Operations Management: An Integrated Approach, 5th Edition

THE SUSTAINABILITY LINK

A significant aspect of sustainability is the design of jobs and work with an eye toward minimizing harm to the environment. This includes work and jobs within a company's own operations, as well as the job requirements it makes on its suppliers. Starbucks is a company that provides an excellent example of such work system design, being a leader in sustainability practices. These practices include careful selection of suppliers that involve spending 18 weeks visiting coffee growers in various nations, and providing exacting specifications for growing, harvesting, and delivery of coffee. They demand their growers protect biodiversity in their growing and harvesting practices, including specifying precisely how the coffee will be picked so as not to damage the surrounding habitat. Starbucks then specifies details of how coffee beans will be stored and handled, such as storing all coffee beans in recyclable burlap bags, and specifying when electronic seals will be added to ensure product integrity. At the retail stores, jobs continue to be designed with the environment in mind, including a job for recycling coffee grounds and using it as nitrogen-rich garden compost. These are all specific job duties within the operation and supply chain that ensure sustainability practices are designed to support the overall strategy of sustainability. The benefits to Starbucks have been high product quality and consistency, as well as improved profitability.

Another important ...