Sustainable Supplier Selection and Innovation

This assignment focuses on sustainable supplier selection using a fuzzy inference system ranking model. It delves into the importance of selecting suppliers who prioritize environmental and social responsibility, alongside their ability to contribute to innovation. The assignment requires an in-depth understanding of concepts like corporate social responsibility (CSR), information technology's impact on business strategy, and the role of creativity in driving product innovation.

Running head: BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
Business Environment
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note

1
BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
Table of Content
1. Brief Summary of the core article:..............................................................................................2
2. Four key questions identified from article:..................................................................................4
3. Literature based on four key questions:.......................................................................................4
Reference List:.................................................................................................................................8

2
BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
1. Brief Summary of the core article:
This very specific article established by John Gapper has depicted an in-depth overview
on how the international brands like Apple, Amazon has taken numerous initiatives in launching
their event in Apple Park for maintaining flexible work environment among the employees. In
this specific article, the author has portrayed that professionals should not follow similar way of
workflow within the organization. As per the point of view of this author, employees should
move at the work floor instead of being stick to a certain place. Otherwise, they would not be
able to gain energy in rendering innovation within the services. The article portrays that Apple
park is constituted with $US5 billion of campus surrounded with 12,000 staffs with a vast
circular building. The entire campus is endowed with oaks and fruit trees embalmed with US
technology. The primary purpose of rendering this kind of innovative design within the work
environment is to motivate the employees towards services. As a result, the brand would be able
to sustain in the market.
On the other hand, Amazon has planned to establish $US5 billion campuses as their
second largest head office. The primary objective of the business authority of this very specific
brand is to provide an agile work environment within the organization so that employees can
maintain a friendly work environment at the workplace. It is undeniable that the success of a
specific business organization is highly dependent on the performance level of the employees.
People belonging to various geographical backgrounds and attitudes are associated within the
service process (Ngo and O'cass 2013). Therefore, the role of a responsible business manager is
to provide a flexible work environment to the employees so that they do not have to face
difficulties in being accustomed with business environment. Therefore, the business experts of

3
BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
Amazon have decided to redesign their offices so that employees can feel free in providing the
services.
On the other hand, Nvidia has built two-storey office with huge space and innovative designs in
order to motivate the employees towards services. The place of work has been selected in such a
way that employees do not have to struggle in availing the place. Professionals have to
concentrate on delivering the high quality of services to the customers for maintaining
organizational glory (Popovič et al. 2012). Imposing the burden of work on their mind may not
be the best solution in getting good performances from the employees.
This very specific article has portrayed an in-depth analysis on how designing the work
location and agile work environment leaves a major contribution in enhancing the performance
level of the employees. As per this article, a study by Leesman found that many employees tend
to stick to their familiar habits while the organization runs behind only productivity and
performance. Employees should be given a flexible and comfortable work environment based on
which they can communicate with the others and exchange their thoughts and ideas. The
organization can allocate locker to every single employee so that staffs can keep their
confidential document within floor (Saleem 2017). Employees should have the flexibility of
communicating with every single members of workplace effectively. Language barrier should
not come among the employees.
As per their cultural and psychological flexibility, employees can make their sitting
arrangements as well. The productivity of the organization would be rendered automatically.
Employees would not have to put any additional effort in rendering good performances from the
employees. It is not necessary that not every single professional would have to work in a similar

4
BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
way. Some of the job profiles require a constant moving in order to energize the employees
towards reaching the business goal. This very specific article primarily focuses to point out the
significance of maintaining work flexibility and innovative design at the workplace. Employees
as a result, would be able to deal with the customers in ways that are more effective. With the
emergence of technology the expectation level of the customers are increasing day by day. The
employees should be accustomed with the changing process of technology in order to maintain
balance between supply and demands (Vischer 2012). However, the author has pointed out that
an effective environment with the help of advanced technology is highly needed for retaining
brand image and reputation in the competitive market.
2. Four key questions identified from article:
From this very specific article, the four key questions that have been identified are as
follows:
 What is the impact of enhancing business infrastructure in rending growth in the global
market?
 What is the significance of effective work environment at the workplace?
 What is the role of business authority in maintaining agile work culture within the
organization?
 How advanced technology leaves major impact in rendering business growth?
3. Literature based on four key questions:
The first question that has been identified from the core article includes the impact of
enhancing business infrastructure in rending growth in the global market. The article described in

5
BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
Infrastructure for development: meeting the challenge by Bhattacharya, Romani and Stern
(2012) implies that business experts should develop the infrastructure in order to grab the
attention of global customers. As emphasized by Keramati and Salehi (2013), the employees
tend to show their interest in sustaining within the organization only when they get benefits and
flexibilities. Enhancing the level of organizational infrastructure in highly significant based on
which business experts can fulfill the needs and demands of both employees as well as
customers.
The author in this very specific article has pointed out that organizations should maintain
huge workspace based on which employees would be able to move comfortably. Concentrating
on work by sitting at particular workplace is not the effective way of rendering organizational
productivity. In addition, the managers in quest of giving flexible work environment should
focus on enhancing the infrastructure of the organization. As a result, employees would be able
to get immense motivation in performing well towards the services. At the same time, the article
has also focused to highlight the fact that economic strength is one of the most significant factors
based on which the infrastructure of an organization is highly dependent. Davila, Epstein and
Shelton (2012) stated that the business experts can never be able to enhance their infrastructure if
they have economic constraints. This specific question has focused to make an in-depth
evaluation about the impact of enhancing business infrastructure in rending growth in the global
market. After collecting various opinions of different eminent scholars it can be pointed out that
infrastructure is one of the most specific factors based on which the organization is able to
expand their entire business process beyond going the regional market.
The second question that has been identified from the core article includes the impact of
enhancing business infrastructure in rending growth in the global market. In this specific article,

6
BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
“The Impact of a Creativity
‐supporting Work Environment on a Firm's Product Innovation
Performance”, published by Dul and Ceylan (2014), the author has stated that organizations
need to maintain supporting work environment while providing services. People of various
geographical backgrounds and attitudes are associated within the services. Therefore, employees
should have a proper interactive approach towards each other so that they can get the scope of
exchanging thoughts and views. Costa and Menichini (2013) stated that implementation of
participative form of leadership style at the workplace is one of the most effective ways of
getting good performances from the employees. Before taking a managerial decision managers
should involve the opinion of employees as well. As a result, both the employees as well as
employers can equally participate within the services. The managers do not like to impose their
own decision on the employees. However, this very specific study the author has portrayed that
an effective work environment is highly important based on which employees can show their
level of interest in giving their best effort. In the core article, it has been observed that Apple has
explored their campus in Cupertino by involving 1200 staffs with a vast circular building in
order to render an effective work environment.
The third question identified from the core article includes the role of business authority
in maintaining agile work culture within the organization. The author in this very specific article,
“The role of emotional intelligence on workforce agility in the workplace” published by Hosein
(2012) has stated that employees would have to be flexible at the workplace. Business managers
should not render their own decision on the employees while providing services. They can make
their own sitting arrangement. As a result, employees can share their views and ideas with whom
they are comfortable (Costa and Menichini 2013). In the core article, it has been observed that
providing desk locker to the employees is one of the most effective ways of motivating

7
BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
employees towards services. Workers should not restrict themselves in one specific corner of
work floor. Epstein and Buhovac (2014) opined that they should move around for rendering new
energy and vive towards the services. Tsai et al. (2012) stated that Apple has enhanced their
business wings in Cupertino with parks and greenery for rendering a motivation for the
employees. The author has suggested that employees should maintain an effective
communication at the workplace so that they can share necessary information to each other.
The forth question that is identified from the core article includes the importance of advanced
technology in rendering business growth. The author in this very article “Information
technology and business-level strategy: Toward an integrated theoretical perspective”,
published by Drnevich and Croson (2013), has stated that information technology leaves a major
impact in achieving the success of business. As per the point of view of this scholar, employees
should have familiarity with the advancement of technology. In order to render organizational
productivity employees should render technology innovation based on which employees become
successful in giving services within stipulated time. However, in the core article it has been
observed that Apple while rendering iPhone X has focused to use US technology so that
customers tend to show their interest in purchasing products. At the same time, employees are
able to provide effective services within time. As emphasized by Amindoust et al. (2012),
customers do not have to wait for a long time while using the services. The impact of
information technology along with flexible workspace is highly undeniable for rendering market
demand in the global market of business environment.

8
BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
Reference List:
Amindoust, A., Ahmed, S., Saghafinia, A. and Bahreininejad, A., 2012. Sustainable supplier
selection: A ranking model based on fuzzy inference system. Applied Soft Computing, 12(6),
pp.1668-1677.
Bhattacharya, A., Romani, M. and Stern, N., 2012, May. Infrastructure for development: meeting
the challenge. In Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy, Londres. www. cccep. ac.
uk/Publications/Policy/docs/PP-infrastructure-for-development-meeting-the-challenge. pdf.
Consultado el(Vol. 15).
Costa, R. and Menichini, T., 2013. A multidimensional approach for CSR assessment: The
importance of the stakeholder perception. Expert Systems with Applications, 40(1), pp.150-161.
Davila, T., Epstein, M. and Shelton, R., 2012. Making innovation work: How to manage it,
measure it, and profit from it. FT press.
Drnevich, P.L. and Croson, D.C., 2013. Information technology and business-level strategy:
Toward an integrated theoretical perspective. Mis Quarterly, 37(2).
Dul, J. and Ceylan, C., 2014. The Impact of a Creativity‐supporting Work Environment on a
Firm's Product Innovation Performance. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 31(6),
pp.1254-1267.
Epstein, M.J. and Buhovac, A.R., 2014. Making sustainability work: Best practices in managing
and measuring corporate social, environmental, and economic impacts. Berrett-Koehler
Publishers.

9
BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
Hosein, Z.Z., 2012. The role of emotional intelligence on workforce agility in the
workplace. International Journal of Psychological Studies, 4(3), p.48.
Keramati, A. and Salehi, M., 2013. Website success comparison in the context of e-recruitment:
An analytic network process (ANP) approach. Applied Soft Computing, 13(1), pp.173-180.
Ngo, L.V. and O'cass, A., 2013. Innovation and business success: The mediating role of
customer participation. Journal of Business Research, 66(8), pp.1134-1142.
Popovič, A., Hackney, R., Coelho, P.S. and Jaklič, J., 2012. Towards business intelligence
systems success: Effects of maturity and culture on analytical decision making. Decision Support
Systems, 54(1), pp.729-739.
Saleem, M.A., 2017. The impact of socio-economic factors on small business
success. Geografia-Malaysian Journal of Society and Space, 8(1).
Tsai, W.H., Lee, P.L., Shen, Y.S. and Lin, H.L., 2012. A comprehensive study of the relationship
between enterprise resource planning selection criteria and enterprise resource planning system
success. Information & Management, 49(1), pp.36-46.
Vischer, J.C., 2012. Workspace strategies: Environment as a tool for work. Springer Science &
Business Media.