company should use “green” materials in manufacturing the athletic footwear

One of the most important decisions I had to make was whether the company should use “green” materials in manufacturing the athletic footwear at all its plants or simply use the standard materials. Although the use of green products would improve the company’s corporate social responsibility and citizenship, the move would raise the cost of standard materials by $0.50 and that of superior materials by $1.00. Using standard materials was a more favorable decision. Another important decision I had to make was on whether to recycle boxing/packaging materials. The move would raise the cost of shoe packaging by $0.20 per pair but would also help in preserving the environment. Recycling the packaging materials is a good move as it would improve the company’s corporate social responsibility and citizenship at lower costs.

The third most important decision I had to make was on whether to invest in energy efficiency initiatives. Although the initial capital for investing in the initiative may be high, I realized it was a good idea as there will be huge long-term rewards. The fourth decision was on whether to contribute to charitable organization and the amount to contribute. I allocated 1% of operating profit as a way of showing great commitment to giving back to the community. I also decided to invest $250k in training employees to abide to the set code of ethics. I am confident that work disputes would reduce and efficiency improve if employees abide to the code.

In my previous learning and experiences, I have realized of the importance of investing time and resources on things that matter for the business. In other words, just because an investment increases the business budget does not mean that it should be ignored as it may be worth investing in. I have also learnt of the importance of committing to corporate social responsibility initiatives and giving back to the community – this is possibly the best way to gain community support!