Sustainability Reporting Benefits

Sustainability Reporting Benefits Executive summary Desire by stakeholders to keep track of organizational performance has led to emergence of sustainability reporting. The report is prepared focusing on social, economic and environmental issues that affect organizations as well as their positive and negative impacts. Implementation of sustainability reporting follows a certain sequence which ensures that final report captures all the relevant information. Management team and stakeholders are involved in identifying issues affecting their organization.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Sustainability Reporting Benefits specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These issues are then evaluated and report compiled before it is communicated. Some of the reasons why organizations report include enhancing financial value and encouraging innovation to improve competitiveness. The main features of the report include organization’s profile, strategies and analys is as well as parameters used in collecting data and compiling the report. Sustainability reporting helps organizations cut down on operations cost and improves on their profitability. Consequently, organizations ought to adopt it if they wish to continue improving their performance and profitability. Introduction Stakeholders want to keep track of organizational performance so as to tell when their organization is making progress or failing. Desire to understand organizational performance is triggered by need of the business community to respond to matters affecting sustainable development (KPMG International, 2008, p. 14). Currently, business strategies, public disclosure and operational strategies are developed in line with enhancement of sustainable performance. Overview of the task As organizations turn to sustainability reporting, there are numerous reasons that have made them take this direction. This paper aims at looking at reasons why organizations are adopting sustainabil ity reporting, some elements of the report and steps followed in implementing sustainability reporting process. Reporting purpose and structure This report aims at bringing out benefits associated with sustainability reporting thus explaining why organizations are adopting the practice. It will focus reasons for sustainability reporting, outline features of sustainability reporting and describe how it is implemented. Recommendation why organizations need to adopt sustainability reporting will also be given.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Sustainability reporting reasons Exhibit transparency Through sustainability reporting, organization is able to demonstrate its dedication to managing its environmental, economic and social impacts. This provides a platform for stakeholders to deliberate on what needs to be done to help the organization realize its goals (Commonw ealth of Australia, 2010, p. 1). Enhancing reputation Organizational reputation depends on how stakeholders view the organization with respect to social, environmental and economic dimensions. As sustainability reporting enlightens stakeholders on how an organization is performing in the market as well as strategies being used to achieve organizational goals, it facilitates in managing their perceptions (Commonwealth of Australia, 2010, p. 1). Consequently, sustainability reporting helps in maintaining and enhancing corporate reputation. Creating financial value At times, sustainability reporting process entails collecting and analyzing information regarding materials and resource usage as well as assessing organizational processes. Accordingly, organizations using this process are able to identify opportunities for cutting down on operations cost and at the same time boosting their revenues. Moreover, sustainability reporting helps in coming up with measures to ensure that organiza tional materials and resources are efficiently utilized. Encouraging innovation Sustainability reporting leads to stakeholders coming up with strategies to improve organizational performance (Commonwealth of Australia, 2010, p. 1). This helps in enhancing competitive advantage. For instance, understanding various stakeholder concerns leads to creation of ground-breaking products and services. Enhancing regulatory compliance Sustainability reporting helps management identify emerging areas of compliance such as global warming thus ensuring that they comply with established guidelines. Besides, it may help organizations influence prospect regulatory responses such as mitigating regulations in areas where deliberate disclosure frameworks are found to be effective. Sustainability reporting features Strategies and analysis One of the elements of sustainability reporting is strategies and analysis. This contains statement from managers that are given the mandate to make final decisions in an organization (White, 2009, p. 125). The statement outlines relevance of sustainability reporting to the organization and measures put in place to ensure sustainability. Moreover, key impacts are describes as well as potential risks facing the organization and possible opportunities. Organizational profile The second feature entails organizational profile. Name of the organization is given as well as brands offered by the specific organization. For a company offering services, the various services offered are described. In addition, operational structure of the organization is described paying attention to different divisions found within the organization if any (White, 2009, p. 125).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Sustainability Reporting Benefits specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Organization is fully described leading to stakeholders and public understanding it better. Features such as market served by the or ganization and awards received are brought out. Report parameters These include parameters such as reporting period, course for determining report scope and boundaries and any restrictions on report coverage. Tables indicating standard disclosures contained in the report; with respect to global reporting initiative are also included. Insight into the organization’s policies and practices regarding assurance for the report is also included in the parameters (White, 2009, p. 125). Sustainability reporting implementation Preparation The first step in implementing sustainability reporting is preparation. Here, an internal dialogue has to be done at the management level to identify social, economic and environmental issues affecting the organization. Positive and negative impacts of these issues are also identified (Geraghty, 2010, p. 145). Connect This is a very important part of implementation process. It entails collecting views from stakeholders on what features to be included in the report. It helps in ensuring that all vital information is included in the final report thus ensuring that a comprehensive report is achieved (Geraghty, 2010, p. 145). Define Information gathered from stakeholders (in connect section) confirms if positive and negative features highlighted by management team (in preparation section) are the most vital (Geraghty, 2010, p. 145). This helps in defining the report’s focus. In addition, the reasons why various choices were made are made clear. Monitor This involves collecting data that will be included in the final report. Global reporting initiative indicators help organizations in identifying what to monitor or what to look for during data collection (Geraghty, 2010, p. 145). Communicate Information collected in the monitor section is included in the final report. Implementation process does not end here. Final report is prepared and compiled. Besides, decisions about how to communicate the report’s findings are ma de (Geraghty, 2010, p. 145).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Recommendation Enhancing financial value Organizations are continuously looking for ways to improve their profitability by cutting down on operations cost. The fact that sustainability reporting facilitates in enhancing financial value of an organization underlines the reason why organizations need to adopt it. Through this, organizations will be able to assess how resources and materials are utilized. Apart from monitoring material and resource usage, organizations will effectively manage their operational processes thus improving overall efficiency. Sustainability reporting looks into both internal and external factors affecting an organization. Accordingly, the practice will help organizations identify novel opportunities for increasing their revenues. Reference List Commonwealth of Australia, 2010. Sustainability reporting. Web. Geraghty, L., 2010. Sustainability reporting – measure to manage, manage to change. Keeping Good Companies, 3, pp. 141-145. KPMG International, 2 008. KPMG International Survey of Corporate Responsibility Reporting 2008. Web. White, G. B., 2009. Sustainability reporting: Managing for wealth and corporate health. New York: Business Expert Press.

English Conversation Lesson About Movies and Actors

English Conversation Lesson About Movies and Actors People love to talk about what they have seen in the cinema. Any class  will usually be well versed in both their own native countrys films and the latest and greatest from Hollywood and elsewhere. This subject is especially useful with younger students who might be hesitant to speak about their own lives. Speaking about films provides an almost endless font of possibilities for conversation. Here are a few ideas: Aim: Promoting conversation,  especially with younger students who might be hesitant to speak about their own lives.Activity: General introduction to films, dictation and short listening exercise, followed by students discussing their answers to dictated questions.Level: Intermediate to advanced Conversation Outline About Movies and Actors Introduce the topic by asking students to name different types of film and a film they know of that represents that genre. Example: Comedy - Manhattan by Woody Alan Dictate the following questions to the students.  They need only write down their responses. What is your favorite non-Italian, German, French, etc. (you name the nationality) film?What is your favorite Italian, German, French, etc. (you name the nationality) film?Who is your favorite actor or actress?What is the worst film you have ever seen?In your opinion, who is the worst actor or actress in film today? Have students put aside their answers to the above questions. Read the short description of the film provided with this lesson (or invent a short description of a film you know that most students have seen). Ask the students to name the film. Have students divide up into small groups and discuss a film they have all seen. After they discussed the film, ask them to write a short description of the film like the one you have read to the class. Groups read their summaries aloud to the other groups which need to name the films described. You can easily turn this into a little competitive game setting the number of times the descriptions can be read aloud. Returning to the questions at the beginning of class, ask each student to choose one of the questions and answer that question explaining to the other students their reasons for choosing that film or actor/actress as the best/worst. During this part of the lesson, students should be encouraged to agree or disagree and add their own comments to the discussion at hand. As a follow-up homework task, students can write a short review of a film they have seen to be discussed during the next session. Which Film? Ask students to name this movie: This film takes place on an Italian island. An exiled, communist poet comes to the island and slowly becomes friends with a simple, local man. The film seems to be about learning which can take place between friends. During the film, the poet helps his friend persuade a beautiful young woman to become his wife by helping the man write love letters. The film follows the maturing of a young, simple man through his contact with a famous man who he admires greatly. Answer: The Postman by Massimo Troisi - Italy, 1995

Banana supply chain Australia Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Banana supply chain Australia - Term Paper Example This is supported by the fact that almost the whole population has a banana at least a day. This is represented by over 95% of the general population. To meet this demand, there is need for mass production and an efficient supply chain in order to reach the consumers on time. Statistics indicate that the small scale farmers are the main suppliers of the bananas within the Australian market. North Queensland is the religion that is said to be very productive (Peckham 2011). It is the core region from where most of the bananas come from. Ingham is said to be one of the most productive region supplying the highest percent to the market. It is therefore imperative to note that most of the bananas are grown from the northern part of the country and have to be transported to the southern part. This is owing to the fact that most of the towns and population is found in the southern parts. For that reason, it is imperative to have an elaborate transport network that will ensure timely supply of products to the market. Supply chain It is indicated that the banana supply chain in Australia varies from place to place depending on the preference of the farmers (Nossal, 2009). One of the major supply chains however, is where there is the presence of an agent, who supplies to the wholesalers. The latter sell to the retailers who later sell the bananas in low quantities to the customers. The other common ones are from the farmers who sell directly to large wholesales, who also sell to the retailers. Finally, certain large retailers are also able to purchase directly from the farmers and then later to the customers. The latter is preferred by most marketers since there is little damage that is incurred during the transportation of the bananas to the market. This is owing to the fact that banana is a very delicate product and also very perishable. Big losses are incurred in the process of transportation especially where they have to be transported to large distances. For that r eason, there is a plan within the local market to bring the number of middlemen as low as possible. The main type of transportation network is the highway roads which connect directly from the farmers to the large markets in the southern parts of the market. Large trucks are loaded with the bananas and have to transport them over long distances. For instance, one of the longest distances is said to be 2,600km in order to reach the consumers (Nellemann 2009). This therefore indicates that there is need to have a reliable transport network that will not affect the supply of bananas. The price of bananas has been on the rise hitting as high as 5 dollars per kilogram. There are various factors that are said to contribute to this high prices ranging from weakening of the dollar as well as low supply. The latter is caused by among other factors poor weather conditions and effects on the roads (Nossal, 2009). Farmers also face losses owing to the adverse weather conditions that affect the countries from time to time. Most of the farmers who rely entirely on the rains may not produce enough or quality bananas that can compete favorably in the market. It is also indicated that some of the agents take advantage of the farmers by purchasing the bananas at low prices. This kind of exploitation denies most of the farmers enough capital to increase productivity. Factors affecting the supply chain The

Consumer Behaviour Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Consumer Behaviour Assignment - Essay Example Clammer (1992) argues that this is true even of the most mundane consumption choices, which can reflect an individual's identity, tastes and social position (see also Elliott and Wattanasuwan, 1998; Slater, 1997) (cited by Sowden and Grimmer, 2009, p 1). Motherhood requires different changes that a woman goes through when becoming a mother. One of the aspects of this is the change in roles. Together with this comes the brand new identity and often of priorities also. A woman who might have devoted much of her time on herself especially on physical aesthetic sense might suddenly feel that her needs to promote her physical looks is relegated to the more important role of taking care of a child. Because of this new role and identity where the new mom has to fit in, she is exposed to a mould of what the identity must be or must look like. The society sometimes paints the required image that a mom must take in order to fit in the mould or the individual projects her own identity which she feels is best accepted in the society. As she tries to orient herself with the new role, she is subjected to consumption choices and decisions that had been expected from the identity that she has just assumed or wants to assume. These consumption decisions particularly refer to ... Similarly, other transitions or rites of passage points in the life cycle of the consumer could be viewed as identity projects. With the transition or with a new role to play, the consumer take on a new image which is necessarily consistent with the new identity he/she assumes. This then necessarily affect his/her consumption decision. Wattanasuwan (2005, p 179) stated that we do not really consume products just for necessity but also more importantly for the projection of the self that we want others to see. This self or this identity project is the one we hope that others within our group or subculture would accept and welcome with open arms. One case in point is the pre-adult or teenage years. This is a rather delicate and volatile stage as the individual tries to find out how he/she fits into the society he/she belongs to. Most of the issues that concern teenagers move towards their desire to belong and be accepted. Many young people would try to create and project an identity of maturity in their hopes to easily blend into the world of adults. "Symbolic consumption is taking on a greater role in distinguishing the pre-adult from the adult" (Ozanne, 1992 as cited by Batat, n.d.). Others would use this identity project to impress their peers or to be accepted in certain circles or groups. "The use of goods as symbols for communicating with other consumers is related to the use of goods in the development of self-identity. Individual can then use the symbolic content of chosen consumption objects to reflect their affiliation or connection to a particular social group" (Batat, n.d. cited from Elliott and Wattanasuwan, 1998 ). Because of this, the consumption choices we face would depend on the identity we

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt Essay -- Midni

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil was written by John Berendt and was 388 pages long. This was a non-fiction story of the beautiful town of Savannah, Georgia. John Berendt was a reporter who lived in New York and one night while dinning out he realized that one plate of food cost him the same amount of money that it would to fly to Savannah. So he did and he found himself in love with the city and stayed. It is a spellbinding story peopled by a gallery of remarkable characters: a fading belle who packs a pistol in her dà ©colletage; a charming, piano-playing con man who moves like a hermit crab from one empty showplace house to the next, accompanied by his high-living entourage and pursued closely by his creditors; a moneyed dowager who conducts business from a cruising Mercedes limousine; a sour alcoholic inventor who claims to own a vial of poison so powerful that it could kill off the entire city; a voodoo priestess in purple shades; and a foul-mouthed black drag queen who passes so convincingly for a woman that she is able to extort abortion money from the parents of her white boyfriend. With these and other people from savannah, Berendt reviles his alliances and enemies in the town where everybody knows everybody else.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The exciting colorful town of Savannah is said to be the main character in this Novel, but the main character was actually John Berendt, he was the narrator and main character . He was a reporter from New York who made savannah and the people in Savannah his interest, his home, and his life. He learned all about this secluded city through observation, meetings, and gossip. He was an intelligent man who always knew where to be at the right time. There was this one scene in the book where he was having an interview with Jim Williams when Danny Hansford walked in, in a tirade, with a shirt on that said F-U on it. Well earlier that day his other friend Joe Oldem had been talking about this strange man who woke up in his bed with that same thing printed on his shirt. John was in the right place at the right time to put two and two together. Jim Williams was the other major character in this book, he was an antique dealer who owned one of the nicest homes in Savannah. He was a major ... ... job at it. The strongest features of the book was the way he described the people and the city as being one, The weakest part of the book was that the actually story of the murder didn’t start until the second part of the book. If I was the author I would probably incorporate more of the murder story line into the first part of the book and introduce the character’s throughout the whole book not just the first part ( the book was separated into a part 1 and part 2).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ending of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil was very satisfactory, Jim was found not guilty of Danny Hansfords’s death. Jim threw his first Christmas party of the year for the first time in 8 years, where he found himself remaking the guest list. Then at the very end he died, I believe that it was ideal for him to die, it was uncanny though that he died in the same place that he would of died 8 years ago if Danny had shot and killed him like he intended too. After Jim’s death Savannah was still the same. It was growing inward away from the real world, living in its own. The book starts with the town and ends with the town and I found that to be very satisfactory.

Coming of Age-Portrait of an Artist

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is a complete work of art, complete in the sense that it gives such great insight to human nature and the people of the world. The title is essentially what this novel represents. The â€Å"coming of age† is represented like a portrait because it takes a long time, with many different attempts, to reach the final work of art. In even greater context, the protagonist experiences a series of epiphanies in which he gains insight into his own nature and into the people of the world. In the main characters â€Å"coming of age† there are crucial components that are lost and gained, which can be derived from his love of family, religion, and art. Stephen Dedalus, the main character, is what many would consider a typical boy with a normal childhood. His family loves him and they support him with essentially anything he would need. Stephen is taught well as a young boy whose parents grapple with many problems for themselves, yet always seem to show the difference between right and wrong. As Stephen grows older his family’s struggles become his own problem whenever finances force them to move, therefore making Stephen the new kid at school. †No life or youth stirred in him as it had stirred in [his father and his friends]. He had known neither the pleasure of companionship with others nor the vigour of rude male health nor filial piety. Nothing stirred within his soul but a cold and cruel and loveless lust. His childhood was dead or lost and with it his soul capable of simple joys and he was drifting amid life like the barren shell of the moon. (76) School shows to be a challenge in itself as he has problems fitting in, but eventually he finds his place in the â€Å"social circle†. As Stephen grows even older and moving now into his teenage years family is becoming one of his lesser problems. Although his family may not always physically be there, Stephen has roots for his mind and soul which his family created for him. In a way these ideals can be looked at as good or bad, the good being that he is from Ireland and it is tradition, the bad being that his family may be the source of the rest of his problems later in life. Religion to Stephen is a very important matter. From the time he was a little boy, the Catholic religion and the fear of God had been instilled in him. For this, Stephens traditional Irish upbringing is to blame. As for religion becoming a problem for him, it arose after his first sexual experience with a prostitute. †His soul had arisen from the grave of boyhood, spurning her grave-clothes. Yes! Yes! Yes! He would create proudly out of the freedom and power of his soul, as the great artificer whose name he bore, a living thing, new and soaring and beautiful, impalpable, imperishable. (133) Stephen had been introduced to the world of sin and was now indulging in gluttony and greed. †He turned to appease the fierce longings of his heart before which everything else was idle and alien. He cared little that he was in mortal sin, that his life had grown to be a tissue of subterfuge and falsehood. Beside the savage desire within him to realize the enormities which he brooded on nothing was sacred. †(79)Stephen is happy at first by the man he has become, but after he has a religious retreat, things quickly change. This is where his first epiphany comes in and he decides that he must seek god’s forgiveness and straighten his life out. It seems as if this small streak of sin was a minor setback for Stephen, and he is now disgusted with himself knowing what awaits him after death if he continues. As time goes by Stephen becomes more religious and manages to block out his temptations. The fact that the temptations are still there though worries him, and he wonders if he has really corrected himself. Stephen then faces many problems, from home to school, where he begins to question faith and religion once again. This is where the second epiphany comes in. After some thought Stephen decides that he must pursue his ambitions and live his life freely without inhibitions. Throughout Stephen’s early life the idea of art is almost lost for him. Stephen always has the idea of art in his mind and can be considered his one true love. The ambition of art did not always influence his thinking and ideals until later in his teenage years. The challenges and mental boundaries he experiences can contribute to the artist he wants to become, therefore making him very open minded artist with traditional Irish roots. Stephen was a confused boy who was on his own personal pursuit of happiness. Stephen was fortunate enough to realize that the choices he made before adulthood would effect the rest of his life. With that in mind, Stephen’s â€Å"coming of age† causes him to lose some things, while at the same time gaining others. The main part of Stephens â€Å"coming of age† was his transformation between one of religious conformity and one free of inhibitions as an artist. â€Å"I mean, said Stephen, that I was not myself as I am now, as I had to become. †(193)

Bda Synthesis Essay - 817 Words

Currently, the FDA holds the firm perspective that BPA exposure is safe at the current levels occurring in foods. This is considering and based on the FDA’s ongoing safety review of scientific evidence. The available information continues to support the safety of BPA for the currently approved uses in food containers and packaging. On the other hand, the European Union and California have found exposure to BPA leading to serious reproductive health problems. Even more, the European Union states BPA as a â€Å"substance of very high concern,† (KTC) and California recently added BPA to its Prop 65 list as a chemical known to cause reproductive toxicity. (Link with video). So what is BPA exactly? BPA is a structural component in polycarbonate†¦show more content†¦Bisphenol A is the famous chemical used in plastic food and beverage containers, composites and sealants in dentistry, and lacquers in lining of aluminum food and beverage cans. The toxification process of BPA commences with the migration of BPA from the plastic, composites, and other storage containers to its outside environment. It occurs when BPA is heated or exposed to acidic or alkali solutions which cause polymer degradation of BPA. However, according to the Endocrine Society’s Second Scientific Statement on Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals, BPA may leach into food or water through physical manipulation, or repetitive use. Studies have demonstrated that BPA can cause major health effects when consumed, especially in high doses. Like most other chemicals consumed daily, BPA poses great consequences if consumed in high doses. However, renown geneticist Patricia Hunt depicts that even the consumption of low doses of BPA is equally alarming. To explain, just at a low dose, BPA has the capacity to alter hormone balance. BPA’s close affinity with estrogen poses significant risk to our mental and emotional well being. Most importantly, estrogen plays an important role in basic necessities such as bone growth, ovulation, and heart functions. (7) Elevated estrogen levels increase a woman’s risk for breast cancer (5) Further, studies of low