A sustainable business, or green business, is enterprise that has no negative impact on the global or local environment, community, society, or economy. The business that i have chosen is probably a very common place everyone visits daily - Starbucks.
Ever since Starbucks opened their first store in 1971, they've been trying to earn the trust and respect of our customers, partners and neighbors by being responsible and doing things that are good for the planet and each other. Such as: recyling, energy saving, water saving, and building green starbucks locations.
Starbucks recyle 70% of their instore wastes but this usually happens behind the counters and customers are unable to see it. Recycling is dependent on the availability of commercial recycling services where the stores are located. Unfortunately, some communities don't offer any commercial recycling services.
Energy use in Starbucks stores makes up roughly 80% of their entire carbon footprint. By end of 2010 Starbucks aim to reduce energy use in new stores by 25% and to obtain 50% of energy from renewable sources in all of their company-owned stores.
In order to save water, Starbucks started implementing new alternatives to the dipper well system used to clean utensils that we believe will significantly reduce our water usage across the globe in 2009. They continue to include water-saving technology in equipment specifications. For example, in U.S. company-owned stores, mechanical dishwashers use less than one gallon of water per cycle through high pressure spray arms.
Overall, Starbucks seem like a very sustainable business. I am glad to be one of starbucks' drinkers!!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Business Ethics and Social Responsibilities
Business ethics is the examination of a variety of problems that can arise from the business environment, and how employees, management, and the corporation can deal with them ethically. Problems such as fiduciary responsibility, corporate social responsibility, insider trading, bribery and discrimination are examined in business ethics.
In the handling of money and when one acts as a corporate, there is a fiduciary responsibility owed to the principal party. It is defined as a relationship imposed by law where someone has voluntarily agreed to act in the capacity of a "caretaker" of another's rights, assets and/or well being. The fiduciary owes an obligation to carry out the responsibilities with the utmost degree of "good faith, honesty, integrity, loyalty and undivided service of the beneficiaries interest."
Corporate social responsibilty's goal is to embrace responsibility for the company's actions and encourage a positive impact through its activities on the environment, consumers, employees, communities, stakeholders and all other members of the public sphere. Furthermore, corporate social responsibilty focused businesses would proactively promote the public interest by encouraging community growth and development, and voluntarily eliminating practices that harm the public sphere, regardless of legality.
Thirdly, insider trading. This is a very serious issue and it occurs when an individual with special knowledge of a corporation uses this knowledge to buy and/or sell securities such as stocks and bonds to make a profit.
Last but not least, bribery and discrimination are considered to be very unethical in business workplaces. To discriminate someone is to distinguish one from another usually due to social, culture, or political reasons. To bribe someone is to give beneficial items to someone else in order to obtain a certain goal.
Business ethics and social responsibilities are very important to a business.
In the handling of money and when one acts as a corporate, there is a fiduciary responsibility owed to the principal party. It is defined as a relationship imposed by law where someone has voluntarily agreed to act in the capacity of a "caretaker" of another's rights, assets and/or well being. The fiduciary owes an obligation to carry out the responsibilities with the utmost degree of "good faith, honesty, integrity, loyalty and undivided service of the beneficiaries interest."
Corporate social responsibilty's goal is to embrace responsibility for the company's actions and encourage a positive impact through its activities on the environment, consumers, employees, communities, stakeholders and all other members of the public sphere. Furthermore, corporate social responsibilty focused businesses would proactively promote the public interest by encouraging community growth and development, and voluntarily eliminating practices that harm the public sphere, regardless of legality.
Thirdly, insider trading. This is a very serious issue and it occurs when an individual with special knowledge of a corporation uses this knowledge to buy and/or sell securities such as stocks and bonds to make a profit.
Last but not least, bribery and discrimination are considered to be very unethical in business workplaces. To discriminate someone is to distinguish one from another usually due to social, culture, or political reasons. To bribe someone is to give beneficial items to someone else in order to obtain a certain goal.
Business ethics and social responsibilities are very important to a business.
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