Discussion 2 B6420

Assignment 1: Discussion—Sustainability and Innovation

Implementing sustainability measures is a complex task involving  management of supply chain risk factors such as scarce resources, social  and labor problems, and subcontractor oversight. Despite the known  potential to improve productivity and cost structures many companies are  finding it difficult to successfully implement sustainable measures.

As stated on each of their Web sites, Southwest Airlines and American  Airlines purport to be engaged in sustainable best practices and  innovation. Review each company’s official standpoint on sustainability  and environmental reports at the following:

• Southwest Airlines. Environmental initiatives: Environmental stewardship. Retrieved from http://www.southwest.com/html/southwest-difference/southwest-citizenship/environmental-initiatives/index.html
• American Airlines. Protecting the environment. Retrieved from http://www.aa.com/i18n/aboutUs/corporateResponsibility/environment/protecting-the-environment.jsp

Using the Argosy University online library resources and the Internet research the two airlines.

Compare and contrast the business practices of the two organizations  and the value they place on sustainability. Cover the following in your  comparative analysis:

• Examine the sustainability best practices that the organizations are  engaged in or are planning to adopt and their perceived meaning to the  organizations.
• Describe the innovation types and processes the organizations have formulated or are formulating.
• Provide a hypothesis on the reasons why the innovation types might  have been the focus. Explain whether or not you believe they have been  successful in their sustainability endeavors.

By the due date assigned, post your response to the Discussion Area. Through the end of the module, review and comment on at least two peers’ responses.

Write your initial response in 300–500 words. Your response should be  thorough and address all components of the discussion question in  detail, include citations of all sources, where needed, according to the  APA Style, and demonstrate accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation