This book provides a comprehensive and contemporary source of reference for the gig economy for sustainable businesses with a focus on Industry 4.0. It covers the theoretical and practical implications of the rise of an alternative system in the era of technology-driven business entities; and explains the emergence of the gig economy as a crucial factor in devising approaches that will help in ensuring better decision making. As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, investors and corporations are attempting to overcome the turbulence in financial markets over the past few months. Governments and economists are scrambling to mitigate the impacts of lockdowns. Many businesses have transferred to a remote working system, and the critical challenge remains to make this form of work and business productive, efficient, and sustainable. Against this backdrop, the book provides an overview of the gig economy from varied perspective such as general business and economics; ethics, governance, and legal issues; diffusion of IT in the workplace; sustainability; future of workforce and workplaces during and post-pandemic scenarios. This edited volume also highlights several challenges and opportunities for managing the diverse workforce in the prevailing situation which has no precedence. With its discussions on the impact of the gig economy on the business world, the book carries appeal for scholars in the business, human resource professionals, industry practitioners, corporates, and policy advocates interested in learning about evolution, automation, marketing, and sustainability in the gig economy.

Today, most Americans are working in the gig economy--mixing together short-term jobs, contract work, and freelance assignments. Learn how to embrace the independent and self-sufficient world of freelance! The Gig Economy is your guide to this uncertain but ultimately rewarding world. Packed with research, exercises, and anecdotes, this eye-opening book supplies strategies--ranging from the professional to the personal--to help you leverage your skills, knowledge, and network to create your own career trajectory. In this book, you will learn how to: Construct a life based on your priorities and vision of success Cultivate connections without networking Create your own security Build flexibility into your financial life Face your fears by reducing risk Corporate jobs are not only unstable--they’re increasingly scarce. It’s time to take charge of your own career and lead the life you want, one immune to the impulsive whims of an employer looking only at today’s bottom line. Start mapping out your place in the gig economy today!

All of a sudden, everybody’s talking about the gig economy. From taxi drivers to pizza deliverers to the unemployed, we are all aware of the huge changes that it is driving in our lives as workers, consumers and citizens. This is the first comprehensive overview of this highly topical subject. Drawing upon years of research, stories from gig workers, and a review of the key trends and debates, Jamie Woodcock and Mark Graham shed light on how the gig economy came to be, how it works and what it’s like to work in it. They show that, although it has facilitated innovative new services and created jobs for millions, it is not without cost. It allows businesses and governments to generate value while passing significant risk and responsibility onto the workers that make it possible. This is not, however, an argument for turning back the clock. Instead, the authors outline four strategies that can produce a fairer platform economy that works for everyone. Woodcock and Graham’s critical introduction will be essential reading for students, scholars and general readers interested in the massive shifts that characterize our modern digital economy.

Throughout the last decade, the ‘gig economy’ has emerged as one of the most significant developments in the world of work. As a novel, hyper-flexible form of labour, gig work features a uniquely fragmented working arrangement wherein independent workers partner with digital platform organisations to provide a range of on-demand services to customers. Work in the Gig Economy: A Research Overview provides a concise overview to the key themes and debate that encompass the gig economy literature. It covers five core themes: an introduction to gig work; classification issues; the role of technology; the experiences of gig workers; and the future of gig work. As an emerging and diverse research field, contributions stem from an array of perspectives including psychology, sociology, human resource management, legal studies, and technology management. The chapters synthesise the most prominent insights into this emerging field, key thinking on the complex relationships and conditions found in gig work, and the most significant issues to be addressed as the gig economy continues to develop. A critical introduction for students, scholars and reflective professionals and policymakers, this book provides much needed direction through the rapidly growing and expansive body of research on work in the gig economy.

The Great Pivot describes 30 sustainability projects in five areas - advanced energy communities, low-carbon mobility, the circular economy, food waste reduction, and nature restoration - that will create millions of meaningful jobs.

Reimagining our global economy so it becomes more sustainable and prosperous for all Our global economic system is broken. But we can replace the current picture of global upheaval, unsustainability, and uncertainty with one of an economy that works for all people, and the planet. First, we must eliminate rising income inequality within societies where productivity and wage growth has slowed. Second, we must reduce the dampening effect of monopoly market power wielded by large corporations on innovation and productivity gains. And finally, the short-sighted exploitation of natural resources that is corroding the environment and affecting the lives of many for the worse must end. The debate over the causes of the broken economy—laissez-faire government, poorly managed globalization, the rise of technology in favor of the few, or yet another reason—is wide open. Stakeholder Capitalism: A Global Economy that Works for Progress, People and Planet argues convincingly that if we don't start with recognizing the true shape of our problems, our current system will continue to fail us. To help us see our challenges more clearly, Schwab—the Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum—looks for the real causes of our system's shortcomings, and for solutions in best practices from around the world in places as diverse as China, Denmark, Ethiopia, Germany, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Singapore. And in doing so, Schwab finds emerging examples of new ways of doing things that provide grounds for hope, including: Individual agency: how countries and policies can make a difference against large external forces A clearly defined social contract: agreement on shared values and goals allows government, business, and individuals to produce the most optimal outcomes Planning for future generations: short-sighted presentism harms our shared future, and that of those yet to be born Better measures of economic success: move beyond a myopic focus on GDP to more complete, human-scaled measures of societal flourishing By accurately describing our real situation, Stakeholder Capitalism is able to pinpoint achievable ways to deal with our problems. Chapter by chapter, Professor Schwab shows us that there are ways for everyone at all levels of society to reshape the broken pieces of the global economy and—country by country, company by company, and citizen by citizen—glue them back together in a way that benefits us all.

The book explores the role of public market actors in sustainable and circular economy innovation and financing. The shift to a circular economy requires active innovation, alongside radical changes in law, finance and policy considerations, since regulation is often tightly connected with the assumption of a linear model of consumption. Finance is crucial in creating sustainable and circular economy markets and innovations: public finance is important from the perspective of seeing the state as an engine for promoting sustainable innovations, but private funds are also required. Legislative initiatives for promoting repairs have been proposed or adopted in the EU, US and in Australia, representing remarkable steps forward but still leaving many obstacles without legislative intervention. This book examines circular economy regulation and policy on a comprehensive, general level, as well as assessing the regulatory possibilities of promoting the right to repair. Promotion of circular economy innovations as well as changing the practices and changing consumer patterns towards a more comprehensive adoption of CE are discussed from perspectives of legal, social and moral norms. The book critically evaluates current legislative reforms and assesses existing barriers to the circular economy and innovation in intellectual property law, consumer law and competition law. Providing an in-depth analysis of this dynamic field, geared towards reconsidering both existing and prospective policies and regulatory regime, the book makes recommendations for solutions to legislative barriers. It is an indispensable resource for both researchers and practitioners working at the intersections of markets, innovations and sustainability.