MGNT2SM Principles of Sustainable Management Practice Assessment Answers
- Subject Code :
MGNT2SM
Assignment on 1 of 3 People-Planet-Profit
Introduction
The following passage is presented to you to establish tone 1 of this assignment. This is intended to make the issues at hand very bold so that your treatment of the issues presented to you on the next page, together with the question task you must address, is undertaken appropriately.
Although the debate around the concept of sustainability has been contested for a considerable time, three key principles have emerged through the course of the concept's evolution.
As population levels and consumption patterns continue to increase, the impact on natural resources also increases. Conservation of the natural environment and economic development are slowly being recognized as being on the same side of the coin, rather than representing opposing faces. Development is seen as a way of funding conservation efforts, or as the process through which technology or innovation can be applied responsibly in the interest of improving the environment.
Development also supports social welfare, which in turn allows people to escape conditions that trap them in a cycle of poverty and environmentally degrading activities. It should be noted that the wealthy have a much greater environmental footprint than the poor and are on the whole guilty of far more environmentally destructive activities than the poor. At both ends of the scale, human needs and desires need to be sustainably satisfied and a cohesive social network developed to prevent a depletion of natural capital” (DEA, 2012).
Your first step: Read this passage!
Residents protest against Shell seismic surveys off Wild Coast2
South Africans took to their beaches on Sunday to protest against plans by oil and gas company Shell to do seismic oil exploration they say will threaten marine wildlife such as whales, dolphins, seals and penguins on a pristine coastal stretch.
The Makhanda High Court on Friday struck down an application brought by environmentalists to stop the oil major exploring in the eastern seaboard's Wild Coast, rejecting as unproven their argument that it would cause "irreparable harm" to the marine environment, especially migrating humpback whales.
Shell officials were not immediately available for comment, but the company said on Friday that its planned exploration has regulatory approval, and it will significantly contribute to South Africa's energy security if resources are found.
But local people fear the seismic blasting conducted over 6,000km2 will kill or scare away the fish they depend on to live. Earlier in 2021, a Dutch court ordered Shell to reduce its planet-warming carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 from 2019 levels, a decision it plans to appeal.
The environment ministry referred Reuters to a statement late in November that "the minister responsible for environmental affairs is not mandated to consider the application or to make a decision on the authorisation of the seismic survey".
Second step: This is your task!
The scope of this assignment is the WHAT and WHY of the principles of sustainable management and therefore address the first four learning themes in your course outline. You are required to present a discussion paper that:
- Explain the origin and rationale of the sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- Against this background, and in the context of the article above, illustrate the adverse consequence of irresponsible management that has given rise to people? planet?profit trade-offs that are unsupportable.
- Using the information presented in the case and additional reading explains the concept and practice of corporate social responsibility (CSR).
- Illustrate your understanding with a discussion of the socially responsible practices that are required to reduce Shell's carbon emissions by 45%.
- State the alternative people?planet?profit trade-offs that this reversal of the damage requires.
