First 100 Days of Directorship - Essay Example

PART 2 Question 10 You have been appointed as director of Sustainable Development in a business you know well that has made very little progress in sustainability management and reporting. What will you do in your first 100 days, and why? Introduction Sustainable development refers to efforts that will ensure growth and development in various sectors of the economy without compromising the state of the environment. Sustainable development shares the same goals as those of many organizations and some of these include reducing poverty in our country as well as building prosperity for the organization, the people at present as well as our future generations. Sustainable development involves careful and meticulous planning of the available resources to ensure that they have long term benefits for our companies, the community as well as enabling growth and development. The ambitions of many organizations in their attempts to achieve their ultimate goals and objectives have driven them to careless use of the available resources without caring how the future generations will cater for their needs. These ambitions have resulted in grave consequences for the environment and in efforts to correct these mistakes organizations have created departments in their companies that will ensure that resources are utilized properly without putting the ability of future generations to meet their needs in harm’s way and hence the sustainable development departments were born (World Bank Group, 2014). The role of a Director of Sustainable Development The main role of a director of sustainable development is to create policies and activities that will ensure the organization or company complies with the laws of the country with regards to the environment. The policies created should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and also Time Bound) and they should be able to be integrated into the public policy. Other roles that the director of sustainable development is responsible for include; engaging members of the value chain which include the industry in which the company belongs among other partners, the director of sustainable development should also be able to create and initiate national dialogue on responsible usage of the available natural resources. The director of sustainable development is responsible for creating structures within the organization that will support sustainable development. He or she should also ensure that sustainable development becomes embedded in the corporate culture of the organization. The director should also communicate on the rights of the environment and what is entitled to it. The director of sustainable development should initiate innovations within the company or organization that support sustainable development. The director is also charged with the responsibility of preparing the company or organization for climate change and also the director should help reduce the burden of sustainability reporting. Pan African Paper Mills, Kenya Pan African Paper Mills is based in Kenya one of the developing countries in the African region. The company has been faced with many challenges that the government has decided to sell it out to private investors. Some of the challenges this company has faced include environmental challenges that have resulted in grave consequences for both the company as well as the people living in the communities around the company. This opportunity as the new director of sustainable development is a great challenge for me to help ensure that the company is restored into its former glory and also improve the state of the environment within the region. During my first hundred (100) days I expect to deliver tangible results and some of them will be strategies that will help to ensure that the future of the company, the ability to cater for the needs of the generations to come and state of the environment have been safeguarded. Strategies that will ensure Results within the First 100 Days 1. Create policies that are SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time bound) and can be integrated with public policy The government definitely has great plans for the country and wishes to ensure that as it strives for development and economic growth, it will not compromise the opportunities for the future generations to be able to meet their needs. It has therefore implemented policies such encouraging companies to participate in tree planting projects, encouraging companies to recycle their waste products to avoid unnecessary use of resources, the government had also tried to discourage dumping (excess import of goods or putting restrictions on other countries from exporting excess products that do not have a market within the country, Kenya) by increasing import duties, reducing subsidies, increasing import taxes among other efforts. The government has also tried to encourage use of local resources for the production process to avoid excess imports and also ensure a balance of payments within the country. These initiatives will ensure that waste products are exploited fully. However, although such policies will be useful in ensuring sustainable development some of them are not clearly communicated by the government and therefore as the director of sustainable development, the department will have to ensure that these policies are also implemented in the company. The department should also work with the government to ensure that such policies are followed to the later and that there is a clear line that distinguishes policies with regards to the environment, the economy, energy and social policies. If the government is able to ensure that the environment, economic, social and energy policies are clear and concise then Pan African Paper Mills will be able improve their standards in sustainable development within 100 days (Barnett & Salomon, 2012). 2. Engaging members of the value chain within the industry among other partners As the new director of sustainable development I will ensure that within the first 100 days, there is an effective collaboration between members of the value chain among other partners in the industry to accelerate sustainable development. It is great to have individual companies making efforts to ensure sustainability in the industry but combined efforts will yield more effective results and also make the sustainability process faster. Combined efforts will also see to it that impacts of the industrial activities and operations on the environment and the society at large are contained. This can be achieved if the companies alongside their suppliers, government, distributors among other members of the value chains work together with a common goal or objective. These collaborations will reduce the negative impacts of the companies to the environment. Therefore within the first 100 days I will ensure to open communications with other members of the value chain within the industry to share insights on how to reduce negative impacts of the company operations and activities on the environment to guarantee the welfare of future generations. 3. Create and build a national dialogue that will ensure responsible usage and consumption of the naturally available resources Sustainability can be an expensive affair especially to the customers and with the increasingly depreciating economic conditions in the country most people will opt to purchase products that are cheaper. They no longer look for better quality of products because most people live below the poverty index in this region. It is therefore going to be a challenge to convince the buyers to pay more for products that will be environment friendly. The Pan African Paper Mills depend mostly on trees for the production of paper, but it is unfortunate that one of the byproducts of the process is sulphur which then affects the viability of the land around it to grow more trees. Therefore the company has to look for alternative materials to produce good quality of paper. The company has o many occasions opted to purchase raw materials from other countries which can be very costly and therefore end up buying low quality materials to cut down the cost of production. The end product unfortunately becomes very costly for the environment as they are non biodegradable and produce toxic gases when burned. To purchase the right materials to ensure quality, more money is required and the extra costs have to be shifted to the customers whom they are neither willing nor able to afford with the current economic situations. Therefore, within the first 100 days I will have to initiate dialogues across the country to ensure that they understand the ultimate cost of using low quality raw materials for production. The dialogue will enable the customers understand more about sustainable development and its relevance to the future of the coming generations. The dialogue will also be educational to the customers teaching them on how to use recycled products among other advantages they will gain from these dialogues. Engaging with the customers using the national dialogue approach will help them in making more informed decisions when making purchases. 4. Informing members of the organization about the goals and objectives of sustainable development within the organization or company Sustainable development has been made the responsibility of the department of sustainable development in many companies and organizations and therefore the director of sustainable development has the responsibility of ensuring that the goals of the department are well communicated throughout the company or organization and that the goals are in alignment with the objectives of other departments as well as the entire organization or company. If the goals of the sustainable development department are not well communicated throughout the organization, the company might fail to meet its goals of achieving sustainability. Therefore, during the first 100 days I will ensure that each department within the organization knows their role in sustainable development embrace their roles and understand them completely. 5. Introduce sustainable development as part of the corporate culture Sustainability is not just expensive to the customers; it also means an extra cost for the company. This means the company will incur costs in setting up corporate sustainable responsibility departments. Some companies perceive such moves as cost centers but the wise companies invest more in sustainability which helps guarantee the future of the company. Companies that do not have sustainability departments often find themselves making new cases every time they get new leaders while companies that have sustainable development departments can easily fill in the new leadership on the sustainability projects it has undertaken and therefore making it easy to assess the strategies that are useful for the company. In my first 100 days in office as the new director of sustainable development I will ensure that the sustainable development department is made permanent and projects and progress well documented to help new leaders understand them easily in the future (Kaplan & Minton, 2012). 6. Provide clear and concise rights and entitlements of the environment The environment has a right to be protected and well cared for. This is because most of the resources we use in production and raw materials come from the natural environment and the needs of the future generations will also be met using the same environment. This has to be clearly communicated to all parties and that includes the government, producers, suppliers as well as their distributors among others. Companies and the communities around them should not have different understandings of how to care for the environment despite of their different uses for the environment. The rights and entitlements of the different users of the environment should also be clearly provided to avoid clashes between companies, the local communities and also the wildlife in the cycle. All beings have a right to use the environment and also the environment is entitled to some care and protection from the users and also by the users of its resources. 7. Creation of an atmosphere that encourage innovations that are sustainable Many companies rely on constant innovations on their products to succeed in their various markets and Pan African Paper Mills is not an exception. During my first 100 days I will encourage innovativeness within and outside the company but also insist on sustainable innovations. The country has introduced free education to various education levels in public educational institutions and this has increased the demand for more reading and writing materials in the region. The company has to be creative in meeting this increasing demand by customers as well as the increased demand from the investors, however, these innovations will be highly sustainable to ensure that the company’s future is also guaranteed (Nidumolu, Prahalad &Rangaswami, 2009). 8. Adapting to the recent climatic changes Pan African Paper Mills depends on trees for most of their production and the trees depend on the climate. The rate of production will therefore depend on the season of the trees. However, given the recent climate changes experienced, it is safer for the company to prepare itself just in case there is another climatic change. This can be achieved through adapting to the new climate change or employing other means to ensure constant production without harming the environment and some of these strategies include; use of hybrid trees that can withstand any climatic condition, use of green houses to grow the trees used in the production process. Climate change is a very sensitive topic among the business people because it introduces the fear of overlapping other sustainability policies already created before such as use of sustainable supply chains, carbon policy and also water policy among others. Despite of such fears, I will encourage people to employ more sustainable means of production, distribution and consumption as it the best way to ensure that future generation will be able to meet their needs comfortably. Sustainable reporting Sustainable reporting refers to a system of reporting in companies or organizations that provides more information on the economic, social, government as well as the environmental issues that affect the organization or company. The main purpose of sustainable reporting is to increase the desire for the organization to achieve sustainable development for both internal and external stakeholders of the company or organization. Sustainable reporting is expected to be traceable, transparent and should comply with the standards for sustainable reporting (Schaltegger, Bennett & Burritt, 2006). There are many measures that have been developed to help in determining sustainable development in businesses and some of them include; The Global Reporting Initiative, the Carbon Disclosure Project and also the Dow Jones Sustainability Index among others. As the new director of sustainable development I will ensure that the company reports for the Pan African Paper Mills meet the international standards in reporting. The reporting standards established will help ease the burden companies feel when preparing their regular reports or when investors need them to report on the sustainability programs that they have initiated. As the new director of sustainable development the new reporting standards will be integrated into the company’s report preparations (Schaltegger, Bennett & Burritt, 2006). The importance of Sustainable Reporting Sustainable reporting helps the organization or the company better manage the impact they have on the economy, the society and also the environment. This will ensure that the company operates effectively and efficiently with regards to how they use the environment. Sustainable reporting ensure that companies will continuously seek ways of improving their performance, try to win the confidence of stakeholders and shareholders that are conscious of the environment and also ensure that their assets especially the environment is protected. Companies that prepare sustainable reporting tend to be more competitive in their respective industries and Pan African Paper Mills will incorporate sustainable reporting thus ensuring it becomes more competitive in the industry (Ernst & Young Global Limited, 2012). Sustainable reporting bears many benefits to a company or organization and Pan African Paper Mills will also be able to enjoy a better reputation if it follows the policies in preparing sustainable reports and these include; transparency, traceability and also compliance to set standards by bodies that measure sustainable development among businesses. Sustainable reports also ensure that the company meets the standards set by its employees. Sustainable reporting also improves a company’s accessibility to capital needed for growth and expansion. Other benefits that Pan African Paper Mills will enjoy from practicing sustainable reporting include improved effectiveness and efficiency when handling waste products. Investors have more confident in organizations and companies that practice sustainable reporting because they have more information about the organization or the company such as the processes involved in the production process as well as the impact of these processes to the economy, the environment and also the society at large. The transparency in sustainable reporting assures the investors that their investments will be well accounted for whenever they ask for such reports (Ernst & Young Global Limited, 2012). Sustainable reporting is very useful to the organizations and the companies as it helps then prepare for risks that are associated with the society or the environment thus give them ample time to strategize and mitigate such risks. Sustainable reporting increases the social, economic and also the environmental value of a business. Compared to other reporting techniques, sustainable reporting ensures that information is easily accessible, gets fair judgments and can be easily compared with reports from other periods among other benefits (Ernst & Young Global Limited, 2012). Conclusion As a new director for sustainable development for Pan African Paper Mills, there are many issues that will require immediate actions and I have given myself a period of 100 days to ensure that most of the strategies in place to ensure sustainable development will have kicked off. Some of these are going to have tangible results within a hundred days while within the hundred days some projects will still be in the pipelines. Some of these strategies for Pan African Paper Mills include; adapting to the new climatic changes, reducing the burden of sustainable reporting for the company, create an environment that will encourage sustainable innovations, create and communicate the rights and entitlements of users of the environment as well as the environment itself, ensure that sustainable reporting becomes embedded as part of the company’s corporate culture, create and build a national dialogue to increase awareness on responsible usage and consumption of resources, ensure that the company is fully aware of their roles in attaining sustainable development, create policies that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time bound and finally ensure that all players in the value chain are engaged in the sustainable development programs. During the first a hundred days I will also have to make sure that the company has embraced sustainable reporting. List of References Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2013.Sustainable Development Challenges: World Economic and Social Survey2013. Pp. 1-216. Gallagher, K. P & Zarsky, L. 2004, Sustainable Industrial Development? The performance of Mexico’s FDI-led Integration Strategy. Pp.1-57. Manufacturing Skills Australia, 2008, Sustainable Manufacturing: Manufacturing for Sustainability. Pp.1-20. Gutowski, G. T. 2006, The Manufacturing Enterprise and Sustainable Development. Pp. 1-8. Unilever Indonesia, 2011-2012. Sustainability Report. Pp. 1-100. Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, 2000.Sustainable Development: Challenges and Prospects Recommendations for “RIO+20”. Pp. 1-3. Hill, C. 2011, An Introduction to Sustainable Resource Use. Earthscan, London. Zubir, A. F and Habidin, N. F (2012). The Development of Sustainable Manufacturing Practices and Sustainable Performance in Malaysian Automotive Industry: Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development. Vol. 3, no. 7, pp. 130-138. Seliger, G., Kim, H-J.,Kernbaum, S. and Zettl, M. (2008). Approaches to sustainable manufacturing: International Journal of Sustainable Manufacturing, Vol. 1, Nos. 1/2, pp. 58–77. Morse, S. 2010, Sustainability: A Biological Perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. Doppelt, B. 2001, Leading Change towards Sustainability. London: Greenleaf. Blackburn, W. 2008, The Sustainability Handbook: The Complete Management Guide to Achieving Social, Economic and Environmental Responsibility. Earthscan, London. Porritt, J. 2007, Capitalism as if the World Matters, Earthscan, London. Vogt et al, K. 2010, Sustainability Unpacked: Food, Energy and Water for Resilient Environments and Societies, Earthscan, London. The World Bank Group, 2014. Sustainable Development. Retrieved on July 3, 2014 from < http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/sustainabledevelopment> Council on Foreign Relations, 1987.Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future (Brundtland Report). Retrieved on 26th February, 2014 from Leahu-Aluas, S. 1982, Sustainable Manufacturing- An Overview for Manufacturing Engineers. Pp. 1-8. European Commission, 2014, Sustainable Development: European Sustainable Consumption and Production Policies, Retrieved on 26th February, 2014 from Environment Canada, 2013, Sustainable Environment. Retrieved on 26th February, 2014 from http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/sd-dd.nsf/eng/sd00534.html Kaplan, S. and Minton, B. 2012. How Has CEO Turnover Changed? International Review of Finance. Vol. 12, no.1, pp. 57-87. Nidumolu, R., Prahalad, C.K., & Rangaswami, M.R. 2009. Why sustainability is now a key driver of innovation. Harvard Business Review. Vol. 87, no.9, pp. 57-64. Barnett, M.L. and Salomon, R.M. 2012. Does it Pay to Be Really Good? Addressing the Shape of the Relationship between Social and Financial Performance. Strategic Management Journal. Vol. 33, pp. 1304-1320. Schaltegger, S.; Bennett, M. & Burritt, R. 2006. Sustainability Accounting and Reporting. Dordrecht: Springer. Ernst & Young Global Initiative, 2012. Value of Sustainable Reporting. Retrieved on July 3, 2014 from < http://www.ey.com/US/en/Services/Specialty-Services/Climate-Change-and-Sustainability-Services/Value-of-sustainability-reporting >   Read More

The director of sustainable development is responsible for creating structures within the organization that will support sustainable development. He or she should also ensure that sustainable development becomes embedded in the corporate culture of the organization. The director should also communicate on the rights of the environment and what is entitled to it. The director of sustainable development should initiate innovations within the company or organization that support sustainable development.

The director is also charged with the responsibility of preparing the company or organization for climate change and also the director should help reduce the burden of sustainability reporting. Pan African Paper Mills, Kenya Pan African Paper Mills is based in Kenya one of the developing countries in the African region. The company has been faced with many challenges that the government has decided to sell it out to private investors. Some of the challenges this company has faced include environmental challenges that have resulted in grave consequences for both the company as well as the people living in the communities around the company.

This opportunity as the new director of sustainable development is a great challenge for me to help ensure that the company is restored into its former glory and also improve the state of the environment within the region. During my first hundred (100) days I expect to deliver tangible results and some of them will be strategies that will help to ensure that the future of the company, the ability to cater for the needs of the generations to come and state of the environment have been safeguarded.

Strategies that will ensure Results within the First 100 Days 1. Create policies that are SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time bound) and can be integrated with public policy The government definitely has great plans for the country and wishes to ensure that as it strives for development and economic growth, it will not compromise the opportunities for the future generations to be able to meet their needs. It has therefore implemented policies such encouraging companies to participate in tree planting projects, encouraging companies to recycle their waste products to avoid unnecessary use of resources, the government had also tried to discourage dumping (excess import of goods or putting restrictions on other countries from exporting excess products that do not have a market within the country, Kenya) by increasing import duties, reducing subsidies, increasing import taxes among other efforts.

The government has also tried to encourage use of local resources for the production process to avoid excess imports and also ensure a balance of payments within the country. These initiatives will ensure that waste products are exploited fully. However, although such policies will be useful in ensuring sustainable development some of them are not clearly communicated by the government and therefore as the director of sustainable development, the department will have to ensure that these policies are also implemented in the company.

The department should also work with the government to ensure that such policies are followed to the later and that there is a clear line that distinguishes policies with regards to the environment, the economy, energy and social policies. If the government is able to ensure that the environment, economic, social and energy policies are clear and concise then Pan African Paper Mills will be able improve their standards in sustainable development within 100 days (Barnett & Salomon, 2012). 2.

Engaging members of the value chain within the industry among other partners As the new director of sustainable development I will ensure that within the first 100 days, there is an effective collaboration between members of the value chain among other partners in the industry to accelerate sustainable development. It is great to have individual companies making efforts to ensure sustainability in the industry but combined efforts will yield more effective results and also make the sustainability process faster.

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