Reflective Log: Business Sustainability Module - Research & Learning

This reflective log documents a student's journey through a research module focused on integrating sustainability practices into businesses, particularly through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The log details the student's initial research, which involved examining various industries to identify sustainability issues related to waste management, pollution, and resource usage. The student then devised methods to address these problems, including visual messaging and waste reduction strategies, and conducted mock drills in local businesses to test their effectiveness. Observations, challenges, and the impact of this learning experience on the student's social and professional growth are also discussed, highlighting the importance of sustainability for future generations.

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Reflective log
Student name……..
Institute name…….
May 2018

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Table of contents
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………3
Objectives…………………………………………………………………………………………3
Starting research…………………………………………………………………………………..3
Devised methods to solve problems………………………………………………………………4
Mock drills and experiments………………………………………………………………………4
Different research essentials………………………………………………………………….…...5
Modes of evaluation……………………….………………………………………………………6
Discussions and results……………………………………………………………………………7
References…………………………………………………………………………………………9

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Introduction
In this research module, the focus has been on providing new ways of matching different
businesses with sustainability practices that are usually ignored by industries. Keeping CSR
(corporate social responsibility) as the base, the module was prepared for different analysis done
for the research and evaluation purpose (Morse 2010). In this part, a reflective log is proposed
through which my efforts, researches, learning and progression in this module can be easily
reported. The log will provide an accumulation of material based on my own processes. The
reflection of these processes used in evaluating sustainability and managing it will also be
discussed. This log is a diary of my feelings that I went through in the process of preparing the
module.
Objectives
The main objectives of maintaining this reflective log book are:
 To increase my fluency in writing
 To foster and nourish my problem-solving skills
 To reinforce and deepen my learning of sustainability, businesses and management
 To stimulate my personal cognitive growth
 To encourage my readers to understand the processes that are involved in this module-based
learning assignment
 To help readers and professors articulate my skill development through the life of the project.
Starting research for the project
The project was on developing and researching new methods through which companies can
adapt sustainability. This was not merely a theoretical approach and needed practical research
with mock drills and real-life experiments. To initiate my research, I traveled down the shopping
street and witnessed how businesses were being operated. I visited and examined various
businesses industries relating to different fields of fashion, shoes, clothing, jewelry, textile, food
and health. The reason for examining these businesses was the fact that these are the industries
that come in direct contact with people. Developing new sustainability measure will directly
affect the communities through these situations (Norton 2005). After examining the business, I
prepared the list of sustainable issues created by the businesses that harm the environment and
hence the sustainability. These include:
Problems in food
industry
Problems in grocery
industries
Problems in fashion
industry
Problems in health
industries
Waste management Use of plastic bags Lack of eco friendly
products
Use of harmful
chemicals

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Wastage of water Use of non-renewable
packing products
Use of material that is
harmful to pollution
Adulteration
Wastage of food Product wastage Pollution from fabric
manufacturing
Lack of good quality
health remedies
Surrounding
cleanliness
Lack of good
customer dealing
Wastage management Ignorance of
environmental health
factors
This chart was prepared after hard work including analysis, research, questioning and evaluation
of different businesses. After this, I concluded that notes and reports need to be maintained for
different methods to overcome these obstacles.
Devised Methods to solve the problems
During my research, I was able to come up with different methods through which sustainability
growth of industries can be empowered (Farley 2014). This involved references to various
journals, scholarly articles, books and other related informative materials. The first method
devised was to explore the actual relationships between business and sustainable climate. The
next step was the study of the environment and human nature and how this can affect the
economic growth of the company. While devising methods to solve the question, I realized that
meeting up with the owners of the business and explaining to them the issues is important. Only
this can make them realize the harmful effects today’s businesses are having on the environment.
Mock drills and experiments
To experience the sustainability issues and addressed them to business owners, I myself visited
the office (a grocery store, a food store and a fashion store) of three companies and told them
about my aim and research. Thankfully, all three supported me and allowed me to conduct my
experiments in their showrooms, outlets and factories.
In the first mock drill, I tried to settle the sustainable issue of people using poly bags instead of
paper bags for carrying grocery items. I took the approach of the visual message in which I
posted an image of a baby seal right next to the counter where plastic bags were provided as an
option with paper bags. In the image, the baby seal was eating polythene which certainly would
cause it to die. The image certainly affected the emotions of the customers as I asked them
whether they want to use paper bags or want to kill the baby seal. 9 out of 10 customers opted for
paying extra bucks for carrying grocery items in paper bags. This showed that visual messages
can affect the consumers as well as industries in adopting a positive approach toward our
environment.

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In the second experiment, I conducted an estimate of total amount of leftover food that was
processed daily from the back side of a famous restaurant outlet. The food was either transferred
to dumping ground or was carried to sewage treatment facilities. After evaluating the stats, I
came up with the idea through which the leftover food can be refrigerated and at the end of each
day could be fed to poor and needy people or animals. This could resolve the waste management
issue which can directly save our lands and rivers from getting more polluted. Also, the staff of
the restaurant could take the leftover food to feed their families. In an estimate, it was found that
almost 150 kg of food got waste every day by the outlet. Through the suggestion, around 96 Kgs
of food was consumed by staff, needy people and needy animals in the community. This allowed
for a sustainable growth I realized how waste management can be adapted by industries through
which environment can be supported in a better way.
In the third mock drill, I tried to advice the employees of a fashion store to help serve the local
community. I made them aware that how important it is to meet the challenge of sustainability in
today’s world. As a result, a camp was organized in which the outlet decided to promote their
brand and distribute freebies with ‘go for sustainable business’ written over it. This implied that
addressing the issue can play a major role in serving the community. It also acts as a marketing
technique through which people can realize that the company is eco-friendly and doing its part
for the environment which might increase its sales.
All of the methods help me evaluate the sustainability issues and how they can be revealed.
These methods played an important role in preparing my reflective log book with the help of
recordings and surveys of people I interacted with.
Different research essentials
During the research, I jotted down my observations during each and every step of the
experiments. I observed carefully each and every aspect of the drills. I noticed that people are not
unwilling to support environment. The problem lies in unawareness. More industries will know
about the issue, more they will work towards it and same is the case with sustainability (Boulder
1996).
The group progression and my contribution was also an important part of the research. I
contributed wholeheartedly in organizing the experiments and wherever needed, worked
meticulously to derive the desired results. I also witnessed that the behavior of senior authorities
was very genuine and friendly. Perhaps, this was because I was working for CSR, a social cause
that hardly gets addressed.
I decided to create a mind map of my feelings, thoughts, inventions and analysis after the
experimental research. This is described below:

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This mind map (Buzan et al., 1995) is a complex structure of my feelings and thoughts on
sustainability. This helped me a lot for deriving theories and perceptions of best methods through
which industries can meet with the environment in today’s world.
While writing notes, I realized that the act of writing and making illustrations helped greatly in
clarifying thinking which further helped me develop solutions through my mind map. I learned
that by doing hard work in properly analyzing the situation, even the greatest of the problem can
be tackled.
Modes of evaluation
Various field notes were prepared by me on hand lined paper. These notes, rough and fair
included mental triggers that would remind me of specific things while conducting surveys and
experiments. I also took part in certain direct observational recording while interviewing
Sustainability
Meeting
present needs
Not compromising on future
generations’ ability to meet their
needs
Determined by
human behavior
Max output of raw
material
Cyclical consumption
Consumption,
output n wastage
Balanced
distribution of
social,
economic and
political factors
What are the needs?
How much is the
need
Ensuring these needs
through sustainability
Difference
between
want n need
Continuity
Universal
sustainability

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business personnel. I tried my best to get a sense of culture and working environment. I also
created certain researcher interfere notes.
Another thing to note here is that not all of the notes I prepared were relevant to the module
research. But these certainly helped me derive important consequences and also contributed to
my ability to overcome complex situations during research.
During the process of my research, I also encountered certain issues. Sometimes, I was hard to
transcribe a direct issue and hence I had to realize on paraphrasing that risked meaning change
(Hall & Smith 2013). Certain technical information was also difficult to not down. I tried to
recite the entire day findings every day and wherever necessary, I practically interviewed the
person again.
Discussions and results
In the last part of this reflective log, I would like to thank various information resources that
helped me perform these studies and researches. I believe that sustainability studies seek to
explain and investigate the economic, environmental, cultural and social impacts of natural
resources use. In this research, I have tried my best to develop practices that conserve the
resources for our future generations.
Throughout this research I learned why sustainability is so important for preserving our
community and natural resources. This gave me an edge for a rational thinking for not just
present but future as well. The most significant part of learning in this module is the skill of
addressing others about sustainability and watching them realize its importance. Certain learning
activities which prompted the thoughts of experiments included lectures, reading books,
watching news and documentaries, talking to sustainability experts and interacting with friends
(Cousins et al., 1995).
Another important thing to note here that the experiment was very well conducted within the
given deadline and everything was proposed and evaluated in an organized manner.
Concluding the reflective log, I would take the opportunity to discuss the impact this learning
had on my social growth. I have learned how to interact for a purpose and how to get the answer
related to the topic I was researching. Having said that, I also need to mention here that I myself
was able to obtain answers to certain sustainability questions that I had in my mind previously.
The research helped me improve my professional learning skills while I also exercised my
writing and notes preparation abilities. This project had a deep impact on me as I find myself
more close to the environment now. Looking at the flip side, I also experienced how companies
are towards the process of money making, where our sustainability factors including economic,
social and political are ignored. I realized that life is a race and everyone is running to be the

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best, but in this process, we are forgetting our origin, our climate and environment that have
made us. I realized how waste products are increased, how community people are mistreated and
various non-eco-friendly products are used in a market. This made me realize the condition
which we are in today and how adversely this can impact our tomorrow, if not dealt with. In this
research, I have tried my best to devise and address new ways so that everyone can know how
important it is for businesses to adapt to sustainable ways as soon as possible. On the basis of
my personal feelings, I realized throughout the entire course of this research that even an eco-
friendly topic can help us achieve success in studies and scholarship.

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References
 Buzan, T., & Buzan, Barry. (1995). The mind map book (Revised ed.). London: BBC
Books.
 Chenhall, Hall, & Smith. (2013). Performance measurement, modes of evaluation and the
development of compromising accounts. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 38(4),
268-287
 Cousins, Cousins, J. Bradley, Earl, Lorna M., & Huberman, A. M. (1995). Participatory
evaluation in education : Studies in evaluation use and organizational learning.
Washington, D.C.: Falmer Press.
 Farley, H. (2014). Sustainability : If it's everything, is it nothing? (Critical issues in
global politics ; 5). Abingdon, Oxon ; New York: Routledge.
 Morse, S. (2010). Sustainability : A biological perspective. Cambridge : New York:
Cambridge University Press.
 Norton, B. (2005). Sustainability : A philosophy of adaptive ecosystem management.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press.