...State of Australian Cities Conference 2015 Sustainability at the Australian local government level: Is there room for Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)? Umberto Baresi1, Karen J. Vella2, and Neil G. Sipe1 School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland 2 School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Queensland University of Technology 1 Abstract: Recent calls in Australia have addressed the need for better integration of planning processes. The consequent effort made by the government has been, and still is, reshaping the way urban and regional planning and sustainability are managed. Focusing on planning practices at the local and regional levels, we investigate how environmental sustainability is pursued from an institutional perspective. Specifically, we analyse the way that planning in Australian cities aims to achieve sustainable strategies and reflect on the relationship with ‘Strategic Environmental Assessment’. This paper has four goals. First, sustainable planning practices at the local and regional levels are analysed considering the legislative and organizational frameworks of each state. The goal is to identify, through an analysis of planning documents, how much discretion is given to local councils to address sustainable strategies. Second, we focus on two regions and four cities in Queensland, to outline strengths and weaknesses of current legislative and practical frameworks. We use analytical criteria from...
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...Travelling textiles A sustainability roadmap of natural fibre garments May 2009 This report has been prepared by Emer Diviney and Serena Lillywhite at the Brotherhood of Laurence Sustainable Business Unit. Brotherhood of St Laurence 67 Brunswick Street Fitzroy Vic. 3065 ABN 24 603 467 024 Ph: (03) 9483 1183 www.bsl.org.au the HUB of responsible business practice in Australia is a project of St James Ethics Centre © St James Ethics Centre 2 Contents Acknowledgments Summary Introduction Key findings The way forward Recommendations Introduction Brotherhood of St Laurence Gorman Industries Understanding the clothing industry Corporate responsibility and “sustainability” Developing tools for responsible business practice Roadmap methodology How we went about it Who we spoke to Overview of the garment supply chain The clothing industry roadmap Key sustainability issues in the garment sector Case study: Gorman Who is Gorman? The Gorman roadmap: Merino Tee and Forest Dress Unpicking the garment roadmap Design and production management Wool and cotton cultivation Processing raw materials and yarn manufacturing Knitting and weaving Fabric processing Cut make and trim Retailing and wholesaling Consumer use Textile waste and disposal Freight Towards sustainable garments Garment industry drivers Sources of information the HUB of responsible business practice in Australia is a project of St James Ethics Centre ...
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...Business and Sustainability Write an essay on the following topic: Based on your personal definition of sustainability, how committed are organisations to sustainability practices? What changes in corporate strategy and policy are necessary in the journey to sustainable business? Illustrate your answer with examples. Introduction Conducting business in the global economy, enterprises are under more communities’ scrutiny on their operations (Dey & Sircar, 2012). Moreover, sustainability is considered as the focal point of enterprises in creating shareholder value, performing management practices (Epstein, 2008), instrumental to survival in an increased competitive environment (Eweje, 2011), and achieving competitive advantages (Galbreath, 2011). As a result, this issue draws much attention from a broad base of stakeholders, comprising of customers, communities, employees, governments, and shareholders (Hess & Warren, 2008; Eweje, 2011). However, how to employ sustainability has remained a challenge for business leaders (Epstein & Buhovac, 2010). Accordingly, sustainability is commonly executed “more coincidentally than with a clear strategy” (Baumgartner & Ebner, 2010, p. 77). To obtain a deeper understanding of the topic, this essay begins with exploring the definition of sustainability. Followed by which is the investigation of how committed organisations are. Thereafter, the way to incorporate sustainability in companies is examined. Finally...
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...mandatory regulations are required in order to sustain our environment in the future.) Since the 1990’s there has been an increasing trend for companies to provide information regarding the environmental implications of their operations (Gozali et al., 2002). This has arisen due to the increasing importance of environmental issues worldwide, and as such there is increased discussion on whether environmental reporting should become regulated internationally or continue to remain voluntary. The environment disclosures are generally through a sustainability report, which may also include the social and economic performance of an organisation. This is commonly referred to as triple bottom–line reporting, and is tied together closely with the term Corporate Social Responsibility. What is Corporate Social Responsibility? While sustainable development is most commonly defined as ‘development that meets the needs of the present world without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ (World Commission on Environment and Development – Brundtland Report, 1987), Corporate Social Responsibility focuses on the mission and values of an organisation and its obligations and impacts on a wider range of stakeholders. (CSR (promotes) principles are for sustainability, accountability and transparency regarding the information required to promote positive corporate social responsibility which can be acknowledged (around the world) internationally.) It is argued...
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...Story of Sustainability National Australia Bank When I hear the term sustainability, I immediately think of ecologically sustainable design (ESD). ESD is widely described as the ability to meet the needs of today without foreclosing the achievement of tomorrows. Working in the building/property services industry, and having a passion for building efficiency and sustainability, means I am surrounded by innovation and the first hand effects of this growing corporate consciousness. Of course for a business as a whole to be environmentally sustainable, it needs to do more than tenant a ‘green’ building, or use sustainable waste disposal practices. It needs to create a culture in which attitudes towards ecological sustainability change from a view of compliance to a companywide attitude shift toward sustainability being a social responsibility. The human resources component of the sustainable corporation, to me, flows organically from the environmental consciousness to a degree. An example I often use when talking about sustainability is the SA Water building on Victoria Square. This structure was built to achieve a 6-Star green building rating which is based largely on building materials, but also takes into consideration, secure bicycle parking, showers and change rooms, proximity to public transport etc. These design consideration, though driven from an environmental perspective, improves the human sustainability element by better providing the staff with the tools to change...
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.........7 Internal Analysis....................................................................................................................8 Objectives..............................................................................................................................9 Green Marketing Strategy......................................................................................................10 References..............................................................................................................................13 Executive Summary The purpose of this plan is to analyse the environmental efforts of the Nando’s Carnegie branch, and to develop strategies that propels them a step closer towards a more eco-friendly and sustainable future. Nando’s was established in 1987 in Johannesburg, South Africa. It has approximately 300 stores in Australia since the brand arrived here in 1990. Nando’s has already taken action to be more environmentally responsible, with better packaging designs and partnering with organizations that are tackling the world’s social problems. The sources of information for this marketing plan include websites,...
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...Corporate Social Responsibility Practice in Australia 24 April, 2016 prepared by Executive Summary This report provides an analysis and importance of CSR reporting in mining industry, how well companies disclose social and environmental issue according to GRI guidelines. This article’s main focus is to describe trends of CSR reporting in mining companies in Australia. This article provides detailed overview of companies reporting format and structure, CSR disclosing motivation, how well company account for job losses and impact of reduction of oil price on companies. The purpose of this report is to describe CSR practice of mining companies in Australia and highlights the importance of sustainability reports regarding social and environmental perspective. This report is based on two major mining companies namely BHP Billiton and Rio Tin. The information used for writing this article is gathered from different researcher, annual reports, newspapers, and online articles, GRI guideline. Only Secondary data used to write report and study based on ASX registered companies companies in Australia are more aware of GRI reporting standards now and also know that how crucial it is to report on the sustainability issues from social and environmental perspective to have long term business and secure future. . Contents Executive Summary i Contents ii Introduction 3 Question a 3 ...
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...Learning and Change for Sustainability at Yarra Valley Water Patrick Crittenden Suzanne Benn Dexter Dunphy A Case Study March 2010 Enquiries The Australian Research Institute in Education for Sustainability Graduate School of the Environment Macquarie University NSW 2109 ariescoordinator@gse.mq.edu.au (02) 9850 8597 2 Contents Introduction ............................................................................ 4 Methodology ............................................................................ 5 Background ............................................................................. 5 Approaches to Learning and Change at YVW .................................... 6 Creating a more innovative organisational culture.....................................6 Integrating environment as a strategic issue............................................7 Sustainability tools ..........................................................................9 The Natural Step................................................................................... 9 Life Cycle Assessment ...........................................................................11 Collaborative learning through stakeholder engagement ........................... 12 Linking culture, strategy and mechanisms for learning and change ......13 Organisational learning ................................................................... 14 Conclusion ....................................................................
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...SUSTAINABILITY AT TELSTRA Bigger Picture 2014 Sustainability Report Sustainability at Telstra Contents CONTENTS About us Chairman and CEO message Sustainability scorecard Sustainability highlights Our approach Strategy infographic 03 04 05 06 07 08 Stakeholder engagement Key issues 09 10 11 Click on page links Transparency and accountability Bigger Picture 2014 Sustainability Report 2 Sustainability at Telstra About us ABOUT US Our business Telstra is Australia’s leading telecommunications and information services company, offering a full range of communications services and competing in all telecommunications markets. We employ close to 32,000 people directly, facilitate access to more than 1,900 points of presence across the globe and have one of Australia’s largest shareholder bases, with 1.4 million shareholders. We have a diverse range of customers, including consumers, small business, large enterprises and government organisations, and we strive to put them at the centre of everything we do. In Australia, our services are offered through 362 Telstrabranded retail stores, 90 Telstra Business Centres, 127 Telstra business and enterprise partners and are distributed by over 15,000 retail points of presence managed by our partners. In Australia we provide 16 million mobile services, 7.5 million fixed voice services and 3.7 million fixed data services. Telstra’s international businesses...
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...relate to developing, managing, and operating beach resorts and destination resort marinas; outline the internal and external factors influencing the market position of property; review the social, environmental, and economic issues that relate to planning and development process of resorts; and lastly, critique sustainable practices and policies related to resorts. Wherever appropriate, particular reference will be made on resort sector particularly in Western Australia and across other coastal areas in Australia. For example, Perth is popular for beach resorts and destination marina resorts owing to its proximity to the coastline. Indeed, the region is an attractive site for tourists. According to Pham, Simmons and Spurr (2010), tourism contributes significantly the total GDP and resort business is a major economic activity in Western Australia. Development, management and operation of beach resorts and destination marina resorts: key issues and trends Most resorts in Australia are in situated in regional zones. In Australia, major development of resorts happened in the 1980s, for example, the development of big resorts including Hyatt Sanctuary Cove, Ayers Rock Resort, Sheraton Mirage Gold Coast, Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas, Hyatt Coolum (Tourism Research Australia, 2006). Most restaurants that emerged during this period were based on overambitious expectations of the magnitude of demand for resorts coupled with a blurred...
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...SUSTAINABILITY REPORT: QANTAS AIRWAYS LTD By Student’s Name Course Name Professor Name City, Location Project Name Date of Submission Table of Contents 1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………...…..3 2. Financial……………………………………………………………………………..………4 3. Social Responsibility…………………………………………………………………..……..6 4. Environmental Responsibility……………………………………………………….………7 5. Conclusion………………………………………..………………………………… ………8 6. References List……………………………………………………………………………..9 Sustainability Report: Qantas Airways Ltd Introduction The paper seeks to provide a corporate social responsibility report on Qantas to understand the impacts of financial operations of the company on the environmental and social responsibility initiatives of the company. Qantas Airways ltd identifies a flag carrier airline located in Australia and it is recognized to be the largest airline in terms of fleet size, international flights and international destinations. After KLM and Aviance, Qantas is the third oldest airline across the world as it was founded in the late 1920. Today, the airline is headquartered in Sydney within its main airport being Sydney Airport. The company owns 65 percent of the Australian domestic market and ferries 14.9 per cent of all passengers travelling from and in Australia. Some of its subsidiaries include Jetconnect and Qantaslink...
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...Since the early 1990’s consecutive Australian governments have recognised the importance of regional development to relieve the effects of urban sprawl and to bridge the gap between metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas. In Australia, the role of regional development has traditionally been driven by both state and local governments. This said, the Commonwealth Government has consistently offered support and leadership in addressing regional challenges and promoting economic development. While Commonwealth intervention makes sense in terms of financial capacity, this intervention has often resulted in unnecessary and costly overlap and duplication between national, state and local governments. A national framework adequately funded, resourced and linked specifically to each local government would provide a more sensible approach to achieving long-term sustainable outcomes for regional communities. In 2008 the Commonwealth Government set up 55 Regional Development Australia (RDA) Committees to bring together national, state and local bodies and provide a united and consistent approach to regional Australia. This assignment will review the role and effectiveness of RDA Committees in addressing economic, environmental and social change in regional Australia and thereby question the effectiveness of government in the delivery of regional development. In doing so, the assignment highlights the importance of local programs (based on community participation and engagement) in ensuring...
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...Seetharaman, Ismail, and Saravanan (2007) conducted a survey to identify some current issues in the environmental management system (EMS). Then, Seetharaman et al. built an environmental accounting (EA) research model in manufacturing industry to determine and establish the monitoring and measurement in the environmental accounting system. In their first study, the findings of survey showed that there existed three main issues in the EMS, namely: - Lack of environmental awareness: 68% of companies underestimated their business impact to the environment. - Lack of perceived benefit: only 50% of companies believed that investment in environmental initiative would offer them some benefits. - Lack of government pressure In their second study, the EA research model provided the four main environmental parameters--air emission, water, land and noise pollutions, which can help to monitor and evaluate organization’s commitment to environmentally sustainable forms of business activity. Overall speaking, this journal article clarify that through reduction in cost, compliance with environmental legislation, and improving corporate image, etc., organization can developed sustainability via using environmental management system, and environmental accounting can underpin the system as it can track environmental performance of organizations’ in more measurable manner. However, there exist some limitations in the research report. Firstly, the journal article was released in Malaysia. The...
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...Pearson Education Australia Stimulating innovation Change, innovation and sustainability Forces for change Change – an organisational reality managing change is an integral part of every manager’s job government laws and regulations technology economic changes strategy, workforce, employee attitudes Robbins, Bergman, Stagg, Coulter Management 5e © 2008 Pearson Education Australia External forces Internal forces Change process The calm waters metaphor the organisation as a large ship crossing a calm sea change is seen as an occasional disruption in the normal flow of events Kurt Lewin’s three-step description of the change process Successful change can be planned and requires unfreezing the status quo, changing to a new state, then refreezing to make the change permanent Robbins, Bergman, Stagg, Coulter Management 5e © 2008 Pearson Education Australia Change process Robbins, Bergman, Stagg, Coulter Management 5e © 2008 Pearson Education Australia Change process The white-water rapids metaphor the organisation is seen as a small raft navigating a raging river with uninterrupted white-water rapids. change is an expected and natural state, and managing change is a continual process. consistent with prior discussion of uncertain and dynamic environments and with a world that is increasingly dominated by information, ideas and knowledge. Robbins, Bergman, Stagg, Coulter Management 5e © 2008 Pearson Education Australia Managing...
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...BHP was also a market leader. In 1860, Billiton was established in The Hague, Netherlands. Billiton developed a growing and substantial copper portfolio. It was also a global leader in the metals and mining sector, and a major producer of aluminum and alumina, steaming coal, nickel, and titanium, chrome and manganese ores and alloys. BHP Ltd of Australia and Billion Plc of UK established merger in 2001, and the result was the dual listed company (DLC). BHP Billion becomes one of the world’s largest mining and Petroleum Company. It expands its business in twenty countries, and its major commodities are iron ore, metallurgical coal, energy coal, conventional and unconventional oil and gas, copper, aluminum, manganese, uranium, nickel, and silver. This essay will deeply analysis the effects of BHP Billiton’s sustainability practice on the ownership advantages. It also explains the expansion strategy of BHP Billiton, which is Joint venture and mergers and acquisitions. At last, it will show some risks which are created by the macro and external factors in the mining industry and give some strategies to reduce these risks. Sustainability Practice to Improve O Advantages in the Mining Sector The mining industry...
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