Strategies for Sustainability

The book is one of the first ones focussing on how organisations (civil society, corporations, and public sector ones) are contributing to sustainability. The book starts by providing a discussion of the four dimensions of sustainability (economic, environmental, social, and time). The second chapter focusses on what organisations are, their system elements (e.g. operations and production, management and strategy, and governance), stakeholders, relationships within and between organisations (ranging from competition to collaboration), and a framework for organisations to understand and map how they can contribute to sustainability. The third chapter discusses the twenty-four main tools, initiatives, and approaches (TIAs) that have been developed for organisations to contribute to sustainability, such as Circular Economy, Corporate Social Responsibility, Environmental Management Systems, and Sustainability Reporting. The fourth chapter focusses on organisational change management for sustainability, including types of change, drivers for change, resistance to change, incorporation, and institutionalisation. The fifth chapter presents empirical evidence on what civil society organisations have contributed to sustainability, from priorities and impacts, TIAs, external stimuli, and internal factors, drivers for change, starts of change, and development of change. The sixth chapter presents empirical evidence on what corporations have contributed to sustainability, from priorities and impacts, TIAs, external stimuli, and internal factors, drivers for change, starts of change, and development of change. The seventh chapter presents empirical evidence on what public sector organisations have contributed to sustainability, from priorities and impacts, TIAs, external stimuli, and internal factors, drivers for change, starts of change, and development of change. The last chapter provides the conclusions of the book.
The book is aimed at providing a multi-level, dynamic, and holistic perspective on the contributions of organisations to sustainability. The book's uniqueness lies in analysing organisations’ efforts to become more sustainability oriented and contribute to making societies more sustainable through systems thinking, TIAs, and change processes.

The aim of this volume is to foster more sustainable business models through financial markets. To that end, it is necessary to know the main global challenges facing financial markets and their impact on creating sustainable value in business models of enterprises in the context of sustainable adaptation. The book focuses on assessing the decision criteria adopted by financial markets in the process of transaction risk valuation, in terms of the presence of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria, and by assessing the impact of including these criteria in the risk assessment process by financial markets in business decisions, leading as a consequence to building new value in the form of a sustainable business model.

The book presents global ESG risks facing the financial markets, and discusses how ESG risks are managed and monitored, and how financial markets can measure and operationalize extra-financial risks in its assessment process. The book also analyses ESG risk implications and influences on company behavior, and the actions that companies should take considering the ESG assessment requirements of financial markets. Finally, it provides a comprehensive, structured, and systematic view of how financial markets and companies should adapt and improve their business models. The book provides unique challenges for investors, companies, financial markets, and for our society as a whole, advancing traditional risk management approaches to address global risks.

This volume builds on an international workshop held in 2019, inspired by James Lovelock's "The Revenge of Gaia - Why the Earth Is Fighting Back, and How We Can Still Save Humanity". It, therefore, understands the Gaia concept as an umbrella term for the living world that planet Earth is hosting for nearly 4 billion years. Humankind has intervened in this ecosystem since its emergence on the planet about 2.5 million years ago, often with painful consequences for itself. In its reactions, the Earth system follows only the laws of nature. Consequently, humanity needs to develop strategies for a sustainable Earth system. This volume presents a unique trans- and interdisciplinary variety of approaches to this challenge, offering philosophical considerations as well as practical medical research. It addresses a broad knowledgeable and general audience in environmental management, public administration, and higher education alike.