Word limit: 2000 words
Guidance and suggestions
This essay is about the extent of moral responsibility that a business has beyond increasing its profits, but it asks you to focus on sustainability as a specific example of such moral responsibility.
The essay asks you to examine two things: to what extent businesses should prioritise sustainability (the moral argument) and to what extent businesses can achieve prioritisation of sustainability (the practical challenges). You may choose to give more weight to one or other part of the question, but you must address both.
The following points are all relevant to the question and may be useful as you start to research and plan your essay. However, they should not be taken as a suggested order or structure, and you are not required to include or address every point. I hope you will also think of others points too!
What are the arguments for and against businesses having any social responsibility beyond making profit? (Friedman versus Carroll is a good starting point, but consider the arguments that other authors have made as well.)
How can sustainability can be defined and what extent of responsibility does it require? e.g. is it about not using too much, preserving resources or improving quality of life? What are our responsibilities towards future generations? What should it include? (Are all the 17 UN Sustainability Goals relevant?)
To what extent can sustainability be seen as part of the profit bottom line?
Are business and capitalism logics are compatible with sustainability – and if there are conflicts, (how) can these be resolved?
What are the practical challenges of prioritising sustainability? e.g. creating a business culture of sustainability; managing customer expectations; remaining competitive.
Do what extent do businesses “perform” sustainability rather than fully committing to it? e.g. greenwashing; offsetting “people” and “planet” activities against profit (Elkington, 2018)
Is it possible to fully commit to the Triple Bottom Line and give equal priority to People, Planet and Profit (Crane et al, 2019)? How should the Triple Bottom Line be used by businesses (see Elkington’s suggestions in his 2018 article)?
Essay title
“Fundamentally, we have a hard-wired cultural problem in business, finance and markets. Whereas CEOs, CFOs, and other corporate leaders move heaven and earth to ensure that they hit their profit targets, the same is very rarely true of their people and planet targets. Clearly, the Triple Bottom Line has failed to bury the single bottom line paradigm” – Elkington, 2018: 4
To what extent can and should businesses prioritise sustainability?
Word limit: 2000 words
Guidance and suggestions
This essay is about the extent of moral responsibility that a business has beyond increasing its profits, but it asks you to focus on sustainability as a specific example of such moral responsibility.
The essay asks you to examine two things: to what extent businesses should prioritise sustainability (the moral argument) and to what extent businesses can achieve prioritisation of sustainability (the practical challenges). You may choose to give more weight to one or other part of the question, but you must address both.
The following points are all relevant to the question and may be useful as you start to research and plan your essay. However, they should not be taken as a suggested order or structure, and you are not required to include or address every point. I hope you will also think of others points too!
What are the arguments for and against businesses having any social responsibility beyond making profit? (Friedman versus Carroll is a good starting point, but consider the arguments that other authors have made as well.)
How can sustainability can be defined and what extent of responsibility does it require? e.g. is it about not using too much, preserving resources or improving quality of life? What are our responsibilities towards future generations? What should it include? (Are all the 17 UN Sustainability Goals relevant?)
To what extent can sustainability be seen as part of the profit bottom line?
Are business and capitalism logics are compatible with sustainability – and if there are conflicts, (how) can these be resolved?
What are the practical challenges of prioritising sustainability? e.g. creating a business culture of sustainability; managing customer expectations; remaining competitive.
Do what extent do businesses “perform” sustainability rather than fully committing to it? e.g. greenwashing; offsetting “people” and “planet” activities against profit (Elkington, 2018)
Is it possible to fully commit to the Triple Bottom Line and give equal priority to People, Planet and Profit (Crane et al, 2019)? How should the Triple Bottom Line be used by businesses (see Elkington’s suggestions in his 2018 article)?
