4-6 pages double-spaced Business Ethic Paper!!!
Maoxiaoying
desjardins.pptxBusiness Ethics
Sustainability
DesJardin’s Main Claim
DesJardins argues that in order to deal with the problems of the twenty-first century (extreme poverty, political repression, famine, disease, natural disasters, people struggling to get basic necessities, population growth, destruction of biosphere, etc.), we’ll have to focus on developing a sustainable way of doing business that focuses on economic development instead of economic growth.
“These factors will require that business in the twenty-first century be practiced in a way that is economically vibrant enough to address the real needs of billions of people, yet ecologically informed so that the earth’s capacity to support life is not diminished by that activity and ethically sensitive enough that the human dignity is not lost or violated in the process.” (35)
The Sustainability Paradigm
DesJardins proposes a new model of business and economics that is focused on sustainability instead of profits.
He contrasts the model that he is proposing with a traditional shareholder-based model of business.
| Traditional Model | Sustainability Model |
| Economic growth is the measure of a successful business and economy. | Economic development is the measure of a successful business and economy. Unchecked economic growth is part of the problem. |
| Traditional Model | Sustainability Model |
| Economic growth is the measure of a successful business and economy. | Economic development is the measure of a successful business and economy. Unchecked economic growth is part of the problem. |
| Growth = getting bigger | Development = getting better Not all growth is good– should encourage the growth of sustainable business activities and discourage the growth of unsustainable ones. |
| Success measured through things like GDP | GDP doesn’t tell the whole story |
| Sees economic growth as the main purpose of business. Any legal, ethical, or ecological concerns act as a constraint on this. | See economic development as inseparable from ecological stability and social justice. Three pillars of sustainability/triple bottom line: economic, ecological, and ethical |
The Sustainability Paradigm
Sustainable business practices are “practices which, if generalized over an industry or economy, would safeguard the biosphere” (40).
When talking about sustainability, DesJardins is not talking about sustaining current business arrangements and levels of consumption. He thinks that both the way business is practiced and the way we consume products will have to change.
“Sustainable living and sustainable development will require a changed economy and changed society. There may well be industries and social practices that are incompatible with sustainable development.” (40)
The Sustainability Paradigm
Businesses have responsibilities concerning both sustainable consumption and sustainable production.
We’re going to focus on his claims about sustainable consumption.
Sustainable Consumption
Consumerism, especially in developed countries, is a major contributor to the problems facing the twenty-first century.
People consume too much, consume the wrong things, and consume in the wrong way.
A sustainable business “must address the issue of consumption head-on” (45)
Sustainable Consumption
Businesses are hesitant to address the issue of consumption for two main reasons:
Sustainable Consumption
Businesses are hesitant to address the issue of consumption for two main reasons:
1. discouraging consumerism seems like it would put businesses in jeopardy by discouraging consumers from buying their products
Des Jardins thinks that sustainable consumerism can actually present businesses with opportunities, not just limit growth.
Sustainable Consumption
Businesses are hesitant to address the issue of consumption for two main reasons:
1. Discouraging consumerism seems like it would put businesses in jeopardy by discouraging consumers from buying their products.
Des Jardins thinks that sustainable consumerism can actually present businesses with opportunities, not just limit growth.
2. Businesses aren’t responsible for consumer demand, they just respond to it.
Des Jardins thinks businesses need to take responsibility for how they shape consumer demand and the choices they make available to fill consumer demand.
Sustainable Consumption
Businesses can encourage sustainable consumption in two ways:
1. Address the role of business in shaping consumer demands
2. Address the role of business in creating and contributing to structural features of economy that encourage over-consumption
Sustainable Consumption
Address the role of business in shaping consumer demands:
Consumers can’t demand what doesn’t exist and what they don’t know about.
Businesses often identify unmet needs/desires of consumers that they don’t even know about
Innovative products often create their own demand (ex. PCs).
There are lots of failed products, which shows both that marketing cannot completely control consumer demand and that businesses are not simply responding to existing demands. The truth is somewhere in the middle.
If business can create or shape over-consumptive demands, then they should be able to create of shape sustainable demand.
Consumers may not be demanding more sustainable products and services because they can’t envision what their lives and world would be like. Businesses can nudge them to do so.
Sustainable Consumption
2. Address the role of business in creating and contributing to structural features of economy that encourage over-consumption:
This is not about the decisions of individuals but about the social arrangements, expectations, and norms shape our decisions. Businesses and economics also influence these expectations and norms.
Businesses can interrupt the “cycle of work and spend,” which encourages workers to work more, spend less time on leisure, and build up money, which they spend on consuming goods because this is the only way they can reap the rewards of their work.
Businesses can also influence the social meanings of consumption.
Consumption has become a way to establish our self-image, status, and identity. This social meaning is in part created and encouraged by marketing.
Businesses can make decisions about what social meanings to convey through their ad campaigns, and can shift social meanings of consumption toward sustainable lifestyle.
