Sustainable and Responsible Business Assignment Sample

Introduction OfSustainable And Responsible Business In The 21st Century - Contemporary Issues

Sustainable and responsible business practices have become more important as businesses try to address today's social, economic, and environmental issues. As concerns about climate change, social injustice, and resource scarcity rise, businesses are under greater pressure to adopt ethical activities supporting sustainable development. Companies have a framework for ethical behaviour concerning concerns including employment, the Environment, and human rights, thanks to the voluntary Global Compact project of the United Nations. Adopting the Global Compact and concentrating on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will contribute to creating a more sustainable future, are two ways businesses can link their operations with sustainable development.

Need a helping hand with your assignments? Look no further than New Assignment Help! Our expert team offers top-notch assignment writing services in the UK, ensuring you excel in your academics. don't forget to check out our free assignment samples.

According to Bebbington & Unerman (2020, P. 1659), there are unquestionable benefits to adopting responsible practices but also challenges for businesses. These include the costs associated with implementing sustainable practices, the need to monitor and report progress, and the difficulty of integrating the SDGs into key business strategies. This essay will look at the benefits and drawbacks of using sustainable and moral business practices while considering the perspectives of many stakeholders, such as businesses, society, and the Environment. The discussion highlights the SDGs and the Global Compact enhancing moral behaviour and sustainable development. Businesses must embrace sustainable and ethical business practices to address the issues affecting society and the Environment in the twenty-first century. Even though implementing these practices is expensive and requires ongoing monitoring and reporting, there are considerable advantages for enterprises, society, and the Environment.

The Contribution of responsible business practice

A responsible business practice belongs to the moral, social, and ecological principles and values businesses should adhere to while conducting their processes. It involves a broad variety of initiatives, for example, sustainable manufacture and consumption, moral sourcing, equitable labour practices, simplicity and responsibility, and social engagement. The input of accountability business practice could be analyzed from several perspectives, involving social, ecological, ethical, and economic (Haseeb et al., 2019).

From an economic perspective, accountability business practices could contribute to enduring profitability and development of the industry. By acquiring sustainable manufacturing and utilization practices, organizations can decrease operating prices, develop efficiency and output, and increase their status and brand worth. For instance, a company that utilizes sustainable energy sources and executes waste decline strategies could decrease its energy and costs of waste disposal, which can outcome in major cost savings above time. Correspondingly, companies that invest in the security of their workers, for example, offering safe working surroundings, fair earnings, and training and growth opportunities, could develop their preservation rates and output, leading to improved fiscal performance.

Next is a social perspective; accountability business practices could have an optimistic effect on the welfare of the people with whom businesses work. Organizations prioritizing people's commitment and social conscience could contribute to expanding local transportation, sustaining social projects and initiatives, and making job opportunities, thus bettering the quality of life of the societies they provide. For instance, the organization that helps local farmers by accessing its resources from them could encourage economic development and constancy in the district whereas also assuring the renewable of its logistics network (as cited by Secundo et al., 2020).

From an ecological viewpoint, responsible business morals can support to ease the difficult issues of business services on the atmosphere. Organizations can decrease their greenhouse effect, preserve natural resources, and decrease waste and greenhouse gasses by adopting biodegradable sustainable practices. For instance, a company that utilizes eco-friendly covering materials, executes recycling programs and spends on sustainable energy origins can considerably reduce its ecological effect, contributing to an additional sustainable future.

To end with an ethical side, accountability business practices could support ensuring that businesses work in a manner that coordinates with moral and right values. Organizations that prioritize moral conduct, clearness, and responsibility can make trust and reliability with their shareholders, involving consumers, investors, and workers (Caldera, 2019, P. 579). Such as the organization that observes strict moral standards, like assuring that its logistics network is open from enforced labour and kid labour, can show its Contribution to ethical standards, increasing its status and brand image.

To sum up, responsible business manners are necessary for industries' sustainable growth and progress. They can commit to the enduring economic success of the industry, the welfare of the societies they serve, the preservation of the atmosphere, and the endorsement of ethical and honourable values. By acquiring accountability business practices, organizations can increase their standards, attract and hold customers and workers, and commit to a further sustainable and fair future. Although, it is also important for making shared value and encouraging an extra sustainable, accountable and successful business ecosystem.

The adoption of the Global Compact for sustainable development

To encourage businesses and organizations, the United Nations Global Compact is an unpaid program launched in 2000. It is launched to support their actions and operations with 10 human rights, employment, Environment, and equity values. The program intends to endorse responsible company nationality and commit to sustainable improvement. The implementation of the Global Compact has a major effect on sustainable growth, prompting businesses and companies to put together sustainability into performances and decision-making (Fernando, (2019, P. 12)). The taking up of the Global Compact has supported enhanced consciousness of sustainability concerns and has determined businesses and companies to take achievement. By joining the program, companies contribute to executing the 10 values in their processes and informing on their growth. This Contribution has supported increasing the outline of sustainability concerns and has determined additional businesses to obtain a deed on these concerns.

While in the year 2021, more than 12,000 organizations and businesses from above 160 countries have include joined Global Compact. The Global Compact’s main benefit has been its skills to offer a framework for organizations to combine sustainably into their processes. The program's ten values cover various sustainability concerns involving human rights, employment principles, ecological sustainability, and equitability. By adopting this Compact, organizations are qualified to align their operations through these values, which offer an ordinary framework for deeds. This has supported businesses in prioritizing sustainable challenges and developing tactics to deal with them (Bocken, 2019, p. 1511). Another benefit of the worldwide Compact is that it supports making a system of companies and businesses that are promised sustainable growth. This initiative offers a stage for companies to share top practices and work together on sustainability concerns. This has assisted in creating a community of businesses and organizations that are co-partnership to deal with sustainability challenges. However, this Compact also offers opportunities for organizations to engage with shareholders, involving civil society, administrations, and other companies, to build collaboration and increase solutions to environmental challenges.

Adopting Global Compact has supported better clearness and responsibility in business procedures. By contributing to the initiative, organizations needed information on their improvement in executing the ten values. This reporting assists in improving clearness and accountability in company operations, as organizations are needed to reveal details on their sustainability work. This information also assists in offering stakeholders, involving investors and customers, data on organizations’ sustainability performances, which can impact their decisions (Zimon, (2020). This Compact has assisted in making an ethnicity of sustainability inside businesses and companies. By contributing to the 10 ethics, organizations can set sustainability into their business customs and decision-making procedures. This has supported a more sustainable style for the company, which is increasingly valued by customers, investors, and other shareholders. By acquiring the Compact, businesses are ready to express their promise to sustainability, which could increase their status and improve their competitiveness.

Ultimately, implementing this Compact has a major effect on sustainable growth. This program has supported enhanced consciousness of sustainability concerns, offered a framework for organizations to put together sustainability into the operations, formed a set-up of companies and businesses that contributed to sustainable expansion, improved simplicity and liability in business performances, and formed a custom of sustainability inside the businesses and companies. This Compact has encouraged responsible business citizenship and committed to sustainable growth. Its implementation will be significant in dynamic growth towards an additional sustainable future.

The perspectives of the various stakeholders affected, including the Natural Environment

Stakeholders are persons or teams affected by a specific assignment, decision, or action. In this framework of the natural atmosphere, stakeholders could involve the common public, administration agencies, NGOs, industries, and the natural surroundings. Every stakeholder team's viewpoint and interests can frequently be problematic with those of additional groups. Understanding these points of view is critical to encouraging sustainable growth and decreasing the negative effect of human actions on the natural atmosphere (Lüdeke?Freund, 2020, p. 670).

The general public- is a main stakeholder in every assignment or decision which impacts the natural Environment. From water and air toxic waste to erosion and climate change, the public is affected by various ecological concerns. An opinion and awareness of the public can impact policy decisions and the events of governments, industries, and other shareholders. So, it is vital to engage the communities in discussions around ecological concerns, as their viewpoints and concerns could support and shape decisions that affect the natural Environment.

Government Agencies- as the environmental protection agency (EPA) are accountable for adaptability and neglect environmental laws and policy. These agencies frequently have the authority to concern with projects that may affect the natural environment, like construction, mining, or oil and gas drilling. Although these agencies are assigned to conservative the natural atmosphere, they also want to stabilize the interests of further stakeholders, like businesses and local people. According to Raut et al., (2019) the viewpoints of government agencies frequently prioritize enduring ecological protection over temporary economic gains (P. 25).

NGOs- NGOs play a part in supporting the natural surroundings and increasing public awareness of ecological concerns. These companies frequently offer important scientific research and policy analysis and engage in advocacy and lobbying efforts. NGOs may have a range of viewpoints, from preservation-focused teams that prioritize the ecosystem's security to social justice companies that concentrate on the human effect of ecological downfall. NGOs frequently provide a right to be heard for those who cannot have a direct demonstration in decision-making procedures.

Businesses- Businesses could majorly affect the natural atmosphere during their performances, products, and services. From greenhouse gas to garbage disposer, businesses should examine the environmental effect of their actions. However, businesses also require balancing their budgetary interests with their ecological responsibilities. Whereas some businesses can prioritize ecological sustainability, others can sight environmental policy as a weight on their productivity. The point of view of businesses frequently prioritizes monetary growth over enduring environmental safety (Khan, 2021).

Natural Environment- it is frequently unnoticed by a shareholder in decision-making procedures. However, the health and welfare of ecosystems and diversity are significant to human survival and health. The natural atmosphere could offer important environmental services, for instance, fresh air, clean water, soil fertility, and weather regulation. As a result, the viewpoints of the natural atmosphere frequently prioritize its conservation and reinstallation more than the benefits of other shareholders. Preserving and conserving the natural atmosphere is necessary to sustain individual communities and economies.

Comprehending the viewpoints of the diverse stakeholders impacted by ecological concerns is critical to encouraging sustainable expansion and decreasing the negative effect of human behaviour on the natural surroundings. Stabilizing the investments of these shareholders is a difficult procedure that needs partnership, negotiation, and cautious concerns about ecological effects. Identifying and dealing with the viewpoints of every stakeholder may encourage more fair and sustainable expectations for both community and the natural surroundings (as cited by Freudenreich, 2020, p. 10).

The Challenges and Benefits for Business, society, and the Natural Environment

The UNGC is a charitable initiative that brings together businesses and companies to coordinate their tactics and performances with ten values in constitutional rights, Environment, labour, and law-abiding regions. The UNGC seeks to support sustainable growth and is liable to business morals. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offer a structure for response to inclusive challenges such as poverty, unfairness, and weather change (Pizzi et al., 2020). Acquiring the UNGC and responding to the SDGs could bring various profits to companies, people, and the natural surroundings; however, it also offers major challenges.

Benefits for Business

• It may increase their standard and integrity as accountable and sustainable companies. This could improve consumer reliability, attract new consumers, and raise sales.
• Offer competition in the market through distinctive from entrants and gathering the rising order for sustainable goods and services.
• Develop efficiency and decrease prices by encouraging sustainable performances like energy ability, waste diminution, and liable supply chain network.
• It may enhance the ability to enter funding and investment opportunities by enticing socially liable investors (Seyfi, 2019, p. 311).

Challenges for Business

• It needs a major move in mindset and customs to insert sustainability values into the company. This could be complex, mainly in companies prioritizing temporary profits over continuing sustainability.
• It also needs major monetary, human, and technological resources to apply sustainability performances and attain the SDGs. This could be difficult for SMEs with scarce resources.
• Partnering with shareholders, involving consumers, governments, and suppliers, is necessary. So this could be tough, mainly when shareholders have diverse preferences and interests.
• Requires clearness and responsibility in describing sustainability practices that could be hard when sustainability performances are still developing and not at all the usual method for reporting (Vitolla et al., 2019, p. 1597).

Benefits for Society

• It may support human rights and manual labour values by assuring equitable and safe working circumstances for workers and suppliers. It leads to upper values of living, healthier, and better education.
• It could endorse economic progress and decrease poverty by making jobs and chances, mostly in deprived societies.
• It can help ecological protection by minimizing carbon emissions, conserving diversity, and reducing waste and greenhouse gases.
• It may promote liable consumption and manufacture by encouraging sustainable goods and services, decreasing resource use, and reducing waste (Cosenz, 2020, p. 655).

Challenges for Society

• It needs a major shift in communal standards and practices to prioritize renewable overutilization and development. This could not be easy, particularly in the communities which sort economic growth.
• It wants collaborations between diverse sectors and shareholders, involving governments, businesses, NGOs, and societies. It could be tough when shareholders have diverse priorities and welfare.
• Investment and capital to deal with the SDGs, mainly in growing countries where capital might be limited (Dmytriyev, 2021, p. 1443).

Benefits for the Natural Environment

• The key benefit of acquiring the UNGC and dealing with the SDGs is encouraging ecological protection. Businesses that acquire the UNGC and SDGs contribute to decreasing their ecological effect, which can induce major profits for natural surroundings (Cillo et al., 2019, p. 1015).
• For instance, businesses could minimize carbon emissions by encouraging energy efficiency, shifting to sustainable energy sources, and spending on carbon credits. This could support to reduce effects of weather change and encourage a further sustainable future.
• Moreover, businesses could promote diversity preservation by adopting renewable land-use performances, decreasing their effect on the Environment, and conservative natural locality. This can assist in conserving significant ecosystems, support ecological flexibility, and help the continuing well-being of the natural ecosystem (Tsalis et al., 2020, p. 1627).
• Lastly, promote liable waste management through reducing waste and executing sustainable waste decrease strategies. So, it can support minimizing pollution, endorse resource efficiency, and save the ecosystem.

Challenges to the Natural Environment

• Needs an important change in societal principles and styles to organize sustainability overutilization and growth. It may be difficult, mostly in the community whose priorities are economic expansion and greediness that could commit to ecological degradation. Furthermore, it is also difficult to encourage ecological protection in businesses prioritizing revenue over ecological management, mainly in businesses with more resource utilization and emissions like cultivation and manufacturing (Van der Waal, 2020).
• Mostly in developing nations where capital might be scarce. Several businesses cannot have monetary resources to spend on renewable performances, mainly in industries with fewer margins and more competition. In addition, governments and global companies may want to offer fiscal support and stimulus to encourage sustainable growth in developing nations and support the ability to utilize renewable technologies.
• It also requires clearness and responsibility in informing on sustainability practices, which could be difficult when there is a need for data or information. Firms might not have the data and technology to exact their ecological effect, and there can be incomplete information on the ecological practice of industries and regions (Abbas, 2019, p. 612).

The structures of today's society and economy, which priorities profit maximization over ecological sustainability, are to blame for the aforementioned problems. Since these institutions have been in place for a long time, changing them would require a significant shift in cultural norms and beliefs. Businesses also operate within this framework, and because they are concerned with maximizing profits, they frequently set objectives that are at odds with ecological sustainability.

Conclusion

In conclusion, several stakeholders, including the Environment, view responsible corporate practices and the Global Compact as having a significant positive impact on sustainable development. By giving attention to environmental, social, and governance issues, businesses can enhance their reputation, attract and retain talent, increase shareholder value, support local communities, and have a smaller negative impact on the Environment. Despite the challenges, implementing the SDGs and adopting the Global Compact has significant benefits for businesses, society, and the Environment. Less poverty, better health outcomes, and resource conservation are all advantages for the society and the Environment that businesses that emphasize sustainability may take advantage of. Businesses may improve their reputation, gain access to new markets, and cut costs by coordinating their operations with the Global Compact and the SDGs, which also help to combat poverty, improve health outcomes, and protect the Environment. Incorporating ethical and sustainable business practices can facilitate recruiting and retaining personnel who align with the company's principles. Enhancing employee engagement and motivation can potentially result in a favourable influence on productivity and innovation within the workforce. Viewed through the lens of sustainable development, this phenomenon can lead to adopting eco-friendly practices, as personnel are inclined to propose and execute sustainable initiatives.

References

• Abbas, J., & Sa?san, M. (2019). Impact of knowledge management practices on green innovation and sustainable corporate development: A structural analysis. Journal of cleaner production,229, 611-620.
• Bebbington, J., & Unerman, J. (2020). Advancing research into accounting and the UN sustainable development goals.Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal,33(7), 1657-1670.
• Bocken, N., Boons, F., & Baldassarre, B. (2019). Sustainable business model experimentation by understanding ecologies of business models.Journal of Cleaner Production,208, 1498-1512.
• Caldera, H. T. S., Desha, C., & Dawes, L. (2019). Evaluating the enablers and barriers for successful implementation of sustainable business practice in ‘lean’SMEs.Journal of Cleaner Production,pp. 218, 575–590.
• Cillo, V., Petruzzelli, A. M., Ardito, L., & Del Giudice, M. (2019). Understanding sustainable innovation: A systematic literature review.Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management,26(5), 1012-1025.
• Cosenz, F., Rodrigues, V. P., & Rosati, F. (2020). Dynamic business modelling for sustainability: Exploring a system dynamics perspective to develop sustainable business models. Business Strategy and the Environment,29(2), 651-664.
• Dmytriyev, S. D., Freeman, R. E., & Hörisch, J. (2021). The relationship between stakeholder theory and corporate social responsibility: Differences, similarities, and implications for social issues in management.Journal of Management Studies,58(6), 1441-1470.
• Fernando, Y., Jabbour, C. J. C., & Wah, W. X. (2019). Pursuing green growth in technology firms through the connections between environmental innovation and sustainable business performance: Does service capability matter? Resources, Conservation and Recycling,pp. 141, 8–20.
• Freudenreich, B., Lüdeke-Freund, F., & Schaltegger, S. (2020). A stakeholder theory perspective on business models: Value creation for sustainability.Journal of Business Ethics,166, 3-18.
• Haseeb, M., Hussain, H. I., Kot, S., Androniceanu, A., & Jermsittiparsert, K. (2019). Role of social and technological challenges in achieving a sustainable competitive advantage and sustainable business performance.Sustainability,11(14), 3811.
• Khan, I. S., Ahmad, M. O., & Majava, J. (2021). Industry 4.0 and sustainable development: A systematic mapping of triple bottom line, Circular Economy and Sustainable Business Models perspectives.Journal of Cleaner Production,297, 126655.
• Lüdeke?Freund, F. (2020). Sustainable entrepreneurship, innovation, and business models: Integrative framework and propositions for future research.Business Strategy and the Environment,29(2), 665-681.
• Pizzi, S., Caputo, A., Corvino, A., & Venturelli, A. (2020). Management research and the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs): A bibliometric investigation and systematic review.Journal of cleaner production,276, 124033.
• Raut, R. D., Mangla, S. K., Narwane, V. S., Gardas, B. B., Priyadarshinee, P., & Narkhede, B. E. (2019). Linking big data analytics and operational sustainability practices for sustainable business management.Journal of cleaner production,pp. 224, 10–24.
• Secundo, G., Ndou, V., Del Vecchio, P., & De Pascale, G. (2020). Sustainable development, intellectual capital, and technology policies: A structured literature review and future research agenda. Technological Forecasting and Social Change,153, 119917.
• Seyfi, S., Michael Hall, C., & Fagnoni, E. (2019). Managing world heritage site stakeholders: A grounded theory paradigm model approach.Journal of Heritage Tourism,14(4), 308-324.
• Tsalis, T. A., Malamateniou, K. E., Koulouriotis, D., & Nikolaou, I. E. (2020). New challenges for corporate sustainability reporting: United Nations' 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and the sustainable development goals.Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management,27(4), 1617-1629.
• Van der Waal, J. W., & Thijssens, T. (2020). Corporate involvement in sustainable development goals: Exploring the territory.Journal of Cleaner Production,252, 119625.
• Vitolla, F., Raimo, N., Rubino, M., & Garzoni, A. (2019). How pressure from stakeholders affects integrated reporting quality.Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management,26(6), 1591-1606.
• Zimon, D., Tyan, J., & Sroufe, R. (2020). Drivers of sustainable supply chain management: Practices to alignment with unsustainable development goals. International Journal for Quality Research,14(1).