Ways and means of lifting business performance through environmental responsibility was the main theme of a workshop held at the Massey University Business School at its Albany Campus last week.
School of Management Senior Lecturer Dr Gabriel Eweje conducted the workshop for the benefit of students and small and medium enterprises.
He presented a Paper titled, Corporate Greening: From the perspective of business managers, including his study of the motives of 20 large New Zealand companies for increasing sustainability initiatives.
Among the guest speakers were Director of Asia Pacific Centre for Sustainable Enterprise at Queensland’s Griffith University Professor Malcolm McIntosh, Bayer New Zealand General Manager Dr Udo Klein, and Business Advisor and former Waikato University Management School Dean Professor Mike Pratt.
Steve Bonnici of Urgent Couriers, Dr Jim Bentley of Synergine Group Limited, Alex Cutler of the New Zealand Green Building Council, Trevor Johnston of The Warehouse and Suzie Marden of Westpac were among the panellists during a discussion session.
Dr Eweje said the ‘persistent critique’ of the negative social and environmental impact of corporate operations had led businesses to increase their sustainability initiatives and prevent a backlash about business activities.
“In order to cope with and prepare for the rapidly changing stakeholder pressures, corporate managers agree that new and improved approaches to demonstrate sustainability practices are essential,” he said.
