Green Management Matters - Case Study Example

Green Management Matters Introduction The concept of management of the environment is one that is of great importance to every society. This concept has just only recently become a formal issue in most institutions but it is catching up fast (Florino, 2006). There is a need to conserve the environment by using and reusing resources wisely.  The green environment needs to be protected from toxins that are released into the environment and this is only possible if everyone makes deliberate efforts to ensure that water, air, energy, minerals and all the other resources that are used by man are used well and that they are recycled before they can be released to the environment. In addition, organizations and corporate have to take up this responsibility and make deliberate efforts towards managing the green environment (Gladwin, 1993). In this way, it will be easy to manage the rates of pollution and ultimately the management of the green environment. Summary of the article The article draws the relationship between Economy, the society and economy, and tries to show how each is dependent on the environment. The article draws the parallel between work issues and the management of the environment. The environment and especially the green environment need to be protected. Companies and institutions need to put up measures to ensure the management of the green environment. This is only possible if they   ensure that the waste that is emitted to the environment is not harmful through putting up measures to treat the wastes emitted by them before they are released back to the society. In today’s world, it is not possible to ignore the gravity of issues to do with green environment management. Green environment management has become an issue that every organization has had to contend with. The managers in the various institutions have to come up with strategies to deal with the management of the green management. They have to ensure that the resources are used well and that they are responsibly taken care of especially when disposing off. Resources that are limited such as air, water, energy, minerals should be available in final product available to consumers. The management of the green environment should therefore be a collective responsibility for it to succeed. Main environmental management concepts For sustainable development, green environmental managements of high importance and in this regard measures have to be adopted (Ellington, 2006).  This adoption of various measures has lead to the coming up with many management concepts and ideas to deal with the emerging issues. Such matters as shortages of water, disease, drought, education, human rights, and the inadequacy in the food supplies have to be addressed. However, some of these issues are not directly related to the management of the environment it is still important to address them to be able to deal with environmental issues (Marcus, 2005). To ensure a healthy and  more productive workforce the managers have to first put in place measures to ensure that the green environment is managed well and that this management is sustainable. It is more and more apparent today that the economy, the environment for the society to exist all they depend on the society for its survival. The environment in this regard is the vital area that is most depended upon by the two.  This means that the management of the green matter is inevitable to every player in the society (Gladwin, 1993). Institutions and organization affect the environment through the depletion of resources such as air, water, land leading to their scarcity (Marcus, 2005). Socially the organizations actions that affect the environment also affect the society. The society is affected in terms of the   workforce, supply of inputs, customers and even the other players who may also be dependent on the business. If the society is affected then the running of the affairs of the organizations may come to stagnation. The society is a vital and indispensable aspect of the organization. The economy of the organizations being the major reason they exist anthem first place has to be kept in check. The management of the green environment should not be seen as, merely an expense. It is rather a necessary activity as well as an investment because it means that there will be an environment with which to work in future (Ellington, 2006). There should be a relationship that works harmoniously between the social, the economic and the environmental aspects. The coming up of green management matters has led to the creation of organizations that are able to produce better and cheaper products without necessarily compromising the environment through pollution (Gladwin, 1993). In this regard, the management of the environment is seen as one that encourages creativity and innovativeness. There are deliberate efforts to come up with production activities that use the fewest natural resources but at the same time getting the economic value from the products (Florino, 2006). This will ensure that the natural resources are well utilized and that they are protected from depletion; this in essence is an unsustainable way of managing resources. There are companies that have adopted the policy of producing products that are harmless to the society and even production processes that ensure minimal or no pollution. Many organizations have stopped resisting the issues of management of the environment and have adopted the m in their production processes. These organizations are today incorporating these issues at the sometime maximizing making of profits (Marcus, 2005). However, the adoption of these new measures of managing the green environment has led to the production of new products encounter resistance from the consumers. The new products are aimed at minimizing pollution on the environment. The production of these new items requires high priced inputs, which reflect on the pricing of these goods (Ellington, 2006).  These goods being more expansive despite their good intentions are faced with stiff competition from the other low priced goods. This leads to a derail in the efforts to manage pollution of the environment. The idea of the use environmentally friendly productions is  also met with problems such as in the production of the electric car was also met with its shortcomings in terms of the pricing as well as the fact that it could not go for long distances without requiring a recharge (Gladwin, 1993). This has on the other side led to the coming up of organizations specializing in the production of better batteries. This in the near future might be the best way to combat the emission of carbon fumes into the air by vehicles Although it may take some time before it becomes a reality it  will be  huge step towards ensuring that the environment is well managed and green house effects are counteracted effectively. Due to the gravity of issues to do with the management of the environment, rules have been made and imposed on corporate. These rules provide the guidelines on waste disposal and the regulation of the use of scarce resources (Florino, 2006).  Resources such as trees are easy to deplete in a short time yet they take years before they can grow. Thus, their use has to be closely monitored to avoid destruction of the forest and the consequent destruction of undergrowths leads to the desertification and soil erosion of once very productive areas agriculturally (Gladwin, 1993). The environment once it has been affected by the lack of trees can taken many years if it is to be restored. The incorporating of environmental issues in the learning institutions also a welcome step towards achieving better environment. The children are taught about the importance of taking care of their environment while they are still young. This is a good way of ensuring that they grow into responsible adults who will take care of the environment because they are aware of its importance to their survival. Organizations have also ventured in the creation of awareness in the people be it the consumers or their own employees. The employees are gives training on good environmental management practices (Gladwin, 1993). Some organizations have even established practices such tree planting and have even started up company forest. This is a good demonstration of how well they value their environment it is also away of giving back to nature. Products that have to be recycled are also bearing the mark that shows one that they have to be. This serves as a reminder and it is an effective way to encourage the re use of these materials. Proper disposal of environmentally harmful products are also an important aspect for all organizations to ensure (Ellington, 2006). To do this most organizations indicate detailed instructions on the brand so that the user is aware that it is harmful o the environment and the proper way to dispose them off The coming up of rules that impose fines on organizations that produce harmful products to the environment is also a major step in ensuring better environments (Marcus, 2005). The companies that initially would produce thee harmful products have a choice to either terminate their services or engage in safer production processes. Organizations in today’s world are adopting measures that ensure that the recycle and reusing of their waste products (Florino, 2006). Initially it used to be left to the environment for the wastes to be use them up and absorb all the wastes but the organizations are today taking it upon themselves to be the ones to ensure that the final waste that is being released to the environment has been reused and have the least amount of toxins as possible. This is an effective way of ensuring the proper utilization of resources rather than depleting the already diminishing resources. Some organizations have had to cease their operations and to adopt new lines of business. These are mostly those that have been involved in the production of environmentally harmful products or those that cause the emission of harmful gases and are involved in activities that cause irrevocable damages to the environment (Ellington, 2006). The discontinuation of these organizations’ activities has great impacts positively on the environment. Because a stop has been put to their harmful activities that would have otherwise have had destructive effects on the planet. Organizations are today encouraged to view the environmental protection as one way to give back to nature. This could also be viewed as one way of gaining a competitive edge because the use of environmental friendly products is more appealing to the consumer. However, this could have its downside if the consumers use the green products and are not satisfied or if they arte a bit more expensive (Florino, 2006). There is also the fact that many consumers have brand loyalty and the sudden change to use of green products may not be possible. This therefore proves to be a slow process that requires time (Gladwin, 1993). Managers in the firms that embrace the production of green products are to take the decision and the consequences the same way they would take any other financial risk. This is a risk that is inevitable if the rate of carbon and other harmful toxins is to be kept in check (Hart, 1995). Regardless of whether green production pays off it is still a matter of great importance (Marcus, 2009). The conservation of the environment is eve greater than the creation of wealthy and in the productive activities; the management of the various institutions has to bear this in mind. It is not the maximizing of profit margins that is of the greatest importance, it is rather the making sure that the environment is a much safer place (Ellington, 2006). This should here fore be the prime goal of any institution that despite the fact that they are there to make profits they are also there to incorporate that with the management of their environment. The role of the government of how cooperates manage their wastes and how well they use the scarce resources is of vital importance (Florino, 2006). The government is involved in regulation of these practices through the creation of rules to govern these practiced. The government also has the responsibility of revoking of licenses from the practitioners of harmful waste production and pollution. If the government plays its role, well it is bound to make organizations more responsible and the society more aware of the importance of environmental protection (Ellington, 2006). The government though involved in making of policies and punishing of wrong doers in society should create avenues for agreement, which are not imposed. For instance the use of joint research and other forms of cooperation with the people. This exerts an influence on managers and they are influenced into making policies that affect the environment in appositive yet effective way. Conclusion It is apparent that the issues about the management of the environment have to be addressed now. It is not a matter of whether they are going to be addressed it is rather a matter of how they are to be addressed. The organizations that want to have a future in the economic world have no option other than that of taking up the management of the environment and incorporating that into their business. They are urged to devise ways to adopt and if the protection of the environments is not a concern, they are to stop and probably engage in new lines of production that will be more environmental friendly. The creation of a sustainable environment should be central to any nation and all its activities whether business or otherwise should be geared towards it. The environment is something that everybody needs and hence everybody the managers, the employees to the consumers should ensure that the environment is protected from harm. The destruction of the environment may only be a short process but its restoration takes years and many funds. With this in mind, a lot of care should be taken to ensure that it is not destroyed. Corporate are also urged to devote a significant section of their budgets in the management of the disposal of the wastes produced by their companies because the wasters from companies, factories and industries are the greatest pollutants and yet companies have for a long time have long not been interested in this area of their production. They are urged to ensure that the wastes that are finally released have been recycled and that they pose little or no danger to the environment. References Ellington, L. (2006). Towards the sustainable corporation. California Management Review, 362, pp. 90-100. Florino, DJ. (2006). The Dynamic Relationship between firm capabilities regulatory policies and corporate responsibility. Minnesota: University of Minnesota. Gladwin, T. (1993). The Meaning of Greening: A plea for organizational theory. Washington DC: Island Press. Hart, SL. (1995). A natural resource based view of the firm. New York: London. Marcus, A. (2005). Research in Strategic Environmental Management. London: Edward Elgar. Marcus, A. (2009). Strategic Direction and Management. London: Palgrave Macmillan. Read More