The corporate social responsibility is a form of managerial practice in which the companies try to achieve balance between the economic, social and the environmental imperatives. It is the approach of integrating the social and the environmental welfare techniques in the business operations and the processes of the organization. The corporate social responsibility is different from charity or philanthropy as it is a part of the strategic management. CSR is categorized as a management concept as it is directly associated with the reputation and the brand image of the organization (Lindgreen & Swaen, 2010).
The CSR activities refer to the adoption of techniques which fits the needs and the capacity of the business organizations to conduct social and environmental welfare activiites. The CSR activities are also important in increasing the economic profitability of the business.
The corporate social responsibility assists the organization in meeting their social and environmental objectives without compromising their profitability. The companies can benefit from the CSR activities in numerous ways; namely, it can enhance the competitive advantage, increased access to capital market, increased sales, reduced expenditure, efficiency and improved and enhanced customer loyalty (Tai &Chuang, 2014). In this essence, the present report examines a business issue in the contemporary business organizations in Australia. It provides detailed discussion of the environmental planning in Australia as well as all across the world.
The corporate social responsibility, commonly referred as CSR denotes the actions and the activities of the business organizations towards the well-being of the environment. The CSR activities do not bring immediate financial benefits to the business organizations; however, they bring positive environmental change and thus uplift the brand image and the goodwill of the organization (Crowther, 2008). Therefore, it is important to regulate these organizations and impose obligations on them. The business organizations try to create a balance between their social and economic responsibilities and at the same time try to address the expectations of the customers as well as the stakeholders. The CSR activities have emerged from the social responsibility principles which state that it is the responsibility of the organization to create positive impact on society through its decisions and activities by following ethical behavior. It is important that the business organizations contribute to the sustainable development of the society which includes the health and safety of the customers as well as the employees. The business should also meet the expectation of the stakeholders and assure that the operations of the organization are compliant to the existing laws and legislations (Cadbury, 2006). In the recent years, a large number of business corporations have failed which has focused the attention of the global leaders towards the CSR activities. With the emergence of the modern management techniques, the responsibility of the organizations towards the society has also increased.
There are several environmental issues which affect the businesses. The most common business challenges faced by the business organizations today are industrial waste, efficient use of energy resources and water and air pollution. These issues negatively impact the environment as a result; a large number of business laws are developed to control the negative impact of the organization on the business. The business organizations pay heavy cost for protective and proactive environmental measures which can recover the expenses by building the consumer goodwill and brand image.
The waste emitted by the business organizations can also be referred as industrial waste. It denotes and encompasses all the undesired by-product of other industrial activities. The industrial waste management activities refer to the group of strategies which can handle the waste generated by the business organizations in an effective and timely manner. These strategies also assure that the business organizations remain compliant with the government regulations. The industrial waste management strategies are beneficial for the environment. The poor waste management strategies can result in the mismanagement of the waste which can adversely impact on the confined environment. The chemical pollutants can enter the local water bodies and adversely impact on the food chain and eventually on the humans. It also avoids the legal liability of the company. The business organizations have to fulfill certain obligations towards the society as they operate there. The activities of the business organizations should not negatively impact on the environment. The business organizations also have obligations to manage and dispose the waste generated in the industrial activities in an effective manner. Therefore, the inefficiency in the mismanagement of the waste is an important issue for the business organizations working in Australia.
Waste management is the one of the most critical issue in the contemporary business organizations. The business organizations which manufacture products create waste during the manufacturing process. The environmental laws prohibit these companies from dumping the manufacturing byproducts to control the negative impact on the environment. The business organizations need to decide how to dump the organization’s wastage. A large number of organizations use recycling programs to address the waste management issue. Other business organizations sell the waste materials to other manufacturers who use it as raw material. In Australia, the waste management is a significant issue as it is one of the largest producers of the waste. It is a consumerist society and the high amount of wastage emitted each year shows the imbalance in the production and the consumption. A large number of Australian companies are in a continuous phase of growth and; therefore, the waste emitted by these centers is also continuously on the rise. The level of waste can adversely impact on the health of the community members. The waste management practices in Australia are poorly implemented and lag behind the international standards. The recycling targets of the country are outdated an ineffective in preventing the environmental pollutants to enter the landfill of the country. Sustainable waste management is a significant issue in Australia as a large quantity of e-waste and toxic waste is contributing to the land pollution in the country. Australia do not have stringent policies on the dumping of the toxic or hazardous materials which makes the sustainable waste management a challenge (Johnston, 2016).
The Australian government has made a number of policies to address the issue of large amount of waste generated in the country.
The government is committed to reduce the waste generated in the country. The government is continually improving the ways to manage the waste and has recently developed a large number of waste management practices. It also focuses on developing policies to encourage information transfer and community advice so that the waste management practices can be effectively implemented at school, home and at work. The Australian government is aiming to achieve more than 90% resource recovery by 2025 and establishing itself as a carbon neutral waste country by 2020 (Guo, Liu, Huang, Fuller, Zou & Yin, 2001).
Australia also has a coherent and effectively developed national waste policy. The government has collaborated with the business organizations to improve the resource usage efficiency, managing the waste disposal techniques so that the negative impact on the environmrnt can be reduced.
In the recent years, the waste generation in the organizations is continuing to grow; however, the recycling and the reuse efforts of the organization are not comparable to the amount of waste produced.
With the advent of industrialization, the amount of toxic waste generated by the business organizations has also increased and it is still persistent in the atmosphere as the waste filled in landfill cannot be decomposed. The large amount of waste generated has also negatively impacted the recycling capability of the organization. The materials cannot be recovered from the waste materials of the organization.
In order to combat the growing environmental issue, the government has developed several key strategies, namely, taking responsibility, pursuing sustainability, reducing hazard developing solutions to strategically challenge the ecological issues (Department of the Environment and Energy, 2017).
Over the years, the environmental planning in Australia has changes from the resource use to the sustainable planning. Different states in Australia have different regulatory frameworks which focus on enhancing the balance in the natural environment. In the land-use planning, the Australian government started focusing on the environmental protection after several environmental protection conferences. In essence, the government agencies have to evaluate the environmental impact of the proposed construction and justify them. Currently, most of the states in Australia have adopted a three-tier control system in which the state, regional and the local authorities try to control the negative impact on the environment and propose land-use change (Guo, Liu, Huang, Fuller, Zou & Yin, 2001).
The environmental planning refers to the process of taking decisions which can establish balance between nature and humans. The environmental planning is focused towards managing the natural processes in an effective manner so that all the constituents present in the system are benefitted from the process. In the present times, environmental planning practices focuses on the improvement and strengthening of the government decision-making process. The international environmental planning encompasses certain areas, such as air pollution, land pollution, land fill, transportation and housing characteristics. The environmental planning is different all across the world. In the country of United States, the planners can take the guidance from different environmental regulations developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (Waddell, 2002). All the construction projects are passed by the government after a rigorous evaluation of the impacts and possible mitigation measures by the environmental planners. The environmental review committee conducts a full range of analysis and examines the project for its impact on the environment. In the environmental planning, several interdisciplinary professionals from fields such as environmental science and resource management contribute towards maintaining the environmental balance. The environmental planning can be defined as the science of analyzing, managing and regulating the use of land and the water resources. In essence, environmental planning refers to the sustainable development of the communities and the ecosystem. The environmental planners need to do physical planning, social planning, economic planning and the planning of the law and administration (Guo, Liu, Huang, Fuller, Zou, & Yin, 2001). Several international agencies and the governments are planning to enhance the planning process by creating a national or local development framework for the land use, developing codes or legal compliance methods for the management, conservation and the regulation of natural resources, land and air. The environmental planners also plan for the development of municipality, economic and the ecological zones and making arrangements for the housing and the transportation (Rydin & Pennington, 2000).
The waste management is a part of the environment planning. The waste management planning is developed around the national, regional and the local policy on the waste management. The waste management plan examines the existing situation and the waste management practices, defines waste management objectives and develops strategies and necessary means for the implementation (Allen, 2003). Mostly, the regional and the local authority draw up the local waste management plan. The government promotes coherent and proper planning methods in the location. The mmbers of the European Union have also established a commission which guides different member states in the waste management practices. It is a non-binding guidance agreement (European Union, 2017).
In the recent years, the attitude of the community towards the natural ecosystem and the resource management has changed. With the industrialization and the rapid exploitation of the natural resources, the concern of different organizations as well as the community members has alike raised or the natural responses. In the recent years, a large number of non-government organizations have emerged which are focused towards the protection of the natural resources. The public has become aware regarding the environmental impact of the business organization. The customers are attracted towards the business organizations which are determined for the welfare of the society and the community. In the recent years, a new phenomenon has emerged wherein the customers prefer buying the products manufactured or developed through sustainable means. Engagement in unethical practices or lack of concern towards the community welfare can bring criticism to the organization. It will have an eventual effect on the overall sales and the profitability of the organization. The customers have also become more aware regarding the processes and the operations of the organization. Several factors such as environmental degradation, increased pollution level, the increased outreach of the media and the social media have contributed to the increased customer awareness.
As a result, the business organizations have become aware about their environmental impact and constantly taking initiatives to contribute to the community welfare. However, it can be critiqued that the local support is the fundamental requirement in the protection the natural resources and the community welfare. Several times, the community is unsupportive of the change process as it impacts on their living. Therefore, it is important that the business organizations as well as the community members integrate the values and the perception of the community members for the effective planning and development of the natural resources. The successful implementation of the environmental planning strategies requires deep understanding the social and the ecological linkages and complex decision making process. The people have a specific sense and approach towards their natural environment. The geographical location also impacts on the beliefs and the attitude of the people towards the environment. It can be posited that the natural resources, conservation values and the local culture of the place shapes the beliefs, values and commitment of the people towards the conservation of the natural resources (Larson, De Freitas and Hicks, 2013). However, the positive attitude towards the resource conversation stems out from the acknowledgement of the fact that the natural resources have several socio-economic benefits for the community. The natural resources contribute to the employment and income. It is important that the local community contribute to the water and forest conservation (Cobbinah, 2015).
It can be identified that in Australia, there is a growing trend towards healthy living and eating. The people love outdoors and becoming aware regarding the environmental issues and its impact on the environment. Therefore, in Australia the community is aware regarding the protection and the conservation of the natural resources.
From the above discussion, it can be identified that the waste management is an integral part of the environmental planning and the environment conservation. With the booming industries in the country, the amount of the waste generated by the business organizations has also increased by manifold. As a result, it is essential that the business organizations adopt effective waste management practices so that the negative impact on the environment can be minimized. In this regard, the business case of illegal dumping is taken. The illegal dumping by the citizens as well as the corporate organizations has become a serious issue in the metropolitan cities in Australia. The landfill ban on the e-waste has also aggravated the issue of the corporate e-dumping. Several programs can be developed such as education and media campaign and policing the popular dumping areas are effective strategies for addressing the issue. The illegal dumping of the waste emerges from two attitudes, carelessness towards the environment or unwillingness to pay (Matten & Moon, 2005). The government should take initiatives for subsidized or free dumping of the waste. The careless attitude of the business organizations emerges from the unawareness regarding the environmental, social and the economic impact of the illegal dumping. The government and the business organization should create an educational campaign in which there is increased awareness of the legal actions which can be taken against them, the consequences of the offense to the community members. The community members should also be encourages reporting the incidents so that the number of potential prosecution can also be increased (Blue Environment, 2013).
Conclusion
It can be concluded that the environmental planning is essential in the planning procedure of the local community. As the business organizations operate in the community, they have a responsibility towards the welfare and uplifting the standards of the community. The corporate social responsibility activity denotes the business activities which contribute to the welfare of the society. These activities are important in establishing a positive brand image of the organization. In the present times, the issue of waste management is prevalent in Australia. The waste management refers to the practices of managing the industrial waste so that it has little to no negative impact on the environment. The environmental planners are dedicated to manage the waste and maintaining the balance between the natural and the human system. In different countries, the environmental planners have developed different guidelines for the management of the ecological balance in the system. In Australia, the community is increasingly becoming aware of the environmental issue of landfills and waste management. A business case plan has been discussed in the report in which an advertisement campaign has been suggested to address the issue.
References
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