Reflective Report: Business, Society and Planet Sustainability

This report delves into the critical aspects of business sustainability, focusing on the six phases of business approaches as outlined by Dunphy, Griffiths & Benn (2003). The report examines each stage, from Rejection to Sustainable, detailing enterprise and procurement characteristics. It explores the concepts of efficiency and compliance within a sustainable framework, highlighting how businesses can achieve financial performance while benefiting the environment. The report references Unilever's successful integration of sustainability into its culture, demonstrating the potential for cost reduction and long-term competitiveness. The analysis underscores the importance of aligning business approaches with sustainability principles to drive decision-making and achieve corporate social responsibility goals. The report also emphasizes the challenges businesses face in integrating sustainable practices and stresses the significance of proactive strategies for managing environmental impact and social expectations. The report provides a comprehensive overview of how businesses can adopt sustainable strategies, including the analysis of efficiency and compliance to fulfill their sustainable business agenda.

Running Head: MANAGEMENT 0
BUSINESS, SOCIETY AND
PLANET

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Introduction
At present times, business sustainability is experiencing growth both in profile and
actions (Bansal & DesJardine, 2014). Most of the business enterprises are discovering that
what is important in corporate. However, my question is “how one knows that the approach
of his sustainability influences the external environment?” This essay is outlined of my
identified sustainable issues in relation to the corporate world. One of the major sustainable
themes includes the six phases of business approaches to sustainability with some related
examples.
The six phases of business approach to sustainability (Dunphy, Griffiths & Benn, 2003)
The six phases of business approach to sustainability are being outlined in the below
table in relation with the enterprise characteristics and procurement characteristics.
Stage Enterprise Characteristics Procurement Characteristics
Rejection In this phase, the autonomous use of
the personnel, sub-contractors, and the
natural environment is being displayed.
The acquisition is not so much
costly as the cost is mainly
incurred during buying of health
and safety. However, there is no
environmental consideration in
this phase for the products for
buying decisions.
Non-
Responsiveness
Considering human sustainability and
ecological sustainability, there is no
considerable thought.
With additional cost, there is
responsiveness of the perspective
to incorporate sustainability
Compliance To minimize risk, there are several
environmental and community-related
Consideration of jurisdictive and

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concern to society. The affair of labor
force is characterized by the
‘benevolent paternalism'.
contractual requirement.
Efficiency No include negative environmental
practices and with cost-benefit analysis,
environmental and social concerns are
addressed.
Procurement decisions need to be
integrated with sustainability and
waste products seen as resources
(Linnenluecke, Russell &
Griffiths, 2009).
Strategic
proactivity
For the advancement of an enterprise,
the intelligent and the social capital is
exploited.
The suppliers are being
encouraged by the organisation in
align with sustainability lines and
employees also trained with
matching of sustainable principle.
The Sustainable
Enterprise
The values of sustainability are
completely internalized (Pennington &
More, 2010). Also, Promotes human
well-being with including all principles
of sustainability.
Business engages in the
community, stakeholder so as
build new products. The
organisation behaviour is being
determined with sustainable
procurement.
Two-phase in detail –
 Efficiency – The main idea behind efficiency approach to sustainable enterprise is that by
exploiting resources more efficiency, there is a win-win situation for both the
environment and firm. The improved financial performance can also be attained with the
environment benefits from less resource exploit and the organisation from a cost
reduction. In sustainable business literature, efficiency is one of the strong themes.

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Efficiency in context of efficient strategy includes two main issues. The first is efficiency
in the productivity of renewable natural resources and the second one is related to
efficiency in the process of production and consumption. Therefore, for making the
efficient strategy effective, one needs to identify a base in corporate value and its
philosophy (Kramar, 2014). Fundamentally, the efficient strategy is considered as an
internal process strategy and it is the one where the organisation considered innovative
process during sustainability efforts so as to maximise efficiency gains with enhancement
in the firm bottom line.
 Compliance – This approach to sustainability is fundamentally a risk management
strategy and the main goal is to minimise an enterprise possible liabilities from any sort of
action it might take that impact on the environment. There are several areas in
compliances but not only just related to laws as it includes several dimensions also such
as regulation, voluntary codes and social norms. The regulatory compliance is concern
towards obeying of law and thus defend firmly from various harmful consequences that
may arise due to breaking the laws such as imprisonment, fines and detainment of license.
It is important for the organisation to comply with this regulation so as to fulfil their
sustainable business agenda. On the other hand, voluntary code of conduct is mostly in
relation to industry based codes to which enterprise in that industry needs to necessarily
follow. The last is social expectation. With an enterprise market image, some risks are
also associated as a social pressure that has direct impact on its goodwill, sale of product
and services and the resulting financial performance (Kramar, 2014). The public
expectation can be failed due to various action of a firm and it can come from various
sources such as – activist groups, media and even from the rivals who are seeking to take
benefit in the industry. Social pressure issues can also be related to various practices that
may be accepted as social norms or may be legal in one nation but maybe not effectively
found in the same home country. Hence, it can be said that a compliance strategy is
significant for any enterprise so as to progress its sustainable business agenda.
It was found that many enterprises operating on both larger and small scale are finding it
challenging to integrate sustainable approaches into their organisation culture. Business firms
are seeking to be more profitable year by year and are not focusing on their corporate social
responsibility targets to be fulfilled (Sloan, Klingenberg & Rider, 2013). However, one of the
multinational company i.e. Unilever successfully embedded this thing into their culture. The
company while business functions successfully reduce its costs by saving tons of waste,

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energy and time during the manufacturing work from 2008. The company intended towards
more healthy sustainability approach that is developed with eco-friendly activities and thus
significantly helps the organisation to reduce its operative costs.
In last, the business long-term competitiveness and business efficiency are based on the
greater significance of the organisation approach towards sustainability principles in relation
to the decision making.

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References
Bansal, P., & DesJardine, M. R. (2014). Business sustainability: It is about time. Strategic
Organization, 12(1), 70-78.
Kramar, R. (2014). Beyond strategic human resource management: is sustainable human
resource management the next approach?. The International Journal of Human
Resource Management, 25(8), 1069-1089.
Linnenluecke, M. K., Russell, S. V., & Griffiths, A. (2009). Subcultures and sustainability
practices: the impact on understanding corporate sustainability. Business Strategy and
the Environment, 18(7), 432-452.
Pennington, L. K., & More, E. (2010). Sustainability Reporting: Rhetoric Versus
Reality?. Employment Relations Record, 10(1), 24.
Sloan, K., Klingenberg, B., & Rider, C. (2013). Towards sustainability: Examining the
drivers and change process within SMEs. J. Mgmt. & Sustainability, 3(1), 19.