Additional Information

Personal Definition of Sustainability
Sustainability is a way of thinking about business, not a single set of actions. When I think of sustainability, I think of businesses that do not mortgage the future of their operations in order to secure an immediate return. This can be environmental, social, or even in terms of normal business considerations. For instance, making decisions that positively reflect the values of a company is sustainable, while relying on secrecy is unsustainable. There is also an ethical aspect to sustainability. This means stepping beyond the fiduciary duty to stakeholders and responding to the needs of all stakeholders.

Sustainability-in-Action
Again, to me sustainability is a mix of good business sense and protecting future viability. That has been at the core of all of my work as the assistant publisher of MNM Media LLC. We have many decisions regarding labour sourcing in regards to both content creation and website development. We have tried to make these decisions in a way that all parties benefit from the arrangement.

Sustainability is an issue I have only recently understood through the combination of Ivey and MIT courses. At Ivey, Dr. Branzei's Social Innovation class introduced me to sustainability issues facing businesses today. It also gave me the frameworks to consider sustainability questions. Meanwhile, MIT courses on food production and also on social movements paired with Social Innovation and the business ethics course I took the previous term, allowed me to see connections and business opportunity in building sustainability.

Presently, I am very intrigued by the food industry and examining ways to meet demand without continuing unsustainable practices. This summer I am hoping to research and write an article for the fall Ivey Business Review about my findings on structuring and running sustainable large businesses, using this industry as an example.