Enhancing Community Programs for a Better World

The essay compares and contrasts Brambles and Blackmores, two companies with different approaches to delivering their products and services. Both companies have similar stakeholders, including board of directors, shareholders, employees, suppliers, and the community. Brambles' sustainability goals focus on improving the environment, education, food security, and supply chains, demonstrating its commitment to corporate social responsibility. The essay highlights the importance of managers in decision-making and suggests that companies setting SMART objectives increase their success. It also emphasizes the significance of understanding stakeholders and contributing factors to an organization's success.

Compare and Contrast Two Companies A30782
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Executive summary
In this contrast essay, we will examine and analyze and compare two companies namely
Blackmores and Brambles. The two companies’ mission and vision statement will be reviewed
and compared. Their objectives are also reviewed and analyzed to check if the SMART business
objectives are met. The company’s corporate social responsibility is reviewed in detail and we

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will get to understand how the two companies are participating in caring for the environment
when conducting their services for their own benefit, community’s benefit and future benefit as
well. The activities involved in the organizations such as giving back to the community are also
reviewed. The last section of this contrast essay is also slightly touching on the stakeholder’s
contributions towards making decisions in organizations and how these decisions contribute to
the success of an organization.

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Table of Contents
Executive summary.........................................................................................................................1
Companies’ Vision and Mission Statement.....................................................................................4
Values of the organizations.............................................................................................................4
Corporate Social Responsibility/Sustainability...............................................................................7
The Companies’ Stakeholders.........................................................................................................8
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................8
Bibliography..................................................................................................................................10

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Companies’ Vision and Mission Statement
Brambles, a supply chain logistics company, specialize in the pooling of unit-load equipment and
associated services (Brambles Company, 2016). It focuses on the outsourced management of
pallets, creates and containers. The company’s mission is “to be the world’s leading provider of
innovative business solutions in support services” (The KPI Institute Pty, 2009). This could be
achieved through their outsourcing expertise; adding exceptional value that appeals the
customer; creating a superior shareholder value through its people and their enterprising spirit.
On the other hand, Blackmores is a manufacturer and distributor of vitamins, minerals and
natural supplements (Blackmores, 2016a). Unlike brambles, the company is committed to
delivering natural healthcare products and services that meet the highest quality standards. To
comparing the two companies, Brambles is a logistics company while Blackmores is a healthcare
product company. However both companies are committed to delivering high quality services for
the benefit of the customer.
Values of the organizations
Values of an organization or corporate values are the operating principles guide the internal
conduct of an organization as well as its relationship to shareholders, partners and customers.
These core values are usually summarized in the company’s mission statement (Business
Dictionary, 2016). These values drive all organizations in the way they conduct their activities.
The list below includes the shared values of Brambles:
o All things begin with the customer
o They have a passion for success
o They are committed to safety, diversity, people and teamwork
o They believe in culture of innovation
o They act with integrity and respect for the community and the environment (Brambles,
2012).

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On the other hand, Blackmores has its values too which it refers to as PIRLS. These values are
both behavioral and aspirational. Legal policies and procedures also support them. The values
include
o Passion for natural health –the company’s believe in natural, holistic approach to heath
inspires its excellence in what it does
o Integrity –this involves their honest, trust and commitment to the highest standards of
personal, professional and business behavior.
o Respect –the company treats people with fairness, dignity and compassion and it also
adopts diversity.
o Leadership –wisdom, knowledge and experience are used to inspire and influence
everyone to be their best. This is achieved as a company, team or even at the individual
level.
o Social responsibility –the company’s actions demonstrate care, respect and compassions
for its clients, community and the environment (Blackmores, 2016b).
Both companies have both similarities and differences in their values. Among the similarities,
both companies are driven to deliver the best product and services to the customers, they both
respect the community and the environment and they also act in integrity and respect in
everything that they do. One major difference is that while Bramble’s passion is success,
Blackmore’s passion is that of natural health which consequently brings the company’s
excellence.
Business Objectives
An organization with aims knows what it wants to achieve. It is thus clear that businesses with
aims and objectives are likely to be more successful than those without. In an organization,
objectives can be set in all areas such as production, sales, finance and marketing and an
effective way to set these objectives is through SMART. This acronym means that the objectives
are smart, measurable, achievable, and realistic and are time scaled.

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In this section of the essay, we are going to examine some company objectives to see if they
meet the SMART objective. For instance we can Brambles objective of bettering their supply
chain. This particular objective meets the SMART test. One, the objective/goal is simple and
clear meaning we know what they want to achieve. The objective is also measurable because you
can measure progress. After implementing a certain change in the supply chain, you can measure
the progress if the chain becomes more efficient or less efficient. Bettering their supply chain is
also an achievable objective, it is also realistic. And in terms of time, the company can say that
we want to achieve this effectiveness of the supply chain over the next five years or so. Some
other objectives that meet the SMART objective are bettering their collaboration with customers
and suppliers, bettering their work place just to mention a few.
Just like brambles, Blackmores too has objectives that meet the SMART objectives test. For
instance, “to deliver natural healthcare products and services that meets the highest quality
standards. This objective is simple and clear. What exactly the company want to achieve is clear
in that objective. The objectives also measureable, for instance they can know if their products
have achieved high standards through receiving high quality awards. It is also achievable
because they can make their products as natural as possible and also improve the quality of the
products. The objective is also realistic because the company has what it takes from monetary
resources to expert staff. The factor of time can also apply because the company can say that
after some time we will have achieved this particular standard. Having discussed that, it is now
clear that both Brambles and Blackmores follow the SMART approach when setting their
objectives.
Both companies’ objectives are also believable and they add value to the quality of life of the
community. For instance, Blackmores claiming that its products are natural is something that we
can believe based on their products outcome and customer satisfaction. On the other hand,
brambles objectives such as bettering supply chains are believable and it’s also adds value
because it increases the effectiveness to which they deliver their services to customers.

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Corporate Social Responsibility/Sustainability
Corporate social responsibility is the activities that benefit the society conducted by an
organization (Caramela, 2016). This can range from giving away a portion of company’s
monetary values to charity to implementing greener business operations. Currently many
companies are practicing the following broad categories of social responsibility and Brambles
and Blackmores are not exceptional.
o Environmental efforts –many organizations are taking steps to try and reduce their
contribution to carbon emission which is beneficial to both the company and the society.
o Philanthropy –organizations donate to charities.
o Ethical labor practices –this involves treating employees ethically and fairly
o Volunteering –this is when a company does something without expecting something in
return (Caramela, 2016).
However, the long term goal of these corporate social responsibilities undertaken by any
organization is its sustainability. The likelihood of an organization being sustainable in future,
increases when it takes care of the environment as well as giving back to the society.
Blackmore’s environmental and social responsibility is based on the fact that its founder clearly
understood the link between healthy people and a healthy planet (Blackmores, 2016c). The
company believes that for the purpose of protecting the planet for future generations, it must
address the issues of environmentally sustainable practices. These are the practices related to all
aspects of their business. For instance, Blackmores uses glass as its preferred container because
of its contents protection and recyclability. Their quality team also ensures that the composition
of their packaging material is free from toxic chemicals (Blackmores, 2016c). Although
Blackmores insists on using high quality ingredients, they never let it those ingredients destroy
the environment. They also have sustainable partnerships such as partnering with WWF, Marine
Stewardship Council to ensure quality control over the supply chain.
Blackmores also gives back to the community and this is done through helping to create a
brighter future. For instance, the company supports some charitable and community
organizations such as Cancer Council, Cure Brain Cancer Foundation, Exodus foundation just to

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mention a few. They also support fundraising and awareness activities with financial
contributions. The company also has an employee charitable scheme where each participating
employee has deducted some cash which is later donated to charity. Having discussed that, it is
now clear that the organization is participating well enough in its social responsibility and its
actions are sustainable enough.
On the other hand, brambles social corporate responsibility is also not left behind. The
company’s sustainability goals are divided into three categories. The categories are: better
communities, better planet and better business. The three categories are further subdivided into
sub-categories. For better planet their 2020 goal is to have Zero deforestation, zero emissions and
zero waste. For better communities, their vision 2020 is to contribute 0.7% of pre-tax profits to
better community programs. These donations will help improve the environment, help education,
help food security to the communities among others. For making their business better, their
sustainability goals have better supply chains which check on the environment, better
collaboration with customers and suppliers, and making a better work place. Just like
Blackmores, all these goals combined show that brambles are playing its part in the corporate
social responsibility and its goals are sustainable for a better company and a better world in terms
of environment.
The Companies’ Stakeholders
Stakeholders are person(s) or group of people or even an organization that has an interest of
concern in an organization (Business dictionary, 2016b). Brambles stakeholders include: 10
board of directors, shareholders, employees, suppliers and the community. On the other side
Blackmores’s stakeholders include: board of directors, suppliers, employees and the community.
All these stakeholders in both companies have their opinion when it comes to some actions taken
by the companies.
Conclusion
Having compared and contrasted both companies at different levels, it is now clear that many
companies have different approaches to delivering their products and services. We have also

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understood that companies have their similarities too based on the actions they take. This essay
has also helped to enhance my research and analytical skills. It is also clear that managers play a
big role in decision making of any organization and the organisation's success depends on them
as well as key stakeholders. This essay has also helped me realize that companies which set their
objectives following the SMART objectives approach increase their success as opposed to
companies that do not follow the same approach. Generally, the contrast essay has helped me
understand some several key things that contribute to the success and sustainability of any
organization.

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Bibliography
Blackmores, 2016a. About us. Available at: <https://www.blackmores.com.au/about-us>
[Accessed 6 December 2016].
Blackmores, 2016b. Corporate values & employee benefits. Available at:
<https://www.blackmores.com.au/about-us/company-information/corporate-values-and-
employee-benefits> [Accessed 6 December 2016].
Blackmores, 2016c. Available at: <https://www.blackmores.com.au/about-us/company-
information/environmental-social-responsibility> [Accessed 6 December 2016].
Brambles, 2012. Mission & values. Available at:
<http://www.brambles.com/Content/cms/pdf/legacy/PDF/People_and_Careers/Brambles
%20Mission%20and%20Values.pdf> [Accessed 6 December 2016].
Brambles, 2015. 2015 sustainability review. Available at:
<http://www.brambles.com/Content/cms/pdf/legacy/PDF/Sustainability/
2015_Sustainability_Review.pdf> [Accessed 6 December 2016].
Brambles Company, 2016. Brambles Corporate Site. Available at:
<http://www.brambles.com/company> [Accessed 6 December 2016].
Brambles company, 2016. Better business goals. Brambles Corporate Site. Available at:
<http://www.brambles.com/sustainability-goals-better-business#section-span-classlevel-
1better-supply-chainsspan-3750> [Accessed 6 December 2016].
Business Dictionery, 2016. What are corporate values? Definition and meaning.
BusinessDictionary.com Available at:
<http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/corporate-values.html> [Accessed 6
December 2016].
Caramela, S., 2016. What is Corporate Social Responsibility? Available at:
<http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/4679-corporate-social-responsibility.html>
[Accessed 6 December 2016].
The KPI Institute Pty, 2009. Brambles mission statement. Available at:
<http://www.purposefulidentity.com/values-mission-value-drivers-vision/mission-
statement-2011/Brambles-any-industry-294.html> [Accessed 6 December 2016].

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