Imagine a waste-free future for your business, your family, and yourself A circular economy is an economic system designed to save money, eliminate waste, and achieve deep sustainability. No-brainer, right? Circular Economy For Dummies explains why the old way of doing things (linear economy) is fast going the way of the dinosaurs, and it gets you ready to think circular. From business processes and material lifecycles to circular design in just about every industry, this book is a fascinating glimpse into our sustainable future. Whether you're looking to close the resource loop in your business or develop a greener lifestyle for yourself and your family, this book shows you how. Learn how to innovate for circular economy, how to turn trash into treasure, and how to calculate the (potentially large) amount of money this will save you. And--bonus--you'll feel good doing the right thing and being a part of our sustainable future! Challenge the assumptions behind the old-school "linear economy" model Learn how we can work together to achieve a waste-free future Save money by rethinking your resource use or business supply chain Reimagine households, neighborhoods, schools, companies, and societies The future is circular. Buck business-as-usual and learn how to create a circular economy for all!

In a 24/7 world and a global economy, there is no doubt that relationships impact virtually every economic transaction. In Relationship Economics, Lindon Robison and Bryan Ritchie argue that what needs to be understood is not just whether relationships matter (which, of course, they do), but also, how much, and in what circumstances they should matter. Providing a rigorous and measurable definition of the way that relationships among individuals create a capital, social capital, that can be saved, spent, and used like other forms of capital, Robison and Ritchie use numerous examples and insightful analysis, to explain how social capital shapes our ability to reduce poverty, understand corruption, encourage democracy, facilitate income equality, and respond to globalization. The first part of the book explains how social capital can be manipulated, stored, expended, and invested. The second part explores how levels of social capital within relationships influence economic transactions both positively and negatively, which in turn shape poverty levels, economic efficiency, levels and types of political participation, and institutional structures.

For many developing countries economic growth is an elusive quest. Both economists and policymakers have long known that issues such as education, investment and infrastructure are necessary ingredients for development and yet only a very small number of countries seem to be able to come up with the right mix of these ingredients. Bryan Ritchie demonstrates how political relationships among government, business, academic and labor leaders create different incentives for economic actors to make key decisions to promote economic upgrading and sustainable development. He reveals how these decisions affect matters such as bureaucratic structures, the language of education, a focus on technology and innovation, and the inclusion of labor in business strategy. These shape the institutional structures that in turn create the foundation of government policy. This insightful study shows that whether the political relationships that form are beneficial, or detrimental, to economic upgrading depends critically on levels of systemic vulnerability, a combination of resource endowments, domestic conflict and external military security. Systemic Vulnerability and Sustainable Economic Growth will be warmly welcomed by academics and researchers of political science, economics - development economics particularly - and Asian studies. Policymakers will find invaluable insights in to how government bodies can successfully incorporate actors from the private sector. The book will also appeal to business leaders wishing to know why policymakers act the way they do.