Sustainability, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship by Andrea Larson

  • Description
  • Table of Contents
  • About the Author
  • Supplements
Publication Date: Mar 2011
License: Creative Commons

This book is suited for the Entrepreneurship or Innovation course with an emphasis on Sustainability or for a course devoted entirely to Sustainability.


What are the trends and forces underlying the changing character of the business-environment relationship? How they are creating significant entrepreneurial opportunities for individuals and companies? Around the world, the movement toward “sustainable development” has caused many firms to adopt policies and practices that reflect what is sometimes called a “sustainable business” or “triple bottom line” approach. “Triple bottom line” refers to the demonstration of strong performance across economic, social, and environmental indicators. Those measures serve as indicators of fiduciary responsibility to a growing set of concerned investors and therefore can help ensure access to capital. They also enable innovators to lower costs, create strategic differentiation, reduce risk, and position themselves for competitive advantage over rivals less attuned to trends.


The deep roots of sustainability thinking are now evident in widespread and increasingly visible activities worldwide, and Sustainability, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship explores this evolution; its necessity, its implications and its progression.

  • Chapter 1: From Environment to Sustainability
    • Section 1: U.S. 1960s—Silent Spring, Cuyahoga River, Spaceship Earth
    • Section 2: U.S. 1970s and 80s—Regulation, Pollution Control/Prevention
    • Section 3: Transition to 1990s—Strategic Environmentalism in Firms
  • Chapter 2: Sustainability Innovation in Business
    • Section 1: Limits to Conventional Growth Model
    • Section 2: Climate Change & Energy
    • Section 3: Materials/Chemicals
    • Section 4: Defining Sustainability Innovation
  • Chapter 3: Frameworks, Concepts, & Tools for Product and Strategy Design
    • Section 1: Paradigms and Mindsets
    • Section 2: Meta-concepts
    • Section 3: Frameworks and Tools
  • Chapter 4: Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Analysis
    • Section 1: Elements of Entrepreneurship
    • Section 2: Elements of Sustainability Innovation
    • Section 3: Combining Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Innovation
  • Chapter 5: Cases—Energy and Climate
  • Chapter 6: Cases—Clean Products and Health
  • Chapter 7: Cases—Buildings
  • Chapter 8: Cases—Bio-Materials
Andrea Larson
Andrea Larson

Andrea Larson, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Business Administration. She has served for 20 years on the faculty of The Darden School of Business at the University of Viriginia, teaching in the MBA program and in Executive Education in the areas of entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainable business. She holds a PhD from Harvard University, awarded jointly by the Harvard Business School and the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Sustainable business is a "triple bottom line" approach by corporations incorporating economic, social and environmental performance considerations into operations and strategy. Building upon earlier research in entrepreneurship, alliances, and network organizations, her current research, teaching, and curriculum development focuses on innovation by companies engaged in sustainable business as a strategic and competitive advantage. Her publications have appeared in journals including Administrative Science Quarterly, The Journal of Business Venturing, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, and Interfaces (international operations journal, special issue on sustainable business practices). Her work has also appeared in edited volumes on innovation, green chemistry, ethics, and entrepreneurship.

Larson was co-founder in 2002 of The Ingenuity Project, a multifaceted program to integrate theory and practice on entrepreneurship/innovation together with sustainable business practices, and to encourage their use in management education as well as corporations. Entrepreneurship theory, green chemistry design, industrial ecology, and cradle to cradle design were illustrative of the core approach.

  • Instructor Manual

    The Instructor Manual will help guide you through the main concepts of each chapter such as learning objectives, key terms and takeaways. Many also include explanations and answers to chapter exercises.

  • Solutions Manual

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  • PowerPoint Lecture Notes

    A PowerPoint presentation highlighting key learning objectives and the main concepts for each chapter are available for you to use in your classroom. You can either cut and paste sections or use the presentation as a whole.

  • Test Item File

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