"Building Business Acumen towards Sustainability" is a thought-provoking and enlightening book that delves into the intersection of business acumen and sustainability. Compiled and edited by a team of renowned researchers and, this collection of research papers offers valuable insights and practical strategies for organizations aiming to navigate the challenges of the modern business landscape while prioritizing sustainability. The book begins by establishing a comprehensive understanding of business acumen, emphasizing its significance in driving strategic decision-making and achieving long-term success. It explores the various dimensions of business acumen, including financial literacy, market analysis, risk management, and innovation. By highlighting the importance of a holistic understanding of business operations, the book sets the stage for integrating sustainability into these core competencies. Central to the book's narrative is the recognition that sustainability is no longer a choice but a necessity for businesses operating in the 21st century. The research papers provide an in-depth examination of the environmental, social, and economic challenges facing organizations, elucidating the interconnectedness between these domains and their impact on long-term business viability. By presenting compelling case studies and empirical evidence, the book illustrates how organizations can effectively incorporate sustainability principles into their operations and drive positive outcomes. One of the key strengths of "Building Business Acumen Towards Sustainability" is its focus on actionable strategies. The research papers not only provide theoretical frameworks but also offer practical guidance for implementing sustainable practices within organizations of various sizes and industries. From adopting circular economy principles to enhancing supply chain sustainability, the book covers a wide array of topics and provides step-by-step approaches for integrating sustainability into existing business models. Moreover, the book emphasizes the role of leadership in fostering a culture of sustainability within organizations. It explores the qualities and competencies required of leaders to drive sustainable change, highlighting the importance of stakeholder engagement, ethical decision-making, and long-term thinking. By showcasing successful examples of sustainable leadership, the book inspires readers to embrace their role as change agents and advocates for a more sustainable future. Whether you are an academic, business professional, or sustainability enthusiast, this book offers a wealth of knowledge and inspiration to foster positive change and drive sustainable outcomes.

As a training and development or human resource professional, do you have the knowledge, skills, and experience you need to become an indispensable strategic partner within your organization? Building Business Acumen for Trainers provides step-by-step practical advice on business practices guaranteed to win the support, respect, and attention of your organization. Written for both new and seasoned professionals, this essential resource will show how to put into practice the three critical areas of business acumen: Finance skills Partnering skills Communication skills

This practical, easy-to-understand book sets a path to successfully building a culture for sustainability in today's global marketplace, providing "best practice" case studies from industries and sectors including manufacturing, business-to-business, hospitality, consumer products, telecommunications, and professional services. In their own words, leaders, managers, and employees from nine global companies explain how they are turning their visions into reality. Sustainability and human resources expert Jeana Wirtenberg describes how these companies are transforming challenges into opportunities by opening their minds to the megatrends that will define the future. The vast majority of today's CEOs consider sustainability essential to their company's success, yet most do not know how to embed it into their company and its culture. This book guides firms of all types and sizes—from those organizations just starting their journey to sustainability, to those seeking to accelerate their positive impact on people, reduce their negative environmental impact, and improve their bottom line. Wirtenberg shows readers how extraordinary results are possible by engaging the hearts and minds of employees throughout the organization.

Drawing on Ragas and Culp’s prior books, this workbook offers hands-on learning opportunities to help put newly acquired business acumen knowledge into practice. Through briefs, exercises and discussion activities readers will learn to analyze and interpret key business materials produced by companies and nonprofits organizations.

This book focuses on corporate sustainability and how it evolves through innovation and new business models. Despite what has been accomplished to date, there is an urgent need for further steps to be taken and this book presents a nuanced but compelling plea for collaboration between businesses, government and civil society. Drawing upon empirical research, the authors look at recent approaches to corporate sustainability, the circular economy and strategic corporate social responsibility. The book examines these issues from multiple viewpoints, including cultural, social and religious. More specifically, the book explores the freight sector (smart freight leadership), the banking sector (sustainable banking) and Islamic finance and sustainability, detailing the contribution of faith-based organizations to promoting sustainability and the greening of church buildings. Overall, this book captures the emerging new business models and capabilities firms need to implement sustainability. This book will be of great relevance to students, scholars and professionals with an interest in corporate sustainability, social responsibility, environmental management and eco-innovation.

This book presents the principles governing the entrepreneurial and innovation mindset and processes of people working in the small business sector and other organisations, based on research findings from real-life issues and challenges that face entrepreneurs on a daily basis. Entrepreneurship development forms the bedrock of business evolution and economic growth in many nations: indeed, without entrepreneurship, there can be no real economic development. This book provides students with an accessible introduction to innovation and entrepreneurship, examining the different forms of innovative and entrepreneurial practice including commercial and social enterprise. The book introduces some of the major business management issues faced by entrepreneurs and small business owners. It also introduces readers to such concepts as opportunity recognition and the ability to act upon opportunities and problem solving. Throughout, the book is founded on an evidence base drawn from the author's own years of teaching and research. An essential read for students of entrepreneurship and innovation at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, Principles of Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Sustainability: An Evidence-Based Approach is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to understand the realities of innovation and entrepreneurship in a more empirical context. Featuring a comprehensive range of case studies, reading lists, glossaries and discussion questions, this book provides students with all they need to develop their understanding of these exciting topics. The book is accompanied by digital learning resources including PowerPoint slides and test questions, complete with answers, for all chapters.

Sustainability is, and continues to grow as, a key issue for organizations: in the board room; with investors, customers and regulators; and from employees whose demands on organizations include improving their social and environmental performance in return for loyalty and commitment. However, as well as employees being a driver for organizations to embrace corporate sustainability, employees are also one of the most critical assets in enabling an organisation to understand and be able to deliver to its economic, social and environmental responsibilities. Research shows that employees of all types are vital in the pursuit of sustainability, however, to date there is no one source that shows all of these identified types of employees and how they are involved in the sustainability process. This book fills that gap with interviews and case studies for each type of employee, as well as up-to-date research and analysis of the critical role of ‘social intrapreneurs’ and leaders within organisations. The book uses real life examples along with the latest research in an informative and accessible style. Management theory is used throughout – such as motivation, leadership skills and organisational behaviour – but this is discussed through examples, rather than in a theoretical manner. This book will provide insight, examples and advice on the different types of employees who are, and can, contribute to a sustainable world via the organisation they work for: what they are doing from within the organization to contribute to societal, economic and environmental sustainability.

Cross-sector partnerships are widely hailed as a critical means for addressing a wide array of social challenges such as climate change, poverty, education, corruption, and health. Amid all the positive rhetoric of cross-sector partnerships though, critical voices point to the limited success of various initiatives in delivering genuine social change and in providing for real citizen participation. This collection critically examines the motivations for, processes within, and expected and actual outcomes of cross-sector partnerships. In opening up new theoretical, methodological, and practical perspectives on cross-sector social interactions, this book reimagines partnerships in order to explore the potential to contribute to the social good. A multi-disciplinary perspective on partnerships adds serious value to the debate in a range of fields including management, politics, public management, sociology, development studies, and international relations. Contributors to the volume reflect many of these diverse perspectives, enabling the book to provide an account of partnerships that is theoretically rich and methodologically varied. With critical contributions from leading academics such as Barbara Gray, Ans Kolk, John Selsky, and Sandra Waddock, this book is a comprehensive resource which will increase understanding of this vital issue.

Human Factors in Architecture, Sustainable Urban Planning and Infrastructure Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics (AHFE 2022), July 24–28, 2022, New York, USA

“Flower Farming for Profit does a deep dive into the least glamorous, but most important part of farming—how to run a profitable business. This must-have book is incredibly thoughtful, well organized, and brimming with real-life examples. Lennie’s down-to-earth, no-nonsense approach to the numbers is a breath of fresh air.”—Erin Benzakein, owner, Floret Farm; New York Times bestselling author of Floret Farm’s A Year in Flowers With practical, step-by-step instructions and on-the-ground examples at every scale, Flower Farming for Profit is a comprehensive, beautiful guide to achieving profitability as a cut flower farmer. When Lennie Larkin set out to become a flower farmer, she found all sorts of resources about growing flowers but a scarcity of reliable information on how to build a profitable cut flower business. How do you create efficient systems and adequately value your own time and effort through your pricing? When and how should you consider scaling up your farm? How can you make doing what you love support you financially? In Flower Farming for Profit, Larkin answers these questions—and many, many more. With instructive lessons and savvy business tips from her own and other successful farms around the world, she explores: The diverse challenges of both wholesale and retail sales channels, from florists and farm stands to farmers markets Streamlining weddings for the farmer-florist, from communications to floral design Efficient recordkeeping and bookkeeping Steps for conducting your own cost-of-production analysis Marketing and growth strategies Business planning, goal setting, and making financial projections Crop planning based on local climatic conditions, market demand, and sales projections The cut flower industry continues to experience wild growth. To successfully do what they love while expanding the market for sustainably produced flowers, new and experienced farmers alike must deliberately step back from the field and into the office. Flower Farming for Profit is a one-of-a-kind guide to creating the type of numbers-driven business that will allow individual farms to prosper and local flower economies to thrive.