Annotated Bibliography Example on the Triple Bottom Line Approach

Exercise One

Some organizations that aim at both profit and sustainability make use of the triple bottom line approach. The most important points in the discussion have been outlined without any confusion. Environmental Line: DHL, an international shipping company, uses the TBL approach to make sure that the environment is protected (Norman, & MacDonald, 2004). The company has outlined long term goals of zero emissions by the year 2050. Among the short term goals for environmental sustainability include increasing the efficiency of carbon to at least 50%, air pollution is reduced to 70% by using electric vehicles. Social Line: The Company appreciates its employees as it attributes its success to them. DHLs employees are highly motivated by the organizational culture founded by respect and trust. The company also provides scholarships for its employees children and retirement benefits. The company provides the nation with disaster preparedness through the GoHelp program (Esty & Winston, 2009). Moreover, the company offers aid for refugees in Germany. Profit: DHL is a successful company as in the year 2016; it had a profit before tax of close to 3.5 billion Euros.

References

Esty, D., & Winston, A. (2009). Green to gold: How smart companies use environmental strategy to innovate, create value, and build competitive advantage. John Wiley & Sons.Norman, W., & MacDonald, C. (2004). Getting to the bottom of triple bottom line. Business Ethics Quarterly, 14(2), 243-262.

Exercise Two

The discussion is clear and concise as it shows that Southwest Airlines is one of the companies that use Triple Bottom Line Approach and managed to outdo their competitors. The company has realized to its advantage that its performance and interconnectedness rely on each other. Southwest has some fuel efficiency programs that aim at minimizing fuel consumption. The company has formulated strategies to substitute leather seats with more environmentally friendly materials (Hardcastle, 2014). The old leather products are transformed into other products like the soccer ball to minimize wastages and enhance environmental sustainability. The company is socially responsible for the welfare of its workers as well as its employees. Southwest believes that creating an enabling environment for its employees increases their output and promotes their culture. The efforts towards better customer service and environmental sustainability in Southwest have translated to the success of the business with $3.3 billion dollars in 2016. With the high amount of profit for the company, it can be able to upgrade its fleet to more efficient Boeing 737s that has fewer carbon emissions (French, 2015).

References

French Dunbar, M. (2015). Southwest is Still Americas Greatest Airline Hardcastle, J. (2014). Southwest Airlines Launches Upcycling Project.

Exercise Three

The author has stated the main points in the discussion. The outline makes it easy for the reader to understand. As such we see that the triple bottom line approach otherwise known as the three Ps implying people, profits and planet has three main aspects of financial, environmental, social and performance. With the TBL more companies are experiencing low employee turnover, good brand image as well as low cost of production. Starbucks is among the enterprises that have involved themselves in operations that are aimed to enhance environmental sustainability. The company happens to own offer one of the best coffee shops (Hall, 2011). The company has a strong organizational culture that supports its employees through a good pay as well as an enabling environment for them to perform their best. The success of the company is attributed to the commitment of employees, use of sustainable products as well as corporate social responsibility through activities like water provision. The company has embraced the TBL framework especially in the beverage industry with its attempts of reducing coffee wastages. According to my opinion, the application of the triple bottom line approach is efficient in environmental sustainability (Savitz & Weber, 2013).

References

Hall, T. J. (2011). The triple bottom line: what is it and how does it work?. Indiana business review, 86(1), 4.

Savitz, A., & Weber, K. (2013). Talent, transformation, and the triple bottom line: How companies can leverage human resources to achieve sustainable growth. John Wiley & Sons.

Exercise Four

The discussion does not provoke any emotions but outlines the main ideas concisely. The Eco Laundry Company in New York City uses the triple bottom line strategy. Th primary objective of the company is to show that both profit and environmental sustainability can coincide. The company operates with pure energy and cleaning machines that help save gallons of water (Engardio et al, 2007).The detergents and soaps used in the cleaning process are all biodegradable and safe to use by the employees. The Eco Laundry Company is a green company as it also uses biodegradable hangers and laundry bags made from recyclable material and therefore promoting environmental sustainability. The company has some contracts with retail stores, massage therapists, and restaurants among other businesses. However, it is clear that the discussion has some avenues for further explorations as the topic is a bit wide (Bell et al, 2016).

References

Engardio, P., Capell, K., Carey, J., & Hall, K. (2007). Beyond the green corporation: Imagine a world in which eco-friendly and socially responsible practices actually help a companys bottom line. Its closer than you think. Business Week, 4019, 50.

Bell, C. C., Hendriks, D. F., Moro, S. M., Ellis, E., Walsh, J., Renblom, A., ... & Sison-Young, R. L. (2016). Characterization of primary human hepatocyte spheroids as a model system for drug-induced liver injury, liver function and disease. Scientific reports, 6, 25187.