Evaluation Of Sustainability Initiatives In 4 Pines Brewing Company

Identification of Sustainability Initiatives

Question:

Discuss about the Power Work and Employment of 4 Pines.

4 Pines, one of the most successful microbreweries in Australia will be taken as the case organization whose sustainability initiatives will be evaluated. Organizational sustainability indicates an organization’s core capability and its initiatives towards expansion through optimal use of its resources (Carayannis, Sindakis and Walter 2015). This report will present the summative component comprising of the complexities of real-life situation faced by4 Pines organization. The entire discussion will be parted in four themes, which are sustainability initiatives identification, sustainability initiatives authenticity, initiative contribution towards social and human outcome enhancement and comparison of initiatives taken by 4 Pines with other organization.

Sustainability approach refers to the organizational approach, which is intended to maximize shareholders’ value through embracing opportunities and mitigating the risks towards social, economical and environmental development. According to 4 Pines Beer (2017), 4 Pines Brewing Company has enough capability towards earning adequate profit through increased sales volume. Therefore, the organization is quite capable of providing adequate return on investment to the shareholders. While considering the human resources, the organization has created positive working environment for the employees, which encourage the employees towards enhancing their productivity. Moreover, Aggerholm and Trapp (2014) opined that 4 Pines always provides adequate compensation package and rewards to the employees. Such motivating factors motivate the employees in providing high quality efforts towards achieving organizational success. Apart from that, Schaltegger, Lüdeke-Freund and Hansen (2016) stated that 4 Pines allows the employees towards participating in the charity programs for community development. In this way, it enhances employee value and develops the community around them.

According to Herold et al. (2016), 4 Pines allows opportunity to every employee towards getting up to 1 x $500 donation matched by 4 Pines. The employees donate such matched donation to their chosen charity. The employees are allowed volunteering time for being involved in the charity programs and community development. Moreover, the employees are allowed with 1% added annual leaves towards volunteering the selected charity events. On the other hand, Kasem et al. (2015) opined that 4 Pines is also intended towards saving the pines in the country for environmental protection. Furthermore, the organization is intended towards reducing the waste by 95% through their venues. Apart from that, the organization has done their best towards optimum usage of water in preparing brew. 4 Pines uses 4.66L water/per towards saving water and protect valuable natural resources. However, Fakoya (2015) argued that 4 Pines does not have any initiatives towards promoting greenery in the community. Furthermore, the employees of the organization face quite much work pressure in their workplace, which hamper their work-life-balance.

Authenticity of Sustainability Initiatives

The authenticity of the sustainability initiatives of 4 Pines can be assessed though the report and median B score provided by B-Corporation over the sustainability initiatives of the organization. As per 4 Pines’ sustainability report, the organization allows employee volunteering time towards working for charitable purpose (4 Pines Beer 2017). Moreover, the organization provides adequate value to the employees at their workplace. However, as per the report of B-Corporation, the 4 Pines Company has gotten quite low median B score in regards to employee benefits. As per this score, 4 Pines do not provide adequate sense of ownership to the employees at their workplace. The score also signifies that the work environment of the organization is not quite flexible to the employees (Bcorporation.com.au 2017). According to Klovien? and Speziale (2015), the new production system of 4 Pines can save up to 150T of CO2 emission in the environment. However, Bcorporation.com.au (2017) opined that 4 Pines does not have any genuine effort towards saving the energy of the environment. Furthermore, as per the report, the organization does not also have genuine effort towards reducing the emission produced from the production process of brew. Therefore, sustainability initiatives for energy saving and reducing carbon emission seems to be unauthentic in 4 Pines.  

Jamali, El Dirani and Harwood (2015) pointed out that 4 Pines Brewing Company offers adequate compensation package to the employees as per the standard of other similar types of organizations. However, Bcorporation.com.au (2017) argued that 4 Pines do not have enough career advancement scope for the employees. Furthermore, the median score of B-Corporation also indicates that 4 Pines do not have adequate training and development programs towards developing and upgrading the skills and knowledge level of the employees. Furthermore, Watne and Hakala (2013) opined that 4 Pines always maintains high level of transparency ethics with the suppliers and distributors for making long-term relationship with them. On the other hand, Bcorporation.com.au (2017) opined that 4 Pines is always not ethical and transparent with the suppliers and distributors. However, genuine efforts can be seen in the organization towards maintaining transparency with the shareholders and community.

Sustainability initiatives of 4 Pines Brewing Company have huge level of contribution towards enhancing the positive social and human outcomes for its human resources. According to 4 Pines Beer (2017), 4 Pines provides standard salary package to the employees, which is competitive to other organization in the same industry. Therefore, the employees feel it quite worthy to work in this organization for long term basis. In this way, the organization has become able to enhance its retention rate. Furthermore, Gómez?Bezares, Przychodzen and Przychodzen (2017) opined that 4 Pines also provides lucrative rewards to the employees based on their contribution in the organizational success. Such lucrative rewards motivate the employees towards enhancing their level of performance in near future. Adequate rewards encourage the employees to work harder in getting overall organizational success. In this way, sustainability initiatives for human resources have actually enhanced the human outcome of the organization.

Contribution of Initiatives Towards Human and Social Outcomes

Herold et al. (2016) opined that 4 Pines Brewing Company allow employee volunteering time, where the employees are allowed with extra time off towards contributing their effort for charitable purpose. Moreover, the organization provides charity for youth development, mitigating crisis of any region occurred from natural disaster and others. Such volunteering time enhances employee value, as the employees can get 1% of annual leave and work for charitable purpose. Such practice also enhances the motivation and performance level of the employees. On the other hand, Fakoya (2015) stated that sustainability initiatives of 4 Pines have also enhanced its social outcome through increased social engagement. Moreover, charity events and community engagement activity has enhanced the social image of the organization in the community it serves. Moreover, the employee volunteering time has both enhanced the human outcome of the employees and social outcome through increased corporate image in the society. Furthermore, such sustainability initiatives have actually enhanced the performance level of the employees with increased employee value. The employees of the organization are also involved insaving the pines for saving the environment and society from pollution. Such initiative has also enhanced the social image of the organization.

Considering a different business context, Bulla Dairy standouts to be one of the most successful private sector dairy product manufacturer in Australia. Fund donation as a form of charitable purposefrom employees of Bulla Dairy will not have any considerable effect on overall capital management and cash flow for the organization. This is because this organization is financially quite strong and has the ability to support NGOs through fund contribution (Bulla.com.au 2017). However, considering waste reduction technique as adopted by 4 Pines, it can be said that Bulla Dairy will not be able to deal with such strategy because the organization still operates using the old and traditional machinery for manufacturing products. Incorporating new batch production machine that might reduce and recycle waste will require huge fund and even more budget will be required for human resource training, which cannot be implemented. On the other hand, environmental protection if compared with 4 Pines, it can be said that the organization is trying to protect Pines and limit operational optimization so that same resources (Pines) can be utilized in future for extraction (Kasem et al. 2015). Similarly, if Bulla Dairy tries to protect the cows by not injecting synthesized drugs for more milk production, then animal welfare will be justified and eventually environment will be protected. Finally, while considering the water consumption factor, it can be said that Bulla Dairy can similarly reduce water consumption rate by repairing water trough leaks, recycling plate cooler, adjusting line feed soakers and plugging evaporative cooling system leaks. All such techniques will incur a minimal expenditure which can be easily beard by the company.

Comparison of Sustainability Initiatives

Conclusion

While summing up, it can be said that 4 Pines’ sustainability approaches have not only let to the cultivation of corporate image in the society but also increased the motivational level of employees. It has been found that management of human resources through flexibility and fringe benefits direct performance growth and simultaneously initiatives for community development helps in boosting corporate image. However, the real situation has indicated that the organization has failed to justify carbon emission and environmental sustainability but at the same time has able to reduce water consumption and waste generation. Finally, it has been found that Bulla Dairy organization will be able to use most of the sustainability approaches that of 4 Pines and there will be very less differences in terms of outcome.

References

4 Pines Beer. 2017. 4 Pines Beer. [online] Available at: https://4pinesbeer.com.au [Accessed 6 Oct. 2017].

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Bcorporation.com.au. 2017. 4 Pines Brewing Company | B Corporation Australia. [online] Available at: https://bcorporation.com.au/community/4-pines-brewing-company [Accessed 3 Sep. 2017].

Bulla.com.au. 2017. Cream, Ice Cream, Yoghurt, & Cheese in Australia | Bulla Family Dairy. [online] Available at: https://www.bulla.com.au/#/ [Accessed 6 Oct. 2017].

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Fakoya, M., 2015. Improving Waste Reduction Decisions through Resources Efficiency and Cost Effectiveness in a Brewery. J Hum Ecol, 50(2), pp.153-160.

Gómez?Bezares, F., Przychodzen, W. and Przychodzen, J., 2017. Bridging the gap: How sustainable development can help companies create shareholder value and improve financial performance. Business Ethics: A European Review, 26(1), pp.1-17.

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Kasem, E., Trenz, O., H?ebí?ek, J. and Faldík, O., 2015. Key Sustainability Performance Indicator Analysis for Czech Breweries. Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, 63(6), pp.1937-1944.

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Watne, T.A. and Hakala, H., 2013. Inventor, founder or developer? An enquiry into the passion that drives craft breweries in Victoria, Australia. Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness, 7(3), p.54.