Reflective Journal: Business, Society, and the Planet - Sustainability

This reflective journal explores the concept of sustainable business, emphasizing the interconnectedness of business, society, and the environment. The author reflects on the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and ethical business practices, drawing insights from lectures and real-world examples, including the Annie Leonard story. The journal discusses the three pillars of sustainability: business, society, and the environment, highlighting the impact of human activities on the planet and the need for businesses to adopt sustainable strategies. It covers various forms of capital used by businesses (financial, human, intellectual, natural, manufactured, and social) and the challenges of enhancing these capitals. The author reflects on the evolution of their understanding of sustainability, from focusing on financial capital to recognizing the importance of natural and environmental capital. The journal also touches upon the six phases of sustainable organizations and the characteristics that sustainable organizations possess, including the significance of CSR activities and their impact on society. The author also researched about sustainable businesses. The journal concludes with a call to action, emphasizing the role of individual efforts in driving sustainability.

RUNNING HEAD: BUSINESS SOCIETY AND THE PLANET
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Reflective Journal- Sustainable Business

Business, Society and the planet
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Reflective Journal: Sustainable Business
Sustainability is defined as the meeting the requirements of people at present with limited
resources and taking care of future generation so that they meet their necessities in future
(Moscardo, Lamberton, Wells & Rowe,2013). In my opinion, sustainability is based on three
pillars that are business, society and environment. I felt that nowadays, human messed up with
each and everything so badly that sooner or later this impact badly on our lives. Here comes the
role of sustainable businesses and corporate social responsibility so that the human mess can be
balanced and equated. The concept of sustainability and ethical business practices learnt from
first two lecturers of this course.
As per my experience and choice, I found the Annie Leonard’s story confronting to the
current challenging situation. This story hits to my visual learning preferences and after that I
had discovered the story of change. All these examples and stories were good for mind to make
him understand the importance of environment and society as whole. It was attracting for me
because these directly connect me to the real world. These lectures pushed me to thought and
take action as an individual behavior is shaped by upbringing, experiences, education,
relationships, thoughts and culture within the room. However, no action of mine can change the
business activities and action of people that impacting on lives of others negatively. On the other
side, I observed during lecturers that students are confused about the term quality of life. As
people like me think that quality of life can only be attained through these activities and
resources. Benn, Edwards & Williams (2014), defined quality of life as a broad term that
includes subjective evaluation of both negative and positive aspects of life and an idea of good
life. My reflection from these lecturers are that all these concepts and theories helped me to
realize that quality of life and good life can be achieved with minimum resources and there is
need to reduce the impact of human activities and business activities in order to sustain human in
this planet.
However, if I see to the real world scenario, people are destructing species and
environment in order to gain good life and to strive for quality of life. There is a connection
between money and business and internal happiness of people that is directly or indirectly
harming the society, and the environment. I learnt from lecturers that the financial resources are

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not only capital use by businesses rather six forms of capital are used that are; human capital,
intellectual capital, natural capital, financial capital, manufactured capital and social capital. All
these forms of capital equally contribute in order to make any business successful. These
capitals of business are maintained and enhanced using CSR activities, as this is proved from
various business examples. I understood few concepts from lecturers that it is more difficult to
enhance and deplete human, natural and social capital as compare to financial capital and
manufactured capital; and to improve all these capitals at once is quite a difficult situation
(Belbin,2013).
I learnt few more concepts in recent weeks and feel grateful that I had privilege to
understand the practical application of business sustainability theories as these are helpful in real
business world and can be applicable in different fields and business regions. I experienced and
observed of the business practices that helped me to understand that the most important capitals
that need to be enhanced are natural or environmental capital, most of businesses take into
consideration the concept of sustainability in their strategies and business plans that make them
successful and sustainable organization. The reading and content of past few weeks resounded in
my mind. Previously, I believed that finances and money is the most important capital that
businesses use in order to sustain. However, this course helps me out to think deeper into to seek
the truth and to gain knowledge about sustainability beyond paper. In order to do so I checked all
businesses whether small or big or regional and for that I took two aspects that were CSR and
sustainability of businesses.
This knowledge and understanding make me wonder from where the concept of corporate
social responsibility starts and ends. All this make me think which businesses apply CSR
practices and theories and how big or small organization adopted the concept of CSR and which
businesses have greater impact and how this link to the sustainable organization. All these
questions were answered in lecturers from which I learnt six phases of sustainable organizations.
According to Dunphy (2003), six approaches of sustainable organizations starts from rejection,
non-responsiveness, compliance, efficiency, strategic proactivity and last is the sustainable
organization. I understood that organizations focus on CSR and follow these steps than only
they considered as sustainable organizations. The businesses that not met and fulfill basic
requirements at the beginning are non-sustainable and after that they start to shift to sustainable

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procurement in terms of financial capital, human capital and natural capital. Than businesses
become more sustainable by focusing on supply chain and by complying to laws and regulation
this ensures efficiency, proactive steps in businesses and at last this become sustainable
organizations.
From these lecturers I get to know about the characteristics that sustainable organization
possess. I can that this module and course work help me out to differentiate between sustainable
business and helped me out to understand the importance of CSR activities and their impact on
the society, people and on the planet. I also researched about small businesses that are
sustainable such as Jurlique Cosmetics Company and Haigh chocolates in Australia. It is
summed up that from little things, big things grow. I get to know that the seeds of sustainability
for society, business and the planet start from individual efforts. Individuals are not too old, not
too young, not too small to make the difference.

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References
Belbin, R. M. (2013). The coming shape of organization. Routledge.
Benn, S., Edwards, M., & Williams, T. (2014). Organizational change for corporate
sustainability. Routledge.
Dunphy, D. (2003). Corporate sustainability: Challenge to managerial orthodoxies. Journal of
Management and Organization, 9(1), 2.
Moscardo, G., Lamberton, G., Wells, G., Fallon, W., Lawn, P., Rowe, A., ... & Renouf, M.
(2013). Sustainability in Australian business: principles and practice. Wiley-Blackwell.