Practical Guide to Environmental Management - Essay Example

The ability to create environmental corporate responsibility methods is one which can enhance a business and allow them to move forward. In the book, Practical Guide to Environmental Management by Frank Friedman, there are several applications of corporate responsibility and how it applies to management. This book is designed to show the reader how corporate responsibility can be developed, specifically for environmental concerns. By developing this within the internal environment, there is the ability to create an alternative perspective of how to enhance social responsibility with environmental concerns while creating effective systems and measures within a corporation on how to successfully enhance the trends based on a greener environment.

The concept of environmental corporate responsibility is one that is first defined in this book as one that has to be set within the internal and external environment. The author notes that sustainable development with environmental responsibility will not be effective unless policies and internal settings take place. The focus is to change the performance within a company specifically by developing policies and implementing regulations with the environmental practices in the work area. The policies include changing the use of environmental resources as well as monitoring and managing the different environmental needs.

The author also states that the policies and implementation within the work force should directly impact the stakeholders and the external environment, specifically by allowing the corporate responsibility to be seen by stakeholders who can then support the trends and direct action taken (Friedman, 80). The author doesn’t only focus on environmental issues such as saving in resources. It is also noted that corporate responsibility should incorporate changes in the process of creating products, examining the management of a certain area and enhancing the system used for better safety and environment.

The environmental issues then become directly linked to the corporate culture and the ability to enhance what is being done within a corporation. The responsibility of management is to implement the policies for environmental changes and to be credible for both environmental damage and enhancement that is within the corporate culture. The suggestions that the author makes are to create policies and to implement these at various levels. The author then shows that this should further be implemented by management teams who can monitor and assess the progress of corporate social responsibility for the environment.

Making the responsibility a part of management ensures that the action for the environment is continuous and is audited by those that understand the different components used within the work place that contribute to changes in the environment. The author also states that this requires system conditions, all which are based on monitoring and auditing the social responsibility within the arena of management (161). The main thesis of the author is to show that the concept of environmental responsibility and corporate social responsibility entail more than statements about caring for the environment.

To do this effectively, systems are required to be set up and developments within the internal and external environment need to be enhanced with policies and through managerial systems. As this is done, there is the ability to create and change the environmental footprint of a company and the effectiveness that they hold within the community. The environmental footprint becomes the main component of extended policies for environmental awareness (201). Works CitedFriedman, Frank. Practical Guide to Environmental Management.

Washington DC: Environmental Law Institute, 2003.