Book Description

Ecological economics is a new transdisciplinary approach to understanding and managing the ecology and economics of our world for sustainability on local, regional, and global scales. The previous isolation of these two fields has led to economic and environmental policies that have been mutually destructive rather than reinforcing in the long term. This book brings together these two disciplines in chapters covering the basic worldview of ecological economics; accounting, modeling, and analysis of ecological economicl systems; and necessary institutional changes and case studies.

Book Description

The dirty politics behind America's—and the world's—deadliest addiction.

Every day, the United States consumes more than 18 million barrels of oil, an amount equivalent to the daily usage of Europe and the states of the former Soviet Union combined. The majority of this oil goes into cars, trucks, and SUVs in the form of gasoline. Indeed, one barrel of oil out of every seven produced in the world is destined to fill the tanks of cars in America.

In Oil: Anatomy of an Industry, Matthew Yeomans explores the role of oil in America—from driving the US economic engine, to consolidating the US's position as unilateral superpower—and explains the American consumer's love affair with gasoline and the automobile. Along the way, Yeomans offers a brief history of gasoline: where oil comes from, how the global crude oil market works, and how the price of oil is regulated and set. Illustrated with maps and graphics, Oil spotlights the companies involved in global oil production, considering their relationships with oil-rich countries and the power they wield in the global marketplace. Finally, the book explains why a continued dependence on oil will soon inhibit America's growth and become a liability to its economy, environment, and national security—not to mention the security of hundreds of millions of others. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Answer To All Questions About Oil
Matthew Yeomans, whose career I've followed since he was an editor at the Village Voice, has come out with an superlative, concise, and authoritative history of the oil industry. If oil is the most significant industry of the past 100 years, this book is surely the most important and decisive account of that industry since Daniel Yergin's The Prize.

From the origins of the petroleum industry in 1900 to the petroeconomics of 2000 (and 2004), Yeomans explicates all - in a lively, engaging, and illuminating style. When a book captivates me because of 1) its confidence with facts and history and 2) its commanding langauge and voice - well, that's what I look for in a history. Yeomans has written what I think will prove to be the definitive account of what I hope is a fading industry. But whatever your politics, this is a book to buy just because the research is so good and the subject matter so important. If you want a cheat sheet to the next 20 years in Iraq, this is it. ... Read more

Book Description

IT was once welcomed as a liberator and genie that would free us from enslavement to mundane chores and the daily grind. Instead, Ian Angell says it is breeding a new society of `barbarians` in which the winner takes all. He claims that the world after the information revolution will be one in which a gifted few control corporations that move factories around the planet in search of the lowest wages -- it is alreadyhappening, as prisoners, serving life sentences in the US operate telesales services for major American Airlines. Angell`s view is apocalyptic -- poverty for the many and self-governing opulence for the elite few. These privileged few, who can afford to be stateless, will not have to pay taxes in any state. Society will split into the elite and the masses. Society as we know it will break down. Only those with the knowledge and the power to guide the information revolution will prosper, leaving the manual labor to stateless production workers or more efficient robots. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Academic derivative work that reads like a potboiler!
This is a very cool book because the synthesis is done by a academian who writes like a potboiler novelist! The paragraphs are shock full of references to deep philosophical and academic treatises, but done in an entertaining manner. Every paragraph is like poetry. Excellent derivative work.

In a nutshell, the author is taking a theme first exposed by Alvin Toffler "Future Shock" "Third Wave" and developing it further to synthesize the way the world's economies have performed in the last 20 years.

Outstanding! Don't be put off by the seeming "facist" or "harsh" tone of some of this writing--the author is tell you how it is, not how it should be--hence the term "barbarian" in the title. The old guard will attempt to smooth over raw, naked capitalism but in the opinion of the author it will be a losing battle (I'm not so sure, since I believe most old people, having been raised by the Welfare State, will never go quietly, so it will take another generation or two to renounce the Nanny Welfare State.

I give it four stars not five because the opinions are thrown out without much argument or development. It is a derivative work where you have to understand some background first. So it's not really a beginner's book.

A sunset not a dawn
To get a handle on books like this we must understand the author's philosophy of life.For Angell, the prime purpose in life is making money, lots of money.In his view the most greedy and ruthless go-getters, the "new barbarians," should have open slather to trample on the rest of society.He thinks it is good that globalization is causing societies to disintegrate, because it represents the triumph of the new barbarians.It is instructive to note the thinkers he admires most - Friedrich Nietzsche, Friedrich von Hayek, and Ayn Rand - all right wingers who extolled the "superman" over ordinary folk. Hence Angell's views have worrying fascist implications. In his world the super-rich will rule in "smart regions," and the rest of the people can just go jump.Angell expounds the logic of globalization, but he does not address the problems caused, such as the environmental crisis.He is a spin doctor for globalization.His vision of the future is a recipe for chaos.Rather than being a man for the future, the new barbarian is a dinosaur, doing his best to pull us all down.

The business-end of a crowbar
Ever see the film 'Falling Down' with Michael Douglas? Well, after a long and frustrating struggle with rank-and-file academics and bureaucrats, Ian has finally taken an intellectual crowbar to post-war socialist greenhouse.

This is not a pretty book; it is slash and burn. It represents the blinding rage of a generation who suffered in silence as Winston Smith and Joseph K. were digested by early virulent strains of political correctness. So, beware, this book is deeply offensive to lawyers and politicians and all the other anti-conceptual drones who have nested in the post-war socialist paradigm.

What gives this book its power is the changing nature of the global political economy. Here we are dealing with facts - as hard and cold as the steel rails on which the Industrial Revolution was built. Remember those poor sods who attended the Congress of Vienna in 1815? What? The end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire? Haw, haw, haw. Steam engines powering ships? Hee, hee, hee. A new economy? Ho, ho, ho. The collapse of the Russian, French, and British empires? Tears of laughter. Airplanes? Oh, please no more!

I myself do not necessarily agree with all Ian's arguments, but there is no doubt that he has drawn a true note from his violin. I do believe that Rome will indeed burn again. What will rise from the ashes is what Ian seeks to explore.

A provocative view of the Dark Side of the New Economy
Angell's work is really very good, even if the author is sometimes too heavy handed. I saw him on the BBC and he admitted that his book was aimed at stirring the pot. He does that, no doubt. Rather than the glib views of how IT will change our world, Angell suggests that IT and technological change may well have some very serious and unforeseen consequences. It is a must read for all those who blithely toss around the term e-commerce. Read this and get another view! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

STREAMLINED LIFE-cycle assessment
MR. GRAEDEL PROVIDES A NEW AND FRESH INSIGHT IN THE CONCEPT OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENTS FOR PRODUCTS. HE PRESENTS TOOLS THAT CAN BE USED TO IDENTIFY ISSUES IN THE DESIGN STAGE OF A PRODUCT THAT AFFECT THE ENVIRONMENT ANDALSO HOW TO ESTABLISH PRIORITIES AMONG THESE ISSUES. THE USE OF A SIMLIFIEDMATRIX SHOWING RAW MATERIALS AND PROCESS STAGES VERSUS SIGNIFICANTENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES PROVIDES A FRAMEWORK THAT CAN EASLY USED TO IDENTIFYIMPROVEMENTS. IT ALSO PROVIDE PRACTICAL EXAMPLES OF REAL INDUSTRIAL CASESAND EXAMPLES OF THE QUESTIONS AND CHECK-LISTS REQUIRED TO PERFORM THESECRADLE TO GRAVE ANALYSIS. ... Read more

Book Description

How do companies like Microsoft and Wal-Mart rise to the top of their industries and dominate year after year, while others like People Express and LA Gear burn out after promising starts?In Changing the Game, Eric Flamholtz and Yvonne Randle, two leading management consultants, reveal that the key to success lies in how you transform your organization.

Virtually all organizations face critical transition points in their life cycle, when they must change how they play the game, or perish. Flamholtz and Randle focus here on three critical moments: the move from entrepreneurial to professional management, when a firm reaches a stage of growth where it can no longer operate in an informal, unstructured way;the revitalization of an established business that is losing ground to competitors; and a radical change in a businesss vision. The authors show, for instance, how American Century Investors made the transformation from a $50 million entrepreneurship to a professionally managed company with a market value of $2 billion; how IBM, one of the great American corporations, was forced by the proliferation of PCs in the 1980s to overhaul its business to survive; and how Starbucks Coffee, originally a Seattle coffee-bean store, was inspired by Milan's romantic coffee bars to recreate itself and transformed an entire industry. The book concludes with a look at how one company--Bell Carter Olive Company--pulled together all the concepts and tools presented in the book and successfully changed the game.

Changing the Game provides a comprehensive framework and a set of tools for the strategic management of organizational transformation. It will help managers meet the challenges of an increasingly competitive business environment. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

"Business is a game without an end".
"In its broadest sense, a game involves procedures or strategies for gaining certain ends. The game of business is to use resources (people, money, ideas, equipment, and tools) to gain certain ends desired by the organization. For a corporation, the objectives of the game are to increase profitability and shareholder value...Whether it is recognized or not, all organizations operate under a 'game plan'. The 'organizational game plan' consists of the basic concept of the game being played as well as the fundamental strategy for playing the game...No matter what game an organization chooses to play or how it chooses to play it, there are certain periods in an organization's life when 'the game' (either the game itself or how it is played) needs to be changed. This occurs when there have been major changes in the economic environment, or some kind of revolution in technology or the nature of competition. It can also happen simply as the result of significant, rapid organizational growth...As used in this book, the phrase, 'changing the game' has a dual meaning. First, it refers to changes in the game being played by an organization. This involves changes in the business an organization is actually in. In addition, the phrase also refers to changes in the way the game is being played (i.e., how a firm operates). Both are major aspects of a business and both can require major transformations, either at different points or even at the same time. These transformations are the focus of this book and define what we mean by 'changing the game'...During the past few years, there has been increasing use of the terms 'transformation' and 'change' in business literature. Some people unfortunatelly use these terms synonymously. That is not the way we will use these terms in this book...Our focus in Changing the Game is on transformation rather than merely incremental changes" (pp.4-9).

In this context, Eric G. Flamholtz and Yvonne Randle:

* describe 'pure' types of transformations, including what they have termed Transformations of the First, Second, and Third Kinds:

1. Entrepreneurial transformations to professional management including the special case of family business transformations - First Kind (more detailed discussion and examples of this kind see Chapter 3).

2. Revitalization transformations of established companies - Second Kind (more detailed discussion and examples of this kind see Chapter 4).

3. Business vision transformations - Third Kind (more detailed discussion and examples of this kind see Chapters 5-6).

and note that actual organizations sometimes engage in compound transformations, consisting of more than one type of transformation simultaneously.

* present a framework that managers can use to understand and plan what must be done to build an organization with a high probability of long-term success, and examine four critical factors that influence the design of a successful business enterprise:

1. The 'business concept' that defines the business a company is in.

2. Six key 'building blocks' of organizational success.

3. The 'size' of the enterprise.

4. The 'environment' (markets, competition, and trends) in which the enterprise will exist.

* focus on the strategic transformational planning process in order to provide a tool for assisting in the process of managing transformations.

* examine how to design an organizational structure that will support a firm's transformation.

* examine the issues involved in transforming an organization's structure after a strategic transformational plan has been developed, and show that the choice of the form of organization to help implement a transformational plan is a strategic issue in itself.

* focus on the behavioral aspects of organizational transformations, and describe the important role leadership plays in not only helping to transform the behavior of individuals within an organization, but in changing the overall game that the organization is playing.

* discuss two additional, powerful tools -performance management systems and corporate culture management- that can be used to transform the behavior of all employees within an organization.

* present ten key lessons for Managing Transformations and Changing the Game.

Finally, they argue that "unlike chess and the NCAA basketball tournament, business is a game without an end. There is no national championship tournament for business. The game goes on and on. In a sense, a basketball program is like a business. A given team may win a championship one year, but there is always the next year and the next and the next, just as in business. As soon as one profitable year is completed, the next emerges. There is, however, one constant in the business game year after year: the need to understand the process of managing organizational transformations. Accordingly, the final lesson is: adapt and increase the probability of future success; or remain fixed in the existing paradigm and risk failure. The game is there for the taking".

I highly recommend.

Clear, crisp and practically powerfull tool.
Not only is this book written in a clear and crisp manner, but the tools described in the book are practical to use and the results easy to interpret.

Excellent help in creating a "map" to your objectives.
How do you begin to look at your business "on the horizon"? The company's management team must create a "map" which will lead the organization to it's objectives. Eric will ask you "by the way, do you know what your objectives are?" He really helps you clarify and organize. As Yogi Berra once said "If you don't know where you're going, you're probably going to get there"!

Excellent Book!
This book is extremely useful for general managers. It has had a profound impact on the way I think about organizations. As authors, Flamholtz and Randle are clear, logical, and practical. As professors, their years of experience as successful strategy consultants translated into one of the best classes I have taken during my MBA years. I highly recommend this book, and will buy it for my friends who are passionate about management.

This the book for managing the business!
It is one of the best books that I never read in my life. Well structured, clear, direct to the point. It is the perfect book if you are looking for frames in order to analyze your business. I strongly suggest to all the MBAs. ... Read more

Book Description

Recent awareness of global deforestation and its impact on the environment and economic development have compelled policymakers to critically examine the reasons behind these phenomena and find ways and means to promote sustainable forest management principles and policies. The contributors analyze these critical issues in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. ... Read more

Book Description

American nature writers as literary artists and political catalysts. ... Read more

Book Description

Property rights are a tool humans use in regulating their use of natural resources. Understanding how rights to resources are assigned and how they are controlled is critical to designing and implementing effective strategies for environmental management and conservation.

Rights to Nature is a nontechnical, interdisciplinary introduction to the systems of rights, rules, and responsibilities that guide and control human use of the environment. Following a brief overview of the relationship between property rights and the natural environment, chapters consider:

• ecological systems and how they function
• the effects of culture, values, and social organization on the use of natural resources
• the design and development of property rights regimes and the costs of their operation
• cultural factors that affect the design and implementation of property rights systems
• coordination across geographic and jurisdictional boundaries

... Read more

Reviews (1)

A good intro to the environment-property rights debate
A refreshing and layperson's approach to the ever more complex debate on protecting the environment with property rights and entitlements. This is a solid rhetorical contribution that clarifies arguments for lawyers, economists, anthropologists, scholars and activists alike. It is multicultural and comprehensive enough for readers in the First and in the Third World. ... Read more

Book Description

The idea of sustainability has been embraced enthusiastically by some businesses and rejected by others. The first wave of corporate converts to sustainability was perhaps driven by a public relations crisis, regulatory pressures or the founder's personal passion. The next wave, however, requires different drivers if it is to build a critical mass for corporate responsibility in the business community.

The Next Sustainability Wave assesses why companies have resisted sustainability strategies and focuses on two emerging drivers that promise to spur corporate commitment to sustainability strategies:

A compelling business case
A "perfect storm" of threatening market forces on the horizon that range from climate change to the rising demands of stakeholders

An effective carrot-and-stick duo, these two drivers are both triggering the need for change and providing a vision of business success if the transition to sustainable operations, products and services is smartly managed.

Emphasizing the importance of how sustainability is presented to corporate leaders-using the right language and avoiding threats to the status quo that provoke habitual corporate defense mechanisms-the book applies effective selling techniques to reposition sustainability strategies as a means to achieving existing corporate ends, rather than as a separate priority to worry about. It sells sustainability as a solution, a business strategy and a catalyst for business transformation. An appendix gives a version of the sustainability business case for small- to medium-level enterprises.

Designed for quick reading and reference-right pages furthering the argument, while left pages provide support materials-the book is especially useful for those wanting to convince busy executives and board members.

Bob Willard is a leading expert on the business value of corporate sustainability strategies and in the last two years has given over 100 keynote presentations to corporations, consultants, academics and nongovernmental organizations.

Book Description

John Muir called it the "Range of Light, the most divinely beautiful of all the mountain chains I’ve ever seen." The Sierra Nevada—a single unbroken mountain range stretching north to south over four hundred miles, best understood as a single ecosystem but embracing a number of environmental communities—has been the site of human activity for millennia. From the efforts of ancient Native Americans to stimulate populations of game animals by burning brush to create meadows, to the present-day burgeoning resort and residential developments, the Sierra has endured, and often suffered from, the efforts of humans to exploit its bountiful resources for their own benefit.

Historian David Beesley examines the history of the Sierra Nevada from earliest times, beginning with a comprehensive discussion of the geologic development of the range and its various ecological communities. Using a wide range of sources, including the records of explorers and early settlers, scientific and government documents, and newspaper reports, Beesley offers a lively, readable, and deeply informed account of the history, environmental challenges, and political controversies that lie behind the breathtaking scenery of the Sierra.

Among the highlights are discussions of the impact of the California Gold Rush and later mining efforts, as well as the supporting industries that mining spawned, including logging, grazing, water-resource development, market hunting, urbanization, and transportation; the politics and emotions surrounding the establishment of Yosemite and other state and national parks; the tragic transformation of the Hetch Hetchy into a reservoir and the desertification of the once-lush Owens Valley; the roles of the Forest Service, Park Service, and other regulatory agencies; the consequences of the fateful commitment to wildfire suppression in Sierran forests; and the ever-growing impact of tourism and recreational use. Through Beesley’s thoughtful and wide-ranging discussion, John Muir’s "divinely beautiful" range is revealed in all its natural and economic complexity, a place that at the beginning of the twenty-first century is in grave danger of being loved to death. ... Read more

Book Description

The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, represented an unparalleled opportunity for scientists, economists, planners, energy specialists, and other professionals from around the world to exchange ideas and information. Bringing together the views discussed at the corresponding International Symposium and Exhibit of Environmental Technologies (ECOTECH) -an official event sponsored by the Rio de Janeiro State Secretariat of Industry, Commerce, and Science Technology of Brazil - addresses our ecological future and explores alternatives to mainstream solutions. The contributors emphasize the need for alternatives that are both economically viable and ecologically sound, and challenge the conventional assumptions and assertions found in the work of many economists. Most importantly,makes clear the crucial role that both national and international policy plays in successfully achieving balance between economic and ecological goals. ... Read more

Book Description

Robert Thayer brings the concepts and promises of the growing bioregional movement to a wide audience in a book that passionately urges us to discover "where we are" as an antidote to our rootless, stressful modern lives. LifePlace is a provocative meditation on bioregionalism and what it means to live, work, eat, and play in relation to naturally, rather than politically, defined areas. In it, Thayer gives a richly textured portrait of his own home, the Putah-Cache watershed in California's Sacramento Valley, demonstrating how bioregionalism can be practiced in everyday life. Written in a lively anecdotal style and expressing a profound love of place, this book is a guide to the personal rewards and the social benefits of reinhabiting the natural world on a local scale.

In LifePlace, Thayer shares what he has learned over the course of thirty years about the Sacramento Valley's geography, minerals, flora, and fauna; its relation to fire, agriculture, and water; and its indigenous peoples, farmers, and artists. He shows how the spirit of bioregionalism springs from learning the history of a place, from participating in its local economy, from living in housing designed in the context of the region. He asks: How can we instill a love of place and knowledge of the local into our education system? How can the economy become more responsive to the ecology of region? This valuable book is also a window onto current writing on bioregionalism, introducing the ideas of its most notable proponents in accessible and highly engaging prose.

At the same time that it gives an entirely new appreciation of California's Central Valley, LifePlace shows how we can move toward a new way of being, thinking, and acting in the world that can lead to a sustainable, harmonious, and more satisfying future. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Live life close to the earth
In a narrative rich with the essence of the Sacramento Valley, Thayer crafts a compelling argument for a life lived closer to the earth. He begins this evocative book--which is part memoir, part lifestyle manual--by describing his home of the last 30 years as "a mail-order spouse whom I would grow to appreciate, then love." Most readers will forgive his reluctant love affair, for Thayer moved to California's monotonous, agricultural valley from the rugged, mountainscape of Boulder, Colorado.

The author, a landscape architecture professor at the University of California, Davis, chronicles his growing connection with and attachment to a place some might find unlovable as an illustration of his point that every area possesses both unique potentials and limitations. He advocates for communities built upon new urbanist principles, art that is framed by region and education that is reflective of place. Drawing from personal experience, he offers a multitude of suggestions on how to reconnect with our immediate surroundings.

He cautions against allowing our local communities to be supplanted by the hegemony of the global economy and champions relocalized trade. He takes exception to large, top-down organizations. "The truth," he writes, "which neither the traditional right nor left wishes to admit, is that broadly enfranchised, local grassroots efforts to identify with and care for natural regions are so powerful, so ultimately democratic, and so basically popular with the American people that they threaten the huge, entrenched political organizations on both sides."

At its core, the book holds that a bioregional orientation is the only way to create true sustainability. Building upon the themes of other authors, such as Paul Hawken, Jane Jacobs and David Orr, Thayer shows readers how a deepened connection to the surrounding natural region can add meaning and texture to our often disconnected, modern lives. ... Read more