Business Strategy and Sustainability at Edinburgh Napier University - Case Study Example

Business strategy and sustainability at Edinburgh Napier Word count: 3106 words Section A. Report on Edinburgh Napier University business strategy and sustainability Executive summary Edinburgh Napier University has a population of more than 16,000 students and staff. The environmental sustainability plans are aimed at reducing carbon emissions by 3,269 tonnes (25 percent). The cumulative energy bill of the University is high since it is estimated to reach 1.9 million British pounds in the current academic year. The Environmental management work is carried out by the Environmental Sustainability Advisory Group (ESAG). The advisory group meets on a quarterly basis to discuss matters pertaining to environmental sustainability in the University. Some environmental management plans of the University include biodiversity management plan, carbon management plan, energy efficiency management plan and environmental sustainability policy. The University has joined the EcoCampus scheme that is aligned with ISO 14001 which is an international environmental management standard. The University building policy is based on preventing overheating of the building, ensuring utilization of natural ventilation and light, minimizing heat loss and equipping the buildings with energy efficient equipment. Generally, all the contractors must supply the university with a company environmental policy in order to show evidence on the ability to ensure the buildings meet the expected environmental building standards. The environmental sustainability plan aims at minimizing the impact of the University activities on the environment and ensuring that green IT systems are functional within all the campuses. The plan also ensures the carbon emissions are monitored and calculated according to the amount of energy utilized and all targets are achieved within the stipulated time period. The environmental sustainability is also geared at minimizing harmful chemical disposal, excessive carbon emissions, water wastage and improving the wellbeing of the stakeholders. Introduction The environmental management and sustainability system of Edinburgh Napier University includes environmental, economic, ethical and social factors (Edinburgh Napier University, 2013). The university is committed to entrenching the principles of sustainability in the planning and operations processes throughout all the activities of the organisation. The University has supported the carbon management programme. The current environmental sustainability plan promotes sustainability in all teaching and research activities in the University. The University has partnered with other stakeholders in encouraging the awareness of sustainability approaches and encourages the annual social corporate responsibility evaluations. The plan also aims at cutting the carbon emissions by 25% by the year 2013 from the 2007 carbon emission baseline (Edinburgh Napier University, 2013). Building design The building policy ensures all building adhere to environmental sustainability plans through reduction in the usage of artificial lighting. The University is completing the latest phase of 100 million pounds of estate strategy that will make it a modern University in Scotland. Sustainability objectives are an integral part of the building designs since the design teams and contractors must demonstrate the ability of the buildings to improve efficiency in energy consumption (Ghosh, 2008). The building designs encourage effective use of natural ventilation, minimal heat loss in the windows and prevent overheating during the sunny season. In addition, the buildings are fitted with equipments that tap and store water during the rainy season. The buildings use limited artificial lighting during night hours (Edinburgh Napier University, 2013). Carbon emissions Fighting climate change and reducing carbon emissions are some of the challenges affecting the higher education market. The UK government has identified the higher education institutions are key drivers of carbon dioxide emissions in the economy. In line with the Kyoto protocol, all organisations in the UK are required to reduce their carbon emissions. The Carbon Trust has partnered with Edinburgh Napier University in reducing the carbon emissions. The UK is expected to cut emissions by 12.5 percent of the 1990 levels by the end of 2012. The University carbon management plan is geared at reducing the impact of energy on emissions, reducing water usage and waste that is associated with carbon emissions. The total carbon dioxide emissions are estimated at 11, 691 tonnes with staff accounting for 663 tonnes of the total emissions. The carbon emissions for the current year are expected to increase due to increase in occupancy and increased services offered by the university. It is estimated that the emissions will increase by 4.13 percent if reduction measures are not put in to place. The carbon emissions management plan is sustainable since the reduction target was 20 percent in 2011/2012 (2,630 tonnes) and the projected savings is 25 percent in 2012/2013 (3,269 tonnes). The university also purchases about 10 percent of renewable energy from suppliers. The carbon emissions measures can be grouped in to low cost emissions actions, direct emission projects and long term enablement actions (Edinburgh Napier University, 2013). The embedding carbon management actions are aimed at creating a culture of emission reduction within the University stakeholders and communicating the proposed strategies to the stakeholders. Another measure of reducing emissions is through minimizing the usage of electricity through innovative IT solution and daylight controls (Addullah, 2007). The University has reduced the usage of gas through thermal insulations, upgrading infrastructures and initiating energy management systems. In terms of transport emissions, the organisation advocates for use of public transport, cycling to work and sharing of lifts. In addition, the university encourages recycling of all waste and reduction of the wastage that end in to the landfills (Addullah, 2007). The carbon emissions responsibilities are integrated in all activities including teaching, research and knowledge transfer. The data on emissions is also collected from all sources on a regular basis. The University has also developed a strategic internal funding mechanism for the carbon reduction initiatives and monitoring and evaluation is carried out to evaluate the sustainability of the projects (Ghosh, 2008). Edinburgh Napier University is committed to minimizing the amount of carbon emissions in all the operations. The university was accorded the Carbon Masters standard in 2012 and Green Gowns awards in 2012. The university is geared at reducing the carbon emissions by 25 percent by 2013 based on the 2007 baseline. The carbon masters standard is a certification scheme that is awarded to organisations that meet the best carbon management standards (Edinburgh Napier University, 2013). Edinburgh Napier University carbon emission management plan is sustainable since the reduction efforts have continuously met the targets. For instance, a 36.6 percent reduction in gas related emissions was attained in 2012 while a 16.2 percent reduction in carbon emissions associated with electricity was attained in the same year. In addition, the carbon emissions related to fuel consumed in both owned and leased vehicles, waste and water declined by 24.4 percent in 2012. The plan is also sustainable since the university has partnered with SKM Enviros that works on behalf of Carbon Trust in Scotland to develop a revised plan that would minimize the emissions. The university is continuous has projected a higher target of reductions (35 percent) by the end of the 2014/2015 financial year based on the emission baseline of 2006/2007 academic year (Edinburgh Napier University, 2013). Energy The main objective of environmental management and sustainability in energy is to conserve the energy utilization in all areas within the organisation. The University is currently reducing the use of fossil fuels while also committing resources to the use of renewable energy sources (Barrow, 1999). The university is currently upgrading boilers in order to conserve energy. A policy on both energy and carbon saving technology has been established. The University has initiated initiatives of site generation of renewable energy and refrigeration of existing buildings (Addullah, 2007). The university utilizes Salix funding in energy use minimization. Other sustainability initiatives include the use of sensing controls and automatic controls for heating devices. Some of the current initiatives include replacement of LED lighting, controlling energy used in vending machines and installation of the voltage optimization devices. The University has been able to make 1.2 million pounds in energy savings annually through the energy saving initiatives. Water The University has allowed enough facilities that enable students to reuse and recycle water in their living rooms. The university has a water conservation programmer that ensures reduction in water usage (Ghosh, 2008). In addition, the university has invested in technologies and equipments that allow students and staff to minimize the amount of water usage. The water usage data is collected from the meter readings and invoices in order to monitor the usage rates (Addullah, 2007). Waste disposal The University encourages safe wastage disposal practices and recycling. Some of the waste includes printers, disposed fluorescent light tubes and fridges. The University has implemented recycling initiatives in all campus and installed better signage for the location of the recycle bins. In addition, the university has offered training on the need of recycling waste and safe disposal. Currently, the facilities services department with the staff conduct regular in-depth audit of waste recycling initiatives sustainability (Roberts and Robinson, 1998). Biodiversity The University encourages the protection of biological diversity within the campuses. The biodiversity management plan will strengthen the partnership with City of Edinburgh Council and Local Nature Reserve Group. The aim of the plan is to minimize the usage of chemical usage on the soil since this can be dangerous to the survival of existing diverse living thing like butterflies and floura. According to the 2012 audit, there are several species of floura and butterflies that were recognized in the University grounds. The university has completed stopped usage of chemicals on the soil. Transport The sustainability plan in transport is committed to promoting alterative transport to the single car occupancy and eliminating unnecessary travels. The university is making considerable efforts in creating a travel plan for the students, staff and visitors of the University. Some of the initiatives of minimizing the emissions include subsidized bus routes, restricted car parking lots and lift share. Procurement and fairtarde The procurement policy aims at utilizing ethical policies in procuring environmentally friendly products and services for the University. The policy prohibits purchasing products and substances that may degrade the environment. The University has an ethical procurement policy that ensures that local suppliers are granted first priority in procurement. In addition, suppliers have the obligation to ensure that their supplies meet the environmental policy of the University. The University encourages the use of Fairtrade goods Health and wellbeing The university believes in equal opportunities for all the stakeholders. There are well established policies that prohibit discrimination and encourage merit in all academic and employment matters. Conclusion Edinburgh Napier University is committed to environmental management and sustainability through research and knowledge transfer. The University operates a sustainable estate and has established partnerships in environmental conservation. The university has a sustainable building design that minimizes energy consumption and emissions. The transport policy encourages low carbon emissions through reduction of unnecessary travel, sharing of cars and restricting some parking lots. Reputation in important in higher education Section B Reputation is important in Higher Education. According to the theory of competitive advantage, environmental and ethical reputation is important in higher education. Being ‘green’ is a source of business opportunity for Edinburgh Napier University. Environmental and ethical reputation entails corporate social responsibility activities of the organisation that aim at enhancing the welfare of the society. The concept has its origin in the civil rights movements that advocated for non-discrimination and environmental disasters that brought awareness on the need to conserve the ecological environment. Environmental reputation will require Edinburgh Napier University to accept the wide social and environmental responsibilities towards the stakeholders of the organisation (Crowther and Bacchus, 2003). Although Friedman was of the view that the primary responsibility of the business is to maximise the wealth of the shareholders, modern organisations can attain competitive advantage through social and environmental stewardship. According to Friedman, social responsibility activities reduce the profits of the business thus affecting the welfare of the shareholders. However, recent academicians have emphasized on the wide perspective of taking care of the expectations of all stakeholders of the organisation such as the customers, the employees, the government and creditors of the organisation. According to the Triple bottom line approach, leaders in the organisation should set objectives that cater for the wider stakeholder expectations thus leading to both ethical and environmental reputation (Crowther and Bacchus, 2003). The benefits of environmental and ethical reputation are long term in nature since they offset the costs that may be incurred in meeting the expectations of all stakeholders (Crowther and Bacchus, 2003). According to Four-part model by Carroll, Edinburgh Napier University has four levels of responsibility that include economic responsibilities, legal responsibility, philanthropic responsibility and ethical responsibility towards the stakeholders of the University. Edinburgh Napier will attain a competitive edge through meeting the expectations of the stakeholders at all the above levels. The University should have a proactive approach towards its ethical responsibilities by exceeding the minimum expectations of social activities that are required by the law. According to deontological ethics, higher education institutions have the moral obligations of desisting from engaging in activities that may cause harm to the community. In addition, such institutions should take measures to engage in social responsibility initiatives in order to minimize any harm that is suffered by the society (Crowther and Bacchus, 2003). Edinburgh Napier University should ensure environmental stewardship in order to attain competitive advantage in higher education industry. Edinburgh Napier University should integrate ethical, environmental and social issues in its operations in order to gain competitive advantage in the industry. Environmental reputation can only be attained through taking care of the interests of the social environment and social stakeholders. The university should take care of the interests of all stakeholders including the students, management, employees, financiers, government and surrounding local communities are taken in to account in the strategic planning process (Neumayer, 2001). Competitive advantage and sustainability in organisations involves continuously creating values for both shareholders and stakeholders and shareholders. Environmental and ethical responsibility activities should be geared at reducing the long term operating costs, enhancing the image of the university and product differentiation. Pursuing both shareholder and stakeholder expectations ensure a trade off that leads to sustainability of operations (Neumayer, 2001). Attaining environmental and ethical reputation that is essential for competitive advantage will require addressing the concerns in the external environment such as climate change concerns and expectations of the society such as participation in charity activities and community development projects (Crowther and Bacchus, 2003). Environmental reputation and ethical reputation will matter in Higher education. For instance, the students are the customers of the universities thus their expectations are important in determining the sustainability of the university operations. Edinburgh Napier University should ensure that the expectations of the students are considered in the University strategic planning process. Some of the needs of the students include safe reading environment, well stocked libraries, spacious lecturer halls, proper accommodation facilities and highly qualified lecturers (Neumayer, 2001). Edinburgh Napier University will be capable of attracting and retaining higher number of students through meeting the expectations of the students. In this case, the University will also reduce the instances of student grievances and foster close working relationships with the student community thus leading to efficiency in learning processes (Banerjee, 2007). Environmental and ethical reputation will also enhance the reputation of Edinburgh Napier University. Ethical reputation is important in attracting and retaining high qualified workforce and academic staff at the University. In this case, employees such as administration staff and teaching staff require better salaries, safe working environment and career development opportunities. Ethical reputation will require Edinburgh Napier University to prohibit discrimination in workplace, sexual harassment and ensure equal opportunities in employment matters. Satisfied employees will be capable of working harder to improve overall productivity of the organisation thus leading to a competitive advantage in the market (Banerjee, 2007). Ethical reputation requires the University to abstain from unethical practices such as corruption and embezzlement of University assets. In this case, ethical practices will ensure that the University meets its obligation towards the higher education regulatory authorities and the government. This is important since it will encourage more government support and discourage additional government regulation towards the university (Neumayer, 2001). Higher education institutions have high power in the society thus it is essential for the university to participate in solving environmental problems such as building health centers for the community, volunteering in community projects and welfare programs. The University should utilize its technical expertise in helping the communities in order to improve the social welfare of the surrounding community. In addition, the surrounding community acts as the source of university students and grants the University the right to exist thus it is critical for the University to partner with the community in alleviating poverty and provision of essential welfare services. The University must also meet the legal responsibility by offering only that courses which it has been accredited to offer by the higher education regulatory body. The university must also ensure all standards relating to the safe of students while in the facilities are adhered to in order to minimize instances of interruption of studies. The university should also engage in research and development activities in order o develop low-carbon technology and energy efficient products for the society such as lighting bulbs that consume minimal energy (Banerjee, 2007). Being ‘green’ is a source of business opportunity for Edinburgh Napier University. Edinburgh Napier University can attain competitive advantage through preservation of the environment and utilizing the available natural resources efficiently. For instance, the University should use renewable energy sources in order to minimize the operating costs and conserve the surrounding environment (Ristau, 2011). The University will save a lot of money through advocating for proper utilization of water and electricity by the university. In addition, the ecological environment offers enabling learning environment for the students. The university will attract new students through planting trees and trimming the gardens in order to create an attractive environment where studies can comfortably learn. Accordingly, being ‘green’ entails ensuring as clean environment that is free from noise, air or water pollution in order to attract and retain students. University tools and equipments such as laboratory equipments, motor vehicles and refrigeration equipment should be energy saving. The university will also minimize costs through building policies that conserve energy and ensure water is tapped for future use by the students. The university depends on the natural environment for survival. The university should conserve the waste emissions and biodiversity in order to attain competitive edge in the market (Tinsley, 2012). Conclusion From the above discussion, environmental and ethical reputation is important in higher education. Social responsibility activities and ethical strategic planning will attract and maintain students in the University. Additionally, fair salaries, better working conditions and career development opportunities will attract and retain well qualified and experienced teaching staff. Being green will create an enabling learning environment and minimize the University operating costs in the long run. 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