Zachary J Vaught Green Information Systems: Sustainability Syracuse University Green Information Systems: Sustainability Introduction Today’s society is one that is centered on the use of modern technology. Walking down the street during the day, one would be hard pressed to not to find people with their faces buried in their phones or tablets, checking their email, social media, or whatever it may be. Technology provides a means for people to stay connected with one another, accomplish certain tasks on the go, and much more. However, the constant use of technology that is seen in society today also uses up a myriad of resources, raising questions as to the future. It is also not just technology that is using up the …show more content…
It’s important to live in the present, but to also be prepared for the future. This brings in the concept of sustainability. It’s important to make sure that future generations will also be able to fulfill their needs on this earth, which will not be possible if all of the resources are used. Sustainable development is something that needs to be implemented into business strategies more and more. And while technology can sometimes be the problem, using it the right way, can also be a solution (Boudreau, 2007). Stages of Sustainable Development The first thing to focus on is the different stages that are associated with sustainable development. According to Stuart Hart, there are three stages: Pollution Prevention, Product Stewardship, and Clean Technology (Hart, 1997). Pollution prevention is just what it sounds like. The goal is to minimize the waste before it even has a chance to be created (Hart 1997). To do this, it is imperative that organizations are constantly adapting and improving their efforts. Pollution prevention is based on staying ahead of the game and ending waste before it can begin. Product stewardship takes things one step further than pollution prevention does. Pollution prevention is mainly pertaining to minimizing waste from manufacturing. In addition to this, product stewardship also focuses on minimizing the impacts that the life cycle of a product can have as well (Hart 1997). Many
When talking about sustainability numerous people associate it with just protecting the environment. Sustainability is far more than going green, but it is a principle that many companies have adopted and have worked persistently to improve over the last several years. Sustainability is defined as the ability to continue a behavior indeterminately, but it also includes improving human life overall. Sustainable development is broken down into three pillars: economic, social, and environmental (Harich & Bangerter, 2014). Economics is the study of how people use resources, which correlates to the goal of sustainable development by using resources to their full potential (Laszlo, C., & Zhexembayeva, N., 2011, p. 60). Economic sustainable development allows companies to give their customers what they want without overusing mutual resources. Social development combines the social world with the physical realm to provide a good quality of life (Benoit, 2010, p. 7). Social sustainability focuses on the well-being of people and their communities. Environmental development, the most recognizable, includes protecting the environment by reducing pollution, recycling, switching of electronic devices when not in use, etc. All three of these pillars make up what is known as sustainable development. In this paper, I researched a company and their involvement in sustainability and how it applies to the
Businesses who participate in environmentally friendly practices will become more profitable. There are difficulties and costs that a business will face and profit takes time but is proven to positively impact a business. “The reluctance to address the forces that are polluting the planet always comes down to money (Smith, “6 Reasons Nations Don't Go Green.”). Implementing environmentally friendly practices within a company “will win them customers, and increase profits” (McDonald, “Why Do (or Don’t) Companies Go Green?”). Many global companies today carry out environmental management tools to adapt to environmentally friendly practices, which helps gain customers, and in turn becomes more profitable. In this paper, I will go into further detail explaining why businesses should be more environmentally friendly, the benefits to be gained, costs that come with being environmentally friendly, and management ways that help a company become environmentally friendly.
Sustainability from a strategic business perspective is the potential for the long-term well-being of the natural environment, including all biological entities, as mutually beneficial interactions among nature and individuals, organizations, and business strategies. (O.C Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, 2015). Business sustainably is often defined as managing the triple bottom line – a process by which companies manage their financial, social and environmental risks, obligations and opportunities. These three impacts are sometimes referred to as profits, people and planet. (Business sustainability definition from financial times lexicon, no date). This essay will discuss the idea of sustainability being an important element within a businesses and its core strategies and the importance of it within different businesses. Secondly, this study will look at how different stakeholders are affected and influenced by sustainability as this could be seen as a catalyst to improving the environment as a whole and. Then this study will look at how businesses not focusing
Sustainable practices are the resulting actions, technology development, and social and environmental perspectives from the concept of
Technology, can’t live without it anymore, or can we? Almost everyone uses technology. It is estimated that 100 million people use Facebook, 300 million uses Instagram, and 974 million use Twitter. In 2012, a program called “Shut Down Your Screen Week” was started to get people off of mediatic devices for a week. Over the past few years, this movement, to temporarily get off technology, has racked up a substantial amount of followers, including Mrs. Menge’s English and Literature Class. It is an idea I personally agree with and am in favor of trying. Shut Down Your Screen Week has also inspired many articles. Some of which are: Social Media as Communities, written by Nytimes, Is Google Making Us Stupid?, by Nicholas Carr, and Attached to Technology and Paying a Price, by Matt Richtel.
Nowadays, many international companies take sustainable development seriously. They understand that sustainable development can enhance their quality of life and their reputation in public. Sustainable development is "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." (Brundtland, 1987) Sustainability requires monitoring and managing all the person to ensure that our economy and society can continue to exist without destroying the social and natural environment during development. The sustainability includes three pillars, which are economic, social and environment, forming a triple bottom line. The triple bottom line demands that a company 's responsibility lies
Sustainable development is very important to our human being, meanwhile, it is one of the most significant developments for a company. The meaning of sustainable development is a “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” (Strange and Bayley, 2008, P24). Sustainable development actually is a synthesis that trying to find the way which can most benefit our current generation and future generation, thus, we have to consider the 3 pillars which are society, environment and economy because they are the three main aspects of human development. For example, we need an appropriate planet for us to stay and raise the food firstly, and in order to maintain equity and stability of the society, we have to balance work, culture and others which are related to people. Also, since these three pillars are interconnected, the economic pillar is very important,
Chris Laszlo and Nadya Zhexembayeva, authors of the book Embedded Sustainability The Next Big Competitive Advantage is an excellent and compelling guide to educate businesses worldwide. The authors cleverly combine sustainability and strategy, now and in the future while maintaining that competitive advantage. They illustrate how to be successful in the 21st-century and that corporations will have the capability to embed sustainability in their everyday agenda. For any business that wants to profit and maintain growth, embedded sustainability is essential. This strategy will help keep a competitive edge on concepts that will help future leaders with the upcoming strategies. These are distinct but interconnected trends that fall
The whole meaning of the book Embedded Sustainability: The Next Big Competitive Advantage is to learn about the incorporation of well-being, social importance, and ecological in the essential of business activities with no compromise in price or quality. The book shows readers that embedded sustainability allows companies to have a better turn out for a smarter way of producing products. It also allows companies to maintain a higher return for investors by reacting with new market strategies of lowering resources and raising customer expectations. In part one the authors begin with sustainability at the frontline of business.
Sustainability is generating higher attention and growth in public awareness with each passing day. Sustainability issues are increasing concern to all living beings, as it is a growing agenda for the government legislatives. The media does not lose a chance to cover any aspect of the topic and thus we know that sustainability and business are now one of the hottest topics of the time.
The need to link the economical development with a greater concern about our planet gave birth to a new concept of sustainable development, which identifies a progress compatible with the preservation of the environment and resources for the future generations.
Sustainability is a topic that has become very important in recent years. Sustainability is defined as, “the ability to continue a defined behavior indefinitely.” ("Finding and Resolving the Root Causes of the Sustainability Problem", 2014)
In the international business arena, particularly as a result of globalization, multinational corporations are beginning to understand that being "green" or ecologically minded, is not simply for environmentalists. By supporting sustainability, many organizations hope not only to reduce their carbon footprint but also to attract younger people who prefer to work for environmentally and socially responsible organizations. This spills off into personal decisions as well, but includes a different philosophical mindset one of holism and treating the planet as one organism. The advantages of "going green" are both tangible and intangible: lower operating costs, less energy use, increased property value, and a positive, proactive, public image. Historically, there has been a battle from the so called "environmentalist cadre" who wanted slow or no growth in favor of the environment and the "capitalist right" who believed in a strong economy and the aggressive use of resources. In the contemporary environment, however, there is no doubt that both a template for robust economic growth can merge with a cleaner environment. Unfortunately, in many ways, sustainability in design and output is no longer something that would be "nice to implement," but because of the loss of biodiversity, over-use of the environment, and continuing overconsumption, is almost a necessity for the 21st century.
The article “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation” written by Jean M. Twenge viewed the role of technology only in the lives of teens and excluded a large amount of the population. Adults are equally affected by technology if not more so than teenagers. Technology has revolutionized our lives as we can get access to information in a matter of minutes from anywhere in the world. This access allows us to connect with people and events in different countries. We are more aware of our surroundings. Technology has made us more efficient while reducing our costs for work and production. However, we are paying a large price for temporary ease. While logging my technology usage I observed others and I realized we are too reliant on technology. While it gives people a chance to change their lives, it also destroys lives. Technology is an illusion of people progressing forwards while we have lost our values.
In a world where technology is constantly changing for the better, the effects it has on society seems to be worsening. My friend was traveling across the United States recently and when they were waiting at an airport, they noticed that everyone was on their phone. A room of approximately two hundred people and everyone was on their phone. Ten years ago, that room would have most likely been full of face-to-face communication and flowering with new connections instead of being silent and void. We need to spend time away from the use of technology and use that time to connect with others instead of being cooped up in our own worlds. Technology has caused people to be constantly distracted, stressed, diagnosed with sleep disorders, lacking social skills and left addicted to the many parts of electronics.