Critical Analysis of the Issue
The deficit of clean water becomes more evident each year. As with most ecological disasters, the human intervention with nature is at the center of the problem. While World Health Organization, according to Martinez-Santos (2017, p.2), acknowledges that, “the number of people using safe water supplies has been over-estimated”, it still does not present an accurate representation of the situation. It is now known that, chemical water pollutants, like “aluminum, arsenic, barium, manganese, lead, copper, uranium, lithium, nitrate and fluoride” caused the most severe episodes of mass poisoning in history (Martinez-Santos, 2017, p. 6). Where these chemical compounds could have come from, remains an open question, however, it is quite obvious that some type of industrial production is involved.
However, according to Ibisi and Asoluka (2019), new, sustainable, and innovative solutions are already in the stage of implementation. Their study proposes usage of agricultural waste as a “sustainable biosorbent for toxic metal ions removal from contaminated water” (Ibisi and Asoluka, 2019, p. 52). Yet, since there are numerous attempts for implementation of such emergency innovations being taken, then there is an adequate reason for it.
The reason definitely being human-caused environmental changes, however, the driving force of the change are the stakeholders. Mitchell et al. (1997) go into great depth of explaining the stakeholder theory as well as describing stakeholders’ role, but in short, stakeholders are anyone involved in a business’ activity, voluntarily or not. Furthermore, according to Osobajo and Moore (2017), the relationship between a company and its stakeholders is double-sided. Stakeholders are interested in the continuation of the company’s activities because it provides for them, but the business itself also relies on the stakeholders to continue functioning (Osobajo and Moore, 2017). Two main aspects arise from such a relationship: responsibility and mutual influence.
However, one of the lesser intuitive stakeholder, that is, in fact, present in any company’s activities, is the planet itself – and namely, the state of the environment. As illuminated in the Rockstrom’s study, the planet has already reached a boundary that is driving it to imminent ecological degradation. Therefore, appliance of measures in alignment with the ideals of ERS are imperative. Sternberg (2017, p. 9) writes, “a responsibility by stakeholders, to act so that their values concerning society are reflected in their actions”. With great power comes great responsibility, therefore being a stakeholder does not mean mere dependence only, but also a means to alter the business’ behavior.
Current Status
SHSA is a company that is deeply concerned with the well-being of human beings. Thus, it would be logical to think that it would be on board in helping the issue with shortage of clean, safe drinking water. However currently, the organization lacks initiatives on that front, and it would be strongly advisable for them to take action. The current situation in the company leaves room for further improvement, achievable either through educational means or policy making.
Recommendations
- Top recommendation for the SHSA would be to join the discussion for the clean and safe drinking water accessibility across the world. This can be done through educating the patients and the employees about the reality of the water situation, the installment of charity boxes, the endorsement of water-conscious events and lectures.
- The organization should get involved in contribution of a part of their profit to the countries with scarce access to water and partner with water-producing companies to arrange a campaign to help the people in need;
- The company should remain transparent, open, and vocal about their efforts to affect the water issue; however, it should not make it a marketing strategy. The organization’s actions should remain true to reality and they should provide significant and legitimate proof of their activities to anyone interested – whether it is a patient, a staff member, or a government official.
Reference List
Ibisi, N. E. & Asoluka, C. A. (2018) ‘Use of agro waste (Musa paradisiaca peels) as a sustainable biosorbent for toxic metal ions removal from contaminated water’. Chemistry International 4(1), pp. 52-59.
Martinez-Santos, P. (2017) ‘Does 91% of the world’s population really have “sustainable access to safe drinking water”?’ Water Resources Development.
Mitchell, R. K., Agle, B. R., & Wood, D. J. (1997) ‘Toward a theory of stakeholder identification and salience: defining the principle of who and what really counts’. Academy of Management Review, 22(4), pp. 853-886.
Osobajo, O. A. & Moore, D. (2017) ‘Who is who? Identifying the different sub-groups of a secondary stakeholders within a community: a case study of the Niger Delta segion of Nigeria’. International Business Research, 10 (9), pp. 188-209.
Rockstrom, J. (2009) ‘A safe operating space for humanity’, Nature, 461, pp. 472-475.
Sternberg, E. (2009) ‘Corporate social responsibility and corporate governance’, Journal compilation of Institute of Economic Affairs. Blackwell Publishing.