MGMT230 Test Revision
28. Are there any issues related to our increased reliance on synergy between artificial intelligence and blockchain technology adoption? According to you, what are they and what measures should be established to protect people's privacy?
- An open source platform that incentives individuals to build a distributed and decentralized -
26. What is blockchain technology and what kind of impact do you foresee for this technology's application?
- Blockchain the backbone to the new type of internet - Growing list of records called blocks which are used to link cryptography - Each block contains a cryptographic hash of previous block, a timestamp and transaction data - It is resistant to modification of the data Impacts; - Revolutionalise money and value creation - Changing our data structure of the current system, bring more control over our private data - Providing a new governance layer, within internet that we are lacking and allowing us to make peer to peer transactions - Give consent to people and take it away from them - Reach how we keep records such as medical things, who can enter the piece of information - Traceability and auditability of supply chains. Verifiability of authentic products, identifying labour violations or illegalities in supply pipeline. Real time tracking of products and automated reordering for suppliers - Decentralized electronic medical records allowing safety and security- and individual control over medical records. Algorithms to enable early identification of disease and highlight to relevant doctors - Biometric identification combined with blockchain system allows people to access their personal documentation. Which can be enabled fir refugee population - Decisions based on data we have seen in the past, in result what can we anticipate will happen in the future - Change of how we are using the programs - Area of application (manufacturing, energy sector, P2P economy, network and machine integrity) - The world will become a place where data is increasingly distributed - Any changes to the blockchain are always completely transparent and accessible to the public - Better understanding of the pros and cons of blockchain - More control over private data - medical conditions, drugs, vaccinations, - blockchain essentially makes data tamper-proof, so it cannot be erased or manipulated by any one party. - Ecolabels will have greater freedom to focus on environmental impacts
*12. According to you, what is the role businesses play in addressing sustainability issues?
- Business confront ethics and business practice issues internally within their companies and externally in their dealings with stakeholders in relation to environmental regulation and fundamental moral norms - Business has become a part of society, and CSR has grown in prominence - Conscious behavior - Businesses will use environmental impact assessments to thoroughly identify and evaluate the possible impacts a proposed project could have on all the environment types - Internal and external factors distinguished - Large companies report on environment in their environmental assessment report and voluntary corporate responsibility reports - Reflecting theoretical models as a guide to action - Involves people internally to relate business to the wider social and ecological environment in such a way that sustainability becomes a key business principle (one of the characteristics an organization's culture and values and acts as a guide to action) - CSR growth has initiated a shift from treating pollution and waste as 'externalities' - CSR has led to companies accounting for their environmental and other impacts in financial and moral terms CSR - corporate initiatives to assess and take responsibility for a company's effects on the environment and its impact on society as a whole. Conceptions of CSR differ according to where you are and what the culture of a country may be. CSR is generally considered to be about businesses behaving ethically and contributing to the economic and social good while doing business, that is, creating value.
24. Do you think cradle-to-cradle products can be produced at such as scale that cradle-to-grave products will no longer be needed?
- C2C dubbed the "next industrial revolution" - Industries face a new range of opportunities and challenges in product design, material and supplier choice, and producer responsibility for the production and waste stage
25. What is cradle-to-cradle as a framework for transformation of business production and where do you see its greatest potential for true sustainability according to you, what are the potential bottlenecks as well as positive outcomes?
- C2C is applied through business with a combination of operational principles and certification schemes - The C2C products innovation institute, a non-profit organisation that administers the C2C certified product standard; and the C2C certified products program, a third party, multi-attribute eco-label administered by the C2C products innovation institution
22. What do you think needs to change and how do you envisage the key milestones on the path to the implementation of circular economy?
- Consistently engage with stakeholders - New business and product model innovations - Promote greener and lucrative business opportunities - Through the Ellen Mcauther foundation, being inspired to move towards this framework
4.Is it fair for the rich nations to pay for climate mitigation and adaptation?
- Developed countries trade emissions under the Kyoto agreement - Clean development mechanism (emission credits for financing approved climate-friendly projects in developing countries - Should focus on more of an emphasis on controlling climate change - Dominant ethics - According to the dependency theory, wealthy countries continue to exploit poor countries through foreign debt and disadvantageous trade - MNC in developing countries with "helping the poor" aid have in fact been exploiting natural resources and human capital
15. Does green marketing and responsible advertising just reinforce the ideology of consumerism? Do you agree or disagree and why?
- Green consumption and consumerism are still consumption and it is the amount of stuff we produce and consume that is the problem - Green marketing and advertising must do more than simply give a green tinge to existing practices - They must accord with ecosystem limitations and help foster demand that can motivate the development of new business models - Sustainability and society can co-evolve in the way they need to - May be driving more consumption as it aims to absolve consumers of their guilt by offering 'responsible' products - Consumerism can not only cause over consumption of material resources but the waste of human creativity and the degradation of work - Ethical consumerism, ethical purchasing Green marketing: refers to a range of promotional activities that are increasingly being influenced by changes in consumer attitude towards the environment and reflect a firm's commitment to sustainability. Responsible green advertising: is a type of advertising that focuses on factors relating to the environment and sustainability.
7. Is poverty reduction a moral imperative or a sustainability issue?
- Innovations of new technologies that allowed humans to keep pace with population growth - Before the twentieth century, the populations of most developed countries grew slowly enough to be outpaced by gains in productivity, but with the introduction of medical technologies that wiped out many human scourges, and advanced food technologies, the population has plummeted.
13. In pharmaceutical industry, how do intellectual property rights motivate effective drug discoveries and how do they inhibit its distribution? In your answer, use examples from the case capturing the situation related to AIDS in Africa. According to you, crisis by keeping the prices of their drugs too high for most of the AIDS victims.
- Many factors have contributed to the pharmaceutical industries success, medical advances, government support, and a capital market eager to oblige. - The system of protection was initially irrelevant. For patents were designed to protect research-innovation-and the pharmaceutical trade in the early US had little to do with discovery
18. What is the difference between life-cycle-assessment and carbon footprint?
Life-cycle-assessment: A tool for the systematic measurement, analysis, and assessment of a product or service from source or conception to completion or disposal. This involves taking an analytical approach to the production of a good or service from the cradle to grave. LCA involves a number of stages such as the identification of areas of environmental impact. - The quantification of energy and material inputs, emissions, waste outputs etc. - As assessment of the environmental impact and impact mechanisms involved in the inputs and outputs - The establishment of options and strategies for improving each stage of the products life cycle Carbon footprint: Defined as the total emissions caused by an individual, event, organization, expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent • Carbon footprint is a subset of complete life-cycle assessment of a product, activity or process • They are related to the impact categories which are studied. A carbon footprint is focused on one environmental impact category; greenhouse emissions. Meanwhile an LCA takes more impact categories into account, such as land use, water use and acidification
10. Describe Katiaki tanga and Manaki tanga and the implications of these concepts represent for business operations. According to you, how are they (or not) relevant? How are Katiaki tanga and Manaki tanga different to traditional western approaches to natural and human resources?
Manaki Tanga; Hospitality, generosity, care and giving Kaitiaki Tanga; the exercise of guardianship, particularly in relation to natural resources, such as land, sea and waterways; also, flora and fauna, including people, that compromise elements of the natural environment. Kaitiakitanga means guardianship, protection, preservation or sheltering. It is a way of managing the environment, based on the traditional Māori world view. Māori world view Traditionally, Māori believe there is a deep kinship between humans and the natural world. All life is connected. People are not superior to the natural order; they are part of it. Like some other indigenous cultures, Māori see humans as part of the web or fabric of life. To understand the world, one must understand the relationships between different parts of the web. Kaitiakitanga is a vehicle for rediscovering and applying these ideas. Kaitiaki - guardians A kaitiaki is a person or group that is recognised as a guardian by the tangata whenua (tribal group with authority in a particular area). For instance, a hapū (sub-tribe) may be the kaitiaki for a lake or a forest. Interest in kaitiakitanga is growing today. Tribal groups are working to respond to environmental problems, and to renew their own knowledge, culture and experience. Environmental impact All human societies, including Māori, affect the environment they live in. Before Europeans arrived, Māori hunted the moa (giant flightless bird) to extinction, and burnt large areas of forest. They had a negative impact on the environment in other ways too. However, Europeans also had a serious impact on native plants, animals, land and sea after they settled in New Zealand. For example, large areas of forest were felled to make way for farming. Becoming endangered In the 19th and 20th centuries, Māori communities and cultures were also colonised and endangered. Many Māori likened themselves to native plants and animals on the brink of extinction. For example, the people of the Ngāti Huia tribe saw the extinction of the huia as calamitous. The bird was central to their identity and mana (status). Guardianship of objects Kaitiakitanga can also apply to valued items. These include family heirlooms such as korowai (cloaks), mere pounamu (jade clubs) and books about whakapapa (genealogy). An item that belongs to a person later becomes the property of all their descendants. It is cared for by an individual kaitiaki on behalf of the group. The kaitiaki is responsible for bringing the object to important occasions such as funerals, and for holding information about it. Kaitiakitanga today Kaitiakitanga today expresses traditional ideas in a time of cultural and environmental renewal. Iwi (tribes) are seeking to restore ecosystems and culture at the same time. Kaitiakitanga theory and practice responds to a number of current issues and challenges.
19. What are the key stages in LCA and how would you conduct a life-cycle assessment? What are the key decisions one needs to take before, during and after the LCA?
1. Inventory analysis (including effects on the environment, habitat modification, and human health;) 2. Impact assessment (classification of impact categories e.g. health, ecology; characterization, quantification and aggregation of impact data; and valuation often involving comparative analyses and some degree of subject assessment;) 3. Interpretation (leading to better product or service design or manufacturing processes) Direct applications; - Product development and improvement - Strategic planning - Public policy making - Marketing - Other
16. To what extent should greening of business be left to businesses alone?
I believe that it is important for companies to take into account their business actions to a certain extent and be responsible for change with in their company. Companies should aim to better themselves daily and not feel that they have to due to regulations and the greening of businesses but because they want to create a positive lasting impact for the environment. Increasingly, both small and large businesses and industries are realizing the importance of operating in a more sustainable manner so as to avoid potential environmental ruin. however when taken into the account of the company it can vary in both effectiveness and sincerity. As environmental stewardship has become more popular and widespread, some merely engage in the practice of green washing, or marketing oneself as being environmentally responsible so as to yield a business and/or profit advantage. so therefore the company isn't thinking about the good of the environment but only the credibility they will revive as a company. Many businesses, most importantly, are realizing that environmental stewardship can translate directly into increased efficiency, lower costs, and higher profits. I believe that business have the right to green their business however, they must be monitored to ensure that, companies aren't making up qualities the company has to greenwash people into purchasing their product.
3) Considering that the wealthiest nations historically have profited from industrialisation, should poor nations have the rights to rapid economic growth even if that leads to increased GHG emissions that exacerbate climate change?
- Poor nation-states fear that international agreements will limit attempt for economic growth whereas economically powerful nation-states refuse to make substantial reductions of their GHG emissions if developing countries do not make a similar sacrifice. Developing countries inquire whether developed - Developing countries can grow economically through engaging in emission trading schemes, government regulations, agreements and partnerships, emissions reporting and reduction targets - If global warming has to end, it has to be through the actions in developing countries. Yet, poor nation states fear that international agreements will limit their efforts to grow their economies and economically powerful nation-states refuse to make substantial reductions of their GHG emissions if developing countries do not make a similar sacrifice - The fairest approach would be to let developing countries use and follow the unsustainable model of western development in order to catch up economically The Paris Agreement's long-term goal is to keep the increase in global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels; and to limit the increase to 1.5 °C, since this would substantially reduce the risks and effects of climate change.
*11. Evaluate the FUSH's business model against sustainability values and the business case sustainability represents in its operations
- Predictable business model - Stable and secure - Became a network as it got bigger and bigger
8. Why do you think climate change is given more attention than bio diversity loss?
- The growing prominence of climate change has led to concerns over important environmental issues, climate change poses negative effects on ecosystems globally - The convergence of climate change, population growth, expanding agriculture, deforestation is likely to create immense challenges for humanity and will certainly worsen the bio-diversity crisis Because climate change is one of the many drivers to bio-diversity loss. The climate has always changed with ecosystems and species coming and going, rapid climate change affects ecosystems and species ability to adapt and so biodiversity loss increases. It also poses risks to human security. Recent environmental problems, such as the loss of biodiversity or pollution, are a global or 'universal' phenomenon, rather than restricted to certain cultures, societies, or countries. I personally believe that this is because people are selfish and only think about things that are going to directly effect the way they live. They know that climate change will have implications on their daily living more so than biodiversity loss so this is why they are investing more attention into this.
5.Should population growth be treated as sustainability issue?
- The scale of human use of animals or plants has increased exponentially with human population growth and increase in consumption - Population growth has numerous causes such as cultural and religious practices preventing women in some countries from taking control over their reproduction - Anti-abortion
20. Why do organisations conduct LCA or any form of environmental impact assessments? What additional assessment frameworks exist, and which one do you recognise as the most informative and why?
- To assess environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a products life, which is from raw material extraction through materials processing, manufacturing, distribution and use - Searching the most available life cycles e.g. those with minimal negative impact on environment - Marketing with the link on formulation of environmental declaration or eco-labeling - Determines directions in strategic planning, process change and design
21. What is circular economy and why should we transition towards the circular economy? Describe the concept and its benefits for the society and the environment
Circular economy model uses the functioning of ecosystems as an exemplar for industrial processes, emphasizing a shift towards ecologically sound products and renewable energy. They claimed that most of the eco-efficient strategies we now use, including reducing and recycling, still tend to support the cradle-to-grave trajectory of the product, only making the 'death' of the product in landfills or incinerators one step removed. - Proponents of both the circular economy and C2C approach propose eco-effectiveness, which supports an endless cycle of materials that mimics natures 'no waste' nutrients cycles - 'Being less bad isn't good enough' (C2C, blue economy and circular economy) - Transformation of production and consumption processes - Greener supply chains (eliminate toxins, non-renewables) - Recreating the cycle between urban and agricultural areas, securing mutual nutrient flows; fourth, finding a dynamic balance between organic and technologically produced products - Identifying strategic opportunities for business to engage in the closed loop production on the global scale - Can be both profitable and environmentally benign - With a transition to a greener economy, certain jobs will disappear - Transition to an interventionist and developmentalist political economy to ensure such transition does not cause social, economic, and political disruption - Closed loop production - Turning products into services, selling the use or function of the product rather than the product itself would enable the efficient cycling of materials and simultaneously give incentives for innovation - Product life extension leads to increase in job creation - "Restorative by intention" environmental impact is decoupled from economic growth - Strategic management
14. How can governments motivate businesses through regulation? Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the two approaches - first being "command and control", second "representing market-based approaches"
Command and control Strengths; • Benefits politically • Responds quickly to activities Disadvantages; • Enforcement: the expense of the enforcement • Legalism: this approach has been accused of stifling competition and enterprise. Over regulation can result Representing market-based approaches Strengths; - Neo-liberalists believe that market-based solutions will correct environmental problems, focusing political attention on consumer choice and lifestyles. Disadvantages; - Critics have noted that relying on individual responsibility does not guarantee sustainable choices; also consumer responsibility could be seen as 'defense of unequal access and ultimately a strategy of the powerful to defend their ability to choose, and, therefore, to resist the regulation of resource-intensive, polluting or socially damaging products
17. How can environmental management system (EMS) facilitate change management practices within business?
EMS is a tool for managing the impacts of an organisations environmental impacts by providing a clearly structured approach to planning and implementing environment actions. - Eco-labels - Transportation - Packaging - Environmental planning - Reducing energy consumption, environmental impacts, waste
23. Name the main differences between eco-efficiency and C2C approaches of sustainability.
Eco-efficiency; Refers to the idea of doing more with less. Compared to early industrial products, modern alternatives are able to generate more value by being produced on a much larger scale with less impact and using less material. It can also be seen as a quantitative management tool that enables the consideration of life cycle environmental impacts of a product system alongside its product system value to a stakeholder. Proponents tend to view industrial development and business not as an environmental problem but as part of the solution to protect and improve the environment. The advantages of eco-efficiency to most business operations are widely recognised: valuable materials are saved and retained by the manufacturer, including human and natural resources. In business terms, it is now widely recognised that eco-efficient production is a major opportunity to enhance a company's competitive position in the market. It ultimately leaders to more consumers. C2C approaches; considers not just minimising the damage but proposes how contemporary waste and depletion of resources can be avoided by adhering to a cyclical 'waste=food' principle. This framework proposes that biodegradable materials (biological nutrients) and non-compostable materials (technical nutrients) should be used for agriculture fertilization or reused without the loss of quality and energy for a different product. The added long-term advantage of eco-effective systems is that no useless and potentially dangerous waste is generated as might still be the case in eco-efficient systems.
27. Ecolabels (or voluntary management schemes) have been critiqued for their lack of effectiveness, lack of focus on product quality and safety; and purchasing power and information asymmetry. Firstly, explain the three concepts and discuss to what extent blockchain technology represents an opportunity to address shortcomings of eco-labels?
Product safety and quality: Product safety is a term used to describe policies designed to protect people from risks associated with thousands of consumer products they buy and use every day Purchasing power: the financial ability to buy products and services. Consumer buying power refers to the capacity of an individual customer or a specific market to buy certain quantities of goods and services. Information asymmetry: one party to an economic transaction possesses greater material knowledge than the other party. Blockchain as an opportunity: This emerging technology is making it easier for consumers to assess the social and environmental impacts of the products they buy. Say a food company wanted to be able to convince you that its meat was produced in a way that meets benchmarks for animal welfare and sustainable agriculture. It could set up a blockchain platform that each member of its supply chain could view and upload information to. If all agree they are seeing the same code, then the information is deemed accurate and written to the blockchain — that is, included as part of the verified description of the product. "Using blockchain technology helps us authenticate a product's story," Shortcomings: exo-label measurability, focused on external production and not internal practices and values, inequalities in trading power
6.What do you think is more realistically achievable: curbing consumption in the countries already used to the high level of consumption or stabilizing global population? What do you think businesses can do achieve both of these objectives?
Stabilizing global population; Aside from better health and food production technologies, other factors effecting population growth are relative peace; the lack of political initiatives to curb population growth such as one-child policy in China; and a sharp decrease in funding for family planning and contraception in the developing countries. According to UNFPA, the United Nations population fund, at least 200 million women want to use safe and effective family planning methods but are unable to do so because they lack access to information and services or the support of their husbands and communities. The need for voluntary family planning is growing fast, and it is estimated that the 'unmet need' will grow by 40% during the next 15 years. This can be achieved through demographic transitions is the process by which a country moves from high birth and death rates to low birth and low death rates. - Transformation of production and consumption processes Demographic Transition theory: Is the process which a country moves from high birth and high death rates to low birth rates and low death rates. However, this shift relies on improved socio-economic conditions which change child survival rate and fertility preferences, producing a return to low or stabilized population rates. Investment in conception, education, change in cultural perceptions is a crucial opportunity for sustainable investment. Consumer choice editing: More emphasis on green consumption, encourage sustainable living depend on structural changes that require political and corporate leadership. Consumer choice editing or restriction of unsustainable products can help eliminate unsustainable choices. What businesses can do; In response to social, economic, and technological challenges businesses have developed many strategies for addressing their responsibility. The most common way of doing so is managing the triple bottom line - a process by which companies manage their financial, social and environmental risks, obligations and opportunities. Business sustainability is intimately linked to social resilience to sustainability challenges over time as businesses' operations are intimately connected to healthy economic, social, and environmental systems. Businesses will simply fail to create economic value if the health and resilience of communities is compromised. Thus, business responses to social and economic challenges are interlinked with the notions of sustainable development. Investment in contraception, education, and change in cultural perceptions is a crucial opportunity for sustainability investment. Businesses have developed many strategies; - Managing the triple bottom line (3 ps) a process which by companies manage their financial, social and environmental risks, obligations and opportunities - Business sustainability is linked to social resilience to sustainability challenges over time as businesses' operations are untimely connected to health economic, social, environmental systems - Businesses will simply fail to create economic value if the health and resilience of communities is compromised - Social and economic challenges are interlinked with the notions of sustainable development The more realistic option is to curb consumption in countries who are already used to a high level of consumption as this can be more easily addressed. When talking about needing to stabilise global population its not as simple, research says that there is an 80% chance that the worlds population is going to grow by another 3 billion people by the year 2100. This is largely due to the increasing fertility rate in sub-saharan countries where the average family will have 4-5 children more than normal family sized ideals. The supply of contraception in the Sub-Sahara has remained far below the demand for years massively contributing to the shear size of the average sub-saharan family size. Combating this issue and increasing the supply of contraception is measure to steadily decline the fertility rate to create a more stable global population. Curbing consumption is made easier in countries by implementing policies. The Christchurch city council has put in place a three rubbish bin policy where by you have a recyclables bin, waste bin and your greens bin all for the purpose of sustainable waste management. It was put forward as a city with an already high level of consumption, the way we perform environmentally not only affects our city but our country as a whole.
1) What do you think are the greatest challenges to sustainability?
We can distinguish between different types of sustainability. Social sustainability is often conceived in terms of sustaining the well-being of people. Environmental sustainability often refers to sustaining nature or natural resources. Humans treating the environment as a commerce subset - gaining resources for business. Leads to a loss of biodiversity, pollution and climate change. Food waste - ⅓ of all food is wasted either through production or consumer disposal. Eco-efficiency can minimize this through doing more with less (generating value with reduced resources and environmental impact) Population growth - relevant in developing countries where 85-90% of population growth occurs Poverty - Environmental degradation therefore undermines sustainable livelihoods and affects the rural poor by disproportionately affecting their health, livelihoods and security, and can aggravate poverty in already stressed urban environments. I feel that the greatest challenge surrounding sustainability is being able to change people's minds and make certain sustainable actions automatic and subconsciously. Once we can drill it into peoples heads enough that being sustainable is vital to the survival of our planet then this will be a massive step forward in creating a sustainable planet. Or Climate change, loss of biodiversity, pollution etc.
2) Do you think poverty should be the central focus of sustainable development?
Sustainable development = the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Absolute poverty = refers to the amount of money necessary to meet basic needs such as food, clothing and shelters Relative Poverty = is defined in relation to the economic status of other members of the society: people are poor if they fall below prevailing standards of living in a given societal context Poverty = the state of being extremely poor. - Living in poverty can restrict the options people have for resource management because they have to use environmental assets unsustainably due to short term necessities (e.g. destroying limited remaining forested areas to clear land for agriculture) - Differences in income can be seen as 'unsustainable development' and preventing what is often described as ecological modernization. - Poverty has a complex relationship to sustainability - Many parts of the world are caught in a vicious downward spiral where poor people are forced to overuse environmental resources to survive, impoverishment of their environment then further impoverishes them - The poor are both victims and unwilling agents of environmental degradation - Living in poverty can restrict the options of resource management, pushing the poor to cultivate marginal lands or remove woodlands in order to sustain themselves in the short term, with detrimental effects in the long-term - Poverty can be seen as both a major cause and effect of global environmental problems and addressing inequality is presented as a long-standing concern of sustainable development - Population growth associated with elevating poverty actually deepens sustainability challenges - Failure to address poverty can exacerbate other sustainability challenges I believe that poverty is a major issue that should be a focus of sustainable development but i do not believe that i should be the singled out as the centralised issue. Climate change, over use of resources and pollution are also very important issues impacting our environment and that need to be addressed by sustainable development.
9. What do you think are the greatest achievements of the industrial revolution? What do you think went wrong after the industrial revolution?
The industrial revolution is defined through changes in manufacturing and transportation from hand-made products being made in larger-scaled factories with machines. Achievements - Technological inventions and innovations - Cleaner and more efficient processes - Great discoveries What went wrong after - Rapid increase in the use of materials and energy (including fossil fuels) which led to air pollution and soil contamination - People did not realize that natural resources were limited and therefore exploited not thinking of potential environmental consequences - Even with this knowledge, countries continue to use fossil fuels rather than renewable energy resources (wind turbines) - Loss of biodiversity - due to the fast-changing ecosystem many species have been unable to adapt to the changes leading to irreversible effects and extinction of wildlife and plants. - Massive acceleration in the rate in the rate of species extinction Major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and transportation as well as having major effects on socio-economic and cultural conditions. What went wrong? Rapid intensification in the use of materials and energy especially fossil fuels which resulted in water and air pollution and solid contamination.