CO3: Evaluate the barriers that businesses can encounter in adopting sustainable business practices.
CO4: Establish how sustainable business practice can be a source of competitive advantage for businesses to create shared value.
CO5: Examine the role of population, affluence, and technology in driving human impacts on sustainability.
CO8: Develop a plan to address the political, regulatory, or technological environments that impact organizations’ supply chain sustainability and strategies.
Prompt: Review the case entitled “Chapter 10 Case: Oakhurst Dairy: Operations Management and Sustainability” in the Sustainable Business Case Book. Analyze the case responding to the following questions:
How did Oakhurst survive as the only family dairy in northern New England? What was the role of the company’s sustainable business practices?
How did Oakhurst benefit from its relationship with the NGO Clean Air–Cool Planet (CA–CP)? In addition to earning a number of community awards for its sustainable business practices and initiatives, what other benefits did Oakhurst receive? Is its brand name more highly respected?
How can detailed targets, calculations, and monitoring of sustainability efforts contribute to effective management?
What are the company’s main challenges in 2012 and beyond?
Do you expect Oakhurst to continue to be an independent dairy in 2020?
