1. A recent New York Times article noted a problem with the development of electric cars: they're currently priced too high for anyone but the wealthy to be able to purchase them. The Tesla Model 3, initially priced at $35,000 to be the "electric car for average folks" has since had a pricing increase to $47,000; the lower-cost models from Ford and Hyundai are either no longer accepting orders, due to extreme demand, or are actually priced higher than advertised. Even in the resale market, electric cars are in such high demand that the pricing has become extreme, resulting in used Teslas selling for higher than their original purchase price. Although there are clear reasons for the pricing, beyond demand outpacing supplyshortages of batteries, of raw materials like lithium, and of components like semiconductorsit does not discount that pricing out most of the population in one of the central efforts against climate change is a significant issue. Using three of the four course readings assigned under the topic "Sustainable Management" from Week 3, analyze why prohibitive pricing on electric vehicles represents an ongoing issue in the market. PLEASE ANSWER BASED ON THIS INFORMATION IN BELOW WEEK 3 (SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT)

Connected Capitalism. Chapter 3

The book introduces the concept of "Mitzvah" which is utilized to help enterprises build a "a moment of doing that creates a space of being". By connecting with others in the workspace there's better cohesion and understanding between individuals. It increase productivity and efficiency as others are more aware of each other. This awareness is an understanding of how one operates, what their strengths are and etc. We can connect this early in the textbook as a spiritual connection and boasting the internal nature of one.

Learning from the future

The tool discussed to start with is encompassed by strategic foresight, something that does not help us figure out what to think about the future but rather helps in figuring out how to think about it. The most visible tool regarding strategic foresight is scenario planning. This involves identifying forces that will "shape future market and operating conditions, exploring how those drivers may interact, imagining a variety of plausible futures, revising mental models of the present on the basis of those futures and then using those new models to devise strategies that prepare organizations for whatever the future actually brings". To properly utilize this organizations need to continuously act on this tool to develop constant exploration of the future.

To have this action of future seeking it delves deep into uncertainty within the actors of an organization which limits what is perceivable. This however is swayed by the character of good judgement within managers, who possess the ability to travel through uncertainty. This skill however is difficult to understand how one can develop and grow it. However, the article describes how conventional wisdom believes that good judgement is rooted in the experience of those who possess it. I believe in this as I see various experiences through ones life in turn produces a vastly wide variety of characteristics in an individual. No one person has gone through the same experiences as another and therefore this shapes people to carry themselves differently.

Diving further into the article another section I want to highlight is Herman Kahn's belief in scenario planning. This was the thought to create "strange aids to thought" which boils down to multiple imagined futures that could possibly develop. By doing so an organization is able to have strategic planning based on future scenarios that have not been experiences in the past but could happen.

I really like the section which discusses future worlds, in which a consultancy group for the Coast Guard created the thought of multiple scenarios. Some scenarios ranging to 20 years in the future but created an idea of multiple possible future worlds in which the coast guard would be required to operate in. These future worlds depend on various forces such as, the economy, population size and demands. Some of these ideas weren't particularly novel but built the idea to grow an understanding for possibilities in our world.

The getting started subheading section is an interesting insight in how organizations can position themselves and develop a continuous understanding of future's possibilities. Doing so by the various steps in the article. The part I'd like to highlight is the ingraining of the process. Organizations should of course keep an eye on the present but create internal process to continually orient on future possibilities, in turn allowing for better judgement on decisions since the scenario being decided is not particularly a new event to the organization.

Future proof your climate strategy

The first highlight in this article is the internal carbon pricing. The article has already described the thought processes of organizations (mainly in the US landscape). This leads to allowing companies to place a monetary value on emitting carbon. The tool here is internal pricing which is used in "three key ways: to inform decisions about capital investments (especially when projects directly affect emissions, energy efficiency, or changes in the portfolio of energy sources); to measure, model, and manage the financial and regulatory risks associated with existing and potential government pricing regimes; and to help identify risks and opportunities and adjust strategy accordingly". This is creates a reflection of existing carbon tax or price imposed where they do their business. This pricing varies drastically and depends on the industry, the country, and the company's objectives.

The article bases this in the understanding of how carbon is measured. Direct emissions (scope 1) come from sources owned or controlled by the company, such as company's vehicle fleet. Indirect emissions (scope 2) result from a company's consumption of purchased production and transport of purchased materials and in waste disposal. Other indirect emissions (scope 3) occur up and down company's supply chain. My understanding of carbon emissions does believe that companies across the world have a large impact on climate change but reading this section really gave me new indication of all the outbound sources of carbon production in a company's operation.

The next section connects our readings as companies must look toward the future to find carbon prices and align them with their IPS. The article notes this as companies requiring to assess existing climate policies in countries but also plan for future changes in them. Companies must make predictions about future carbon prices to adjust according when the time comes. Doing thishowever requiresnavigating and critically reviewing data and analyses from climate experts, research institutions, peer companies, and environmental agencies. This can be further aided by developing in-house expertise so as to not only rely on outside experts.

By creating these ICPs companies can establish specific emissions of carbon-intensity targets. By doing so companies can navigate the future easier. A direct example of this is procuring investments and including the internal understanding of their carbon cost to estimate its cost. This is important as the product of the internal carbon price and expected carbon footprint becomes a financial cost included in the net present valuation of the project. This is a step in the right direction in my beliefs as with internal carbon pricing in play companies can be part of an active role to reduce emissions and in turn allow them to find new market/revenue opportunities through abiding to their societal responsibility. By reflecting their impact through a monetary means companies there is better justification higher up to change processes to reduce the financial effect of carbon pricing.

Social Impact Efforts that Create Real Value

This article looks into the environment, social and governance data/information about companies. How it is utilized in many formats throughout business procedures. This comes from a need as individuals to behave in prosocial ways. It also moves past a human nature aspect to benefitting companies through productivity increases due to higher employee engagement or sales increases due to more loyal and satisfied customers. If ESg's benefits haven't already shined than the article describes that it can help management reduce capital costs and improve the firm's valuation. This is directly the result of investors looking to put money into sustainable companies. By following ESG actions a company can navigate governmental forces from pressuring a sudden change. Connecting it to the previous readings, companies can look to the future to prepare themselves for possible changes. This includes changes in countries priorities in the bid to "end" climate change. By incorporating ESG to the long-term strategy planning attracts likeminded investors and as we have read preciously having a vision for the future leads to great results.

Knowing all this the article describes how the current idea for ESG programs is something that is just added for protection in the same vain we add screen protectors to our phone. While this is true we need to understand that ESG needs to be robust a differentiated to truly show its benefits. By being different and going further than just implementing a ESG rating approved system but incorporating procedures within a business process. This can produce a competitive advantage through differentiation and environmental consideration. This needs to be done through bringing the importance of ESG directly to boards across companies, because board is an entity that ensures that ESG metric are properly considered in executive compensation and are adequately measured and disclosed as part of the audit committee's work. Starting from the top is possible to start but comes from implementing a culture within companies to be more environmentally aware. By doing so the work culture will keep up with present operations but will move forward with an active conscious towards environmental procedures. Not by forcing environmental change but any new procedures will have thought towards how it can be more environmentally viable.

By doing so the article discusses how companies who adopt environment changes to their operations evolved as time goes forward. The first step being the hardest as it involves reducing risk and ensuring compliance with environmental regulations and other laws. As time moves forward the company utilizes its new knowledge and landscape to improve operation efficiency and to innovate/grow.