Communication of Sustainability
Discuss about the importance of communication while understanding and adopting sustainability strategies for the business.
Communication ideally involves transfer of ideas, feelings or thoughts from one person to another person or a group of persons. Communication forms the backbone of every business and every transaction. Every business aims for a long term sustainability. This sustainability refers to long term survival of the business as well as the environment. All the communication that takes place within an organization that assists in planning for and implementation of long term sustainability plans is referred to as communication of sustainability (Godemann & Michelsen, 2011). In order to plan sustainable activities and implement strategies for long term sustainability of any organization, it is important that the stakeholders of the business communicate freely and openly.
Communication tools and modes also plays a critical role in ensuring effective communication of sustainability (Tewari & Dave, 2012). It becomes the responsibility of the leaders of the business to ensure that proactive and proficient tools and well defined channels of communication are established and adopted in the organization. Sustainability of the business and that of the environment is critical for the long term profitability of the business as well as a positive positioning of the brand in the minds of its consumers. Therefore, organizations put various efforts and adopt sundry strategies to make sure that
One of the crucial strategies adopted by businesses in order to sustain in the industry and in the environment include CSR activities. CSR activities or corporate social responsibilities of any business includes all those activities that a business entails as its contribution to the environment and the society at large. There are various organizations that invest heavily in their CSR activities and considered socially responsible (Schwartz, 2017). These businesses take steps towards building a sustainable future for all their stakeholders. Even while conducting these CSR activities, communication plays a key role in ensuring that businesses adopt the most appropriate strategies, these strategies are effectively implemented and that various stakeholders of the business are made aware about these activities.
Corporate social responsibilities of organizations have been able to make a significant difference in the world and the society that we live in today. These CSR activities are attempted at making the world a better place. These strategies can involve reducing carbon footprints of the world or empowering a certain section of the society (Tai & Chuang, 2014). Either way, it is the communication among stakeholders of the business that helps organizations in adopting an effective CSR activity that is sustainable and has maximum impact.
Corporate social responsibility
There are various reasons behind organizations putting efforts in their CSR activities. Businesses use these strategies as a chance to give back to the society that has given the business a platform to grow and sustain in the industry. The increasing amount of businesses has a very direct and very dangerous impact on the environment. Manufacturing units cause immense air pollution. The waste from businesses hampers the water supply and pollutes the air that we breathe in leading to increased carbon footprints. Increasing number of businesses also lead to increased consumer demands and improved customer lifestyles. This further enhances the average pollution caused by an individual. Therefore, it becomes imperative for organizations to put efforts in reducing these pollution levels and giving back to the society in order to ensure long term sustainability of the business.
Secondly, certain governments have also entailed a legal requirement for businesses to invest in CSR activities. Such measures by the government have been taking after severe deterioration of our plane and society. Owing to these measures by the central or state government, organizations are bound to invest a fixed percentage of their income in CSR activities (Brammer, Jackson & Matten, 2012). Besides a legal obligation, certain governments also encourage organizations to invest in CSR by offering them tax rebates over these activities.
Thirdly, investing in CSR and efficiently communicating the same to organizational stakeholders’ leads to improved positioning of the brand in the minds of consumers (Green & Peloza, 2011). Positioning refers to the image of the brand that customers hold. This is important in order to instil trust and respect towards the brand. This is why communication regarding the CSR activities plays a significant role in the growth of the business. It is only this communication that guides organizations about the most appropriate and required CSR activities as suggested by different needs of stakeholders of the business and the desired positioning strategy adopted by the brand. Also, this communication ensures that the CSR efforts of the business are communicated transparently to all the stakeholders and that all these stakeholders are well aware about these efforts.
There are various organizations that have been putting remarkable efforts in their CSR activities. These organizations are socially and environmentally responsible and have created a significant mark in the global environment through their efforts. These organizations and their contributions to the society have set an example about the responsibilities that an organization must fulfill for the long term sustainability of the business. Few of these organizations are as below:
Why Corporate social responsibilities?
Adobe is a leading software firm based in the United States of America. The brand dominates the industry with its offerings, customer service and continues innovation. But besides that, Adobe has set a solid example of responsibility by its tremendous efforts towards conserving the environment. Adobe has created green office across the globe which reduce carbon footprints. The brand has a state of the art waste disposable system. Currently, the organization has successfully completed over 185 energy projects which are aimed at reducing overall energy consumption throughout Adobe offices around the world. The brand has successfully reduced its usage of electricity by 50%, use of domestic water by 79%, use of water for irrigation by 71%, use of natural gas by 30% as well as installed 20 turbines and wind spires (Adobe Sustainability, 2018). Adobe has been a source of inspiration for many organizations across the world. The brand’s efforts have garnered the organization various awards, accolades and immense recognition throughout the globe.
Some organizations conduct CSR activities which are different from their business activities. On the other hand, some organizations find way to make a difference in the world by incorporating societal and environmental responsibilities in their offerings. One such effort has been made by leading taxi company Uber by starting the car pool service. Uber pool allows customers traveling in the same direction to share their cab and pay half the price (Halbheer et. al., 2017). The aim of the brand was to reduce the overall pollution levels in the atmosphere. There are millions of customers who share their cabs to work and home on a daily basis. This leads to reduction in carbon footprints and overall consumption of fresh air (Wolfson & Lin, 2017).
The impact of Uber pool is evident and this is why various governments are encouraging their citizens to use the brand’s service. Among the top ten polluted cities of the world, New Delhi from India ranks sixth. On world environment day, Uber released an index or a green index that threw light on the data that introduction of Uber Pool in New Delhi has helped the Indian capital conserve 936000 liters of petroleum ever since its launch (Business Standard, 2017). Releasing this data helped the brand in communicating its efforts towards conserving the environment. This communication led to enhanced awareness regarding the impact of the brand’s offerings and hence led to improved positioning and increased government support.
Conclusion
Communication for sustainability or corporate social responsibility of organizations play a significant role in the growth of the organization in the industry, sustained existence in the market and positive positioning in the minds of consumers. Sustainability is the much talked about issue that confronts various industries. The changing environment and increasing competition makes it imperative for organizations to put additional efforts towards ensuring their sustainability in the business (Rice & Atkin, 2012).
Communication plays a crucial role in sustainable growth of a business. This helps businesses in understanding and identifying the most appropriate strategies for sustainable growth. Communication among stakeholders regarding sustainability creates transparency, trust and coordinated growth. Corporate social responsibilities of the business allow organizations to give back to the society and do their bit in conserving the planet and uplifting the society that we live in. Various organizations like Uber, Adobe, Patagonia, Peerby and New Belgium Brewing are putting tremendous efforts and setting excellent examples for other businesses to follow. These CSR activities are critical for organizations and effective communication in this process ensures proficient impact of the same.
References
Adobe Sustainability, 2018. ‘Energy conservation’. Available at https://www.adobe.com/in/corporate-responsibility/sustainability/energy-conservation.html. Accessed on 05 June, 2018.
Brammer, S., Jackson, G. and Matten, D., 2012. Corporate social responsibility and institutional theory: New perspectives on private governance. Socio-economic review, 10(1), pp.3-28.
Business Standard, 2017. ‘World Environment Day’. Retrieved from https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/world-environment-day-how-uber-saved-fuel-reduced-pollution-in-delhi-117060500249_1.html. Accessed on 05 June, 2018.
Godemann, J. and Michelsen, G., 2011. Sustainability communication–an introduction. In Sustainability Communication (pp. 3-11). Springer Netherlands.
Halbheer, D., Gärtner, D. L., Gerstner, E., & Koenigsberg, O. (2017). Optimizing service failure and damage control. International Journal of Research in Marketing.
Rice, R.E. and Atkin, C.K. eds., 2012. Public communication campaigns. Sage. United Kingdom.
Schwartz, M.S., 2017. Corporate social responsibility. Routledge. United Kingdom.
Tai, F.M. and Chuang, S.H., 2014. Corporate social responsibility. Ibusiness, 6(03), p.117.
Tewari, R. and Dave, D., 2012. Corporate social responsibility: Communication through sustainability reports by Indian and multinational companies. Global Business Review, 13(3), pp.393-405.
Wolfson, O. and Lin, J., 2017, May. Fairness versus Optimality in Ridesharing. In Mobile Data Management (MDM), 2017 18th IEEE International Conference on (pp. 118-123). IEEE
Order an Essay Now & Get These Features For Free:
Turnitin Report
Formatting
Title Page
Citation
Outline
