Corporate Social Responsibility and Agriculture in Canada
This assignment is divided into two segments the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the agricultural industry in canada which are handled separately.CSR is the investment or a business approach that helps to achieve sustainable development in a firm or a country by providing social, economic and environmental benefits to the shareholders. It is aimed at encouraging the entities to be aware of the effects of business to the community, that is, the environment and the stakeholders. CSR can also be referred to as corporate sustainability, sustainable business, corporate capitalism or responsible business. On the other hand, the agricultural industry is a composition of entities that are involved in activities such as crop growing, fish and animal rearing, selling farm products and machinery, ranches and beekeeping. In this essay, there is a clear discussion about sustainability in Canada and apply some theories that affect sustainability of this country. Also, in the agricultural industry there is a discussion about agricultural electronics such as greenhouse temperature controller which are sold by Takimaki Company.
Sustainability is the act of maintaining change in a stable environment, considering factors such as the resources to be exploited, investment directions, introduction of technological development and how the institutional changes are harmonized. In the corporate world, sustainability brings insights that link the human world with the business, technology, environment and social sciences (Environmental Science, 2019). Sustainability equips the learners with core skills especially in the modern world such as reducing carbon emissions, and development of the future technologies. Mainly, sustainability emphasizes on political issues, philosophical issues, and economic issues, social science and hard sciences. In many corporate jobs, sustainability skills and environmental awareness are prioritized since skills are core factor when doing any work and environmental conservation should be given first priority. Hence, an individual with sustainability skills can in fit in many corporate fields like agriculture, environmental consultancy, civic planning and health assessment, planning and decision making processes.
1.1: General information about sustainability
Consequently, sustainability can be divided into three pillars namely; economic development, social development and environmental development. To being with, economic development is the issue that proves the most fundamental part of problematic where most investors disagree on the ideologies of politics which they view as economic unsound, how it will affect extension of the business, creation of jobs and procedures for employability. In other words, economic development revolves around providing the investors and the service seekers with their needs without compromising the quality of life and reducing the financial burden especially in the developing countries. Secondly, social development creates awareness and legislation protection of the health of the citizens from pollution or other form of harmful substances caused by business activities. For instance, in North America the government through sustainability act protects its citizens from any kind of harm that could be caused as a result of illegal business that manufactures substandard business or poor agricultural practices that could comprise the health of the people. Lastly, environmental development protects the environment from human activities that pollute it by encouraging activities such as recycling, usage of biodegradable products, reducing usage of harmful products and filling a law suit for individuals who pollute the environment. Sustainability has the following goals; decreases poverty and hunger, improves the education and healthcare standards, help to achieve gender equality, stabilizing economic growth by job promotion, and ensuring environment is conserved to avoid harmful substances that affects the people.
1.2. Advantages and disadvantages of sustainability
The benefits of sustainability includes; Firstit ensure well-being of a society such as ensuring that the environment is free from effluent, more employment opportunities and better sharing of a country’s resources. Getting the priority first before sustainability is attained.The priority of sustainability is the earth first which is the source of resources for healthy development in a country .Sustainability to be attained the planet should be taken care of by not cutting trees,avoiding seas pollution and preservation of animals .The second thing to be considered for sustainability to be attained is the humans which are basically responsible for maintaining the planet (EPP, 2019).The other factor to be considered is the production of goods and services by use of the resources provided by planet earth.
Second, benefit is the sustainability of the environment which provides bio capacity.Each year humans use over 1.5 times of bio capacity.Bio capacity is the source and production of renewable energy such as solar energy.People tend to use more renewable energy than the amount produced leading to depletion .Environment sustainability ensures that the humans know how to coexist with the earth resources.Third, sustainability ensure individual and society well- being this is through health choices such as taking a bike or a walk instead of using a car.Sustainable practices such as sharing of resources ensure the well-being at individual level and the overall achievement of sustainability in the society.Another advantage is the sustainability of the economy which means coming up with better economy is not necessarily increase in size. This possible through cutting down of unnecessary usage of resourcesand ensure equality in distribution of wealth. Local production reduces emotion of pollutant and also reduces the general cost of production and creation of jobs. It also ensures production of high quality and durable and less bulky waste.
Disadvantages of sustainability includes;First,Mass market and quality, sustainability aims at producing high quality products opposed to bulky production. This provides it with lesser market compared to the firms that produces bulky based on the availability of market
Secondly,there is adeep rooted negative image among consumers about sustainability (GEM, 2019). If you ask people about for example health life they will choose walking over taking a bus but in real life they will choose the other which is taking the bus to work.
Thirdly, there can be issues with, marketing .production through sustainability may fail in coming up with strategies to sell their products to the targeted market for example the slogans to use when advertising.
1.3. Sustainability in Canada
Sustainability is meeting the needs of today without destroying the future. Canada depends on natural resources for sustainablelife. The natural resourcesCanada defines sustainability as the ability to use our knowledge and innovation success for the country and also attain economicgrowth (Natural resources Canada, 2019). The NRC is charged with management of natural resources such as forest, minerals and metals. The ministry of natural resources Canada is responsible for development and maintenance of natural resources. It also, it ensures that natural resources are used responsibly to avoid depletion.NRC also is mandated with discussing information technology policies with foreign countries.
The vision of NRC is to improve the life of Canadians and sustainable use of natural resources .NRC works with the government of Canada, private sectors, non-governmental organizations and academic institutions to make sure sustainable development policies are implemented.
There is an Audit and evaluation committee that is responsible for evaluation of natural resources performances and also implementscorrective measures where necessary. Also, Energy conservation ensures sustainable environment and overall health of people. In addition, the government of Canada integrates environment,social and economic factors for sustainability. The theories of sustainability are land, public and infrastructure.
The public is the people ensuring the well-being of the Canadians ensure there is sustainability in development. Public well-being can be in terms of their health and their environment. The public directly affect the environment either positively or negatively. The infrastructure can be human and an environment resource as well as the capital resources for sustainability. Capital is in form of monetary value building and labor. However, the environmental aspect is the natural resources such as forest, metals and minerals which are factors of production for attainment of sustainability. Natural resources are guarded by NRC ensuring they are used responsibly.
1.4 Production efficiency opportunities
Production efficiency is where a firm is not able to produce aproduct without cutting the production of another product.In our case the government of Canada can utilize the available resources in order to attain maximum production forsustainability. A production efficiency opportunity occurs where there is inefficiency in production factors such as labor and capital. The Takimaki Company sees production efficiency opportunities in Canada,since there is demand of agricultural equipment such as greenhouse temperature controller. Takimaki Company which general deals with electronics was experiencing production inefficiency due to lack of market of their products. They saw opportunity to change to agricultural electrons and export them to countries such as Germany which agriculture industries are booming.
Canada agriculture industry is a fast growingfirm with demand for farming electronics such as greenIQ which is a smart sprinkler that uses sensors which enables farmers to control irrigation remotely. For sustainability attainment Canada require infrastructure offered by Takimaki Company for better production using natural resources such as land.Sustainability in Canada is attainable by effective production through utilization of human, environmental and economic factors.
1.5 Production innovation opportunities
Innovation means introduction of something that was previously not there or replacement of method of production.It is improving of the quality of the existing product to ensure the product is still competitive in the market (Info entrepreneurs, 2016).
Canada agriculture industry well established giving opportunity to Takimaki Company for their agriculture electrons which are greatly needed in the country for bulky production and quality of agriculture products. There is increase change in trends of electronics needed for smart farming that is farming use technology. Many agriculture products produces are shifting to use of modern electrons providing great opportunity for Takimaki industry.
1.6 Production opportunities
Product opportunity is the ability of aproducer to utilize the available resources at minimum cost for maximum outcome (Galanakis, 2013 p576). Takimaki wants to utilize the availability of demand for agriculture electronics in Germany, UK, and China. In our incase Canada has available market for agriculture electrons which are needed to maximize production for attainment of sustainability. The aim of Takimaki Company is to provide agriculture electronics to countries such as Germany and in return increase sales and expand its market to these countries. The aim of Takimaki industry is to invest in alternative form of electronica which is agriculture electrons and the results they expect is the branding the company and create new relation in countries they move in.
Production opportunity is also the identification of a niche or a market gap in the market where goods and services provided are low in quantity or not produced at all. The decision of Takimaki to invest in agriculture is due the availability of market gap in countries like china so they are sure if they invest they will get greater returns.
Takimaki has struggled to keep it significant in the market of electronics until they came with a plan of introducing a new product that is the agricultural electrons which are to be exported to countries like Germany, UK and china. They can chose to move to this countries especially Germany since they have spotted an innovation opportunity. Takimaki is shifting from production of electronics such as TVs’’, mp3’s to agriculture electronics to increase their sales. This will ensure that the company is restored to its glory and also provide room for expansion.A production innovation opportunity that is available for Takimaki Company will enable it to stay competitive in the market and create new partnership with the countries they will invest in.
When Takimaki partnership with agricultural industries of other countries they will increase sales of their electronic firms tools and machinery which means that they will have wide range market of their products with a greater possibility of increasing their profits. It will impact Takimaki to employ more staffs in the countries they relocate such as Canada so that they can be able to satisfy the needs of their clients.
Agriculture industry involves combination of entities supporting the agricultural activities such as crop growing, animals and fish rearing, manufacturing of firm tools and machinery and human labor that provides agricultural activities. Some countries have well established agricultural activities while others are trying to stabilize. For instance, Canada has a well-established agro-food and agricultural industry with a consistent success in the global market. These consistent successes are facilitated by well-set policies and system which ensures world class production standards (Government of Canada, 2019). Some of these policies are best agricultural practices and encouraging innovation among learners and agricultural officers. Production of quality farm products makes the agricultural industry the cornerstone for country’s economy and factor which drives the international market.
Short-term opportunities are the opportunities that require less investment duration to yield outcome of the investment. Due to good relationship between Canada and Japan considering economic, political and cultural ties which strengthened by common value and mutual positive perception Takimaki can take this advantage to explore the short-term opportunities in Canada. Since Canada and Japan are strongly committed to ensuring strong economic vitality, Takimaki can use this opportunity to start exporting farm inputs such as seeds to Canada where the market is very high. Another short term opportunity is advertisement of high-end electric customers’ products which is the major commodity of Takimaki to Canada where the market is available. Also, Canadian farmers can benefit from MP3’S, televisions and recorded videos provided by Takimaki which will help them learn how to manage their farms in order to minimize inputs and maximize output while conserving the environment.
Consequently Canada will be able to access the farm tools such as tractors and other technological tools that help farmers in many ways. For example, these electronic tools help to reduce hard labor, fastening the ripening of animal manure, delicate the udders of mammal animals. Takimaki provides electronic tools that help the Canadian farmers to increase effectiveness and efficiency in the farms such as equipping the farming tractors with GPS, possessing the gadgets that measure the nitrogen content in the soil and robot milkers (Chris, 2019).
The long term opportunities involve investing in a portfolio with a combination of securities where the horizon time is generally long. Takimaki and Canada can both benefit on the long term opportunities considering the good relationship between Canada and Japan. To being with, based on the cooperative political relations between Canada and Japan, Takimaki can send some of its employees to Canada for benchmarking to learn their agricultural economy where there is strength and weakness in order to come up with a clear analysis of what is required of them. An Economic Partnership Agreement between Canada and Japan which will enable the two countries trade freely will help Takimaki venture more into business activities with less cost such as tariffs and taxes involved (Government of Canada, 2019). For instance, Takimaki can invest their electronic tools in Canada such as greenhouse temperature controllers so that both can mutually benefit from this activity. They can set up these greenhouse temperature controllers in Canada and incorporate the Canadian farmers in their activities so that as they benefit they could benefit them too.
Subsequently, the Economic Partnership Agreement will help Canada agricultural business to compete more in both local markets and international competitors. Due to the same agreement a wide range of Canadian agricultural goods and services would have an advantage from elimination or reduction of tariffs or non-tariffs barriers to trade. Also, Canadian agricultural firms are invited by the Japanese government to share their experience in Japanese markets which will help both countries since Canadian agricultural products will be sold in Japanese markets and Japanese firms such as Takimaki will sell their agricultural tools and machinery to Canadian markets (Canadian Government, 2017). The long term opportunities are beneficial to both Canadian Agricultural industry and Takimaki industry.
Production industry is the ability of turning a production or a manufacturing cost into a benefit. In agriculture, production opportunities arise when the farmers or agricultural officers are able to turn the farming or agricultural expenses into gains thus reducing cost and increasing outputs (Galanakis, 2013 p577). Canada can apply the electronic tools offered by Takimaki in order to reduce the labor required in their farms by doing so they will reduce the labor cost thus reducing the total cost on farm production and the output will also be high since the machine work is more perfect than human labor. From the Economic Partnership Agreement between Canada and Japan, they can take advantage by exporting their farm products to Japan where market is readily available and there is reduction or elimination of tariffs and trade barriers are limited. This will reduce the tax expenses on the Canadian agricultural products hence increasing the total output by reducing the total inputs. On the other hand, Takimaki can bring their farm tools to Canada without any barrier involved thus increasing their output since tax barrier is eliminated.
A brand reputation can be defined as they way in which an individual or a company’s brand is viewed by the customers or other companies (Akdeniz et al, 2013 pp77). Social media is used by many agricultural firms to maintain the reputation of their brands. Social media reports of the agricultural brands shows that brands with good reputations have great insights based on the amount they harvest while other are at high risk of being left behind. Sometimes social media revolution makes it very hard for majority of brands to have the social media presence. In order to make brand reputation remain relevant to the consumers the agricultural industry have come up with social media strategies such as business to consumers strategy and business to business strategy which are quick to implement. There is a lot of social media maturity portrayed in business to business strategy than in business to customers strategy due to criticism and bad comments from some of the unsatisfied consumers’ from certain brands (Kit, 2016). Canada can maintain its agricultural brand reputation by ensuring that they offer best agricultural products and services to its customers.
In conclusion, it is seen that sustainability is the activity of maintain the changes in a stable business or a country or an industry. An example of industry is the agricultural industry that deals with crop production, animal production and farm tools and machinery. Sustainability has it weakness and strengths which should be well analyzed by management of the firms in order to ensure the business remains relevant in the market. Also, in this essay there is an analysis of sustainability in Canada by application of theories that may be used to promote the agricultural industry in the place. Discussion about agricultural industry is given in details by providing short term, long term and production opportunities. Lastly, definition about brand reputation is outlined showing how social media affects the agricultural industry based on brand reputation.
Akdeniz, B., Calantone, R.J. and Voorhees, C.M., 2013. Effectiveness of marketing cues on
consumer perceptions of quality: The moderating roles of brand reputation and third‐party information. Psychology & Marketing, 30(1), pp.76-89.
Canadian Government. 2017. Canada-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement. Retrieved from:
Chris, O. 2019.10 High tech tools on the typical farms. Retrieved from:
https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/everyday-tech/10-high-tech-tools-farm.htm
Environmental Science. 2019. What is sustainability and why is it important? Retrieved from:
https://www.environmentalscience.org/sustainability
Econation for people and planet (EPP). 2019. The benefits of sustainability. Retrieved from:
https://econation.co.nz/blog/the-benefits-of-sustainability/
Galanakis, C.M., 2013. Emerging technologies for the production of nutraceuticals from
agricultural by-products: a viewpoint of opportunities and challenges. Food and Bioproducts Processing, 91(4), pp.575-579.
Government of Canada. 2019. Canadian Agriculture and Agro-Food policies. Retrieved from:
https://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/eu-ue/policies-politiques/agriculture.aspx? lang=eng&me_id=3
Government of Canada. 2019. Agriculture and Agro-Food Canada. Retrieved from:
Grenoble Ecole de Management (GEM). 2019. Disadvantages of Sustainability and CSR.
Retrieved from: https://en.grenoble-em.com/
Kit, S. 2016. Report: Agriculture and Food Production Brands on Social Media. Retrieved from:
https://www.brandwatch.com/blog/social-media-report-for-agriculture-brands/
Natural resources Canada. 2019. Sustainable development. Retrieved from: .
https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/plans-performance-reports/sustainable-development/203
Info entrepreneurs.2009.Use innovation to grow your business. Retrieved from:
https://m.infoentrepreneurs.or