In an environmental life cycle assessment of products (LCA), an unambiguous, scientifically based, objective' attribution of material and energy flows to a product is pure fiction. This is due to the fundamental epistemological conditions of LCA as a modelling process under the complexity of our socio-economic system. Instead, various mental models and values guide this attribution. This leads to a functional model in a specific decision situation. This book shows for the first time how mental models and values influence this attribution in the life cycle inventory step of LCA. One of the key findings is that the different management rules for a sustainable use of materials must be taken into account for the attribution of material and energy flows to a product. Otherwise, improvement options recommended by an LCA might turn out to even worsen the environmental situation if reassessed from a meta-perspective.

In an environmental life cycle assessment of products (LCA), an unambiguous, scientifically based, objective attribution of material and energy flows to a product is pure fiction. This is due to the fundamental epistemological conditions of LCA as a modelling process under the complexity of our socio-economic system. Instead, various mental models and values guide this attribution. This leads to a functional model in a specific decision situation.

This book shows for the first time how mental models and values influence this attribution in the life cycle inventory step of LCA. One of the key findings is that the different management rules for a sustainable use of materials must be taken into account for the attribution of material and energy flows to a product. Otherwise, improvement options recommended by an LCA might turn out to even worsen the environmental situation if reassessed from a meta-perspective.

As a consequence of this book, the claim of unambiguitiy ( objectivity ) of the life cycle inventory must be abandoned. A group-model building process for LCA is developed that allows one to grasp the decision makers' mental models and values in the inventory analysis on a case- and situation-specific basis. Only by this, LCA results will become relevant in a decision-making process.

Two case studies on the modelling of recycling and other end-of-life options of aluminium windows and beech wood railway sleepers in LCA complement the methodological part.

This book is a must have for researchers, consultants and practitioners in the fields of decision-oriented life cycle assessment as well as product-related environmental management, modelling and decision-making."

For all students who wish to understand current economic and business literature, knowledge of mathematical methods has become a prerequisite. Clear and concise, with precise definitions and theorems, Werner and Sotskov cover all the major topics required to gain a firm grounding in this subject including sequences, series, applications in finance, functions, differentiations, differentials and difference equations, optimizations with and without constraints, integrations and much more.

Containing exercises and worked examples, precise definitions and theorems as well as economic applications, this book provides the reader with a comprehensive understanding of the mathematical models and tools used in both economics and business.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the International Conference on Spatial Information Theory, COSIT'95, held near Vienna, Austria, in September 1995.
Spatial Information Theory brings together three fields of research of paramount importance for geographic information systems technology, namely spatial reasoning, representation of space, and human understanding of space. The book contains 36 fully revised papers selected from a total of 78 submissions and gives a comprehensive state-of-the-art report on this exciting multidisciplinary - and highly interdisciplinary - area of research and development.

The present book includes a set of selected papers from the 11th International Conference on Simulation and Modeling Methodologies, Technologies and Applications (SIMULTECH 2021) that was held as an online event, from July 7 to 9, 2021. The conference brought together researchers and practitioners interested in methodologies and applications of modeling and simulation. New and innovative solutions are reported in this book. A selection was made after the conference, based also on the conference chairs assessment, reviewers' assessment, quality of presentation and audience interest, so that this book includes the extended and revised versions of the very best papers of the conference.

Das Buch behandelt Untersuchungs- und Prufmethoden fur alle Papierfaserstoffe (Zellstoffe, Holzstoffe, Altpapierfasern) und daraus hergestellte Erzeugnisse: Papier, Karton, Pappe. Es hilft bei der Identifizierung von Papierfaserstoffen und Hilfsstoffen (Morphologie, Gefugestruktur und Oberflache) mit Hilfe der Licht- und der Elektronenmikroskopie und zur technologischen Prufung und vergleichenden Bewertung der verschiedenen Papierfaserstoffe. Der zweite Band des mehrbandigen Gesamtwerkes setzt die Tradition des bekannten Korn/Burgstaller: "Handbuch fur Werkstoffprufung, Band IV: " "Papier- und Zellstoffprufung" fort."

In many real-world applications, the problems with the data used for scheduling such as processing times, set-up times, release dates or due dates is not exactly known before applying a specific solution algorithm which restricts practical aspects of scheduling theory. During the last decades, several approaches have been developed for sequencing and scheduling with inaccurate data, depending on whether the data is given as random numbers, fuzzy numbers or whether it is uncertain (ie: it can take values from a given interval). This book considers the four major approaches for dealing with such problems: a stochastic approach, a fuzzy approach, a robust approach and a stability approach. Each of the four parts is devoted to one of these approaches. First, it contains a survey chapter on this subject, as well as between further chapters, presenting some recent research results in the particular area. The book provides the reader with a comprehensive and up-to-date introduction into scheduling with inaccurate data. The four survey chapters deal with scheduling with stochastic approaches, fuzzy job-shop scheduling, min-max regret scheduling problems and a stability approach to sequencing and scheduling under uncertainty. This book will be useful for applied mathematicians, students and PhD students dealing with scheduling theory, optimisation and calendar planning.

"Adam Smith was dumbfounded. Could he really be attending an event taking place at the start of the third millennium? Smith tried to concentrate on what the speaker was saying. Who was he? What was going on? And what was the meaning of the words of the painting?" So begins The Amazing Journey of Adam Smith as the father of modern economics embarks on a voyage through time to discover whether his famous conclusion in The Wealth of Nations remains valid today: . . . he intends only his own gain, and he is in this, as in many other cases, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention. . . . By pursuing his own interest he frequently promotes that of society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it. In this imaginative and thought provoking novel, Frank Werner explores the connection between financial self-interest and the evolving needs of society, often referred to as 'global sustainability.' As Adam Smith discovers, in the 21st century-where businesses can significantly damage or contribute to the world's ecological and social well being-the pursuit of profits may no longer be sufficient to create a sustainable world.