Business Benefit-Management for Sustainability
Despite the concept of sustainability being concerned with the environment and environmental related issues, its application is also tied to a company's financial viability. Most business organizations view sustainable development as a waste of time and resources and thus do not bother to follow up and implement it. For instance, the Yakima Company realized that manufacturing its products in Tijuana, Mexico and shipping them to the Memphis and back to the west coast was costing more money and time as well. The company decided to open a distribution center on the west coast and from ever since it has realized some benefits including saving on fuel, finances and boosting the image of its finances (Baumgartner, and Ebner, 79). This shows that a company implementing sustainable development strategies can help a lot due to the many benefits involved.
Transport is an essential component for the Yakima Company since it operates in the manufacturing and distribution industry. The company needs to transport its products from Mexico to the United States as well as transporting raw materials to the enterprise. Building a placement center on the west coast is a sustainable development strategy as it helps the company to conserve the environment and save on transportation costs. Big transport trucks usually contribute to pollution of the environment through carbon and thus cutting the distance traveled helps preserve the environment (Brook, and Pagnanelli, 50). Therefore, by implementing the sustainable development strategy, the company can conserve the environment and save on costs as well.
Energy
Yakima Company will be able to save on energy requirements in the company's transportation department since the vehicles, and distribution trucks will be covering a lesser distance than before. Moving the distribution center to the west coast from Memphis seems like a good sustainable idea for both the business and the environment. Cutting the distance traveled by tracks helps conserve the environment by reducing pollution, and the company can save on many gallons of fuel which could have been used.
Materials
For the company having a distribution center in Memphis and then later transporting the products to the west coast meant that a lot of materials went into the process. Therefore, Yakima Company will be able to save on materials once it begins to use the west coast distribution center instead of the one located in Memphis. The process will also take a lesser since the finished products will be able to be transported directly from Mexico to the consumers.
Waste
Through sustainable development strategies, the company will be able to reduce waste of the products during the transportation and storage processes. Much of the wastage also occurred due to the many days’ trucks used to spend on roads before reaching the financial consumer and thus having a distribution center in the west coast will reduce such wastage (Brook, and Pagnanelli, 50). Reducing the wastage helps conserve the environment since less raw materials will be used and the company will also be able to save on the costs of acquiring raw materials. Waste is among the leading pollutant across the globe and effective management plays an imperative in ensuring the sustainability of a business (Wilhelm 37). For this reason, organizations need to ensure that their wastes are managed effectively and in a sustainable manner.
Integration of Business Activities
The process of integrating the company activities is meant to be able to align all the activities of the company to the overall goals and objectives. Most of the activities which are integrated into the company include business culture, human resource, production, sales and marketing and information technology. Incorporating such activities helps the company to achieve its goals faster and in a more efficient way. Integrating the activities is also a sustainable way of conserving the environment and helping the company accomplish its aims. The integration of business activities plays an imperative role in enhancing an organization’s sustainability plans (Wilhelm, 34). As such, businesses need to develop integration strategies in their endavours to ensure the sustainability of their businesses in line with the requirements in the global business environment.
Works Cited
Baumgartner, Rupert J and Daniela Ebner. "Corporate Sustainability Strategies: Sustainability Profi les and Maturity Levels." Sustainable Development (2010): 76–89. Web.
Brook, Jacquez W and Fabrizio Pagnanelli. "Integrating sustainability into innovation project portfolio management – A strategic perspective." Journal of Engineering and Technology Management (2014): 46 - 62. Web.
Wilhelm, Kevin. Return on Sustainability: How Business Can Increase Profitability and Address Climate Change in an Uncertain Economy. Upper Saddle River, NJ: FT Press, 2013. Print.
