Does anything in your chosen case study connect with the themes, readings, or

lessons from the class so far? Which ones, and in what way do they align, or
contradict what we've been learning in class so far? (25 pts.)

The IKEA’s raw material mostly constituted use of wood, the IKEA has awarded that
the use of wood led to deforestation which was a major contributing factor to global
climate change. Before they take the action, the IKEA has evaluated their situation by
“The 5-Stage Sustainability Journey”, they found they have around level 2, then they
have set up the plan. The first step for IKEA is creat a vision which is related the vision
creation we have learnt in the class. The first action plan that employees directly
manage the timberland and by this it will be easier to ensure that the forests are managed
in accordance with its more suitable sustainable source terms.
The other action plan that the company adopted was the use of more particle board. The
major advantage of this alternative use of wood was its light nature which eased its
transportation to the various destination. Economically they were also cheaper to
produce and even more affordable to customers as they sold less expensively. This
would save on production costs and even ensure environmental conservation. This is
related to the triple bottom line (TBL) from the John Elkington. Through this action the
IKEA can manage a company in a way that not only earns financial profits, but which
also improves people’s lives and the planet.

Do you think it is easier or harder to pursue sustainability action in big public

companies than you thought before you began this class? (Or has there been no
change in your opinion?) Why? (25 pts)

I think pursue sustainability action is much harder than we talk about on the class, the
strategy we have learnt in the class is just give us a method to learn about how can we
or other company to pursue sustainability action in the future, but in the real life we
can’t pursue the action exactly for every steps. In the real life, economic forces at work
in industry are making it more difficult to integrate environmental excellence into a
business strategy. Its hard for a company to pursue sustainability action under the
situation that it not even profitable sustainability. For example, that there could be
$US100 trillion worth of stranded assets in the fossil fuel industry as policies guide us
towards a low carbon economy. We need a farsighted program and innovative, creative
solutions to address the environmental challenge. We need a comprehensive, forward-
looking approach in which current barriers and disincentives are removed; appropriate
incentives are provided; and fiscal, economic, environmental, and industrial policies
are integrated and made mutually supportive. In a conclusion, even though we have
many challenges when we pursue the sustainability action, but we also contribute to the
sustainability as much as we can, which is about everyone on the earth.