All projects should be teams of 2 students (if required, one team of three students will be allowed).
Objective
The goal of the project is to select two publically listed companies of the same industry who have provided a report of rigorous quality to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) about their environmental practices. One of the companies you choose should be considered a leader (see list of candidate consider leaders) and the other one not.
The paper should critically assess the practices of each company and determine the reasons (if warranted) why the awarded company was considered a leader and the other did not, utilizing the lessons and themes you have learned throughout the course. The paper should include a brief description of the industry, critical analysis of the disclosed information, and an analysis of each of the businesses disclosed practices both within the company and across their supply chain. The report should not only use CDP information, but should also look into information disclosed directly by the company as well as assessments by other third parties (e.g. The Dow Jones Sustainability Index, Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens).
Suggestions for Candidate Companies
| SECTORS | COMPANIES |
|---|---|
| Consumer Discretionary | BMW |
| Consumer Discretionary (cont.) | Las Vegas Sands |
| Consumer Discretionary (cont.) | TJX Companies |
| Consumer Staples | Diageo |
| Consumer Staples (cont.) | Philip Morris International |
| Energy | Chevron |
| Financials | Goldman Sachs Group |
| Healthcare | Johnson & Johnson |
| Industrials | Deutsche Post |
| Information Technology | Samsung |
| Information Technology (cont.) | EMC |
| Materials | Materials |
| Materials (cont.) | Vale |
| Telecommunication Services | Endesa |
Project Deliverables
- Deliverable 1 - Brief summary of each selected company. Highlight of key “green” attributes (2 pages + 2 slides.)
- Deliverable 2 - Description of the supply chain of each company. Assessment of the CSR reports and how they match with actual actions / assessments available, including carbon footprint, water footprint and any other LCA of flagship products (6 pages + 4 slides.)
- Deliverable 3 - Non-commercial pressures along the supply chain, including regulatory & NGO. Major actions taken (3 pages + 4 slides.)
- Final Deliverable - Final report, including all previous deliverables (edited as needed) plus an assessment of the green SCM strategy and an evaluation of the leadership nature of one of the companies (if applicable.)
Ground Rules
- All documents 12 pt. font, 1" margins, single space. Up to 10 pages of Appendices allowed.
- All public sources allowed, but include references and bibliography. Interviews with experts encouraged but not required.
Team Presentation
- 15–20 minutes (5–10 minutes for questions)
- Submit presentation via the course site for write-up and PowerPoint presentation.
- The presentation should summarize your findings from your final report in 6–10 slides:
1–2 slides on the companies.
1–2 slides on the supply chain from the CSR report & other sources of information.
1–2 slides on the non-commercial pressures along the supply chain.
1–2 slides on assessment of the green supply chain management strategy.
2 slides on the comparison of the two companies and who ended up as the leader.
The goal of this exercise is to provide a critical assessment of whether the leadership designation is appropriate given what you have learned regarding the structure of the supply chains, the pressures each firm is facing, and the strategies the firms have adopted. Practice the presentation with your partner so there is a clear analysis of the two companies. Be prepared to answer questions about the supply chains of your company and your comparison of the two companies.
