Ch 15, Instructor’s Manual, Business & Society, Carroll 10e
Chapter 15
Sustainability and the Natural Environment
LEARNING OUTCOMES
After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
1. Discuss the concept of sustainability and its imperative.
3. Identify and discuss the issues that arise for businesses in their responsibility for the
environment and sustainability.
5. Describe other environmental stakeholders, including interest groups, employees, and
investors.
6. Discuss business environmentalism, sustainability goals, and the future of the
business/environment relationship.
TEACHING SUGGESTIONS
INTRODUCTION – This chapter identifies what is meant by the term environment and why it
has become one of the most significant issues in our lives. As background for the discussion, the
authors describe some of the major environmental issues facing us. They then focus on the
variety of responses the government and organizations have developed to address these issues.
Two themes are emphasized—that humans are part of the natural environment and that
environmental issues are extremely complex.
KEY TALKING POINTS – If nothing else, this chapter should scare the students into realizing
that environmental issues are critically important and that the environment is a critical business
stakeholder. The authors certainly do not use “scare tactics,” nor do they need to do so. The
facts alone are more than sufficient to get the message across—we need to do something about
the environmental crises now. Business will have to be a key player in the effort, precisely
because it is a major contributor to the problem.
There is a tremendous amount of information available to supplement this chapter. Depending
on the instructor’s and students’ particular interests, the discussion could center on existing
problems, individual business’s efforts to alleviate environmental impacts, more general
approaches to solutions, or public policy questions such as economic growth versus sustainable
development. Two broad questions that might generate spirited discussion are: (1) the
Ch 15, Instructor’s Manual, Business & Society, Carroll 10e
Hawken, P. 1993. The Ecology of Commerce. New York: HarperBusiness. This book is
mentioned in the chapter as an inspiration for Paul Dolan, former president of Fetzer Vineyards.
It also spurred Ray Anderson at Interface Carpets (http://www.interfaceinc.com/) to reorganize
students to have an educated discourse on the science behind this issue and the United States’
involvement in global efforts to address this issue.
Finally, two videos aired on PBS stations address the question of over consumption, its effects
on our lives, and its effects on the planet. Affluenza and Escape from Affluenza may appear
visually dated to students, but its message is still instructive. These videos are well suited to
discussions about the social and environmental costs exacted by continued economic growth.
PEDAGOGICAL DEVICES – In this chapter, instructors may utilize a combination of:
Cases: 1-Wal-Mart- The Main Street Merchant of Doom
2-The Body Shop (A) – Pursuing Social and Environmental Change
12-Banned if You Do, Banned if You Don’t
14-Something’s Rotten in Hondo
16-Coke & Pepsi in India
18-Dole’s DBCP Legacy
22-A Smoke-Free Generation in Tasmania
25-The Hudson River Cleanup and GE
26-Cloud Computing – Earth’s Friend or Foe
27-New Belgium Brewing, Defining a Business on Sustainability
Ch 15, Instructor’s Manual, Business & Society, Carroll 10e
28-Safety, What Safety
29-Felony Franks (2)- Home of the Misdemeanor Wiener
34-Hidden Price of Fast Fashion
Ethics in Practice Cases:
Water Scoring: A Way to Push for Better Water Stewardship?
A Little Green Lie
Who Failed to Protect the Community in Flint, Michigan?
Slow Fashion
Spotlight on Sustainability:
There’s an App for That
Living “The Other Low–Carb Life”
Power Point slides:
LECTURE OUTLINE
I. THE SUSTAINABILITY IMPERATIVE
II. THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
III. A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
IV. THE IMPACT OF BUSINESS ON THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
A. Climate Change
B. Energy
C. Water
D. Biodiversity and Land Use
E. Chemicals, Toxics, and Heavy Metals
F. Air Pollution
G. Waste Management
H. Ozone Depletion
I. Oceans and Fisheries
J. Deforestation
V. RESPONSIBILITY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES
A. Environmental Ethics
B. The NIMBY Problem
VI. THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABILITY
ISSUES
A. Responses of Governments in the United States
2. Water Quality Legislation
4. Endangered Species
B. International Government Environmental and Sustainability Responses
VII. OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABILITY STAKEHOLDERS
A. Environmental Interest Groups
B. Other Sustainability Interest Groups
1. Green Consumers
3. Green Investors
VIII. BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTALISM AND SUSTAINABILITY
A. Patagonia
B. Apple
C. CVS Health
D. Tesla
E. Business and Environmental Partnerships-Activists, NGOs, and Interest Groups
IX. THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS: GREENING AND/OR GROWING?
X. SUMMARY
SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Students should recognize that their answers to these discussion questions should be well
reasoned and supported with evidence. Although some answers will be more correct than others,
students should be aware that simplistic answers to complex questions, problems, or issues such
as these will never be “good” answers.
1. Question: What is sustainability? How does sustainability relate to environmentalism?
2. Question: What are several of the most important environmental issues now receiving
worldwide attention?
Answer: The textbook lists several environmental issues that have reached the critical
stage: climate change, energy, water, biodiversity/land use, air pollution, waste
3. Question: Who has responsibility for addressing environmental issues?
4. Question: How can ethics be applied in response to environmental issues?
Answer: Deontology is the most likely ethical theory to help resolve the environmental
crisis. This theory emphasizes doing our duty, with little emphasis placed on the outcomes
5. Question: Should businesses and societies continue to focus on unlimited economic
growth?
Answer: As noted previously in the text, companies have economic responsibilities, as
well as legal, ethical and philanthropic responsibilities. The key to this question is whether
GROUP ACTIVITY
Ch 15, Instructor’s Manual, Business & Society, Carroll 10e
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT
Ask students to research current international agreements and proposed U.S. laws and
regulations regarding climate change. As a starting point, instructors may want to guide students
to the following websites:
In connection with their research, students should prepare a typed-written response to the
following questions:
(1) What is the conclusion of the latest report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change? What is at risk?
(2) In the United States, what does the Pew Research Center show as a top priority for
Americans? How has this changed since 2009? Given the differing view of the
political parties, do you expect action by U.S. legislators?
(3) Where is most action on climate change being taken – from the top down, or from the
bottom up? What can each of us to do to affect the situation?