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What is sustainability?
First of all, here are two useful definitions of what is obviously a difficult concept to encapsulate:
“Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Washington State Department of Ecology, and a more holistic view;
“Universities have always existed to nurture healthy communities and economies through education. But today, more than ever before, universities are realizing that they also need to set positive social, environmental, and economic examples for their societies to follow.” - The University of British Columbia Sustainability Office.
Of the 200 IT executives surveyed by Deloitte Consulting and IDG Research Services, 96% predicted that a "significant" or "moderate" positive bottom-line impact would result from having an IT strategy specifically developed to support the corporate strategy. Yet only 10% rated themselves "extremely successful" in alignment efforts.
Stakeholder Value Proposition
In the current economic climate, business sustainability and success will overwhelmingly depend on market position. This in turn will depend on the stakeholder’s perception of the value proposition: the ability to deliver the right solutions to the right market on a timely basis. In this regard, the development of a ‘Business Excellence Framework’ will be seen as a necessity.
Business Excellence Frameworks can be used as:
*Tool for Self-Assessment
*Way to Benchmark with other organisations;
*Guide to identify areas for Improvement; and
*Structure for the organisation's management system.
Quadruple Bottom
Line Reporting -
A Recipe for Business Sustainability
by Peter Cross