Winning Sustainability Strategies


Book Description

Despite recent optimism and global initiatives, the implementation of corporate sustainability programs has been slow at best, with less than a third of global companies having developed a clear business case for their approach to sustainability. Presenting numerous award-winning cases and examples from companies such as Unilever, Patagonia, Tumi, DSM and Umicore alongside original ideas based upon 20 years of consulting experience, this book reveals how to design and implement a stronger sense of focus and move sustainability programs forward. This proven combination of purpose, direction and speed is dubbed “Vectoring”. Based upon practitioner cases and data analysis from the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, Vectoring offers a plain-spoken framework to identify the relative position of companies compared to their peers. The framework and its 4 archetypes deliver insights for practitioners to locate inhibitors and overcome them by providing practical suggestions for process improvements. This includes designing and executing new sustainability programs, embedding the SDGs within company strategy and assessing the impact of sustainability programs on competitiveness and valuation. Offering directions for CFOs to shift companies from integrated reporting to integrated thinking in order to accelerate their sustainability programs, Winning Sustainability Strategies shows how to achieve purpose with profit and how to do well by doing good.




Building a Sustainable Global Strategy


Book Description

Understanding the modern complexity of doing business in a globalised market has become an absolute necessity for the survival of a company today. This book is a must have guide to navigate through the sea of overwhelming information and sometimes fuzzy variables in the business world. This book analyses the success and the failures of prominent firms with track records as global leaders. It also presents the proven strategies for success in todays completive environment. The case studies in this book act as invaluable tools. This book is a must-have resource for understanding and achieving success in todays globalised market. This book addresses the issues that firms are desperately trying to solve. In the forefront, firms are striving to effectively respond to the dynamic global market and the intense competition that exists. Strategies for establishing competitive advantage are presented through in-depth research and case studies. Furthermore, an extensive analysis of the methods for penetrating the emerging markets (China, India and Brazil in particular), as well as their responsiveness to the needs of the local market are also presented. In addition, satisfying customers constantly changing needs drive firms to seek ways to be adaptive and responsive. The authors field research provided here aids firms in establishing flexible business production and service processes. This book clarifies the complex inter-connection between business activities, thus providing the insight necessary for strategically being adaptive and responsive. Another strategy presented and examined through case studies is architecture analysis. Through architecture analysis, this book shows how linkage competence keeps firms in a dynamic balance between the seemingly opposing requirements for product attractiveness (ie: customer competence) and technology level (ie: technology competence). Also, IT strategy is utilised to examine the dynamic role of product architecture in supply chain management. This book discusses several examples of Korean global firms (ie: LG, Samsung and Hyundai) and Japanese global firms (ie: Honda, Toyota, Nissan and Panasonic). The reasons for the success of Japanese firms marketing strategies in the Brazilian, Russian, Indian and Chinese markets are expertly analysed and exposed for the readers benefit. Through extensive interviews and fieldwork studies, this book provides practical examples that draw attention to the successful comprehensive manufacturing strategies of Japanese and Korean manufacturing companies. The proven success of integrating core competence, product architecture, global supply chain management and IT strategy is a key theme presented in this book. Indeed, the wealth of information within these pages is immeasurable.




Sustainable Excellence


Book Description

How the world's most influential companies are building business strategies that tackle the biggest global challenges. Today's business landscape is changing in fundamental ways: Natural resources are growing ever more scarce and expensive. Technology and changing consumer expectations are making transparency a fact of life. The rise of emerging economies creates vast market opportunities for companies--and better living standards for hundreds of millions. In Sustainable Excellence, Aron Cramer and Zachary Karabell tell the stories of the companies who are transforming themselves by responding to these paradigm shifts and in the process shaping the future. From their work with these Global 1000 companies, Cramer and Karabell know firsthand how business can successfully grapple with big-picture issues like resource scarcity, supply chain complexities, and the diverse expectations of government and the public. In Sustainable Excellence, they tell the story of how Coca-Cola and Greenpeace collaborated on a refrigerator that fights climate change. They show how companies like Best Buy and Nike are transforming the very products they sell to deliver more value to consumers with less waste. They recount how GE and Google created an innovative partnership that is developing "smart grids" that radically reduce energy use. And they show how business leaders like Starbucks' founder and CEO Howard Schultz put sustainable excellence at the center of his company's business strategy. Through these and other fascinating stories, Sustainable Excellence makes the case for a different way of doing business--one that will define both business success and economic vitality in the 21st century.




Leading Sustainably


Book Description

The business world is at an important crossroads. The age of the stakeholder is rapidly superseding that of the shareholder as climate change and political and societal shifts upend years of seeming prosperity. To move past this agitated age, business and society must learn to lead sustainably by putting purpose on equal footing with profit. The first step is understanding what's meant by sustainability and how it offers an opportunity for both business and society. Inspired by the launch of the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the book captures the ideas of more than 100 change makers from around the world about how business is putting sustainability at the core of strategy to survive, thrive, and realign its interests with society's. Leading Sustainably looks at how sustainability has evolved in a business context, offering powerful insights, key facts, and guidance on building sustainability capability within companies, measuring and managing impact, sustainable finance's transformation, and other topics critical to aligning businesses' central activities with sustainable principles. The book introduces five vignettes profiling best-in-class companies that were sustainable from the start and international case studies on business sustainability efforts, spanning industries from hospitality to waste management, fashion, finance, and more. Finally, Bridges and Eubank provide frameworks and in-depth direction firms can leverage when accelerating their transition to more sustainable business models. The book is a perfect guide for mid-level to senior managers seeking to understand this fast-changing business environment, how to factor sustainability into their decision-making, and why the SDGs changed everything.




Strategy and Sustainability


Book Description

Business and environmental sustainability are not natural bedfellows. Business is about making money; sustainability is about protecting the planet. Business is measured in months and quarters; sustainability often requires significant short term costs to secure a sometimes uncertain long-term benefit. To some activists, all executives are exploitative, selfish “1 percenters”. To some executives, all activists are irresponsible, unyielding extremists. And yet engaging with the issue isn’t optional – all businesses must have a strategy to deal with sustainability and, like any strategy, this involves making choices. Strategy and Sustainability encourages its readers to filter out the noise and make those choices in a hard-nosed and clear-eyed way. Rosenberg’s nuanced and fact-based point of view recognizes the complexity of the issues at hand and the strategic choices businesses must make. He blends the work of some of the leading academic thinkers in the field with practical examples from a variety of business sectors and geographies and offers a framework with which Senior Management might engage with the topic, not (just) to save the planet but to fulfil their short, medium, and long-term responsibilities to shareholders and other stakeholders.“/p>




Foundations of Sustainable Business


Book Description

The second edition of Sustainable Business prepares future business leaders to tackle the most crucial social and environmental issues of our time. This engaging textbook provides students with a comprehensive, balanced introduction to integrating sustainable business policies into all core business functions and processes. The text employs a qualitative-based learning process to help students understand how leadership, finance, accounting, risk management, marketing, supply chain management, and operations can be adapted to meet the sustainability goals of the 21st century. Looking at sustainable business from the managerial viewpoint, the fully-updated new edition explains how and why business is evolving due to increased consumer and regulatory pressure for sustainable performance. Business topics are first introduced in the same manner as traditional MBA programs, and then examined through the lens of sustainably. The text incorporates real-life examples of social and environmental leadership to demonstrate the efficacy of good sustainable business decisions, and illustrates the negative ramifications of outdated, purely economic-driven managerial decision-making. Influential concepts based on interdisciplinary research in sustainability are discussed in detail, and practical insights address how to turn policy into practice in the workplace.




A Guide to Sustainable Corporate Responsibility


Book Description

This open access book discusses the challenges and opportunities faced by companies in an age that increasingly values sustainability and demands corporate responsibility. Beginning with the historical development of corporate responsibility, this book moves from academic theory to practical application. It points to ways in which companies can successfully manage their transition to a more responsible, sustainable way of doing business, common mistakes to avoid and how the UN Sustainable Development Goals are integral to any sustainability transformation. Practical cases illustrate key points. Drawing on thirty years of sustainability research and extensive corporate experience, the author provides tools such as a Step-by-Step strategic guide on integrating sustainability in collaboration with stakeholders including employees, customers, suppliers and investors. The book is particularly relevant for SMEs and companies operating in emerging markets. From a broader perspective, the value of externalities, full cost pricing, alternative economic theories and circular economy are also addressed.




Strategic Corporate Sustainability


Book Description

R.A Fernando draws upon his experiences at the United Nations Global Compact, his studies at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, and his time working at multinational corporations as he explores how to overcome the world’s toughest challenges. He outlines why global warming, the depletion of natural resources, and pollution should be everyone’s concern—and how these things will devastate entire nations. That is, unless we do something to stop it. Tackling the problems will require business leaders to include sustainability as part of their long-term plans, he argues. Sweeping corporate changes must be made to ensure the Earth’s preservation. In this carefully researched book packed with valuable statistics, current figures, historical data, and scary projections, he explores seven imperatives for sustainable businesses and how businesses can improve returns on capital by investing in sustainability-led differentiation and innovation. Embedding sustainability into corporate strategy could be just what businesses need to do, to boost operations while galvanizing peers and competitors to do what’s right. Learn how companies, employees, and shareholders can win by working for Strategic Corporate Sustainability.




Building Sustainability Into Your Organization (Collection)


Book Description

A brand new collection of state-of-the-art techniques for building more sustainable, higher-performing organizations… now in a convenient e-format, at a great price! Three 100% practical primers help you drive competitive advantage by optimizing sustainability and operational performance To compete in today’s extraordinarily competitive global environment, organizations need to achieve new levels of sustainability and operational performance. This brand-new package brings together three practical, state-of-the-art primers for doing just that. Robert Palevich’s The Lean Sustainable Supply Chain offers start-to-finish guidance for redesigning company infrastructure and technologies to achieve the powerful benefits that come with integrating "lean" and "green." and benefits. Palevich introduces core concepts of lean green supply chain management, illuminating them with a comprehensive case study showing how to manage change, innovation, talent, execution, inventory, warehousing, and transportation. He demonstrates how to integrate supply chain sustainability into business scorecards; use 3PLs more effectively; drive more value from information, and systematically address every relevant technical issue. Next, in Creating a Sustainable Organization, Peter A. Soyka presents today’s most complete and actionable guide to improving business performance through sustainable practices. Soyka bridges the disparate worlds of the EHS/sustainability professional and the investor/analyst, outlining today’s best evidence about linkages between sustainability and value, discussing key stakeholder relationships, and introducing new practices for managing and measuring sustainability throughout the business. Finally, Arthur V. Hill’s The Encyclopedia of Operations Management is today’s most convenient and useful supply chain/operations management "field manual." Bringing together nearly 1,500 well-organized definitions, it helps you quickly map all areas of these fields, from accounting and distribution through quality management, strategy, transportation, and warehousing. Throughout, Hill offers a shared language and realistic insights for improving any process and supporting any training program. From world-renowned supply chain and operations experts Robert Palevich, Peter A. Soyka, and Arthur V. Hill




The Big Pivot


Book Description

We live in a fundamentally changed world. It’s time for your approach to strategy to change, too. The evidence is all around us. Extreme weather, driven by climate change, is shattering records all over the planet. Our natural resources are in greater demand than ever before as a billion more people enter the global middle class, wanting more of everything. Radical transparency is opening up company operations and supply chains to public scrutiny. This is not some futuristic scenario or model to debate, but today’s reality. We've passed an economic tipping point. A weakening of the foundations of our planetary infrastructure is costing businesses dearly and putting our society at risk. The mega challenges of climate change, scarcity, and radical transparency threaten our ability to run an expanding global economy and are profoundly changing “business as usual.” But they also offer unprecedented opportunities: multi-trillion-dollar markets are in play, and the winners of this new game will profit mightily. According to Andrew Winston, bestselling author (Green to Gold) and globally recognized business strategist, the way companies currently operate will not allow them to keep up with the current—and future—rate of change. They need to make the Big Pivot. In this indispensable new book, Winston provides ten crucial strategies for leaders and companies ready to move boldly forward and win in this new reality. With concrete advice and tactics, and new stories from companies like British Telecom, Diageo, Dow, Ford, Nike, Unilever, Walmart, and many others, The Big Pivot will help you, and all of us, create more resilient businesses and a more prosperous world. This book is the blueprint to get you started.