Sustainability and Social Responsibility - Coursework Example

MANCHESTER BUSINESS SCHOOL BMAN 73102 Sustainability and Social Responsibility Semester 2 15 Final Individual Report Your ID Number _______________________________ (Do not write your name) 1. Discuss links and relationships between Sustainability, Responsibility and Ethics as key principles of management of sustainable development as you identified in the GRI reports. Highlight your points with specific examples of your chosen company (different one from the main company chosen in your Project 1 group presentation), including opportunities and challenges for sustainable development in the future. (750 words, 40%) Name of the company your team analysed for Project 1: Sanofi Name of the company you are illustrating in this report: Allister Sustainable development denotes a developmental process that satisfies the current needs of human beings without jeopardizing the capacity of the environment to meet similar needs for the future generations (Barker, 2006, p.26). The key principles of management of sustainable development are sustainability, responsibility, and ethics (Barker, 2006, p.30). The practice of any of these management principles is interconnected as their objectives overlap. The term ethics is used to describe a set of thoughts, habits or mannerisms that empathetically accommodate the preferences and interests of other people and the environment with the aim of achieving everlasting peace and harmony at a societal level (Blewitt, 2012). While the practice of ethics culminates to sustainability and social responsibility, all principles are highly independent. Sustainability is a relatively recently coined term that is used to describe the management efforts aimed at maintaining a feasible equilibrium between human developmental activities and resource harvesting and environmental quality and resource availability; it is a practice that ensures the natural systems remain productive (Blewitt, 2012, p.58). On the other hand, a responsibility as a principle of sustainable development is an obligation or duty bestowed on an individual or organization to ensure that all the activities pertaining to them benefit the environment and the society thus maintaining a balance between economic activities, environmental quality, and societal sanity (Gonzalez-perez and Leonard, 2013). For sustainable development to be actualized, the three main principles of management have to be simultaneously active and very well synchronized. Sustainability is the main channel through which organizations and corporate entities express their concern for inter-generational equity and environmental quality (Karlsruher, 2011, p.67). The concept of sustainability is in itself an element of ethics in the sense that it addresses fundamental questions on the morality of economic and organizational operations in the human-environment relationship. For sustainability to be achieved, organizations have to address all the cultural assumptions related to economic growth and development while fulfilling moral obligations bestowed upon them (Karlsruher, 2011). Therefore, sustainability is driven by ethics; without ethical considerations, sustainability is void (Lemons, 2007, p.14). For the full potential of sustainability to be harnessed, organizations have to reflect and consider all the values and cultural worldviews pertaining to their operational activities. This will boost the durability and fairness of human-environment relationships (Lemons, 2007, p.22). Sustainability begs for the consideration of future generations and the environment in the fabrication of policies, production and consumption activities and general interaction with the environment. These are all issues pertaining to ethical considerations (Newton, 2003, p.74). The ethical consideration of the human-environment relationships during economic development is an act of sustainability. Making the concept of sustainability practical is an act of social responsibility since it is involved with the protection of the environment which the society depends on for resources necessary for survival. A practical example is ideal in understanding the complex relationship between sustainability, responsibility, and ethics. One of the global corporate pioneers in sustainable development is Alliander in the Netherlands. For years, this company has been on the forefront of energy reforms and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (Pearce, Barbier and Markandya, 2007, p.89). Being a grid management company in the energy industry, Alliander spearheads the transition from fossil fuels to more environmentally friendly fuel options like solar energy and biomass from livestock farming projects. By promoting the use of sustainable energy, Alliander acknowledges sustainability as a management principle of sustainable development. Sustainability entails the ethical consideration of the environment, its quality, and its capacity to support generations in the future. This means that the company acknowledges that environmental systems are all interconnected hence the activities in Netherlands have an effect on the global environment (Rogers, Jalal and Boyd, 2008, p.40). Protecting it through greenhouse gas emission reductions and use of sustainable energy is an act of social responsibility since people miles away from the Netherlands depend on the environment and its ecological resources and goods for their survival. The Sustainable Agenda launched by the Dutch government in 2010 aims at boosting the number of electric vehicles to 20,000 by the end of 2015 (Williams, 2013, p.84). This presents an opportunity to Alliander’s Liander division. Additionally, the agenda focuses on long-term strategies hence present an opportunity for Alliander to develop short to mid-term strategies like road pricing which maximizes on existing infrastructure. Road pricing involves levying fees from road user to reduce congestion thus reduce pollution from automobiles (Williams, 2013, p.84). However, the ever dimishing share of R&D in the Dutch GDP and quality of education in the young generation coupled with the governmental debt reduce the capacity for the implementation of most sustainable development strategies and policies and distort the predictability of the feasibility of future projects (Williams, 2013, p.84). The discrimination against non-natives in employment reduces the diversity of approach to sustainable development. Word count: 800 Words References BARKER, S. (2006). Sustainable Development. Psychology Press. Upper Saddle River, N.J., Prentice Hall. BLEWITT, J. (2012). Understanding Sustainable Development. Routledge. Kluwer Acad. Publ. GONZALEZ-PEREZ, M.-A., & LEONARD, L. (2013). International business, sustainability and corporate social responsibility. [New York in January [2013]. Dordrecht [u.a.], Kluwer Acad. Publ. KARLSRUHER, K. (2011). Sustainable development: relationships to culture, knowledge and ethics. Karlsruhe, KIT Scientific Publishing. LEMONS, J. (2007). Sustainable development: science, ethics, and public policy ; [New York in January 2004]. Dordrecht [u.a.], Kluwer Acad. Publ. NEWTON, L. H. (2003). Ethics and sustainability: sustainable development and the moral life. Upper Saddle River, N.J., Prentice Hall. PEARCE, D. W., BARBIER, E., & MARKANDYA, A. (2007). Sustainable development: economics and environment in the Third World. Aldershot, Hants, England, E. Elgar. ROGERS, P. P., JALAL, K. F., & BOYD, J. A. (2008). An introduction to sustainable development. London, Earthscan. http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=429931. WILLIAMS, F. (2013). Corporate Social Responsibility: The Role of Businesses in Sustainable Development. Aldershot, Hants, England, E. Elgar. 2. Drawing on the principles and frameworks of sustainable development you identified throughout the module, identify key actors and stakeholders, and discuss opportunitiesand barriers for sustainable development for fast moving consumer goods (except for household laundry goods) in the next 10 years. (750 Words, 40%) As the global economy becomes progressively competitive, and the global population steadily increases, the need for goods meant to satisfy the day-to-day needs of people increases (Ariwa, 2014, p.99). Customers are becoming more cautious and less loyal to brands hence the need for a wide variety of fast-moving consumer goods. Fast-moving consumer goods are essential products people purchase to satisfy their day-to-day needs. These goods are usually sold close to the consumers in supermarkets, local pharmacies, and grocery stores (Bumps, Tansey, Henriquez and Okereke, 2014, p.34). The reference to these goods as fast-moving is majorly due to the fact that they have short shelf lives since they are sold at low costs in high volumes; they do not last for long in their places of purchase hence are fast-moving (Burger, 2003, p.90). The high volume purchases compensates for the low costs hence these goods are still profitable even at low costs (Gattorna, 2001, p.45).  The fast-moving consumer goods industry has major key players and stakeholders. These include farmers and laborers who avail the raw materials to the industry, the manufacturers who transform the raw materials into finished and consumable products through physical, chemical and biological processing, the distributors who disseminate the finished commodities to wholesalers and retailers who then avail the goods to consumers (Höfer, 2009, p.86). Recently, the fast-moving consumer goods industry has been compelled to support the efforts of sustainable development. This has resulted in the industry incorporating the concept of sustainability into both their operational activities and products (Hon, 2002, p.33). The fast-moving consumer goods industry has altered most of its operational activities to ensure they are within the principles of sustainable development. These principles include living within the limits presented by the environment, maintaining the sustainability of the economy to boost excellent living standards, promoting good management practices, applying sustainable science in development and maintaining the health of the people in the society (Kerry and Butler, 2008, p.77). All the principles of sustainability have been realized in all participatory stakeholders’ activities and operations. Most of the actions taken by stakeholders to boost sustainable development relate to the 3Rs strategy of reducing, reusing and recycling (Meister, 2012, p.19). For instance, most of the manufacturers in the fast-moving consumer industry have invested in energy and cost-saving technology. Lighting is one of the major energy consumers within a manufacturing plant. Most manufacturing plants are lit using 200 Watt per centimeter UV lamps (Röcklinsberg and Sandin, 2013, p.35). However, there has been a development of new 140 Watt per centimeter UV lamps which consume less energy and result to less carbon dioxide emission (Röcklinsberg and Sandin, 2013, p.35). The transition in lighting culminates to a reduction of 80,800 kilowatts per year and a cost reduction of 8,000 pounds in the same period (Röcklinsberg and Sandin, 2013, p.37). Additionally, the new UV bulbs reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 15,000 tons annually. These figures represent manufacturing plants which operate for 220 days in a year, with three shifts a day and eight operational lamps (Röcklinsberg and Sandin, 2013, p.40). However, there is still an opportunity to make additional savings on energy and costs by using low energy mercury UV lamps which emit low infrared heat thus saving on air conditioning costs (Shah, 2009, p.41). There is also an opportunity for sustainable development in the fast-moving consumer goods industry presented by packaging. Most brands have made their packaging recyclable (Ariwa, 2014, p.101). This places the responsibility of promoting sustainability through recycling to the customers. The success of this strategy is still not maxim hence there needs to be an additional strategy to boost its effectiveness (Bumps, Tansey, Henriquez and Okereke, 2014, p.34). For instance, companies can define sustainability through their products and operations. However, sustainability is concerned with more than the restoration and maintenance of environmental quality. Therefore, companies in this industry ought to ensure their products encompass all the facets of sustainability such as health and general well-being on top of greenhouse gas emissions. This can be achieved through alteration or substitution of some ingredients especially in the food manufacturing industry (Gattorna, 2001, p.40). Ingredient formulas can also be recalibrated to change product portions with the aim of promoting good health while minimizing on GHG emissions. For example, companies can use saturated fat and sugar. Companies can also ratify international standards for quality to ensure that the move towards sustainable development is uniform, well coordinated and global (Gattorna, 2001, p.50). However, the pace at which this industry moves towards sustainable development is reduced by prevailing economic factors like competition from substitute products. Generally, green or organic or sustainable products cost more than synthetic products which satisfy the same needs in the same way (Burger, 2003, p.90). For instance, an apple in an organic store costs more than a genetically modified apple. Considering they are all apples, with the major difference being the long-term effect on a purchaser’s health, most people go for the cheaper option on the grounds that the effects on their health is long-term. Word count: 825 Words References ARIWA, E. (2014). Green technology applications for enterprise and academic innovation. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=752419. BUMPS, A.., TANSEY, J., HENRIQUEZ, B., & OKEREKE, C. (2014). Carbon Governance, Climate Change and Business Transformation. Routledge. Chichester, West Sussex, Eng, John Wiley. BURGER, S. (2003). Managing the forecasting function within the fast moving consumer goods industry. Mini study project (M.B.A.)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003. GATTORNA, J. (2001). Strategic supply chain alignment: best practice in supply chain management. Aldershot [u.a.], Gower. HÖFER, R. (2009). Sustainable solutions for modern economies. Cambridge, UK, RSC Publishing. HON, B. (2002). Design and manufacture for sustainable development: 27-28th June 2002 at the University of Liverpool, UK. Bury St. Edmunds [u.a.], Professional Engineering Publ. KERRY, J., & BUTLER, P. (2008). Smart packaging technologies for fast moving consumer goods. Chichester, West Sussex, Eng, John Wiley. http://www.123library.org/book_details/?id=23715. MEISTER, S. (2012). Brand communities for fast moving consumer goods an empirical study of members behavior and the economic relevance for the marketer. Wiesbaden, Springer Gabler. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-8349-4055-1. RÖCKLINSBERG, H., & SANDIN, P. (2013). The ethics of consumption: the citizen, the market and the law : EurSafe 2013, Uppsala, Sweden, 11-14 September 2013. Wageningen, Wageningen Academic Publishers. SHAH, J. (2009). Supply chain management: text and cases. Upper Saddle River, N.J., Pearson Education. 3. Discuss your learning experiences through the module, including your own knowledge and skills as well as team skills and capability development. To what extent have you achieved what you expected to learn from this unit? (500 words, 20%). This is a reflective piece – you can use “I” and “we”. The learning experience from this module has been completely dynamic. The module created a unique forum where key issues pertaining to management and entrepreneurship and their effect on sustainable development can be extensively discussed. The module created an educational environment where knowledge from different fields can be exchanged. For instance, learning that environmental issues do not only affect the operations of companies in the environmental sector but also the service industry was a new concept to me. This module has made me think differently of the environment since most economic factors ride on environmental factors hence sustainable development should be sensitized on to ensure the global economy’s growth does not jeopardize the quality of the environment and the society at large (Carpenter, Bauer and Erdogan, 2010, p.93). The group assignment given in this module also played a significant role in changing my perception of management and the role played by the environment in economic growth. The assignment boosted my analytical skills as we were required to analyze critically a company from GRI reports. This not only boosted my ability to maximize on search engines to find information but also my analytic prowess. The debates we had during our group analysis of Sanofi’s sustainable practices and operations enabled me to make predictions on the most probable challenges to sustainable development in future (Deneulin and Shahani, 2009, p.19). The module also instigated solution-oriented thoughts in me and my colleagues. Previously, management appeared as a practice of authority in the present but from the module my perception of management changed. I currently view management as an opportunity to provide solutions to problems now and in the future by analyzing current situations and making predictions on likely events in the future (Morden, 2004, p.82). It is also an opportunity to restore and maintain the quality of the environment to ensure natural resources and ecological services and products required for economic development are available now and in the future (Nussbaum, 2011, p.53). The method of delivery of this module boosted my learning capabilities, creativity, and self-efficacy. I am now confident enough to apply my competencies even in unfamiliar environments and situations. The practicality of the content taught in this module made me realize that knowledge and skills are not only acquired in the class environment but also in non-official forums outside the school environment (Pearce, Barbier and Markandya, 2000, p.33). From the group assignment, I learnt some of the most fundamental aspects of team dynamics. I exercised delegation of responsibilities which is a key component of management (Voigt, 2009, p.76). I also understood how to pool different opinions and integrate them into a single, terse and coherent statement. The accountability bestowed on me made me understand the pressure employees and subordinates feel when allocated a task. Some of the debates we had during the group project heated up and people became overly personal and emotional with their opinions. However, the issues that emerged during this exercise were solved accordingly. This boosted both my communication and conflict management skills. It also gave me relevant peers I can emulate since most of them were highly instrumental in solving some of the group’s problems (Voss, Bauknecht and Kemp, 2006, p.101). Word count 532 Words References CARPENTER, M. A., BAUER, T., & ERDOGAN, B. (2010). Principles of management. [Irvington, N. Y.], flatworld Knowledge. DENEULIN, S., & SHAHANI, L. (2009). An introduction to the human development and capability approach: freedom and agency. London, Earthscan. MORDEN, T. (2004). Principles of management. Aldershot [u.a.], Ashgate. NUSSBAUM, M. C. (2011). Creating capabilities: the human development approach. Cambridge, Mass, Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. PEARCE, D. W., BARBIER, E., & MARKANDYA, A. (2000). Sustainable development: economics and environment in the Third World. Aldershot, Hants, England, E. Elgar. VOIGT, C. (2009). Sustainable development as a principle of international law: resolving conflicts between climate measures and WTO law. Leiden, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. VOSS, J. P., BAUKNECHT, D., & KEMP, R. (2006). Reflexive Governance for Sustainable Development. Cheltenham, Edward Elgar Pub. http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=256792. Read More