Sustainability At The Frontline Of Business Essay

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

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

The perception of sustainable competitive advantage is a complicated term as it is not easy to make a clear definition about at what level the firm can be seen as sustainable (Oliver, 2000). To fully understand the concept of sustainable competitive advantage, it is better to break this phrase into two separately parts including sustainable and competitive advantage (White, Moraschinelli 2009). The first word “sustainable” is understood as how long the firm can maintain their position in the market as well as develop themselves at a constant speed, in other words, the company can attain success in long-run.

Bertrand Piccard quotes, “In the 21st century, the heroes will be the people who will improve the quality of life, fight poverty and introduce more sustainability. This is a powerful message, it sums up the concepts discussed throughout the course. Additionally, the case studies such as the New Belgium Brewery, SC Johnson and The Kimberly Clarke organization have been proven to practice this philosophy. As society progresses in its efforts to provide a more sustainable future, there is a fundamental foundation of principles that must be followed to ensure success. Sustainable business development takes into account the application of business operations as it relates to the three pillars of sustainability, which is a dynamic yet integrative place to begin this journey. DesJardins, (2006) calls for a re-imagination of the future to create a vibrant sustainable model; which forms similar beliefs to Piccard. In addition, organizations are more inclined to create sustainable practices based on consumer demand and the willingness of leadership to participate in sustainability programs.

The New Sustainable Advantage showcases the importance of how organizations, large and small can identify areas in which their sustainable measures can improve their green thumbprint as well as increase their overall revenues in about 5 years. Bob presents this model in a systematic way pursuing that organizations can improve productivity and become more sustainable over time without sacrificing revenue. This should begin at the CEO Level of every organization as well. Without upper management cooperation and understanding, it will be much harder and near impossible for a company as a

Sustainability should be a topic for a college writing course because it is an all-encompassing topic that allows students to hone in on their critical writing, reading, and thinking abilities. It also spans many topic areas. With these skills an individual will learn to undertake new ideas and subjects, which in turn can improve reasoning and communicating. This can be beneficial in many fields, academically, professionally, and, personally.

Yvon Chouinard and Vincent stated, “Sustainability is a term that calls us not to take more from nature than we can give back.” Many Companies have failed to grasp this concept. It is startling to realize how much has been taken from nature and how little has been given back. A responsible company makes magnificent products, treats their workers well, improves the community, and protects nature. Humans need to realize that they are part of nature. They r in the process of destroying themselves when they act irresponsibly.

Often times the focus is on the immediate profits and bottom line of the financials are driven by profit margins and immediate financial results. This tunnel vision can often times cause an organization to cut corners and not prepare for the long-term goals in sight. Whereas, providing a challenge in obtaining additional buy-in from businesses to support the overall cause, as well as, focusing on the longevity and long-term growth that the sustainable capitalism

“...the core values that underpin sustainable development - interdependence, empathy, equity, personal responsibility and intergenerational justice - are the only foundation upon which any viable vision of a better world can possibly be constructed.” Jonathon Porritt

Sustainability has become a great topic of interest in many arenas. Particularly, leading organizations are recognizing sustainability needs to be an essential aspect of their long term strategies. With this recognition, better business practices are being sought by investors as well as sustainability is becoming a driving force for better efficiencies and innovation. Two organizations, Wal-Mart and Starbucks, have both took on sustainability as long term initiatives to address their customer needs and affect how their suppliers operate.

During the past 25 years, awareness of the environment has increased tremendously. Non-profit organizations look beyond institutional goals, and instead, try to find a shared vision that works for everyone in the society. Our society needs to stop consuming as if we have an infinite planet; we have to have integrity for the world we live in because the natural resources that have been sustaining us will not last forever. Companies need to evolve with the modern age and changing consumer market. For example, Netflix never thought they would produce their own shows, however, with the changing consumer market, they have done just that. Also, NGO’s sometimes have to partner with bigger for-profit companies in order to target a larger consumer base, thus, solidifying the fact that the for-profit and non-profit sector have to team together in order to sustain the environment in which we inhabit.

The quality of air and the accessibility to green area is a key factor to the environmental sustainability of this building. Areas of public parks and green spaces are mapped in green in the figures above (1). Site 1 arguably has the least amount of green space. There are two city parks located within

The first thing in relation to this topic is to ask what sustainability is. Well according to the oxford English dictionary Sustainability Is ‘the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level.’ But how is this relatable to a business context? According to Business world Inc. they define sustainability as ‘Business sustainability 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.’ (Gatley, 2010)

Corporate groups has important role in today’s global business and its sustainability can contribute significantly to present and upcoming accomplishment of organizations. A major success factor for change towards sustainability in corporate world is incorporation of environmental, economic and societal goals. This incorporation is an important achievement, however it require a systematic approach which itself is a major challenge for organizations. Therefore, there is a significant need to acknowledge subject’s related to sustainability, which should be integrated into the business educational programs, especially in business administration streams. The present article is based on a research conducted in Monash University’s MBA program (one out of the 50 best worldwide MBA programs) which demonstrates that more than seventy percent of these courses provide sustainability related subjects (Christensen et al., 2007). According to Christensen et al., (2007), a present discussion is whether sustainability related subjects ought to be incorporated into the main course of students pursuing MBA or whether it should be a separate optional subject. Thus the main aim of this article is to define a structure or outline utilized in educating and supporting business students to comprehend and reconcile the diverse sustainability viewpoints, which will inspire them to examine in detail about their assumptions in business, ecology and society.

“You will see the word ‘sustainable’ or ‘sustainability’ used in many businesses these days. A sustainable business is a business that has no negative overall impact on the environment.” Although many businesses have become more “green” in their