ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at relationships between suppliers and consumers. It also looks at relationships between manufacturers and wholesale traders. The chapter discusses relationships in the intermediate goods market chain. It also discusses relationships between capital providers and businesses. The relationship between price and costs provides an indication of the economic efficiency of the producer or service provider and of the success of socioeconomic management. Business people primarily focus their actions on market activity. Market participants voluntarily contract to exchange their resources in a way that is beneficial to all participants. Corporate efficiency is measured through productivity and profitability. Eco-efficient actions undertaken through choices made in markets means that business needs to work with market forces to achieve its environmental goals. Eco-efficient improvements increase the worth of the business to shareholders because such improvements require monetary gains to be realised from environmental investments.
