Question

Your Name:

Company: Report Year:

Length: Link:

General Motors 2016 170 pages (1st link) http://www.gmsustainability.com/_pdf/downloads/GM_2016_SR.pdf https://www.cnbc.com/2014/05/16/the-corporate-culture-behind-the-scenes-at- general-motors.html http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-bz-frosh-general-motors-20171019- story.html https://www.ups-scs.com/solutions/case_studies/cs_gm.pdf

Environmental Initiatives

[2 or 3 with short description and

outcomes]

Climate change General Motors is leading in the use of the modern technology to analyze and respond to climate change. The company has undertaken different initiatives meant for enhancing the lives of people. In 2016, the company achieved its 2020 commitment of increasing the generation of clean energy. General Motors has set up over 300 facilities in 59 countries to improve the generation of clean energy. In the same year, General Motors increased the number of landfills-free sites to enhance waste management. The company continues to increase its landfill-free operations with a view to achieving zero-waste objective. Efficient waste management increases the firm’s ability to maximize profits as well as achieving its CSR (corporate social responsibility) goals. Another example of the company’s initiative toward effective waste management is the recent establishment of water-bottle recycling in Michigan. In 2016, General Motors collected over § used bottles and recycled them through collaboration with the local communities. General Motors Corporation has generated more than $ 1 billion from the recycling of waste products in recent years. The money generated is reinvested in business, which includes the development of new technologies and fuel-efficient vehicles. Manufacturing: General Motors Corporation has constantly adopted new technologies to increase the efficiency of energy use. The company has engaged its employees in carrying out research that aims at increasing energy efficiency in its vehicles. In 2016, the company managed to avoid emission of 228k metric tons of carbon. The company earned Energy Star Awards for environmental leadership from EPA (Environmental Protection Authority). The ability of the company to reduce energy use promotes its profit-generation capacity and enables it to invest in key areas of social responsibility. Additionally, the reduction of energy use increases the demand for the company’s products and services due to fuel efficiency and good corporate reputation.

Social Initiatives [2 or 3 with short

description and outcomes]

Inclusion and diversity: General Motors Corporation is a multinational organization. Hence, it hires a diverse labor force across the globe. Employees have varied social needs that must be addressed differently by their employer. Employee diversity takes various dimensions such as religious beliefs, gender,

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Sustainability in Operations & Supply Chain Report

ethnic background, cultural affiliation, and disability status. The company has adopted policies to ensure that the diverse needs of the employees are adequately met. The company has an efficient management system that adopts new managerial techniques to address the challenges of employee diversity. Diverse workforce has enabled the company to achieve an important milestone in terms of implementing business decisions that have been evaluated through different opinions of the employees. When it comes to the sustainability of the workforce, General Motors Corporation has invested in both the current and the future employees. From the dealer showroom and boardroom, the company has built a diverse and dynamic team that shares interests in addressing its main challenges. Employee training is another social initiative that General Motors Corporation has adopted. In 2016, the company introduced a new 12-week internship program for experienced technical professionals, particularly women who would want to re-launch their careers after their service in the company. General Motors Corporation is determined to empowering the youths, women, and people with disabilities, who are often perceived as less privileged when it comes to access to training to job opportunities. The company leadership understands that the most efficient way of acquiring effective leaders is through leadership development. Therefore, leaders have developed a leadership development program that seeks to prepare the employees for leadership opportunities in the company and outside. In 2016, almost 3000 employees participated in a training program that General Motors Corporation had developed with a view to educating its employees. Creation of new employment opportunities: The company has engaged in various activities meant to create opportunities for new employees. For example, the adoption of new technologies to improve the quality of products and service contributes to the ability of the firm to hire new employees. General Motors Corporation has continued to increase the number of employees by establishing new branches in various locations as well as increasing the number of business activities. Protection of employees’ rights: The company has a well-developed code of ethics and organizational strategies that ensure that the rights of the employees are preserved. The management of the company ensures that employees work under protected and favorable working conditions, there is no child labor, no hiring discrimination, and employees are compensated for excess working hours and when injured at workplaces. Community services: General Motors Corporation engages its employees in the delivery of community services. The company has partnered with various organizations to provide community services with an objective of promoting social welfare. In 2016, over 4,000 employees donated their services to 200 community-based projects in the US. Additionally, over 12,000 employees donated about 110,000 hours to more than 600 community projects with more than 140 non-governmental organizations. The extension of the company’s services to the community has promoted the reputation of the company as well as customer support.

Supply Chain Initiatives

[2 or 3 with short description and

outcomes]

General Motors Corporation adopts different supply chain management strategies to improve the efficiency of service delivery. The company operates in a highly competitive industry. Therefore, it has continuously sought to enhance its service delivery. The company engineers and managers collaborate in developing effective solutions to most of its logistics problems. General Motors Corporation develops an extensive supply chain network to ensure that all its global customers are efficiently served with its products and services. The company has about 9,000 dealers in the US and Canada and it has continued to improve the flexibility, responsiveness, and geographical reach of its distribution network. UPS Supply Chain Solutions were adopted to help in the simplification of the process of moving products and services along its supply chain. UPS Supply Chain Solutions offer General Motors Corporation material recovery solutions that contribute to the overall high performance of the supply chain network of the company. The company has an extensive distribution network that spans over 21,000 businesses across the world. The supply chain network is built on strong and transparent relationships among all dealers along the supply chain network.

Other Voices [What do others

have to say about the company? Corroborate? Contradict?]

Stakeholders have expressed their concerns and impressions about the company through blog posts, social media, and personal interviews. Most of the individuals who have expressed their impressions have interacted with the firm in different ways. Some of the expressions that have been made about the company relate to the distresses that have accompanied the use of the company’s products. However, the company has not provided information relating to these allegations in its sustainability report to avoid damaging its public image. For example, the new CEO, Mary Barra, testified before the Congress to give an account of a flaw in design that led to the deaths of more than 10 people. The members of the committee were attempting to uncover the flaw in the company, which could have led to the purchase of some parts, or materials that did not meet the standards. “Why in the world would a company with the stellar reputation of General Motors Corporation purchase a part that did not meet its own specifications?” This question was asked to the CEO during the interview. Another claim that has been made relates to the suitability of the products. An article posted on The Baltimore Sun describes how the attorneys of the company in various states resolved claims that the company had concealed ignition-switch defects. It was argued that the company’s defective ignition switches were putting its customers at risk. Some of the stakeholders claimed that the company delayed notifying its customers after it identified the defect, thereby jeopardizing their safety. However, much has been said about the good corporate culture that GM has adopted.

Personal Reaction

[New perspectives? Any surprises?

To other voices?]

After analyzing different views regarding the sustainability of the company in regards to different aspects such as customer service, rights of the employees, and environmental sustainability, General Motors Corporation has achieved a significant milestone in social responsibility. Some customers have not been satisfied with some of the services that General Motors Corporation due to negative experiences with its services. However, such reactions are expected because customers do not expect to identify any defect in the products they

purchase. The company has strived to improve its corporate social responsibility strategies despite a few cases of defective parts. The effort that General Motors Corporation has devoted towards environmental protection indicates its capacity to remain as the global leader in social responsibilities and environmental protection.

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Your Name:

Company: Report Year:

Length: Link:

The Boeing Company 2017 http://www.boeing.com/resources/boeingdotcom/principles/environment/pdf/2017_environment_re port.pdf

Environmental Initiatives

[2 or 3 with short description and

outcomes]

Air Quality Emissions – Aircraft design is primary initiative with new aircraft design consisting of lighter composite materials paired with the use of bio-fuels and highly efficient, clean engines. Fuel Dashboard system involves collaboration between Boeing and the airline to maximize the efficiency of fuel requirement planning. Energy Consumption – Use of solar and wind-powered energy systems to reduce manufacturing facility emissions and energy use. While aircraft production has increased, energy consumption has decreased by 5.9%. Water Conservation – switching to filtered water stations instead of bottled water. Some sites are irrigating with the use of re-purposed water saving as much as 25 million gallons of water at a California site.

Social Initiatives [2 or 3 with short

description and outcomes]

Supplier - Conflict over Raw Materials: Boeing insists that its suppliers comply with set regulations to protect communities from harsh and unsafe conditions in mining raw resources like tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold as these are widely used in the production of aircraft systems. Supplier - Human Rights Concerns: Human trafficking and the use of child labor is a concern and Boeing insists its suppliers comply with regulations in order to do business with Boeing.

Supply Chain Initiatives

[2 or 3 with short description and

outcomes]

Hazardous Waste Reduction – reducing the amount of paint used on parts and recycling oils used in equipment. Waste Reduction - Use of reusable containers and elimination of containers altogether for some components received by suppliers. This eliminates shipping costs and waste largely.

Other Voices [What do others

have to say about the company? Corroborate? Contradict?]

Overall, the consensus is that Boeing has initiatives in place to effectively address all of the environmental issues that are currently posing a risk to the environment and affected communities. The Aviation Today reference even goes as far as sharing information that was not found elsewhere stating that the ecoDemonstrator, the Boeing aircraft used for flight test with biofuels was designed highly recyclable to reduce waste at the end of its life-cycle. Reference: https://www.trucost.com/trucost-blog/boeing-environmental-performance-pay-off/ http://www.aviationtoday.com/2017/09/21/biofuels-3d-printing-aviation-going-green/

Personal Reaction

[New perspectives? Any surprises?

To other voices?]

There are a few of these environmental concerns that I knew were an issue and are normally shared on the news as awareness has increased in regards to climate change and air quality. I wasn’t oriented as to the diversity of Boeing’s initiatives and accomplishments prior to reading this. Compiling this document

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Sustainability in Operations & Supply Chain Report

helps depict how much is invested in Operational Sustainability and mitigation of environmental impact. I was surprised that the engagement in improving efficiency and mitigating environmental concerns has even broken barriers where Boeing and its primary competitor, Airbus, have collaborated to improve air traffic efficiency. I think with the intense Airbus competition and the significant cost for a company the size of Boeing, it is extremely important to stay ahead of the game with these initiatives and exercise cost avoidance. Reference: http://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2008/04/boeing-and-airbus-join-forces-to- improve-aviation-apos-s-environmental-performance.html

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Your Name:

Company: Report Year:

Length: Link:

Google 2017 Progress Update (The first link) 55 pages https://environment.google/ https://www.google.com/about/responsible-manufacturing.html

Environmental Initiatives

[2 or 3 with short description and

outcomes]

• Climate change:  1. Carbon footprint: In 2016, Google’s gross GHG emissions were 2.9 million

metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e), but because of its renewable energy and carbon offset programs, Google’s net operational carbon emissions were zero. Over the past five years, Google’s carbon intensity per revenue and carbon intensity per full-time equivalent employee both decreased by 55%, and its carbon intensity for electricity used at our data centers dropped by 59%. By November, Google had signed a cumulative total of 20 PPAs for more than 2.6 GW of renewable energy. Google’s landfill gas project has eliminated half a million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, generating more than half a million carbon offsets.

• Resources: 1. Landfill & waste: Six of our operating data centers have achieved 100%

landfill diversion, and one of these has also reached Zero Waste to Landfill. In 2016, Google diverted 86% of waste from global data center operations away from landfills. In 2016, Google avoided more than 700,000 kilograms (1.5 million pounds) of food waste in cafés globally by tracking pre-consumer food waste and using this data to inform future production levels.

2. Water: From 2013 to 2016, Google reduced potable liters of water used per Googler by 40% at our Bay Area headquarters.

3. Reuse & recycling: In 2016, 36% of the servers Google deployed were remanufactured machines. In 2016, 22% of the components we used for machine upgrades in our data centers were refurbished inventory.

4. Energy: On average, a Google data center uses 50% less energy than a typical data center. Google is the world’s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy. We’ve signed 20 agreements to purchase a total of 2.6 GW of renewable energy—generating emissions savings equivalent to taking more than 1.2 million cars off the road. Since 2010, we’ve committed to invest nearly $2.5 billion in renewable energy projects with a total combined capacity of 3.7 GW.

Social Initiatives [2 or 3 with short

description and outcomes]

Responsible Supply Chain Program: involves Google employees and workers employed by over 400 Google’s suppliers in more than 20 countries. 1. Supplier Code of Conduct

Google is committed to treating them with dignity and respect as understood by the international community. In 2016, Google began supporting Pact’s work to reduce child mining in the tin and cobalt industries in the DRC by addressing root causes and providing other options for families. Google asked suppliers to maintain safe and healthy workplaces and to implement OHSAS 18001 or an equivalent management system to identify and resolve related issues.

2. Supplier assessments

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Sustainability in Operations & Supply Chain Report

Google gauge to how close suppliers are to meeting its standards, identify potential risks, and address concerns. Google conducted 130 audits involving 94 suppliers in 12 countries, audited factories representing 36 different types of suppliers, and interviewed approximately 3,500 workers face-to-face, and 890 workers participated in tablet-based surveys. Google created a Sustainability Worker Survey Initiative to promote even greater transparency. Google Completed 70% of Corrective Action Plans (CAPs). 30% are on track for completion.

3. Capability building Google offered programs that enable our suppliers to develop stronger social and environmental capabilities. As part of our broad-based efforts to combat modern slavery, we joined with several other information and communications technology companies in 2016 to co-host six anti-forced-labor workshops in Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan.

Other Voices [What do others

have to say about the company? Corroborate? Contradict?]

In 2017 corporate reputation study from Fortune, Google landed in the fifth spot with a score of 78.22 (Fortune). The Reputation Institute put Google at the top of its Global Corporate Social Responsibility Rep Trak rankings in 2015. (U.S.News) With a score of 75.4, Google is about 2 points ahead of the runner-up BMW. To put that in understandable terms, that gap between Google and BMW is the same size as the gap between BMW and ninth ranked Rolls-Royce Aerospace. Reasons that Google was put at the top are that the company has been carbon neutral since 2007 and has implemented numerous environmentally friendly initiatives, including Google Green. Also, the company was also one of the first tech employers to release workplace diversity statistics and has dedicated itself to expanding Internet access, according to the Reputation Institute.

Personal Reaction

[New perspectives? Any surprises?

To other voices?]

Overall, Google is doing what an environmentally-conscious company should do in terms of taking initiatives to address environmental and social issues responsibly and is doing a great job at it in many aspects. To make Google a true environmental leader, however, requires the company to do even better at pushing on its suppliers and manufacturers to do the right things.

According to some third-party assessment, 32% of Google’s suppliers have labor problems. There are 14.8% suppliers have excessive working hours. Some suppliers have not met Google’s own Supplier Code of Conduct expectation that workers work no more than what is allowed by local laws or 60 hours per week, whichever is lower, and receive at least one day off for each six-day worked. Also, 34% suppliers showed health and safety problem. 11.1% inadequate emergency response. Inadequate practices were observed at some supplier facilities, such as blocked exit routes, unclear exit signs, no evacuation drills, and incomplete inspection of fire alarms and suppression systems. It was also identified that suppliers are not adequately controlling work hazards through engineering design or operation and maintenance procedures.

With the assessments above, I think it is both important and difficult to apply company’s Code of Conduct, for suppliers, especially when you are a large cooperation who works with tons of suppliers within US and oversea. And

Google needs to continue its investments in leading all its suppliers into the right direction.

In addition to that, with the recent additions to Google’s own device hardware product line such as Google Home speakers, Google has taken on more responsibilities on not only consuming from environment-friendly suppliers, but also being an environment-friendly manufacture itself. It needs to find the right balance between contributing to consumerism and world’s economy by producing updated devices frequently and dealing with the long-term environmental consequences of this constant manufacturing process.

One last point is that since Google has acquire Nest in 2014, making automated and smart solutions for saving energies for homes and businesses via Nest devices and eco-system had become part of Google’s own mission statement, which I think consequently helps with the environment in long term and counts into the Google’s total effort towards a greener and more environment-friendly world.

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