BATE: Lexicon

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Business and the Environment
BMBA 65001

Professor Wayne Hayes, Ph.D.

BATE

busi.ness n, often attrib (14c) 1 archaic: purposeful activity: busyness 2 a: role, function <how the human mind went about its ~ of learning --H. A. Overstreet> b: an immediate task or objective: mission <what is your ~ here> c: a particular field of endeavor <the best in the ~> 3 a: a usu. commercial or mercantile activity engaged in as a means of livelihood: trade, line <in the restaurant ~> b: a commercial or sometimes an industrial enterprise; also: such enterprises <the ~ district> c: usu.economic dealings: patronage <took their ~ elsewhere> 4: affair, matter <the whole ~ got out of hand> <~ as usual> 5:
creation, concoction 6: movement or action (as lighting a cigarette) by an actor intended esp. to establish atmosphere, reveal
character, or explain a situation--called also stage business 7 a: personal concern <none of your ~> b: right <you have no ~
speaking to me that way> 8 a: serious activity requiring time and effort and usu. the avoidance of distractions <got down to ~>
<she means ~> b: maximum effort 9 a: a damaging assault b: rebuke, tongue-lashing c: double cross 10: a bowel
movement--used esp. of pets

syn business, commerce, trade, industry, traffic mean activity concerned with the supplying and distribution of commodities. business may be an inclusive term but specifically designates the activities of those engaged in the purchase or sale of commodities or in related financial transactions. commerce and trade imply the exchange and transportation of commodities. industry applies to the producing of commodities, esp. by manufacturing or processing, usu. on a large scale. traffic applies to
the operation and functioning of public carriers of goods and persons. syn see in addition work

com.merce n [MF, fr. L commercium, fr. com- + merc-, merx merchandise] (1537) 1: social intercourse: interchange of ideas, opinions, or sentiments 2: the exchange or buying and selling of commodities on a large scale involving transportation from place to place 3: sexual intercourse syn see business  n [MF, fr. L commercium, fr. com- + merc-, merx merchandise] (1537) 1: social intercourse: interchange of ideas, opinions, or sentiments 2: the exchange or buying and selling of commodities on a large scale involving transportation from place to place 3: sexual intercourse syn see business

Note the physical and concrete aspect of market below. The abstract market is a new notion.

mar.ket n, often attrib [ME, fr. ONF, fr. L mercatus trade, marketplace, fr. mercari to trade, fr. merc-, merx merchandise] (12c) 1 a (1): a meeting together of people for the purpose of trade by private purchase and sale and usu. not by auction (2): the people assembled at such a meeting b (1): a public place where a market is held; esp: a place where provisions are sold at wholesale <a farmers' ~> (2): a retail establishment usu. of a specified kind <a fish ~> 2 archaic: the act
or an instance of buying and selling 3: the rate or price offered for a commodity or security 4 a (1): a geographical area of demand for commodities or services <the foreign ~ for consulting firms> (2): a specified category of potential buyers <the youth ~> b: the course of commercial activity by which the exchange of commodities is effected: extent of demand <the ~ is dull> c (1): an opportunity for selling <a good ~ for used cars> (2): the available supply of or potential demand for specified goods or services <the labor ~> d: the area of economic activity in which buyers and sellers come together and the forces of
supply and demand affect prices
<producing goods for ~ rather than for consumption> -- in the market : in the position of being a potential buyer <in the market for a house> -- on the market : available for purchase; also: up for sale <put their house on the market>

Note: We are about commerce here. Articles of commerce are commodities.


Environment, Ecology & Economy

Mirriam Webster Dictionary: ecol.o.gy n, pl -gies [G Okologie, fr. oko- eco- + -logie -logy] (1873) 1: a branch of science concerned with the interrelationship of organisms and their environments 2: the totality or pattern of relations between organisms and their environment 3: human ecology -- eco.log.i.cal also eco.log.ic adj -- eco.log.i.cal.ly adv -- ecol.o.gist n

human ecology n (1907) 1: a branch of sociology dealing esp. with the spatial and temporal interrelationships between humans and their economic, social, and political organization 2: the ecology of human communities and populations esp. as concerned with preservation of environmental quality (as of air or water) through proper application of conservation and civil engineering practices

econ.o.my n, pl -mies [MF yconomie, fr. ML oeconomia, fr. Gk oikonomia, fr. oikonomos household manager, fr. oikos house + nemein to manage--more at vicinity, nimble] (15c) 1 archaic: the management of household or private affairs and esp. expenses 2 a: thrifty and efficient use of material resources: frugality in expenditures; also: an instance or a means of economizing: saving b: efficient and concise use of nonmaterial resources (as effort, language, or motion) 3: the arrangement or mode of operation of something: organization 4: the structure of economic life in a country, area, or period; specif: an economic system

economy adj (ca. 1906): designed to save money <~ cars>

economy of scale (1957): a reduction in unit costs brought about esp. by increased size of production facilities--usu. used in pl.

political economy n (1740) 1: economics 2: the theory or study of the role of public policy in influencing the economic and social welfare of a political unit -- political economist n

en.vi.ron.ment n (1827) 1: the circumstances, objects, or conditions by which one is surrounded [not necessarily natural, but also artificial] 2 a: the complex of physical, chemical, and biotic factors (as climate, soil, and living things) that act upon an organism or an ecological community and ultimately determine its form and survival b: the aggregate of social and cultural conditions that influence the life of an individual or community 3: the position or characteristic position of a linguistic element in a sequence syn see background -- en.vi.ron.men.tal adj -- en.vi.ron.men.tal.ly adv

Note the dualism in env def: context and nature. All except the one, as if a monad (Gr. monos), the elementary individual substance. Everything else is environment. This will not do.

Case of lightbulb in classroom. Note economy & ecology.

na.ture n [ME, fr. MF, fr. L natura, fr. natus, pp. of nasci to be born [and die]--more at nation] (14c) 1 a: the inherent character or basic constitution of a person or thing: essence b: disposition, temperament 2 a: a creative and controlling force in the universe b: an inner force or the sum of such forces in an individual 3: a kind or class usu. distinguished by fundamental or essential characteristics <documents of a confidential ~> <acts of a ceremonial ~> 4: the physical constitution or drives of an organism; esp: an excretory organ or function--used in phrases like the call of nature 5: a spontaneous attitude (as of generosity) 6: the external world in its entirety 7 a: humankind's original or natural condition b: a simplified mode of life resembling this condition 8: the genetically controlled qualities of an organism 9: natural scenery syn see type

stewardship: the conducting, supervising, or managing of something; especially : the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care: stewardship of our natural resources

See discussion in Hawken, pp 58-59. Aristotle on short and long term perspectives of economics (chrematistics)

Key ideas:

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©Wayne Hayes, Ph.D.:ProfWork®
Business and the Environment, Summer, 1999
whayes@orion.ramapo.edu
June 02, 1999 04:08:57 PM