Profit Centers in Industrial Ecology: The Business Executive's Approach to the Environment [Hardcover]

Ronald S. Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 30, 1998 | ISBN-10: 1567202098 | ISBN-13: 978-1567202090

Complying with environmental protection laws need not punch a hole in a firm's bottom line. Smith shows that compliance can be profitable. He provides corporate executives with easily accessed data and analyses of the theory of environmental management systems (EMS), and in doing so covers the major environmental concerns worrying corporate America. The result is a practical guide to the tools of environmental management and how they can be used to enhance a corporation's profitability while at the same time reducing its impact on the environment and consequent financial liabilities. Readers will find ways to tailor an appropriate strategy to their specific business needs, justify that strategy financially, and integrate the EMS into an existing business plan. Smith takes the reader through all of the environmental factors that affect profits and productivity. He demonstrates the practicality of not only considering the life cycle of a single product or service, but also the impact of life cycles throughout the entire company. A degree in environmental science is not needed to follow Smith's reasoning and advice, but solid business knowledge is important. Smith provides all of the background needed to start an EMS program, the benefits of which are limited only by management's priorities and the creativity of a company's people.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Smith's how-to book presents a persuasive, practical and readable argument that is worth reading for business people facing environmental concerns and others interested in the relationship between industry and the environment.”–Natual Resources Forum

About the Author

RONALD S. SMITH, JR. is former Director of Environmental and Regulatory Affairs for the New York City Department of Sanitation and is currently a free lance environmental writer.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Quorum Books (October 30, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567202098
• ISBN-13: 978-1567202090
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,672,092 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Irrelevant to 'industrial ecology', October 22, 2008

By 

Green Man (Salt Lake City, UT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Profit Centers in Industrial Ecology: The Business Executive's Approach to the Environment (Hardcover)

Searchers for authoritative information on business and industrial ecology should be aware that this book is really mis-titled. It has essentially nothing to do with industrial ecology, except indirectly, and does not discuss industrial ecology. That's too bad, because the title is tantalizing.