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Sustainability in a business context
Sustainability in a business context
Corporate social responsibility and social change
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. The idea that they need to consider stakeholders’ expectations and be more responsible towards the resources they depend upon has been raising lately (Steurer et al., 2005). As so, the concept of sustainability and more precisely the one of sustainability management have been gaining weight. Sustainability management can be defined as the integration of sustainable practices within the business to achieve the Triple Bottom line objectives, enunciated by John Elkington. These objectives encompass environmental and social considerations on top of the single economic goal of adding economic value. Accordingly, the application of sustainable practises can help gaining more competitive advantages, and improve their corporate social responsibility …show more content…
We are then going to explore the contemporary view of corporate social responsibility considering two theories, the stakeholder theory and the Carroll’s 4 pars model of CSR. Finally, the foremost purpose of this essay will be to assess, why and how sustainability management can enhance CSR through different models such as the business case for sustainability, the cradle to cradle thing or tools like greener supply chains or life cycle …show more content…
If the firms conduct activities too close to the environment carrying capacity, they will never be sustainable. To relate that to the corporate sustainability idea, firms need to use efficiently their resources to product goods and services that will help satisfy human needs and improve their way of living, while at the same time preserving the earth’s carrying capacity throughout the production process (Steurer at al., 2005; Dyllick and Hockerts, 2002). This last idea can be linked to the resourced based view of sustainable management, in which firms use their different assets in a such way to produce more desirable and sustainable outcomes competitive advantage. This theory is based on firms having different resources, tangible, intangible and personnel-based ones, and capabilities (Russo and Fouts, 1997). These resources and capabilities need to be heterogeneous and valuable across firms. Firms earn rents from superior resources and to protect those rents, there should be competition limitations before and after. For the latter, the resources should be perfectly inimitable and imperfectly
Wheelen, T. L., & Hunger, J. D. (2010). In Concepts in Strategic Management and Business Policy Achieving Sustainability, Twelfth Edition. Pearson Education.
According to Marc J. Epstein (2008), to help understand what sustainability is in the context of corporate responsibility, [Epstein has] broken it down into nine principles.
...ion even more. We tend to shop for more products that we want because we are never contented on what we have. This results into an increase amount of electronic waste products that often end up in our landfills, or are being burned in incinerators, all to which are the cause of air, land, and water pollution.
This paper critically analyzes Nike company sustainability strategy. Every investor or a group of investors wishes to see the business profitable at the current time as well as having good prospects for future (Werbach, 2009). For this reason, business sustainability strategy is very important. A strategy is a plan that guides the company or a business firm towards a certain direction or set goals. Thus, sustainability strategy is an action plan that a company set in order to maintain the plan toward the achievement of company’s goals in future. Sustainability strategy puts into consideration aspects such as the source of raw materials, competition, human resource development, and sustainability, and the general business environment. Thus, in evaluating a business’ sustainability, it is important to consider the business planning in this direction (Heslin and Ochoa 2008)
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the way a corporation achieves a balance between its economic, social, and environmental responsibilities in its operations so as to address shareholder and other stakeholder expectations. In general, when firms hold this wider encouraging role on the public by being engaged with stakeholders, a variety of profit can be produced for both company and the stakeholders. A key inclination is the combination of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) into the organization strategy, culture, mission and communications. By incorporating corporate citizenship into the company it is no longer an additional “nice thing to do” or something made to obey laws or regulations. Instead, corporate responsibility has become something business leaders and workforce want to engage in, frequently because executives who believe in the long-term see business profit. The four types of social responsibilities a...
In recent years, companies are becoming socially responsible and now stakeholders almost expect a company to have CSR policies. Therefore, in twentieth century, corporate social responsibility (CSR) became an important development in public life (Barnett, ND).Corporate social responsibility is defined as “the ways in which an organisation exceeds the minimum obligations to stakeholders specified through regulation and corporate governance” (Johnson, Schools and Whittington, N.D cited in March, 2012). Stakeholders can be defined as “those individuals or groups who depend on the organisation to fulfil their own goals and on whom, in turn, the organisation depends” (Johnson, Schools and Whittington, N.D cited in March, 2012). There are many purposes for this essay, the first purpose is to descried the key principles of corporate social responsibility and explain their importance for stakeholders. Secondly, is to show how far this company follows those principles in order to be accountable to at least three of its stakeholders. In this essay, three stakeholders, environment, customers and employees will be evaluated respectively and the key principles of the stakeholders will be examined.
Data and statistics that will likely be collected and what exhibits or tables will be produced from this data
Stuart Hart, in a business article, discusses the tough task for companies to make a sustainable global ec...
When it comes to defining the meaning of “sustainability”, there are many different perspectives from different people. One may say “sustainability” relates to “going green”, and another may conclude that it refers to reducing negative effects to the environment. These thoughts are not wrong at all, but I personally think “sustainability” in a broader concept since it can relate to many things such as business sustainability, social sustainability, or even human sustainability. For me, “sustainability” is simply about developing and sustaining something in an efficient and harmless way. For instance, I think of “sustainable business” as the way a specific business maximizes its profits and revenues through an efficient operation without causing any negative externalities. This essay will focus on the major ideas of sustainability and sustainable business, the relationship between profitability goals and sustainable business, and how marketing can be involved in this topic.
Porter along with Mark Kramer. In this article, the authors emphasize on the importance of creating shared value on the strategic level of an organization vs corporate social responsibility which is viewed a separate moral obligation for the sake of company’s reputation and making profits. According to the authors, shared value must be embedded into the core value and strategy of business. What the authors of the article are implying is that awareness of social economic challenges is growing making them clearly visible. Businesses and their legitimacy are now viewed as part of the problem. CSR is considered as a scheme to make money and an area which is separate from its core business. Economists believe we should raise the bar and embed the concept of creating shared value on the core strategies of business. CSR activities are externally determined whereas, Creating Shared Value (CSV) activities are more company specific therefore understanding and legitimacy of value chain is needed for sustainability, for example the products and customers being served. CSR activities are limited to CSR budget whereas Creating Shared Value is mobilizing the entire budget of corporation to impact social issues. Creating Shared Value is a genuine way to restore the legitimacy of corporations as results are measured not just by profitability but by the social and economic value created. Companies who
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a very familiar term in today’s world. Most of the successful companies try to be ethical and socially responsible toward their stakeholders. Because becoming ethical and socially responsible gains a lot in terms of profit or capturing more market share (Aras and Crowther,2009). This socially responsible approach is paved by the CSR activities of the companies which has a great contribution to their corporate strategy of winning the customers’ mind. In this assignment, the pros and corn of CSR activities of a particular organization a...
A corporations CSR should be shaped in order to fit the goals of the corporation, although every corporation’s CSR should differ, since most have different goals and different communities behind them. The CSR should be molded into fitting the corporation’s goals in order to make it easier on the corporation in giving back to the community while achieving its goals. For example, a corporation located in a desert wishes to be more efficient, by reducing water usage it is not only creating lower costs, which result in higher revenue, but also helps the community by not taking up so much water. Taking this into consideration, it is critical that the corporation goals and values are established and clear throughout the corporation, they should be developed by the board or directors and CEO, and the highest managerial level should stress their importance to the rest of the corporation. By making the goals and values at the top branch of the corporate hierarchy, it will be simpler for the corporates community to develop in order to nurture those goals and values. Therefore, a corporation can reach the “shared-value,” a value for both its shareholders and community in a simpler manner that can result benefiting the corporation in the end as well. Throughout the article many examples are given of actual corporations that have benefited and changed their CSR in order to fit their goals, therefore, providing solid proof that these methods work. Nevertheless, as acknowledged by the author’s themselves, most of the corporations taken into consideration where one’s that Harvard CSR students were employed
In the current time of growth and progression, individuals should know that how a business not only flourish but sustain itself. Making profit is one of the main targets of every corporates but it must not be the only one. When an individual builds a company in order to do business, they should be well aware of their contribution towards the society as well as their business and employees in it. It is total strategy of all. We should be able to realize every increment contributes of it. One of the major factors that affect a business is how well it participates in Corporate Social Responsibility. According to (Werther & Chandler, 2006) corporate social responsibility (CSR) refers to a business practice that involves participating in initiatives that benefits the society. In authenticity, there is a whole lot to argue about it. There are no major guidelines that decides either a business is participating in Corporate Social Responsibility; what might be considered a Business practicing CSR to some, can still not be accepted for it by others. CSR may be restrained a term which his highly flexible. This paper will discuss about Corporate Social Responsibility and its
The sustainability of the ecosystems on which the global economy depends must be guaranteed. And the economic partners must be satisfied that the basis of exchange is equitable” (World). This quote demonstrates the complexities of sustainability. Another thing corporations should focus on when trying to be sustainable is their environmental impact.
Vora, M,K, (2013) "Business excellence through sustainable change management", The TQM Journal, Vol. 25 Iss: 6, pp.625 – 640, Emerald, [Accessed 31st January 2014]