The business of biomimicry—companies the way nature intended.

Learn how pioneering business leaders are resetting their companies' relationship to nature, society, and our common future In The New Nature of Business: The Path to Prosperity and Sustainability, businessman Andre Hoffmann and journalist Peter Vanham describe how companies should change their ways to have continued success, and why the current modus operandi is not working. They present a template for creating “sustainable prosperity”, and case-studies of companies that survived and thrived by opting for change. In doing so, they provide a way out of long-standing dilemmas, such as how to balance business needs with impact on nature, shareholders with stakeholders, and short-term vs. long-term profits. You'll find: A first-hand account of global healthcare company Roche's sustainability practice, as told by André (Roche's vice-chairman), chairman Severin Schwan, and several other senior management members Case-studies and lessons of organizations with visionary leaders, such as INSEAD, IKEA, Harley Davidson, and Holcim, all of whom have taken a holistic view of their role in the world, and succeeded in doing well while doing good Strategies for addressing the negative externalities and trade-offs that arise from doing business; identifying the right metrics and targets to deliver on your purpose; and accounting for human, social, and natural capital, alongside financial capital A must-read book for business leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers at companies around the world, The New Nature of Business, is also insightful and timely for those who advise or oversee companies and their leadership teams.

"This book compiles authoritative research from scholars worldwide, covering the issues surrounding the influx of information technology to the office environment, from choice and effective use of technologies to necessary participants in the virtual workplace"--Provided by publisher.

This book is a practical guide for business professionals to develop and improve business intelligence and collective decision-making within their organisation. It proposes a progressive reconfiguration of the traditional business operating system using a nature-inspired framework called swarm facilitation that enables and facilitates collective decision-making. Organisations have followed the same rigid formula of problem-solving and decision-making for over 100 years. It is dominated by centralised governance and pyramid decision-making. Such an approach is no longer fit for purpose in an environment of employee disengagement, artificial intelligence (AI)/superintelligence, and Covid-19 fallout. By the end of this book, readers will be able to: • solve organisational problems and challenges collectively using swarm intelligence; • upgrade and future-proof business operating systems to reflect a more collective decision-making approach fit for the new connected economy and Industry 4.0; • embrace mindset quotients that support people working in a more networked, self-organising, and collective environment. The book is important reading for leaders and managers who are focused on building organisational capital and engagement and gaining value from the emerging technology by evolving their business operating system into a digital ecosystem as part of an ongoing digital transformation strategy. It will also appeal to experts working in the field of organisational change and development, both within the organisation and as consultants.

This book by leadership and sustainability experts Giles Hutchins and Laura Storm provides an exciting and comprehensive framework for building regenerative life-affirming businesses. It offers a multitude of business cases, fascinating examples from nature's living systems, insights from the front-line pioneers and tools and techniques for leaders to succeed and thrive in the 21st century. Regenerative Leadership draws inspiration from pioneering thinking within biomimicry, circular economy, adult developmental psychology, anthropology, biophilia, sociology, complexity theory and next-stage leadership development. It connects the dots between these fields through a powerful framework that enables leadership to become regenerative: in harmony with life, building thriving, prosperous organizations amid transformational times. The book is a combination of theoretical frameworks, case studies, tools & practices: Everything the leader needs to be successful in the 21st century. Regenerative Leadership - what's it all about? While the future is uncertain, we clearly see an upward trend towards sustainable conscious business. And this is more than just a trend - we're witnessing a new kind of organization emerging. An organization which is able to rapidly sense and respond to the ever-changing business climate by innovating how and why it creates and delivers value, and the way it engages internally and externally with its ecosystem of employees, customers, suppliers, resources, investors, society and environment. This new kind of organization is the organization-as-living-system that is designed on the Logic of Life: life-affirming businesses that thrive from the inside out, by cultivating conditions conducive for life, internally and externally. These organizations nurture flourishing cultures while focusing on products and services that enhance society and the environment. Regenerative organizations will be tomorrow's success stories.

Biomimicry, the practice of observing then mimicking nature’s strategies to solve business challenges, offers a path to healthy profit while working in partnership, and even reciprocity, with the natural world. Other books have described biomimicry, its uses, and its benefits. This book is the first to show readers how they can successfully bring biomimicry and bioinspired design into their companies based on what other businesses have already achieved. Fashioned through storytelling, this book blends snapshots of five successful companies – Nike, Interface, Inc., PAX Scientific, Sharklet Technologies, and Encycle – which decided to partner with nature by deploying biomimicry. The book details how they discovered the practices, introduced them to staff, engaged in the process, and measured outcomes. The book concludes with challenges for readers to determine their own next steps in business and offers practical and useful resources to get there. By revealing the stories of each professional’s journey with lessons they learned, then providing resources and issuing a challenge and pathway to do business better, this book serves as a tool for entrepreneurs, seasoned professionals, and students to emulate nature’s brilliance, apply it at work, and contribute to a healthier, more prosperous world.

Introduction to Business covers the scope and sequence of most introductory business courses. The book provides detailed explanations in the context of core themes such as customer satisfaction, ethics, entrepreneurship, global business, and managing change. Introduction to Business includes hundreds of current business examples from a range of industries and geographic locations, which feature a variety of individuals. The outcome is a balanced approach to the theory and application of business concepts, with attention to the knowledge and skills necessary for student success in this course and beyond.