Sustainability has moved beyond being a buzzword to an integral consideration for planning and executing business processes. The term sustainability embodies not only environmental considerations but also social and financial aspects. Combined, these three aspects comprise the "triple bottom line." Arguably, the operations function is the best focus area for an organization to enhance the triple bottom line. Operations is the function that transforms inputs (such as raw materials and supplies) into outputs (such as finished goods ready to ship to consumers or other products that are used as inputs for downstream customers). Properly managing and leading the workforce and using lean tools are just some of how major sustainability improvements can be made in operations. For your final assessment, you will benchmark sustainability practices from a company of your choice to develop an environmental and social sustainability plan for a fictional company. It is important that you incorporate the knowledge you gained from this course and research on a company that currently uses the triple bottom line strategy to achieve sustainability goals.

Analyze operations and supply chain trends for their benefits and drawbacks regarding social, environmental, and financial sustainability

Assess the coordination of sustainability efforts with trading partners across the supply chain for the extent to which it reduces environmental impacts

Assess organizational performance by applying the triple bottom line theory in balancing social, environmental, and financial requirements

Evaluate business practices for their appropriateness in achieving sustainable operations in manufacturing and service operations

You are the director of operations at XYZ Manufacturing Company. Your boss, the VP for Operations, came to your office to vent. She just got out of a meeting where senior executives pressured her for increased output and better financial performance in the company's operations. However, she is concerned that the company has focused too much on short-term financial performance and not on long-term sustainability. She worries that employees are unsatisfied, and the company is experiencing a "brain drain," where many top performers actively search for employment elsewhere. Unfortunately, some employees have already left, and they are helping to convince others to leave too. She also is concerned about constant threats from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has recently questioned whether or not some of the firm's processes are polluting local water sources. In addition, customer focus groups have indicated that the company does not have a good environmental reputation. Data from the focus groups suggest companies' environmental efforts are becoming increasingly important to consumers. In summary, she worries that the company will not last if it keeps going in the same direction. She wants to develop a plan to present to the COO that addresses some of the issues described above, but she's unsure where to start. She has asked you to research ways the company can improve but beyond just financial performance. She understands that there must be a balance and that financial performance measures will always be important, but you know that "performance" is not based on financial statements alone. To get started, she has been considering some environmental and social sustainability goals for the company, such as:

exceed all EPA and other environmental regulatory standards. Reduce carbon footprint by 50% in the next 20 years. Attract and retain the best talent. Improve the company's reputation in the local community and with customers.

I am looking into these parts of the sustainability chain. I am trying to put it all together instead of bullet points.

Metrics to assess how well XYZ Manufacturing Company is meeting its environmental and social impact goals.

There are a few potential metrics that could be used to assess how well XYZ Manufacturing Company is meeting its environmental and social impact goals. Some examples include;

The amount of garbage removed from landfills

The percentage of renewable energy used

The reduced greenhouse gas emissions

The number of farmers in the company's supply chain who have adopted sustainable agricultural practices

By monitoring these indicators, the company can ensure that it is making progress towards its sustainability objectives.

Data to support these metrics.

The data that would be used to support these metrics would include

Information on the amount of waste removed from landfills,

The percentage of renewable energy used,

The number of farmers in the company's supply chain who have adopted sustainable agricultural practices

The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

This data could come from the company's internal records, as well as data collected from external sources.

How to collect the data.

There are a few different ways that these data could be collected. For example,

The company could track the amount of waste removed from landfills through its internal waste management records.

The percentage of renewable energy used could be tracked through records of energy consumption and energy sources.

The number of farmers in the company's supply chain who have adopted sustainable agricultural practices could be tracked through surveys or interviews with farmers.

Finally, the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions could be tracked through the company's emissions records.

Why these metrics would be effective.

These metrics would be effective because they would provide a way to track the company's progress towards its environmental and social sustainability goals.

By tracking these metrics, the company would be able to see which areas of its sustainability efforts are working well and which areas need improvement.

This would allow the company to make changes to its sustainability strategies as needed in order to achieve its goals.

I. Overview

A. Briefly introduce the company you researched. Focus on the company's sustainability efforts, especially its efforts to maintain financial,

environmental, and social sustainability and what the results of these efforts have been.

B. How do emerging technologies or best practices affect environmental and social sustainability efforts at the company you researched? How do

they affect the financial bottom line at this company? Be sure to provide support for your analysis.

C. Assess this company's collaboration with its suppliers and customers. Does this collaboration improve its environmental sustainability across the

entire supply chain? If it does, what evidence is there of this? If it doesn't, why do you think this is? Support your reasoning with evidence.

D. What metrics are this company using to assess how well it is meeting its environmental and social impact goals? What data are used to support

these metrics, and how are these data collected? Explain why you think the company chose these metrics.

II. Environmental and Social Sustainability Plan

A. How might the technologies or best practices described in the overview be effective in meeting XYZ's environmental and social sustainability

goals? How might they hinder XYZ's pursuit of environmental and social sustainability? Be sure to support your analysis.

B. How could XYZ collaborate with its suppliers to improve environmental and social sustainability across the entire supply chain? Be sure to

support your assessment with the information you have previously researched.

C. Assess these efforts to collaborate with suppliers for their effectiveness in reducing XYZ's environmental and social impact and provide support

for your conclusions.

D. How could XYZ collaborate with its customers to improve environmental and social sustainability across the entire supply chain? Remember,

customers can be both businesses and direct consumers. Be sure to support your assessment with the information you have previously

researched.

E. Assess these efforts to collaborate with customers for their effectiveness in reducing XYZ's environmental and social impact and provide support

for your conclusions.

F. Choose metrics to assess how well XYZ Manufacturing Company is meeting its environmental and social impact goals. What data would be used

to support these metrics? How would you collect these data? Explain why these metrics would be effective.

III. Implications for Financial Sustainability

A. How could this environmental and social sustainability plan potentially affect the financial sustainability of XYZ Manufacturing Company in the

long term? Provide support for your explanation.

B. What are the implications of emerging technology or best practices for environmental and social sustainability on the financial bottom line of XYZ?

How does this differ from the implications discussed earlier on your researched company? Provide supporting evidence for your answers.

IV. Integration

A. How do the financial, social, and environmental plans at XYZ come together to represent the best practices of sustainability? How do the

practices suggested in the environmental and social sustainability plan relate to the company you researched previously? Provide support for

your answers.

B. How do you balance and remove conflict among all three aspects of the triple bottom line? For example, how do you ensure that your plans for

environmental sustainability do not negatively impact your plans for financial and social sustainability? Provide support for your answers.

C. Outline key milestones that XYZ Manufacturing Company would need to meet to achieve the same level of environmental, social, and financial

sustainability as your researched company based on the timeline that it took your researched company to achieve its current level of

sustainability and your current knowledge of the triple bottom line.