Essay Sample on Business Issues

Introduction

The corporate world is undergoing significant change due to the growth of technology, environmental changes, and the composition of the society which have significant implications in the work worlds of the future. Corporations are increasingly adopting technology and automation which is aimed at improving production efficiency and profitability. As the working world changes so are the workforce skills and competence requirement which have led to a reevaluation of the tertiary education institutions teaching content to ensure that the future workforce is prepared for the future occupational requirements. I perceive the Green World as the most promising and potential working world that I see myself working in the future due to its emphasis on corporate responsibility which is an important tenet to promote future accountability of organization, social responsibility, and sustainability in business (Brown, Gosling, Sethi, Sheppard, Stubbings, Sviokla, & Zarubina, 2017). In this essay, I will assess different working worlds, current business environment, and society to establish business issues affecting the society today in accordance to the UN Sustainable Goals and how future workers can be able to improve their employability skills as well as its implications on their future career choices.

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Working Worlds

The working worlds refer to the different work rules and nature that are developing in the world due to the changing technology, regulation, employee skills and environmental factors that are changing the working environment construct (Brown et al., 2017). The four worlds of work include the Yellow World, the Red World, the Green World, and the Blue World of work (Brown et al., 2017). The yellow world of work puts the humans first, and it's a social-oriented work world where crowdfunded capital is invested in the ethical and blameless brands that conduct their business following the pro-human moral constructs. The yellow world of work seeks to establish the meaning, and the relevance of the social constructs surrounding work and humanness is highly elevated (Brown et al., 2017). In this case, the yellow world of work represents collectivism which exists through pooling together to achieve what is good for humanity.

The second world of work is the red world which is based on innovation and individualistic orientation (Brown et al., 2017). The organizations and individuals exist to provide the consumers with their needs and innovation makes it difficult for regulation to reign in business practices because of the ability of digital technology to give consumers greater reach and also providing a platform to producers to quickly dominate the market. In the red world of work products and skills are not constant due to the emphasis on innovation with products rapidly becoming obsolete as new products are introduced in the market (Brown et al., 2017).

The third world of work is the green world of work which I will focus on in this essay as my preferred future of work due to its sustainability concepts because its primary emphasis is social responsibility by the corporate businesses with the concerns on demographic changes, climate and sustainability being given primary consideration by businesses (Brown et al., 2017). Climate change and demographic changes are already a reality which is affecting businesses globally which in turn affects the type of work environments and objectives that they are investing on to promote sustainability and conduct business in a more socially responsible manner. Lastly, the blue world of work is centered on capitalism in which organizations are globally expanding which is viewed as a source of power and competitive advantage. In this case, organizations see their scale and global presence as the ability to penetrate in different national economies, and social responsibility is not given any importance (Brown et al., 2017).

Major Current Business and Societal Issues and their Impacts

Climate Change

Climate change today is one of the significant issues that are affecting society and businesses at large. In business, climate change has reduced the sustainability of business operations as well as an increase in the overall cost of doing business (Cao, 2009). Business operations and sustainability have significantly been affected by the unpredictable weather which has led to the shortage of factors of production. Most business operations today that substantially rely on natural resources are being affected by climate change which has reduced the availability of production resources (Cao, 2009). For instance, economies that depend on hydroelectric power to produce electricity are being affected by the disruptions in energy production due to the dropping level of water in the dams. Besides, transportation has significantly been affected by the changing climatically conditions with supplies becoming delayed which causes significant loses to businesses.

Businesses are seeking alternatives to reduce the negative impacts of unsustainable production on the climate which is bound to increase the cost of operations in the short run as enterprises look for more sustainable and renewable energy (Cao, 2009). Changes in the climate have indirect impacts on business such as changes in natural disaster risk insurance evaluation and costs while others are direct like the shortage of raw materials for businesses (Cao, 2009). Most organizations are already recognizing the negative impacts of climate change which is mainly caused by unsustainable business practices and many organizations are already contributing towards environmental rehabilitation. In societies, climate change has led to changes in health, food security, sources of energy and transportation. Different societies are facing different impacts of climate change with the developing countries societies being worse affected by the unpredictable weather. Most of the developing countries despite causing less harm to the environment due to their less advanced industries they are the worst affected by climate change due to unpredictable weather which has made it difficult to produce enough food for the populations (Cao, 2009). Social activities that are dependent on weather conditions such as outdoor tourism are profoundly affected by climate change with storms in the coast leading to the deaths of thousands.

Technology

Technology is a significant issue of concern in the current business and social environment due to its implications on businesses and also the society. Technology development and adaptation by businesses has made production processes efficient while improving quality (Berisha-Shaqiri, 2015). Technology has improved business communication which has led to the emergence of global businesses that are not limited by geographical boundaries through e-commerce and other business forms such as subsidiaries which makes it easy for businesses to operate globally in different countries and regions. Technology has revolutionized how businesses conduct business due to the increase in the market and also empowerment of small businesses to compete at the same level as the large business enterprises. Small businesses can lower operation costs by automating most functions (Berisha-Shaqiri, 2015). Besides, technology has made it easy for businesses to outsource functions and collaborate which has improved efficiency significantly.

To society, technology has many beneficial aspects and also disadvantages which has made it both a curse and a blessing. Technology has improved production which is beneficial to society because it has increased the variety and ability of the society to meet its needs. Social amenities such as healthcare, education, and communication have significantly been improved by technology which is key to attaining a high standard of living. In equal measure, technology has negatively affected society due to the increase of counterfeits in the market and inferior goods that can significantly affect consumers. Technology adversely affects human health through radiation caused by machines in working places as well as accidents. However, the most significant negative impact of technology is the replacement of human labor by technology through automated business processes (Hildebrandt, Hanelt, Firk, & Kolbe, 2015). The high unemployment rate is being caused by automation will significantly affect society in terms of security and social progress due to the rise in crime.

Urbanization

Majority of the global populations today live in urban areas which have led to high unemployment as more people fight for the few opportunities in the urban centers as well as growth in social problems such as the spread of diseases and competition for the few social amenities (Seto, Golden, Alberti, & Turner, 2017). Urbanization is an opportunity for businesses and industries which rely on the urban population to get a market for their goods. Most industries are located in urban areas which is close to the markets which have led to uneven development especially in developing countries which puts increased pressure on the available resources (Seto et al., 2017). At the same time, I believe urbanization negatively affects the society due to the decrease of food production in the rural areas because most able-bodied people migrate to the urban centers and only the old people who do not have the strength to carry out agriculture are left in the rural areas.

Sustainable Development Goals

The United Nation's sustainable development goals (SDGs) were introduced in 2015 and adopted by all the member states which are aimed at addressing the environmental, economic, and the social impacts caused by unsustainable development (Pisano, Lange, Berger, & Hametner, 2015). The SDGs are critical to the future of humanity and will affect the working worlds of the future due to their emphasis on sustainability. The sustainable development goals seeks to address poverty, hunger, geographical inequalities, health, gender equality, clean energy, economic growth, employment, innovation and the reduction of inequalities among other factors which seeks to improve human accountability and responsibility towards nature, fellow humans, modern civilizations and future generations (Pisano et al., 2015). The SDGs are vital in addressing the social and business contemporary issues such as climate change, automation, and urbanization which threaten future and current generation's livelihoods. I believe the success of the SDGs depends on the ability of nations to work together towards the implementation of recommendations such as reduced emissions, education, agriculture, and global peace.

Employability Skills by Considering SDG Implications on Future Career Choices

The Green World of Work and Companies

From my understanding of the 17 sustainable development goals in the future careers which emphasize on social responsibility and trust have an advantageous position compared to other worlds of work competencies (Pisano et al., 2015). Despite the growth of technology, globalization, and the emerge of powerful global businesses the sustainable development goals point out that corporate social responsibility is the best approach to achieve sustainability, reduce inequality, protect the environment, promote collaboration between countries and ensure responsible consumption and production practices. Future careers in the green world of work focus on encouraging more sustainable methods of production instead of escalating the current technological competition and uncontrolled production of goods which significantly poses pressure to the available natural resources (Brown et al., 2017). Knowledge of the impacts of the uncontrolled output and human activities on the environment and the climate wil...