Assignment 2: Prologue: Sustainability and CorporateSocial Responsibility (CSR); Reading pgs. 13-14 of Prologue (Worth9 pts. total)

In recent years, there has been an increasing awareness andgrowing interest in sustainability and social responsibility byboth consumers and corporations.

Merriam-Webster defines sustainability as the ability of asystem to maintain its own viability, endure without giving way, oruse resources so they are not depleted or permanently damaged. Or,in other words, it’s the ability of a system to operate in such amanner that it is able to continue indefinitely. The United Nationshas defined sustainability as the “ability to meet the needs of thepresent without compromising the ability of future generations tomeet their own needs.” Others have defined sustainability as anexpansion of the golden rule: “Do unto others, including futuregenerations, as you would have done unto you.”

Sustainability has three overlapping pillars: environmental,social, and economic. They are not mutually exclusive and are oftenmutually reinforcing. The pillars are interdependent and none canexist without the other. Many have come to believe that a companywill only be viable in the long run if all three of these factorsare considered when making business decisions. As a result, manycompanies, including The United Nations and other public sectororganizations, adhere to the notion of a triple bottom line (TBL or3BL). TBL recognizes that a company’s performance should be viewednot only in terms of its ability to generate economic profits forits owners, as has traditionally been the case, but also by itsimpact on people (social) and the planet (environmental). Most ofthe leading companies in the world are now issuing corporate socialresponsibility (CSR) reports through which they communicate theirsocial and environmental impact. Businesses are now viewingsustainability and social responsibility as opportunities forinnovation and business development.

Part 1: Worth 6.5 pts. (1/2 pt. each)

Below are examples of green initiatives recently undertaken atThe Coca-Cola Company. For each example, indicate whether thisinitiative would primarily impact the environmental (EN), social(S), or economic (EC) factors.

1.      ______ Provided on-sitewellness coaching for employees in the Baltimore sales facility tohelp to improve employee health.

2.      ______ Diverted more than 2.5million beverage containers from landfills by placing more than3,000 recycling bins at NASCAR racetracks across the UnitedStates.

3.      ______ Generated a positiveeconomic benefit in every community in which Cocoa-Cola hasfacilities in the United States.

4.      ______ Reduced beveragecalories in U.S. schools by 88% since 2006.

5.      ______ Prohibited marketing tochildren under the age of 12 in its global marketing policy.

6.      ______ Deployed hybrid electrictrucks, which generate approximately one-third fewer CO2 emissionsthan a regular truck, in several major U.S. cities.

7.      ______ Minimized the amount ofwater used in the manufacturing and cleaning processes, resultingin a water use savings of over 2 billion liters since 2008.

8.      ______ Recruited from a widecross section of the communities that its services so that therepresentation of women and minority groups in management can beimproved.

9.      ______ Displayed total caloriecounts on the selection buttons on company-controlled vendingmachines so that consumers can make informed choices.

10.    ______ Generated a profit for thecompany’s shareholders.

11.    ______ Removed the side walls on thecorrugated trays that carry products, which resulted in savings ofalmost 2,400 metric tons of corrugated packaging.

12.    ______ Provided training and careertraining for employees to help to provide a rewarding worklife.

13.    ______ Reduced the bottle cap size by .5millimeters and shortened the bottle neck, which resulted in atotal plastics savings of more than 11,000 metric tons since2007.