Decide what type of business you are interested in developing a plan for… it can be in any industry from fishing to finance and can be either large or small scale. (Choose any but be creative!)
Having chosen a business, thoroughly contemplate and investigate the most pressing sustainability issues within that industry (do not rely purely on business websites for this… while they may point to some industry problems, they are not likely to highlight any fundamental problems with their own business model).
Based on your industry analysis, you should design your business in such a way as to avoid worsening the current sustainability issues and hopefully even make a positive difference. Be creative. Ensure that it is somewhere you would like to work and that rewards you adequately for your time.
Here are the points you should cover:
• Describe the chosen business and its main products or services…tell us what you do
• Identify the business’ customers (specifically) and other stakeholders
• Provide an analysis of important sustainability issues within that industry
• Discuss the characteristics of the business model which will overcome these issues, including:
o Company structure and operating policies
o Product characteristics and production processes
o Supply chain management
o Communication and management strategies
• Identify the strengths and weaknesses of the business model and make predictions about the likelihood of success – and define what is considered as “success”!
