insights across business models, technologies, and industries - featuring stories and real-world examples from circular pioneers - this book is the essential guide to help companies become leaders in the movement to secure the circular economy advantage.

This book provides a comprehensive assessment of how local corporate water strategies influence global water governance objectives. In various geographies, companies spearhead a quest for more sustainable water management within and beyond their own operations. This book critically examines such strategies and provides an overarching analysis of the effects that mounting corporate involvement has had on the global water discourse. More specifically, it explains why companies from the food, beverage, textile, and mining sectors have started to incorporate water management objectives into their business strategies, how companies work in partnerships with other stakeholders to realize these objectives, and how these actions acquire wider political legitimacy. It presents insightful interview material from business leaders and other high-level stakeholders. Readers will gain the necessary knowledge to develop a critical view and respond appropriately.

This book examines the current body of knowledge on sustainable entrepreneurship. Using network and content analysis, the author maps the structure of the research field and provides a systematic review. In this regard, network analysis is used to find evidence of thematically related clusters of publications and polarizing differences across the subfields of inquiry. In contrast, content analysis is employed to identify and address emerging gaps in the literature. In particular, after discussing mainstream contributions, the author focuses on pioneering research and predicts possible paths that might challenge researchers in the future. The author contributes to the ongoing debate on the definition and boundaries of the flourishing field of sustainable entrepreneurship, by offering critical insights and possible future development pathways derived from both quantitative and qualitative analyses.

Current debates on sustainability are largely building on a problematic assumption that increasing technology use and advancement are a desired phenomenon, creating positive change in human organizations. This kind of techno-optimism prevails particularly in the discourses of ecological modernization and green growth, as well as in the attempts to design sustainable modes of production and consumption within growth-driven capitalism. This transdisciplinary book investigates the philosophical underpinnings of technology, presents a culturally sensitive critique to technology, and outlines feasible alternatives for sustainability beyond technology. It draws on a variety of scholarly disciplines, including the humanities (philosophy and environmental history), social sciences (ecological economics, political economy, and ecology) and natural sciences (geology and thermodynamics) to contribute to sustainability theory and policy. By examining the conflicts and contradictions between technology and sustainability in human organization, the book develops a novel way to conceptualize, confront, and change technology in modern society.

This book discusses the implementation of sustainability in corporate governance mechanisms since 2013 and assesses how much the role of the Board of Directors has changed as a result. The study explores the impact of legislation upon corporate governance in two European contexts, the UK and Italy, which have been affected differently by changes in national regulations since 2013. This investigation relies first on the analysis of interviews administered to the boards of directors of Italian firms, to highlight how far sustainability objectives were considered a real priority for their firms and how their role evolved in terms of specific duties and practices. Second, thanks to a rich dataset from 2013 to 2017, the investigation considers the corporate governance reports of top Italian and British listed firms, to identify how the integration of sustainability within corporate governance has been evolving since 2013, and how it has been disclosed. This insider perspective provides the reader with a set of tools useful for analysing firms' engagement towards sustainability, and for assessing whether listed firms practice what they preach.

The rise of sustainability has swept away the traditional views about firms' competitiveness, survival and profitability, advocating new approaches. Although the strategic decisions on sustainable issues become more important, many firms have erroneously narrow view of environmental strategies and related practices generally have only an outward-looking focus. In line with these considerations, this book aims to investigate the "environmental dimension" as a new "strategic variable" for contributing to strengthen the competitive positioning of firms and to increase the value creation process. The author provides a comprehensive framework for green management by highlights practices and tools to translate strategy into effective environmental ideas. The focus is on goals and actions, from a side, and on the implementation of appropriate control systems useful for monitoring the results of environmental performance, on the other. As such, the book enriches sustainability literature, offers new insights for scholars, and provides implications for practitioners involved in green management.

Sustainability, the environment, corporate accountability, social justice, integration - these are the buzzwords of our century. This book takes readers on a journey through the landscape of standard-setting giants and corporate reporting paradigms through the eyes of two companies that have taken very different paths toward integrated thinking. Both stories provide new insights into the transition to integrated reporting, as envisaged by the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), and how integrated reporting is reshaping our views on transparency. However, the top-down approach adopted in studies of integrated reporting in practice has left many questions unanswered: Is it effective? How does it evolve into established practice? Is it just another management fad? This bottom-up critique answers all these questions and one more: Could integrated reporting become the corporate reporting norm? We shall see. Given its depth of coverage, the book appeals to IIRC academic community, participants in integrated reporting networks, and others interested in integrated reporting.

This book covers state-of-the-art technologies, principles, methods and industrial applications of electronic waste (e-waste) and waste PCB (WPCB) recycling. It focuses on cutting-edge mechanical separation processes and pyro- and hydro-metallurgical treatment methods. De-soldering, selective dismantling, and dry separation methods (including the use of gravity, magnetic and electrostatic techniques) are discussed in detail, noting the patents related to each. The volume discusses the available industrial equipment and plant flowsheets used for WPCB recycling in detail, while addressing potential future directions of the field. This practical, comprehensive, and multidisciplinary reference will appeal to professionals throughout global industrial, academic and government institutions interested in addressing the growing problem of e-waste. Covers principles, methods and industrial applications of e-waste and PCB recycling; Details state-of-the-art mechanical separation processes and pyro- and hydro-metallurgical treatment methods; Describes the available industrial equipment used and plant flowsheets for PCB recycling and addresses potential future developments of this important field.

Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: Sustainable Value Creation (Sixth Edition) redefines corporate social responsibility (CSR) as being central to the value-creating purpose of the firm. Based on a theory of empowered stakeholders, this bestselling text argues that the responsibility of a corporation is to create value, broadly defined. The primary challenge for managers today is to balance the competing interests of the firm's stakeholders' understanding that what they expect today may not be what they will expect tomorrow. This tension is what makes CSR so complex and demanding, but it is also what makes CSR integral to the firm's strategy and day-to-day operations. In this new Sixth Edition, author David Chandler explores issues around COVID-19, the BLM movement, the supply chain crunch, and the "great resignation."

This book reports on the investigation of the public's perception of Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Field (RF-EMF) radiation effects on health and well-being, in Malaysia. It elaborates on how understanding the impact of perceived risk is essential in order to investigate the explanatory value and effectiveness of interventions influencing these beliefs. The book expands on the knowledge and understanding of different risk perception related to radiation in order to explain the gap in literature regarding the relationship between risk perceptions that lead to public behaviors. In doing so, the book presents empirical findings of a national study that unveils two key factors affecting public risk perceptions: psycho-graphic and personal factors. It offers a more collective and cultural understanding of public perceptions on radiation risks via a systematic mixed-method research approach. Research in the book also show that while the radiation risk is recognizable and unavoidable, the relevant stakeholders should be more proactive and committed to communicate and rectify the perception of radiation. The book thus serves as a valuable source of reference to understand the debate and to invite more participatory dialogues on radiation risk perceptions among public.

This book presents a new approach to corporate responsibility based on the concept of coherency, permitting better understanding and management of the conflicting forces that strive to create value across the stakeholder spectrum. In doing so, it provides an alternative to the limited and ineffective role currently played by Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and offers an approach more in line with the needs of a sustainable society. Hilliard introduces several new concepts in management philosophy and presents an innovative and original framework for managing organizational responsibilities in a coherent manner.

This original book explores how the principles of circularity, considered a law of nature but neglected within the materialistic orientation of the industrial age, are becoming attractive again in business and society. Investigation reveals enterprises small and large delivering a stimulating message, from changes in entrepreneurial mindsets to the inclusive use of new technologies and a push for innovation. Zucchella and Urban explore the novel concept of circular enterprise, showing how, with their capacity to innovate, these firms are becoming the most powerful actors of a new, sustainable social order. They examine two fundamental questions: why is this revolution occurring now, and how is it being implemented? Focusing on the most innovative practices, they demonstrate the potential of circular enterprise for industry and wider society, making clear that a new world is emerging.