Sustainability, Leadership And Innovation : Keys For Success

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

Although there is no formal definition for the term, individuals have tried to define sustainability according to their function or area of study. The term “sustainability,” once an obscure ecological concept, has now been adopted by many in the business world to connote the principles of social and environmental responsibility (Joseph Fiksel, Jonathan Low and Jim Thomas). Further, sustainability can be seen through the eyes of business as a way to create value. More likely than not, the term sustainability can be linked to the ability of decreasing costs, wastes and inefficiencies. According to the vice president of General Electric,

The analysis will focus on some key aspects such as; the overall plan, products/services sustainability, human resource relations, customer’s relations, environmental concerns, and the company social responsibility to the company. Descriptive analysis will help appraise of the company’s sustainability strategy. The critical analysis of the company’s sustainability will help in coming up with conclusions about sustainability of the strategy, and give insights on how the company can improve its sustainability strategy. There are also various recommendations based on these conclusions (Heslin and Ochoa 2008).

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

More so than ever in an age of rapidly evolving technologies and global expansion, sustainable competitive advantage depends foremost on a clear sense of organizational purpose (mission) and a compelling vision for success (Campbell & Alexander, 1997). Together, these two key elements define the guiding framework for the insightful creation of value (Campbell & Alexander, 1997) that differentiates an organization from its competitors (Porter, 1996). Thus, knowledge of the critical elements that comprise meaningful mission and vision statements (Aguinis, 2009) becomes essential for achieving sustainable competitive advantage. As testimony, this paper assesses the strategic guidance provided by the mission and vision statements of the

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.

AT&T is already doing well, in the way of sustainable business practices. In the 2014 annual report, various sustainable community, technology, and environmental advances were mentioned. It appears that AT&T is on its way to sustainable reporting already. There are multiple functional changes that can occur in order for AT&T to improve their sustainability. Global reporting lists environmental, social, and economic impacts as the key aspects to identify in sustainability reporting. AT&T also should list the ways in which its technology is helping sustainable living because they are a technology based company; therefore, appealing to their stakeholders and illustrating how their technological advances help the world.

In Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough and Michael Braungart, the two authors take into great detail by explaining the “cradle-to-grave” manufacturing system. The system explains every step of a product’s life from the creation to the disposal of the product. It is important to learn about this system because in order for a company to track and take responsibility of their hazardous waste. The system itself explained where products are created and the mass production goes into this system without enough consideration for human health and the environment. McDonough and Braungart promote for a new framework where companies take into consideration at every step of a product’s lifestyle.

Sustainable development is defined as “Development that meets the needs of the present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (IISD, par. 1 ).

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.

In order to be an integral part in saving the Earth’s environment and ensuring resources for future generations, the way individuals live needs to change. Being fortunate enough to reside in one of the nation’s most developed countries, I wanted to make sure the way I have been living has been meeting the standards set by sustainable living. Using the overall environmental footprint provided by Global Footprint Network, I was able to pinpoint the areas in my life that needed to improve in order for me to be more sustainable. I chose to use this Footprint calculator because it gives you a breakdown on how many resources from the planet are needed in order to provide for your living standards. Once you have input the information, the calculator provides a general ecological footprint explanation and gives real case scenarios in which you can do to reduce it. The results for my footprint were as follows: If everyone were to live the way I do, we would need 5.3 planet earths to provide enough resources. It would take 23.6 global acres of land for energy production, which would emit 23.6 tons of carbon dioxide, and the biggest impacts on my personal footprint included 36 percent of services, 21 percent food and 19 percent mobility.

and ensuring stable supply chains with seeking opportunity for enhanced performance and using the sustainability agenda for strategic advantage. Developing and integrating a detailed sustainability vision into your long-term strategic plan in a way that creates lasting value whilst also building public trust is a common challenge for all types of organizations.

The next initiative for Garmin in regards to corporate sustainability would be look at the human rights of the business. Garmin believe that protecting human rights is the ethical and responsible way to do business. They offer each of their employees the dignity, freedom, respect and acceptance that they deserve. Over the past ten year Garmin has grown drastically and this has resulted in an updated code of conduct and also labor practices. This portion of sustainability provide employees with best in class benefits and multiple different heal and wellness programs. All of these different opportunities are created and managed through the human relations department of the business. Upon further investigation I found out that there are

Sustainability when we try to understand in the context of corporate is recognizing that the corporation’s long

3. Thomas L. Wheelen & J. David Hunger. 2012. Strategic Management and Business Policy Toward Global Sustainability. Thirteenth edition. Pearson Education