Collapse Factors, Ocean Acidification, and Supply Chains

Posted on Mar 26, 2025 in Business Administration and Management (BAM)

Factors Contributing to Societal Collapse

Jared Diamond identified five factors that contribute to the collapse of past societies:

  • Environmental Damage (never the only factor)
  • Climate Change
  • Hostile Neighbors
  • Friendly Trade Partners
  • Societal Response to Environmental Change (always included)

Ocean Acidification: Causes and Consequences

Increased absorption of CO2 in the ocean leads to a change in the water’s acidity. The pH level is decreasing, causing the death of marine life such as coral reefs and coccolithophores.

Traditional Stakeholder Model

In the traditional model, a firm converts inputs from investors, employees, and suppliers into saleable outputs for customers, returning capital benefit to the firm. This model primarily addresses the needs of these four parties: investors, employees, suppliers, and customers.

The 3M Stakeholder Management Model

The 3M stakeholder management model involves:

  • Mapping: Identifying the most important stakeholders and determining their strategic relevance.
  • Mobilizing: Improving cooperation to create win-win situations and building stakeholder relations.
  • Managing: Organizing dialogue, initiating joint activities, weighing input/interests, and justifying choices.

Chain Responsibility: Upstream and Downstream

  • Upstream: You are partly responsible for the behavior of your suppliers, or at least you support the continuation of that behavior (e.g., products produced by child labor).
  • Downstream: You are partly responsible for the behavior of your customers, or at least you facilitate that behavior (e.g., waste disposal of your product).

Sustainability vs. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a company’s responsibility to give back to the communities in which it operates, beyond legal, financial, and tax obligations. Sustainability is a company’s ability to make a profit in the long term, ensuring that investors and stakeholders do not lose their investments and the value they derive from operations.

Closed Loop Supply Chain: Definition and Example

A Closed Loop Supply Chain is the design, control, and operation of a system to maximize value creation over the entire life cycle of a product, with dynamic recovery of value from different types and volumes of returns over time. Example: Material cycle.

Waste Management: Definition and Purpose

Waste Management (WM) refers to collecting and processing waste (products for which there is no new use) efficiently and effectively.

The 5 R’s of Waste Management

  • Reduction at Source (Minimization)
  • Replacement (Prevention)
  • Reutilization (Reuse)
  • Recycling
  • Recovery (Energy)

Reverse Logistics vs. Closed Loop Supply Chain

In a Closed Loop Supply Chain (CLSC), the design pays attention to the reusability of waste, such as using certain plastics that can be melted down and reused at the end of the product life cycle. In Reverse Logistics, attention is only paid to getting rid of the materials used. Therefore, CLSC is generally considered better than Reverse Logistics because of this aspect.