Alfred A. Marcus and Mazhar Islam examine how demographic changes introduce new challenges for businesses, with a focus on how the world today is divided between disproportionately old and young nations. Taking a broad international perspective, the book illustrates how demography affects underlying conditions in nations, presenting the risks and opportunities for businesses as well as a set of concrete obligations they owe to the nations in which they operate. The book analyzes the key challenges that nations face based on whether they have principally old, young, or middle-aged populations, and how businesses can best respond to these challenges. Chapters particularly emphasize the impacts of immigration and technology, democratic governance, crime, corruption, and stability. Providing an in-depth examination of the relationships between youth bulges, youth busts and violence, the book grapples with the question of whether the world is likely to be a more peaceful place in the future, and the implications this could have for the global business environment. Demography and the Global Business Environment will be a valuable resource for scholars and students of international business and strategic management. It will also be highly beneficial for business leaders looking for guidance about how to evaluate the opportunities and risks of investing in various countries.

To what extent can competition between companies encourage innovations in sustainability that have the potential to solve some of the world's major challenges? Using a series of case studies, this book pits closely related competitors against each other to examine the progress in and obstacles to the evolution of sustainable innovations in energy efficiency, solar power, electric vehicles and hybrids, wind energy, healthy eating, and agricultural productivity. It delves into the efforts of Tesla Motors to bring about a revolution in personal transportation, and the challenges Toyota and General Motors (GM) confront in commercializing hybrids. It explores the movement to healthy food by cereal companies General Mills and Kellogg's, and depicts the battles between Whole Foods and Walmart for the world's palate. By examining the experiences that particular businesses have had with sustainable innovation, this insightful book reflects upon lessons learned and encourages readers to think carefully about the challenges that lie ahead.

A broad-based interdisciplinary introduction to the topic of environmental decision-making which emphasizes finding solutions to real world problems. The book examines the subject from the complementary and interrelated perspectives of three major groups involved in environmental decisions: regulatory agencies, businesses and affected communities. Each chapter describes an important aspect of environmental decision making and identifies key issues and problems and recommends ways to improve the decision-making process and its outcomes.

A key long-term challenge faced by the United States and other leading world economies is breaking the link between economic growth and oil consumption. The energy price shocks of 1973 and 1979 showed the fragility of these dependent relationships and their impact on world politics. Alfred Marcus ably examines U.S. energy policymaking and reveals both the shortcomings and failures--as well as the surprising successes--of past energy-policy efforts. Following a review of events that transpired in the Persian Gulf after August, 1990, Marcus examines worldwide trends in energy production/consumption since the first energy-supply crisis of 1973. Ensuing chapters discuss the economics and politics of energy policy, the role(s) of markets and governments, and parts played by supplier and user nations from countries to cartels. Unique to this text is Marcus's review of U.S. policies and reactions to energy shortages as compared with the experiences of other major consuming nations (Japan, France, and Great Britain). At a time when energy policy is among the most important issues in world politics, Controversial Issues in Energy Policy skillfully outlines new and enduring issues of energy policy for academics and students in public policy, political science, public administration, and economics, as well as policy makers. "Marcus provides a valuable insight into the dynamics of policy and politics around a vitally important resource." --Political Studies Association

A key long-term challenge faced by the United States and other leading world economies is breaking the link between economic growth and oil consumption. The energy price shocks of 1973 and 1979 showed the fragility of these dependent relationships and their impact on world politics. Alfred Marcus ably examines U.S. energy policymaking and reveals both the shortcomings and failures--as well as the surprising successes--of past energy-policy efforts. Following a review of events that transpired in the Persian Gulf after August, 1990, Marcus examines worldwide trends in energy production/consumption since the first energy-supply crisis of 1973. Ensuing chapters discuss the economics and politics of energy policy, the role(s) of markets and governments, and parts played by supplier and user nations from countries to cartels. Unique to this text is Marcus's review of U.S. policies and reactions to energy shortages as compared with the experiences of other major consuming nations (Japan, France, and Great Britain). At a time when energy policy is among the most important issues in world politics, Controversial Issues in Energy Policy skillfully outlines new and enduring issues of energy policy for academics and students in public policy, political science, public administration, and economics, as well as policy makers. "Marcus provides a valuable insight into the dynamics of policy and politics around a vitally important resource." --Political Studies Association

To what extent can competition between companies encourage innovations in sustainability that have the potential to solve some of the world's major challenges? Using a series of case studies, this book pits closely related competitors against each other to examine the progress in and obstacles to the evolution of sustainable innovations in energy efficiency, solar power, electric vehicles and hybrids, wind energy, healthy eating, and agricultural productivity. It delves into the efforts of Tesla Motors to bring about a revolution in personal transportation, and the challenges Toyota and General Motors (GM) confront in commercializing hybrids. It explores the movement to healthy food by cereal companies General Mills and Kellogg's, and depicts the battles between Whole Foods and Walmart for the world's palate. By examining the experiences that particular businesses have had with sustainable innovation, this insightful book reflects upon lessons learned and encourages readers to think carefully about the challenges that lie ahead.