Critical analysis of the issue
There have been numerous attempts to raise awareness both in the masses and among various business owners, however, no focused strategy that everyone would abide by has been implemented. This is particularly the reason that it is extremely important to strengthen the resilience that has arisen in the path of making these initiatives come to life. It is important because of the reasons listed by Howard-Greenville et al. – the planet’s global mean surface has risen slightly less than one degree since the late 19th century – which is expected only to exacerbate by the current century’s end (2014). These statistics in global temperature rise, coupled with the effects the cities act as a catalyst for, described by Hunt and Watkiss, constitute a reason for the urgent reinforcement of adaptive capacity and resilience on a local level. They include effects of a sea-level rise on coastal cities, effects of extreme events on built infrastructure, major effects on health through food, water, and atmosphere change, and water-availability related effects (Hunt & Watkiss, 2010). These negative effects are now present in many people’s lives, which is exactly why imminent measures need to be taken.
In order for the adaptive capacity and resilience initiatives to work, they need to align with one’s personal values, otherwise, they will not be relevant on a personal or collective scale. As Williams and Preston (2020) explain the core idea about personal values: the way an individual perceives the issues will directly reflect in their beliefs. Therefore, everyone’s understanding of the problem’s scale and character varies, since every person’s belief system differs from the rest. This is a critically important point that would set the vector for future interventions since it is crucial to take the nature of values into account.
Resilience and adaptive capacity are the core drivers behind the collective force that is possible to do in the difficult climatic, and environmental situation humanity is now in. As is evident from the body of previous research, the private sector plays a pivotal role in improving resilience, as it occupies an important position in the economy. Crick (2017) writes that the effect that the private sector endures and will continue to endure stimulates it in direct and indirect ways. It may lead to new opportunities for businesses in developing countries while also exposing them to a variety of significant risks. Therefore, the combination of understanding the issue, willingness to act, and utilization of personal values will lead one to substantial results.
Current Status
It is suitable to note that Support Healthcare Staffing Agency (SHSA) has not implemented any strategies concerning adaptive capacity and resilience to counter climate change and its consequences. Understanding the ideas of ERS would be a great base to act upon. In order for the organization to act, the staff members and the administration need to recognize the importance of taking action in that area – educational programs on climate change effects would be beneficial for that purpose.
Recommendations
- Minimization of resources used: according to Bocken et al., rational consumption is the characteristic feature of the road to true sustainability (2014). It would be ideal for SHSA to implement strategies toward sustainable consumption of electricity, water, and food– because all of them are produced using the energy that leaves the atmospheric blueprint, which in turn alters the state of the climate.
- Loop-system: setting up the conditions on a policy level that influence the way members of the organization deal with waste, as well as other items that would otherwise be discarded. As Bocken et al. state, installment of such a system is a prominent feature of an organization striving towards sustainability (2014). Therefore, in order for SHSA to move forward, the issues of waste management and recycling need to be addressed.
- Long-term sustainable agenda: According to Scheyvens et al. (2016), short-term planning which is rooted in a profit-oriented approach and long-term sustainability agenda are dissonant. Therefore, an organization striving for a sustainable future needs to rework its business model completely, taking into consideration the concept of ERS and the realities of the threat of climate change.
Reference List
Bocken, N., Short, S., Rana, P., & Evans, S, (2014), ‘A literature and practice review to develop sustainable business model archetypes’, Journal of Cleaner Production, 65, pp. 42-56.
Crick, F. et al, (2018), ‘Enabling private sector adaptation to climate change in sub-Saharan Africa’, Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, pp. 1-24.
Howard-Greenville, J. et al, (2014), ‘Climate Change and Management’, Academy of Management Journal, 57 (3), pp. 615-623.
Hunt, A. and Watkiss, P., (2011), ‘Climate change impacts and adaptation in cities: a review of the literature’, Climatic Change 103, pp. 13–49.
Scheyvens, R., Banks, G., and Hughes, E., (2016), ‘The Private Sector and the SDGs: The Need to Move Beyond ‘Business as Usual’’, Sustainable Development 24, pp. 371–382.
Williams, S. and Preston, D. (2018), ‘Working with values: an alternative approach to win-win’, International Journal of Corporate Strategy and Social Responsibility, pp. 1-19.