University of Cumbria MBA Portfolio: Global-Local Challenges

This MBA portfolio, submitted by Viktor Gajdošík from the University of Cumbria, critically analyzes various aspects of global challenges within the framework of ethics, responsibility, and sustainability. The report examines the role of responsible leadership in upholding human rights, the importance of business action in halting biodiversity loss, and strategies for strengthening local resilience to climate-related hazards. It further discusses resource efficiency, gender discrimination reduction, and multi-stakeholder partnerships. The author, a director of a digital marketing agency, provides current statuses and recommendations for each area, emphasizing the importance of ethical business practices, stakeholder engagement, and proactive environmental considerations. The portfolio highlights the need for companies to integrate sustainability into their core values and operations, particularly within the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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FINAL ASSESSMENT
PORTFOLIO PART 2: FINAL ASSESSMENT
Name of the University: University of Cumbria
Degree: MBA
Course number and name: Tackling Global-Local Challenges in Ethics,
Responsibility and Sustainability
Course lecturer: Dr Sarah Williams
Student number: 2011026
Submission date: May 6, 2022
Word count:

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Table of Contents
Abstract 3
Introduction 4
Critically analyse the role of responsible leadership in standing up for human
rights 4
Critical analysis 4
Current status 6
Recommendations 6
Critically discuss the role of business in taking urgent and significant action to
halt the loss of biodiversity 7
Critical analysis 7
Current status 9
Recommendations 10
Critically discuss why it is important to strengthen local resilience to climate-
related hazards in your region 10
Critical analysis 10
Current status 12
Recommendations 13
Critically discuss approaches to apply resource efficiency ideas 13
Critical analysis 13
Current situation 15
Recommendations 16
Critically discuss why it is important to reduce gender discrimination 16
Critical analysis 16
Current state 18
Recommendations 18
Critically discuss approaches for encouraging and promoting multi
stakeholder partnerships 19
Critical analysis 19
Current status 21
Recommendations 22
Conclusion 22
Reference list 22

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Abstract
The issue of Ethics, Responsibility, and Sustainability (ERS) is gaining more
and more weight and the pressure of society on companies is increasing
exponentially in this respect. This paper is focusing on the global ERS issues
regarding the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United
Nations Member States in 2015. At its core are 17 Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs), which are also urgent development goals for all countries - developed - in
the Global Partnership. They realize that ending poverty and other deprivation must
go hand in hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce
inequalities and stimulate economic growth - all while tackling climate change and
preserving our oceans and forests.

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Introduction
My name is Viktor Gajdošík and I am a director of a digital marketing network
and agency in Prague, Czech Republic. My priority in business has always been and
will be the creation of high-quality values that the company, its employees, clients,
and customers will want to follow. In my opinion, a business is just a group of people
who work together to generate profit. However, under the term profit, in addition to
finances, I also imagine the intensity of the positive social influence that a company
has the potential to create. I am heavily inspired by companies that do not just
represent a product, but ideas and values that are worth following. This paper
describes the impact of values on morality and ethics, and the resulting corporate
responsibilities that flow from it.
Critically discuss the role of leadership in strengthening governance for sustainability
Critical analysis
The governance of the company is under pressure on achieving and
maintaining sustainability from many sides inside but also from outside the company.
The demands include the areas of resource prices, equality in employment, the use
of sustainable resources, the choice of the right partners, and the right setting of a
long-term strategy that will respect sustainability.
There is no doubt that the final decisions about the overall ethical approach of
the company are on the shoulders of its leaders. However, the entire brand may
suffer for failures of proper execution of a sustainability strategy. It is extremely
difficult nowadays to build a company name that paints an honest picture of
sustainability, on the other hand, losing this privilege is more than simple. Amazon is
an example of a powerful company that has been criticized in the recent past for its

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unsustainable actions. This global giant says it’s committed to and invested in
sustainability. Amazon has set several goals to reach net-zero carbon emissions by
2040 and power its operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025. Some of their
actions support a more sustainable future for the company, but many of their
fundamental values promote unsustainable practices. Amazon’s carbon footprint is
distressing. The transport of any kind of their merchandise is rigorously reliant on oil.
Because of Amazon’s powerful delivery service, it has an enormous carbon footprint.
Murphy (2020) states that in 2018, Amazon emitted 44.4 million metric tons of
carbon dioxide - greater than the carbon footprint of Switzerland.
It is now clear that the responsibility for the overall sustainable strategy is
given to executives. The question is what can the company's management do to
avoid scandals and successfully stay on the path of sustainability. Blowfield (2013)
argues that it is desirable to build the strategy of a sustainable company at least in
part on the already existing shared values of the company so that it is a smooth and
believable concept. It is about finding the "Why" that will be understandable internally
and externally in connection with the sustainable image of the company. There is
also a possibility to use impulses from the so-called “Intrapreneurs”, which are
creative and proactive employees of a company regardless of its size (Blowfield,
2013). Flammer and Bansal (2017) warn that after setting the strategy, it is
necessary to take steps that will be followed long-term and successfully.
However, a problem can arise if the set ideals are challenged by dynamically
changing trends and expectations from the public. Flexibility even after setting long-
term plans is therefore in place and it may be a crucial condition for maintaining the
stability of any sustainability strategy for the leaders (Dunphy & Benn, 2011).

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In general, it could be argued that a sustainable leadership approach is based
on a holistic approach in managing a company that not only pursues financial goals
but seeks to understand what is right and to get the most out of it (Muff et al, 2020).
Current status
Affiliate Port employs a large number of young individuals directly after their
graduation. For recent university graduates full of ideals, it is crucial to feel that the
company they work for strives for sustainability and equality. Leaders in the company
must represent and communicate these values sufficiently as one of the main
priorities. Nowadays, sustainability is promoted in the company only at the superficial
level and no higher priority is placed on it, as in the marketing sphere many do not
see the urge for sustainability efforts by the marketing agencies.
Recommendations
At first glance, it might seem that in the digital marketing industry, a company
can strive for sustainability only by separating waste in offices, but after giving it a
second thought, the opposite is true. Affiliate Port relies mainly on cooperation with
clients in the field of e-commerce, which offers a huge diversity of various types of
products and services on the Czech and Slovak markets.
Affiliate Port has the force to promote clients who consider sustainability and
human rights a priority in their whole supply chain. The company may refuse to
cooperate with partners who, under closer inspection, clearly do not care about the
people at the first line of product manufacturing. Due to strong demand from e-
commerce companies, it should be appropriate to strengthen the Affiliate Port’s
Code of Ethics, which would allow collaboration only for clients who can demonstrate

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that their products and services are subject to today's sustainability standards. This
idea should be communicated from leadership to middle and lower management,
which could thus appreciate the up-to-date approach of the company's management.
Critically discuss the role of business in taking urgent and significant action to halt
the loss of biodiversity
Critical analysis
A stakeholder is generally anyone with any form of interest in the business.
Stakeholders are usually known to be individuals, groups ,and organizations that are
affected by the activity of the business. A business stakeholder thus represents a
wide scale including owners interested in profit of the business, managers, and
workers concerned about their salary and workload, customers wanting the business
to produce quality products at the best prices, suppliers requiring the business to
continue to buy their products and investors who want to be repaid. There may,
however, be an even more abstract group of stakeholders that are potentially heavily
impacted by the actions of the business.
The environment is an important factor that is used by companies for its
resources and at the same time, the company has a potentially significant positive or
negative impact on it through its actions. However, natural ecosystems are often not
considered as a stakeholder, as they do not have a human character at first glance.
Society often becomes interested in responsibility within natural ecosystems only at
the time when the so-called “Tipping point”. Walker (2020) describes the idea of a
“Tipping point” as a dramatic change in any system by alterations in a control
variable beyond its critical threshold. Ignoring the environment is negligence that
neglects today's global megatrends. Megatrends, as described by Mittelstaedt et al.

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(2014), are large, transformative global forces that define the course of the future by
having a far-reaching impact on politics, businesses, economies, industries,
societies, and individuals.
Businesses often neglect to exploit natural resources, but their importance
goes far beyond being useful to consumers. The abuse of forest resources is a well-
known issue. Forests are home to a great terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity and
represent some of the most species-rich habitats (Mace et al. 2005; Lindenmayer
2009; Gibson et al. 2011).
The question is how far humankind can go before it is too late. Since it was
first identified as a potential serious economical risk by the World Economic Forum
(WEF) 14 years ago, biodiversity loss has moved from a concern to a critical issue.
Pressures from human activities leading to forest loss (FAO 2015) have already
caused much harm to biodiversity (Lindenmayer and Franklin 2002; Newbold et al.
2015; van der Plas et al. 2016b).
Quéré et al. (2018) recommend that society should get rid of the belief that
the environment is a bottomless vessel of resources for human well-being. People
are becoming increasingly more concerned about the impact of business on the
environment. The general opinion, therefore, seems to be one of the strongest
factors that force companies to consider the environment as one of their
stakeholders.
Business is undoubtedly responsible for satisfying its stakeholders and in the
case of the environment it should not be otherwise. In order not to be self-defeating,
a business must be conducted with honesty, fairness, the absence of violence or
coercion, and legality (Sternberg, 2009). As part of the long-term building of

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confidence and trust, a business should also behave in interaction with the
environment as in the pursuit of the long-term pleasure of typical stakeholders.
For the right environmental-friendly approach of business, it is necessary to
identify the areas that are currently damaging ecosystems and eliminate them. It is
not possible to get rid of negative habits without their correct and honest
identification. In addition to setting goals, sound science-based approaches to setting
quantifiable targets, developing metrics, and undertaking adaptive management can
help guide business action and evaluate progress are required (Addison et al.,
2018).
Jones & Solomon (2013) add that it is also appropriate for a business to
provide the public with higher quality, more transparent biodiversity reporting,
preferably within existing frameworks.
Current status
In Affiliate Port, environmental issues are not given any significant importance,
as the direct impact of the company on the environment is negligible compared to
other current priorities for the management. Affiliate Port works with hundreds of e-
commerce retailers without looking at their approach to the issue of biodiversity. Not
surprisingly, a company that does have a direct negative or positive impact on the
state of biodiversity does not consider this issue to be crucial for its overall strategy.
However, it is not a bad idea to think about the possible negative and positive impact
that a marketing agency may have on the environment.

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Recommendations
The marketing agency has many channels through which it can promote not
only selected partners but also ideas and values. With expertise in PR, promotion,
and a strong reach to all relevant media groups, Affiliate Port has the opportunity to
publicly and ideologically position itself, its clients, and partners helping them in their
quest for responsibility in the field of environment. One of the dominant spheres in
the e-commerce industry is fashion, whose strong impact on the environment and
overall sustainability is not negligible. Other industries that have a significant impact
on the environment include retailers and brands in the food or furniture industry.
Affiliate Port has the opportunity to create campaigns that will represent the eco-
friendly approach of brands and at the same time can refuse to cooperate with
companies that take less responsibility for their environmental impact.
Critically discuss why it is important to strengthen local resilience to climate-related
hazards in your region
Critical analysis
Climate change is an example of a complex challenge that is expected to
affect every part of our lives. It is a global issue affecting global systems, but it is also
a local topic that manifests itself variably in different areas of the world. The average
global surface temperature of the Earth has increased by 0.85 ° C since the end of
the 19th century and is unlikely to exceed an increase of 4 ° C by the end of the
century compared to 1850-1900. The corresponding increase in temperature on the
tropical continents would be greater and warming on the northern, high latitude
continents would be about two to three times greater (Hoegh-Guldberg et al. 2013).

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Such changes would have major effects on atmospheric circulation, which would
affect almost every aspect of our lives (Grenville-Howard et al, 2014).
While the global average temperature of the ground atmosphere has risen by
almost 1 ° C since the beginning of the 20th century, the Central European region,
including Slovakia, is showing twice as fast warming during the same period.
One of the expected manifestations of climate change in Slovakia will be an increase
in the daily maximum and minimum air temperature. By 2050, a significant increase
in the number of summer and tropical days is expected, as well as a decrease in the
number of frost and ice days.
Slovakia is endangered mainly by the expected increase in the intensity of storms in
the summer, which may result in higher damage caused by hail and flash floods. The
expected increase in temperatures and drought intensity in Slovakia will also have
an impact on agriculture and water resources. People in Slovakia are aware of the
global warming issue. The problem is that they tend to think of this topic as much
more relevant for coastal regions of the world and they thus don’t consider it to be as
threatening as for now.
The private sector is increasingly considered as having the ability to help
society adapt and become more resilient to climate change (Crick et al, 2018). As
companies are generally considered to be the biggest sources and causes of air
pollution, it is appropriate to expect them to take some responsibility in the field of
climate change education.
Howard-Grenville et al. (2014) pinpoint that the transportation of products,
components ,and people is a major consumer of energy, accounting for more than
one-quarter of energy consumption in a developed country. Transportation relies on

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fossil fuels instead of other sources of energy. This, and the other coming novelties
in land use and agricultural industry has already led some companies to completely
change their approach to supply chain, its scale and extent, and their relationships
with primary producers or distributors.
Slovak company ALFA BIO, which produces soy products under the brand
LUNTER, is also an example of how an eco-friendly company can increasingly
improve in focusing on reducing global warming and promoting a sustainable
approach for its customer community. "Since the beginning of our business, our
philosophy is a maximally responsible approach to health, use of raw materials and
also to the environment, and therefore the use of ecological CNG for our company
cars is just one of the next steps to protect our nature and surroundings," said Juraj
Lunter, director of Alfa Bio (Lunter, 2017).
Current status
It is a challenge to find ways to improve the local approach to combating
global warming within a marketing agency. At present, Affiliate Port does not focus
on selecting clients and partners based on their attitude to global warming. Affiliate
Port's value chain and supply chain do not burden the environment in any way, and
therefore the management has not yet addressed this topic. However, the e-
commerce market in the Czech Republic and Slovakia does not ignore the topic of
global warming, and strategic marketing and product adjustment strategies are
becoming more and more common in the mentioned markets as well. The dynamics
of the Czech and Slovak e-commerce markets enable the emergence of new small
online retailers who take advantage of market flexibility and often offer a wide
selection of attractive eco-friendly products.