Most management discourse places sustainability primarily at the businesses’ doorsteps. You however say there is a major onus on the customer too. Why?
Probably three separate reasons. Let us look at the end consumers—the B2B end consumers (corporate offices which have factory, professionals, and clerical workers) and the household market. In the first category, the sustainability dialog has already been initiated by the companies themselves—on employee behavior and norms. As far as the second segment is concerned, in most advanced countries, we have really gone beyond subsistence level of living. I strongly believe in Maslow’s need hierarchy. Consumers seem to be moving up and searching for meaning and purpose in their lives.
Let me try and put this in context—in most schools in the US, students have to participate in community service in addition to academic excellence. This is essential as it brings them out of the bubble they live in and helps them understand societal issues such as environment concerns, specially-abled people and their struggles, etc. As a result, when they reach college, their perspectives change—they look beyond what a company is doing to make money. They are keen to know how it contributes to the society and the environment. And more importantly, they no longer stop at just raising these questions; they actively engage themselves in such activities—one of the reasons for the rise of social entrepreneurship. In the US economy where there is a continuous war for talent, young college graduates raise these questions during interviews regularly. They no longer ask, ‘What is my career?’ They ask, ‘What is the company doing for the environment?’ This awareness is not limited to certain segments of society; it is rather a mass awareness. And companies are increasingly embracing these principles in their business. So this is one key area.
Bu hikaye The Smart Manager dergisinin March/April 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Smart Manager dergisinin March/April 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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