Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a company's responsibility for the impact of its operations and policies on culture, its prosperity, and the environment. Transparent, sustainable, and ethical policies aid in the strengthening of the environment as well as the development of the company's image and brand (Sheth 46).
Whole Foods and Sustainability
Whole Foods is the business I chose. Since their first store opened in 1980, the brand has been adamant about nutritious eating and the environment. In green, the company is still doing something different. The green initiative supports natural and organic food suppliers and thus has improved the sustainability of the agriculture industry and reduces environmental pitfalls of conventional agriculture. Besides, the green initiatives have rendered Whole Foods the leading sustainability activism across dimensions including product, energy independence, and product outsourcing thus widening the market and boosting the sales.
Initiatives by Whole Foods
Whole Foods have taken various initiatives to become a socially responsible business. Whole Foods promotes the consumption of nonrenewable resources and reduction of waste, supports sustainable agriculture, and encourages environmentally sound store and cleaning maintenance programs (ABC News Productions et al. 24). The company has created Whole Planet Foundation that has raised more than $1.5 million to assist women in lifting themselves out of poverty by sanctioning micro-entrepreneurs. The foundation fights poverty through micro-lending in rural societies throughout the globe. Besides, the company came up with the Local Producer Loan plan that offers up to $10 million to small local farmers as a loan to help them in developing their businesses.
Choosing a Business to Start
Selecting a business to start up can be a challenging undertaking mainly if an individual has many ideas and cannot make up the mind. Select a business based on what you love doing, and that fits the life that you wish to maintain or your current life. The next tip is building on what you already know and good at. Last but not least is considering the financial status and thinking of a product in demand but presently under-offered in the market.
Works Cited
ABC News Productions, et al. Whole Foods: How Radical CEO Created Grocery Empire. Films Media Group, 2013.
Sheth, J. N. Corporate social responsibility. 2016.
