Business Society and Environment: Evaluating SDGs Implementation

This essay explores the roles and benefits for corporate organizations and governments in implementing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It discusses how SDGs can enhance corporate security, resilience, and competitive advantage, opening new business opportunities and fostering s...Read More

Running Head: BUSINESS SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT
BUSINESS SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT
Name of the Student:
Name of University:
Author Note:

1BUSINESS SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT
Introduction
The sustainable development goals are entitled to safeguard the world from further
degradation and apocalypse due to the indiscriminate abuses to nature around the world. In the
recent times it becomes an important issue for the countries to step ahead in order to ensure the
safety and security of the world. In this regard, not only the environmental concerns are taking
into consideration but the social malice in terms of the poverty, peace and prosperity for all are
also incorporated into the global resolutions that the nations across the globe are trying to put
focus on under the guidance of United Nations (Nilsson, Griggs & Visbeck, 2016). As a matter
of fact, the Sustainable Development Goals were come into effect from January 2016 with the
purpose to make a world free from all the social malice and environmental problems (Le Blanc,
2015). The SDG framework is not only encapsulate into the global society building process but
also attached with the national development planning so that in both the macro and micro level
the strategy will get success. Therefore, the partnership of government, private sector and civil
society is required in order to achieve the goals profoundly. In this context, this essay is trying to
identify the role and benefits for each player due to the implementation of SDGs and intends to
evaluate the relevance and pragmatism behind the SDGs.
Role of the corporate organisations
There are some basic benefits that the organisations can get in order to implement
sustainable development goals all over the world. For an instance, Nam (2015) advocated that
corporate security and resilience can be established due to the extensive implementation of the
sustainable development goals. National policy making and interests are contributed a lot in
influencing the business orientation of the global business organisation. In respect to this, it can

2BUSINESS SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT
be argued that the business interests of the corporate houses are aligned with the purpose of the
sustainable development goals. The national sustainable framework incorporates the program in
its practice so that if the organisations also intend to get license to operate in a particular country
they can get it easily by assimilating the organisational purpose with the sustainable development
goals. On the other hand, Kolk (2016) articulated that competitive advantage for the business
organisation is also considered to be a major aspect in course of attaching their interests with the
sustainable development goals. It is essential for the big business houses to procure a sustainable
approach for establishing better brand image. Therefore, accompanying with the sustainable
development goals help those to maximise their business exposure internationally because most
of the nations are already initiated the program domestically.
Besides this, according to Baumgartner and Rauter (2017) the sustainable development
goals leads towards opening a great number of business opportunity for all the business
organisations. As per the report of Dyllick and Muff (2016) it can be stated that there are more
than $12 trillion in profit for the corporate business houses by 2030. Globalisation has made the
world open for all and a sense of liberalism transcended from the business world to the social
structure. As a result of that there are scope for huge demand in the labour market for food and
agriculture, health and wellbeing and energy and materials based on sustainable innovations. In
course of the discussion, Barkemeyer et al. (2014) opined that it is important for the
organisations to grab the opportunity as the people are keener to use sustainable products. In
association to this, Adomßent et al. (2014) stated that the estimated growth in sustainable product
demand will cross the barrier of $12 trillion within 2030. Therefore, it will be a smart move for
the private sectors to turn their gaze on producing sustainable products for sustainable future. On
the other hand, Kurucz et al. (2017) focused primarily on the healthcare industry where it was

3BUSINESS SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT
found that facilities for the underserved population had become a core trend in the practice of the
healthcare organisation. It has a close resemblance with the sustainable development goals that
manifested equal treatment and privileges for all. Furthermore, the technological advancement
also makes the healthcare service facility easier for people. With the remote patient monitoring
practice the healthcare organisations calculates a profit of more than $300 billion. In this regard,
the role of the healthcare organisations is also stapled with the motive to reduce illness to a great
extent. Therefore, putting emphasis on the sustainable development has been incorporated into
the framework of the organisation. New innovation and technology further make the situation
better for the patients with chronic diseases. As a result of that coping with the government
regulation is identified as a key factor for the development of the healthcare facilities robustly.
Moreover, from the research of Hajer et al. (2015) it can be derived that the assimilation
between private and public sectors makes a hospitable situation for the business organisations to
continue their market orientation profoundly. In other words, it can be stated that the
collaboration between the private and public sector also helps to build a rock-solid sustainable
framework. The public sectors as depended on the government therefore compel to follow the
government policy extensively. As most of the government are trying to introduce the
sustainable development goals so that it also affects the day to day activities of the public sectors
as well. Amidst of this, the private sectors are willing to merge with the public sectors due to a
number of reason. The most important factor is to enter into the foreign market effectively. As a
result of that those private sectors are bound to follow the sustainable programs planned by the
government. Therefore, Baumgartner and Rauter (2017) advocated that strong market incentives
are identified as one of the driving factors that helps the organisation to set more effectiveness in
the process of joint venture between the public and private companies. It is also seemed to be a

4BUSINESS SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT
tangible opportunity for the business environment that can foster more effectiveness in the
process of working for greater goods. As Nam (2015) claimed that more the organisations are
assimilated the more it will be effective for facilitating a better business environment for the
nation.
The government initiatives
The global Sustainable Development Goals are set by the governments of various
countries in United Nations. Therefore, it is essential for the governments to retain the objectives
of the SDGs effectively. In this context, Kurian (2017) articulated that with the advent of
globalisation, the activities of the national governments are also become dynamic and complex.
In this context, the focal point is on the government initiatives and plans to construct an
environment for the benefit of the nation as well as Earth. Moreover, the growing tensions in
economy, society and environment are created a justifiable role for the government in form of
taking initiatives in order to face the challenges and mitigate it effectively. As a matter of fact,
Voegtlin and Scherer (2017) pointed out that the world is fragmented into a number of nations.
Therefore, any kind of threat regarding the environment, economy and society will be under the
jurisdiction of the government. The government can formulate a number of regulatory
framework and policies that will be unitary and based on the principles of SDG. As a result of
that it will be helpful for the nation to set strategy effectively that will bolster the future of the
nation.
Based on this understanding, Sachs (2015) defined nation in a wider perspective. As per
the research it can be claimed that the nation is a fragmented part of the global hegemony.
Therefore, the governments are also the representative of a global power. Therefore, as a

5BUSINESS SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT
representative it is important for the government to play pivotal role in order to safeguard the
sustainable development goals. In response to the role of the government in maintain SDG
framework, Frantzeskaki, Wittmayer and Loorbach (2014) asserted that besides the government,
there were also the environmental organisations and activists who are playing responsible part in
course of developing sustainable development. However, the sustainable program requires
extensive capital investment. In this regard, the government are the most flexible authority to
invest such a huge amount of money. Biermann, Kanie and Kim (2017) argued that a huge
amount of money will be required to alter the existing malpractices with sustainable ones. In this
regard, the government initiatives are the best possible alternatives that can promote other non-
governmental agencies and encourage them to take necessary steps in order to facilitate a
sustainable environment. Furthermore, the government plays the role of guide to assist different
agencies to make proper plan for the sustainable development. Therefore, it can be argued that
the government is one of the key factors to implement the sustainable development goals
effectively.
Besides this, it is also essential for the sustainable development goal to get implemented
with the help of the government policies and programs. As per the research of Gil-Garcia, Zhang
and Puron-Cid (2016) it can be argued that the sustainable development goal requires appropriate
governance and coordination among different actors. In this regard, government is the most
effective part to facilitate effective measures in order to manifest policies and strict regulations to
safeguard the mechanism of the SDG program. On the contrary, Voß and Kemp (2015)
articulated about the role of the social and environmental organisations that created a lot of
exposure for the benefit of the sustainable development goals. Those non-governmental
organisations are also procure effective framework and strategies that are considered to be the

6BUSINESS SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT
same as government policies. However, incorporating the people or attracting the mass is not
presented in those policies. Avelino and Wittmayer (2016) opined that the policies of the non-
governmental organisations are not compelled the mass to follow it strictly. In response to this,
the government policies and decision making is more acceptable to the people as those policies
are legislated by the constitutional framework. In fact, the communication and interaction
between the government agencies are also flexible enough that creates a coordination in process
and pushes the common people to follow the policies intensely. For an instance, in case of the
Mexico, President Francisco Guzman noted that the most challenging part in implementing
sustainable development goals is related to the multi-sectorial coordination structure associated
with wide range of topics and cross-agency issues. As a result of that it has to be the government
initiative to take the initiative rather than the putting emphasis on the non-governmental forum.
Cultural differences are also associated with the success behind the sustainable
development goal framework that differs from region to region. As Sachs (2015) showed that
cultural differences is not restricted to the national spectrum, it encapsulates the local and
regional level diversities as well. This cultural diversity is also considered to be a pertinent part
in the success of Sustainable development goals. For an instance, Kurian (2017) mentioned that
the indigenous tribes practiced some measures that are violating the establishment of
sustainability in an nation. Those traditions and cultural taboos are highly unchangeable.
Therefore, it will take long time for the non-governmental organisations to convince the
indigenous people. However, in case of the government it becomes feasible and easier to deal
with cultural differences and also able to convince the people due to its acceptability over
cultural taboos. As a matter of fact, incorporating the stakeholders in the program of social
sustainability is identified as one of the major facet of government and in this regard a top-down

7BUSINESS SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT
approach has to be taken. For an instance, in Czech Republic, the government initiated a national
level sustainable development program that emphasises on building new partnership among
different stakeholders in the field of sustainable development. From that point of view, it can be
stated that the government plays a significant role in order to implement the sustainable
development goals effectively.
Responsibility of the civil society
The purpose of the global sustainable goals is not preparing a structure where the root of
its sustainable program fails to touch the bottom of the society. In other words, it can be asserted
that localisation of sustainable development is also important in order to bolster sustainability
top-down. The goal to reach the apex of sustainability within the deadline of 2030 is also
pertinent in this context. While evaluating the sustainable development program,
Tangcharoensathien, Mills and Palu (2015) pointed out the sustainable development goals are
not only incorporated the environmental plans but also encompasses social issues like the human
rights obligation, good governance, social justice and equality. It is vulnerable for the marginal
population to get the light of development. The universal goals are expected to create benchmark
of economic equality side by side the environmental goals through the poverty reduction
objectives. This dynamic agenda of the sustainability cannot be fulfilled by the government
entirely. The research of Jha (2016) claimed that it is impossible for the government to set some
measures in order to procure equality for all both economically and socially. The local level
obscurity of the government pushes the local bodies and people to take proper initiatives based
on the government policies. In this context, localisation has become an important aspect for the
organisation to penetrate into the regional sphere.

8BUSINESS SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT
According to Leal Filho et al. (2016) localisation can be defined in terms of
implementing and monitoring the strategies in local level but it aims to the global, national and
sub-national development targets. Focusing on the different mechanism, tools, innovation and
platform in relation to this local variation makes it more crucial and complex for the local level
organisations to play efficiently. In fact, the term localisation refers to the local implementation
of the new set of plans and monitoring it in a sub-national level (Annan-Diab & Molinari, 2017).
A holistic approach in reference to the civil society is always present in the context that provides
further boosts into the practice of localised sustainable development. Understanding the fathom
of complexities in the local level development program, there are multiple organisations that can
help the local government to achieve sustainability properly. for an instance, the traditional
leaders, religious organisations and the citizens are played significant role to safeguard the
effectiveness of the sustainable development goals.
Throughout the research of Bendell (2017) it can be seen that for revitalising the global
partnership for sustainable development it is essential to follow a spirit of global solidarity that
comprises international, national, sub-national and local actors. In fact, the local actors are the
most active ones as they have direct access to deal with the social and environmental issues like
poverty and environmental degradation. In this regard, multi-stakeholder initiatives and
partnerships between the government, business and civil society is required to shape the process
of achieving sustainability positively (Petschow, Rosenau & von Weizsäcker, 2017). Besides
this, it is imperative to understand the existence of knowledge, expertise, technology and
financial resources in the local level facilitate better cooperation and understanding between the
government and the civil society. Based on this understanding, it can be argued that the world
needs local initiatives as it requires global and national level interventions. The local initiatives

9BUSINESS SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT
helps the government to deal with the process of making effective sustainable development more
extensively and as a result of that it will be the key of success for achieving the target of
establishing sustainable development goals within 2030.
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it can be derived that there are three prominent aspects of
sustainable development goals are found. In this regard, the first aspect tries to identify the role
of the business organisation to follow the UN Declaration of Sustainable Development Goals
2030. The second aspect deals with the responsibility of the government in order to facilitate
better policy and structure for SDGs. Thirdly, the role of the civil society is also discussed that
plays a significant role in maintaining the SDG principles. Subsequently, a different approach is
also erected through the discussion. The role of the corporate organisation highlights the global
context of the sustainable development goals. On the other hand, the responsibility of the
countries is discussed in a national context. Furthermore, the importance of the civil society
defines the localisation of the goals. In addition to this, each of the aspects illustrates the
advantages and opportunities related to the SDG program that pave the way for an establishment
of future sustainability.

10BUSINESS SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT
Reference
Adomßent, M., Fischer, D., Godemann, J., Herzig, C., Otte, I., Rieckmann, M., & Timm, J.
(2014). Emerging areas in research on higher education for sustainable development–
management education, sustainable consumption and perspectives from Central and
Eastern Europe. Journal of Cleaner Production, 62, 1-7.
Annan-Diab, F., & Molinari, C. (2017). Interdisciplinarity: Practical approach to advancing
education for sustainability and for the Sustainable Development Goals. The International
Journal of Management Education, 15(2), 73-83.
Avelino, F., & Wittmayer, J. M. (2016). Shifting power relations in sustainability transitions:
a multi-actor perspective. Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning, 18(5), 628-649.
Barkemeyer, R., Holt, D., Preuss, L., & Tsang, S. (2014). What happened to the
‘development’in sustainable development? Business guidelines two decades after
Brundtland. Sustainable development, 22(1), 15-32.
Baumgartner, R. J., & Rauter, R. (2017). Strategic perspectives of corporate sustainability
management to develop a sustainable organization. Journal of Cleaner Production, 140,
81-92.
Bendell, J. (2017). Terms for endearment: Business, NGOs and sustainable development.
Routledge.
Biermann, F., Kanie, N., & Kim, R. E. (2017). Global governance by goal-setting: the novel
approach of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Current Opinion in Environmental
Sustainability, 26, 26-31.

11BUSINESS SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT
Dyllick, T., & Muff, K. (2016). Clarifying the meaning of sustainable business: Introducing a
typology from business-as-usual to true business sustainability. Organization &
Environment, 29(2), 156-174.
Frantzeskaki, N., Wittmayer, J., & Loorbach, D. (2014). The role of partnerships in
‘realising’urban sustainability in Rotterdam's City Ports Area, The Netherlands. Journal of
Cleaner Production, 65, 406-417.
Gil-Garcia, J. R., Zhang, J., & Puron-Cid, G. (2016). Conceptualizing smartness in
government: An integrative and multi-dimensional view. Government Information
Quarterly, 33(3), 524-534.
Hajer, M., Nilsson, M., Raworth, K., Bakker, P., Berkhout, F., De Boer, Y., ... & Kok, M.
(2015). Beyond cockpit-ism: Four insights to enhance the transformative potential of the
sustainable development goals. Sustainability, 7(2), 1651-1660.
Jha, A., Kickbusch, I., Taylor, P., & Abbasi, K. (2016). Accelerating achievement of the
sustainable development goals.
Kolk, A. (2016). The social responsibility of international business: From ethics and the
environment to CSR and sustainable development. Journal of World Business, 51(1), 23-
34.
Kurian, M. (2017). The water-energy-food nexus: trade-offs, thresholds and transdisciplinary
approaches to sustainable development. Environmental Science & Policy, 68, 97-106.
Kurucz, E. C., Colbert, B. A., Luedeke-Freund, F., Upward, A., & Willard, B. (2017).
Relational leadership for strategic sustainability: practices and capabilities to advance the

12BUSINESS SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT
design and assessment of sustainable business models. Journal of Cleaner
Production, 140, 189-204.
Le Blanc, D. (2015). Towards integration at last? The sustainable development goals as a
network of targets. Sustainable Development, 23(3), 176-187.
Leal Filho, W., Platje, J., Gerstlberger, W., Ciegis, R., Kääriä, J., Klavins, M., &
Kliucininkas, L. (2016). The role of governance in realising the transition towards
sustainable societies. Journal of Cleaner Production, 113, 755-766.
Nam, U. V. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable
development. Division for Sustainable Development Goals: New York, NY, USA.
Nilsson, M., Griggs, D., & Visbeck, M. (2016). Policy: map the interactions between
Sustainable Development Goals. Nature News, 534(7607), 320.
Petschow, U., Rosenau, J., & von Weizsäcker, E. U. (Eds.). (2017). Governance and
sustainability: New challenges for states, companies and civil society. Routledge.
Sachs, J. D. (2015). The age of sustainable development. Columbia University Press.
Tangcharoensathien, V., Mills, A., & Palu, T. (2015). Accelerating health equity: the key role
of universal health coverage in the Sustainable Development Goals. BMC medicine, 13(1),
101.
Voegtlin, C., & Scherer, A. G. (2017). Responsible innovation and the innovation of
responsibility: Governing sustainable development in a globalized world. Journal of
Business Ethics, 143(2), 227-243.

13BUSINESS SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT
Voß, J. P., & Kemp, R. (2015). Sustainability and reflexive governance: introduction.
Technische Universität Berlin.