Circular entrepreneurship : Creating responsible enterprise
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.
China's Energy Revolution in the Context of the Global Energy Transition
This book is an encyclopaedic analysis of the current and future energy system of the world’s most populous country and second biggest economy. What happens in China impacts the planet. In the past 40 years China has achieved one of the most remarkable economic growth rates in history. Its GDP has risen by a factor of 65, enabling 850,000 people to rise out of poverty.
Assessment of hydrogen energy for sustainable development
Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Assessment of Hydrogen Energy for Sustainable Development: Energy & Environmental Security, Istanbul, Turkey, 7-10 August 2006
Artificiality and sustainability in entrepreneurship : Exploring the unforeseen, and paving the way to a sustainable future
Explores the past, present, and future of artificiality and sustainability in entrepreneurship – the unforeseen consequences and ways to advance to a sustainable future. In particular, it connects artificiality, sustainability and entrepreneurship, intertwining artificial with the specific phenomenon of those novel digital technologies that provoke continuous and significant change in our lives and business. Unlike digital entrepreneurship research, which focuses on digital technology development and management, this book covers processes and mechanisms of sustainable adaptability of entrepreneurs, the business logic of start-ups, and the collaborative behaviours under the mass digital transformation, including the prevalence of artificial intelligence. Some of the questions that this book answers are as follows: How has entrepreneurship reacted to such challenges previously? What lessons have been learned and need to be carried forward? How can entrepreneurship and the artefacts of entrepreneurship respond to current challenges? What should be the mindset of the entrepreneur to assure sustainable adaptation? How to embrace and embed the new business logic?
Applied Research in Environmental Economics
Sustainable development, climate policy, and biodiversity conservation are examples of issues on the current political agenda in many countries. These themes are also subject to economic research, and economic insights are increasingly finding their way into the design of environmental policy. Still, the reception of academic findings by policy makers as well as the timely identification of policy-relevant questions by economic researchers often seem to be problematic. This volume attempts to vitalise the exchange between policy makers and academics. It offers a snapshot of environmental economic research on a range of policy-relevant problems.
Applications of simulation methods in environmental and resource economics
Simulation methods are revolutionizing the practice of applied economic analysis. This volume collects eighteen chapters written by leading researchers from prestigious research institutions the world over. The common denominator of the papers is their relevance for applied research in environmental and resource economics. The topics range from discrete choice modeling with heterogeneity of preferences, to Bayesian estimation, to Monte Carlo experiments, to structural estimation of Kuhn-Tucker demand systems, to evaluation of simulation noise in maximum simulated likelihood estimates, to dynamic natural resource modeling. Empirical cases are used to show the practical use and the results brought forth by the different methods.
Ambiguities in Decision-oriented Life Cycle Inventories: The Role of Mental Models and Values
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.
Agriculture for Economic Development in Africa : Evidence from Ethiopia
This book explores the role of agriculture in long-term economic growth. With a particular focus on Ethiopia, the role of the state in igniting agricultural growth and in sustaining economic growth is highlighted as essential for low-income countries. Taking ideas from both economic history and development economics, the ability of Ethiopia and the rest of Africa to sustain recent rapid growth into something that can tackle the development agenda is discussed, alongside policy suggestions.
Agent-Based Models of Energy Investment Decisions
This book demonstrates how bounded rational decision models can be standardized and parameterized by socio-economic data. Focusing on private energy technology investment decisions, the author shows how different representative agents can be constructed using search rules, analysis tools and decision strategies. Diffusion curves for energy technologies such as solar collectors, boilers and efficiency upgrades for buildings are calculated. Further, the model is extended to study the impact of firms’ competition on technology diffusion. The modeling approach presented in this book may serve as a template for applications in other domain.
Agent-based computational modelling : Applications in demography, social, economic and environmental sciences
The present book describes the methodology to set up agent-based models and to study emerging patterns in complex adaptive systems resulting from multi-agent interaction. It offers the application of agent-based models in demography, social and economic sciences and environmental sciences. It presents and combines different approaches how to implement agent-based computational models and tools in an integrative manner that can be extended to other cases.
Accounting for social and environmental sustainability : A multi-capital approach
Offers an in‑depth examination of multi‑capital accounting, which has already been integrated within the corporate sustainability reporting directive and will follow on from sustainability reporting. the LIFTS model (limits and foundations towards sustainability accounting model) used in this book combines various scientific and practical contributions to develop budgets for environmental impacts and social obligations on an organisational scale. it proposes an accounting mechanism that enables an organization to manage each of its budgets and measure variances between forecast and actual. it provides an introduction to the principles of this model and its conditions of application and describes its implementation in numerous companies.
Accounting and Statistical Analyses for Sustainable Development : Multiple Perspectives and Information-Theoretic Complexity Reduction
In this book Claudia Lemke develops a comprehensive Multi-Level Sustainable Development Index (MLSDI) that is applicable to micro, meso, and macro objects by conducting methodological and empirical research.
A cost based approach to project management : Planning and controlling construction project costs
Illustrates the principles of project management and the essentials of cost planning and control with easy-to-understand examples from the construction industry Includes step-by-step details of project planning, cost estimating, and management processes Offers clear, cost-based methods for defining scope, preparing bids, and planning for contingencies, as well as monitoring progress and determining when to take remedial action Contains a user-friendly guide to project management acronyms and terminology Provides sample construction schedules, budgets, and progress report forms
A Contingency-Based View of Chief Executive Officers' Early Warning Behaviour : An Empirical Analysis of German Medium-Sized Companies
Organizations need to identify risks and chances of environmental changes in order to adapt to or possibly even to influence them. Early warning which comprises scanning and interpretation plays an important role in this process. Whereas the traditional contingency approach considers early warning as a part of the organizational structure, the extended contingency theory assumes the additional influence of an individual’s personality on early warning. Andreas Kirschkamp empirically analyses the early warning behavior of Chief Executive Officers in German medium-sized companies. First, he presents the design variables of early warning, then the influencing contingency variables. On the basis of the scholarly research on psychological and contingency theory, the author deduces hypotheses and tests them. The results show that early warning behavior is not only influenced by traditional contingency variables but also by personal attitudes.
Low impact building : Housing using renewable materials
Guides to the designs, technologies and materials that really make green buildings work will help architects, specifiers and clients make informed choices, based on reliable technical information. Low Impact Building: Housing using Renewable Materials is about changing the way we build houses to reduce their 'carbon' footprint and to minimise environmental damage. One of the ways this can be done is by reducing the energy and environmental impact of the materials and resources used to construct buildings by choosing alternative products and systems. In particular, we need to recognise the potential for using natural and renewable construction materials as a way to reduce both carbon emissions but also build in a more benign and healthy way.
Building from tradition : Local materials and methods in contemporary architecture
Examines the recent resurgence of interest in the handmade building and the use of local and renewable materials in contemporary construction. In the past, raw materials were shaped to provide shelter and to accommodate the cultural, social, and economic needs of individuals and communities. This is still true today as architects, engineers, and builders turn once again to local resources and methods, not simply for constructing buildings, but also as a strategy for supporting social engagement, sustainable development, and cultural continuity. Building from Tradition features global case studies that allow readers to understand how building practices-developed and refined by previous generations-continue to be adapted to suit a broad range of cultural and environmental contexts. The book provides: a survey of historical and technical information about geologic and plant-based materials such as: stone, earth, reed and grass, wood, and bamboo; 24 detailed case studies examining the disadvantages and benefits to using traditional materials and methods and how they are currently being integrated with contemporary construction practices
Materials and Components of Interior Architecture
Offers a unique look at interior design,fully covering the exciting breadth of nonstructural materials available to interior designers. With an eye on the environment, it instills a firm understanding of the products, properties, and uses of all materials—from floors, walls, and ceilings to installation and recycling. Going beyond paint and carpet, it explores over 27 different floorings and devotes separate chapters to kitchens and baths. Filled with the latest information from manufacturers, suppliers, and associations, it provides students with the knowledge to creatively engage the “nuts and bolts” of interior design—both in terms of structure and style.
Cities for people
Presents latest work creating (or recreating) cityscapes on a human scale. He clearly explains the methods and tools he uses to reconfigure unworkable cityscapes into the landscapes he believes they should be: cities for people. Taking into account changing demographics and changing lifestyles, Gehl emphasizes four human issues that he sees as essential to successful city planning. He explains how to develop cities that are lively, safe, sustainable, and healthy. Focusing on these issues leads Gehl to think of even the largest city on a very small scale. For Gehl, the urban landscape must be considered through the five human senses and experienced at the speed of walking rather than at the speed of riding in a car or bus or train. This small-scale view, he argues, is too frequently neglected in contemporary projects. In a final chapter, Gehl makes a plea for city planning on a human scale in the fast-growing cities of developing countries.
Building Systems for Interior Designers ; 3rd ed.
The ultimate interior designer's guide to building systems and safety Building Systems for Interior Designers, Third Edition is the single-source technical reference that every designer needs, and an ideal solution for NCIDQ exam preparation. Addresses the special concerns of the interior designer within the context of the entire design team. New coverage includes the latest information on sustainable design and energy conservation, expanded coverage of security and building control systems, and a new and expanded art program with over 250 new illustrations. Covering systems from HVAC to water to waste to lighting, this book explains technical building systems and engineering issues in a clear and accessible way to help interior designers communicate more effectively with architects, engineers, and contractors.
Architectural interior lighting
Essential guide to creating well-lit, visually appealing interior spaces. The book begins with an overview of light and color theory, lighting fundamentals, and design principles. It then covers artificial, natural, decorative, and professional lighting in interior design, as well as standards and regulations, controls and systems, sustainable lighting, energy efficiency, light pollution reduction, and the use of environmentally friendly materials. With a focus on practical applications and real-world examples, this book provides readers with the tools and knowledge necessary to achieve their design goals while considering the latest trends and techniques in the field. A valuable resource for professionals and students in architecture and lighting design, it will also appeal to anyone interested in creating visually stunning and functional interior spaces.



















