...To: FIJI Water From: Alex Nash Date: March 15, 2011 Subject: Carbon footprint analysis and solutions FIJI Water has always been proud of its environmentally friendly image. The company has always honored its corporate social responsibilities by being involved with many environmental groups and is currently partnered with Conservation International, an environmental organization engaged in a large-scale rainforest conservation project in Fiji. During the past couple of years FIJI Water has been under scrutiny over the claim that it removes more carbon from the atmosphere than it puts into it. FIJI Water is accused of greenwashing, claims that its water products are carbon negative. It is also accused of being unethical with its relationship with the FIJI government and FIJI natives over tax increases on exports. This report will contain a brief description of these claims and problems along with proposed solutions and recommendations. Analysis FIJI Water has been under attacks from the environmental Newport Trial Group for claims that it is not leaving a carbon footprint on the environment and the islands of Fiji. The Newport Trial Group argues that FIJI Water is not a carbon negative company and is profiting from this false claim. FIJI Water is also attempting to gain high profits and market share over other bottled water companies because of its claim to be one of the only carbon negative bottled water. FIJI Water is not a carbon negative company. It uses...
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...conduct 11 5.0 Evaluation 12 5.1 Analysis of the Alternatives 12 5.1.0 Alternative 1 12 5.1.1 Alternative 2 13 5.1.2 Alternative 3 13 6.0 Recommendations 13 7.0 Action Plan 14 8.0 Contingency Plan 15 9.0 Conclusion 15 10.0 References 16 Introduction FIJI Water was founded David Gilmour a Canadian hotel and gold mining mogul. In 1996, FIJI Water started its operations in the Islands of Fiji (McMaster & Nowak, 2009). They leased land from the Fijian government that was located on top of a massive artesian aquifer in the Yaqara Valley of Fiji's main island (McMaster & Nowak, 2009). FIJI Water was able to successfully attract consumers to its pure artesian water with slogans like "untouched" and "unpolluted" (McMaster & Nowak, 2009). With adopting a successful branding and marketing strategy, FIJI Water gained competitive advantage over its competitors through creating a unique brand image that is portrayed healthy, trendy, and high-end. Recently, FIJI Water has been facing heavy criticism not just for its carbon footprint, but also for its entire business model of shipping a product (water) to markets where high quality water is readily available for free. This report will discuss FIJI Water’s future options to become a genuine environmentally conscious/ sustainable company. 1.0 Problem Statement The primary problem in the case is that fundamentally the business...
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...Recreating the Fiji Water brand: from greenwasher to a socially and environmentally responsible company Introduction Amid mounting tension between the bottled water industry and environmentalists, FIJI Water Company in particular has been embroiled in a battle against claims the company is actively participating in greenwashing. FIJI as a brand is now coping with the ramifications of its negative brand perception among the public. It arrived at this point through overstatements concerning hard to quantify metrics and not properly informing the public about its actions. FIJI Water has not done a sufficient job conveying current practices to consumers and the general public. It is vital that the company climb back into the good graces of the public for continued success. This objective can be achieved by continuing and increasing involvement in surrounding communities, being completely honest with consumers, and creating positive dialogue with environmentalists; all while utilizing a successful marketing campaign to convey to the public exactly what is being accomplished by the company. Current situation FIJI Water is just one company in the booming bottled water industry. When looking at bottled water statistics, consumption has reached close to 185 million liters in 2007 and bottled water has become the second largest category of beverages consumed after soft drinks. Even with the current state of increased environmental vigilance, is apparent that bottled water is not...
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...S w 909A08 FIJI WATER AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY — GREEN MAKEOVER OR “GREENWASHING”?1 James McMaster and Jan Nowak wrote this case solely to provide material for class discussion. The authors do not intend to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a managerial situation. The authors may have disguised certain names and other identifying information to protect confidentiality. Richard Ivey School of Business Foundation prohibits any form of reproduction, storage or transmission without its written permission. Reproduction of this material is not covered under authorization by any reproduction rights organization. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, contact Ivey Publishing, Richard Ivey School of Business Foundation, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 3K7; phone (519) 661-3208; fax (519) 661-3882; e-mail cases@ivey.uwo.ca. Copyright © 2009, Richard Ivey School of Business Foundation Version: 2011-09-21 “Bottled water is a disaster, for several reasons. First there’s the issue of the sustainability of underground aquifers, from where much of the bottled water is drawn. And then there’s the carbon footprint. Water is heavy, and transporting it around the world uses a lot of energy.” Jeff Angel, Total Environment Centre, Sydney, Australia2 “We survived before we had water in bottles. It is unnecessary. When you see water imported from Fiji in plastic bottles, you know it’s bad for the environment...
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...Strategic Marketing & Planning, 2009 Fiji Water Executive Summary: There are multiple recent strategic issues that the bottled water company Fiji Water is facing. The economic recession has led to a change in consumer purchasing trends, and the bottled water category is not as stable financially as it used to be. Environmental issues, such as waste and pollution, are also affected Fiji Water and its competitors. Bottled Water companies are attempting to shift packaging and shipping to more ecologically friendly materials and modes, as consumers favor environmentally sustainable products. Additionally, as consumers focus on obtaining healthier lifestyles and diets, they have begun to question the safety and purity of the water that bottled water companies are producing. Fiji Water has been affected greatly by all of these issues, as well as negative press about the socio-economic conditions of their souring location, and in 2008 was forced to layoff 40% of their staffing resources. With limited resources, an action plan going forward must be cost efficient and extremely effective. By analyzing and critiquing four potential strategic options, a rational next step for Fiji Water can be discovered. By supporting this plan with marketing tactics and communication, it can attempt to stimulate growth for the company. Current Overview: History: Fiji Water is bottled water artesian water that was founded in 1993 in Colorado and first produced and sold to the world...
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...“The fact of the matter is that today, stuff-selling mega-corporations have a huge influence on our daily lives. And because of the competitive nature of our global economy, these corporations are generally only concerned with one thing…the bottom line. That is, maximizing profit, regardless of the social or environmental costs.” —David Suzuki Bottling of freshwater from a rare resource in the Fiji Islands, and harvesting of cocoa beans via child slave labor in West Africa, are both ethically questionable. Business practices from both commodities have little regard on damages inflicted during their production. Ethical issues, similarities, and differences with both commodities will be contrasted, a presentation of socially responsible strategic alternative(s) will follow, and finally possible impact(s) of said strategic alternative(s) to stakeholders highlighted. Identification of both contextual and evolutionary issues is needed to form a comprehensive picture of the situation, linking questionable business performance(s) to Applied Ethics standards. This will assist to adequately categorize the issue and develop a socially responsible strategic alternative(s) to remedy the damages caused, and determine their possible impact(s) to stakeholders. Two generic determinants influence the outcome of either proactive or reactive business ethics practices, the internal and external perceptions of a corporation; in conjunction these two determinants create a generic conceptual...
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...History of Fiji Fiji was first settled about 3,500 years ago by the Melanesians and Polynesians. According to Fijian legend, the great chief Lutunasobasoba led his people across the seas to the new land of Fiji. Most authorities agree that people came into the Pacific from Southeast Asia via the Malay Peninsula. Here the Melanesians and the Polynesians mixed to create a highly developed society long before the arrival of the Europeans. The European discoveries of the Fiji group were accidental. The first of these discoveries was made in 1643 by the Dutch explorer, Abel Tasman and English navigators, including Captain James Cook who sailed through in 1774, and made further explorations in the 18th century. Major credit for the discovery and recording of the islands went to Captain William Bligh who sailed through Fiji after the mutiny on the Bounty in 1789. The first Europeans to land and live among the Fijians were shipwrecked sailors and runaway convicts from the Australian penal settlements. Sandalwood traders and missionaries came by the mid-19th century. European traders and missionaries arrived in the first half of the 19th century, and the resulting disruption led to increasingly serious wars among the native Fijian confederacies. One Ratu (chief), Cakobau, gained limited control over the western islands by the 1850s. Cannibalism practiced in Fiji at that time quickly disappeared as missionaries gained influence. When Ratu Seru Cakobau accepted Christianity in 1854...
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...In the passage, “The Globalization of Eating Disorders,” Susan Bordo addresses her concern with the affect movies and media has on the way we eat and see our bodies. When we hear the words eating disorders you probably see a rich girl who is shaped by Fashion magazines. Images speak to people around the world as popular, valued to be rewarding, and teaches us to see our bodies imperfections. For example, a study done by anthropologist Anne Becker reports Fiji women did not report any eating disorders until three years after their first television broadcast in 1995.Becker thought Fijian women could withstand the influence of media images. In addition, Central Africa culture is a place that still celebrates full figured women. Skinny women are said to be sick and live in poverty. Tenisha Williamson a twenty year old from Africa would rather suffer and die than be fat. On one hand, no image is just a picture because the significant altercation it goes through to block out humans defects. Today images teach us how we should appear to the world and what is normal. On the other hand, Asian women admit having a problem with eating disorders and their bodies reflection. Human imperfections are like commodities, they can be brought in, sent out, and put on the market for profit. People are undecided and lack knowledge with what we as humans are dealing with. Some think eating disorders are due to biochemical’s in our foods but that would not explain why the wide spread around the...
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...Fiji is a group of volcanic islands in the South Pacific. The archipelago consists nearly of 900 islands and islets. Around 106 are permanently inhabited. The largest island, Viti Levu, covers about 57 % of the nation's land area. It also hosts the two most important cities, Suva, and Lautoka. Most other major towns contain around 70% of the population. Vanua Levu, north of Viti Levu, covers a little over 30 % of the land area and holds 15% of the population. The two main islands are mountainous, with peaks up to 1300 meters. Fiji gets a lot of rain per year and the tropical rain forests that developed on these mountains flourish. The lowlands on the western portions of each of the main islands are sheltered by the mountains. These spots are well equipped for a dry and well-marked season which is favorable to crops such as sugarcane. In the past decade, the island of Fiji has had a very unstable pattern for economic growth. Year Real GDP Population Real GDP per capita RealGrowth Rate 1995 1,519,000,000 767,936 1978 4.81% 1996 1,592,000,000 775,950 2052 -2.20% 1997 1,557,000,000 783,156 1988 1.28% 1998 1,577,000,000 789,680 1997 8.81% 1999 1,716,000,000 795,788 2156 -1.69% 2000 1,687,000,000 801,681 2104 1.96% 2001 1,720,000,000 807,329 2130 3% 2002 1,775,000,000 812,658 2184 1.01% 2003 1,793,000,000 817,791 2192 5% 2004 1,888,000,000 822,885 2294 0.69% 2005 1,901,000,000 828,046 2296 3.42% 2006 1,966,000,000 833,330 2359 From the evidence above, you can see the...
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...Executive Summary Suva is the capital of Fiji. It is located in the southeast coast of Viti Levu Island. The population of this city as in 2012 was 89,038. It is the main spot in Fiji. Sugar and tourism industry are two major industries in Fiji. With a mix of traditional infrastructures and modern architectures and the unique natural scenery, Suva attracts a lot of tourists to visit yearly. The most tourists are from Australia, New Zealand, U.S.A and Europe. When the visa-free policy approved in 2009, the number of Chinese tourists is increasing. And low price also is a reason that tourist choose Suva as a destination of holiday. Even though, the city is with wonderful nature, there are some issues are affecting the development of tourism industry. The increasing crime rate is continuing problem in Suva. The crime occurred frequently in Suva create a sense of fear in the minds of visitors. According to the official crime statistics, a total of 8,012 crimes were recorded. The safety issue is related to whether tourists would choose this place as a destination or not. With the development of tourism industry in Fiji, the environmental degradation is one situation that we need pay more attention. The air pollution caused by increased urbanisation and industrial growth is destroying the nature and damaging the people’s health. And increasing waste disposal make the environment become worse. Poor hygienic conditions are damage to environment as well as stop the tourists to visit...
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...Nation: Fiji School: Notre Dame High School Subject: WHEREAS, 45% ( aprx. 360,000) Fijians are living in poverty with this number increasing yearly since the implementation of the poverty eradication program formation and, WHEREAS, $1.5 billion dollars was spent to study and form programs to assist this problem have proven to cause a large burden to the citizens by increasing budgetary allocations by taxpayers, worsening the problem and, WHEREAS, the average household income is $12,00 with 83% making less than $25,000 a year, the gap between the nation’s wealthiest and nations poorest is widening, trickledown economics is failing this country and, WHEREAS, providing equal opportunities to goods, services, education, governmental supplements, and programs directed towards offering loans for lower income brackets as well as those at higher brackets with the incentives for promoting Fijian tourism and goods would benefit the nation as a whole and, WHEREAS, investing in the people of Fiji could bring about economic stability through community based savings/banking programs that keep Fijian monies flowing through the hands of more Fijians, thus decreasing the number of impoverished citizens without access to financial institutions for self employment purposes and, WHEREAS, eradicating the divisive walls of inaccessibility by placing opportunity in the hands of the average citizen and, THEREFORE IT BE RESOLVED, that the United Nations promotes an economic plan to...
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...Report Visitor Arrivals in Fiji Prepared by: |Roshan Singh / S9902083 |GROUP 8 | |Salveendra Singh / S11011093 |MBA 435 QBA | |Alvin P Sharma / S97001213 |Lecturer : Dr. S. Ahmed | |Abdul Ali / S11079449 | | MANAGEMENT REPORT Topic: Visitor Arrivals in Fiji – Analysis for years 2000 to 2010 Executive Summary: The purpose of this report is to present the facts of Visitor arrivals in Fiji, through the use of facts, figures, graphically analyse and interpret results and provide a summary of trends, conclusions and justified recommendations after the 2007 – 2016 review of the Fiji Tourism Development Plan. Introduction: Tourism is Fiji's fastest growing industry in terms of employment creation and foreign exchange earnings. The industry provides employment directly to an estimated 85,000 people. The tourism industry is mainly private sector driven and contributes approximately 25% to the GDP. The sector is private sector driven and has grown substantially over the past few years. The 2007-2016 Fiji Tourism Development Plan provides a framework for the sustainable growth of tourism in Fiji. It is a working document/plan...
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...profit? This is when the term greenwashing comes into play; when corporations mislead customers to believe that their operations are responsible, when they actually are not. Throughout this paper the greenwashing case by the internationally known artesian bottled water maker: FIJI Water will be embarked as well as the principles proposed by Jeffrey Hollender in his book “The Responsibility Revolution”, that claims that by following them, corporations can become more responsible. The Oxford Dictionary defines the term greenwash as any “disinformation disseminated by an organization so as to present an environmentally responsible public image”. When a corporation spends more time and money in trying to make their activities look good for they environment than actually implementing the practices to become “greener”, it is said that the corporation is involved in greenwashing ("About Greenwashing"). Now more than ever, greenwashing has become a rising problem. Because corporations now have two choices (either they meet society’s environmentally friendly standards or slowly go out of business), the use greenwashing has become an easy fix for many corporations including big names such as Wal-Mart and Fiji Water. Fiji Water is a company that produces and...
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...Relations between the Fijian government and FIJI Water have been tense since early 2008 when the new military government seemed to suddenly notice the huge exporter (accounting for 20% of Fiji’s total exports) (Dornan). Though there are a variety of disputes, I will focus on two in particular 1) The Fijian government’s belief that FIJI Water is engaging in transfer pricing. 2) The Fijian government’s repeated efforts to tax the company. At this point both sides have lost face in standoffs, and the tension is building. While the company may not be popular with the national government, FIJI Water is a star in its community. Since opening in 1995 it has provided a great deal of aid to the villages surrounding the bottling plant, creating goodwill that can be used to appeal to the Fijian government. Following an analysis of the above issues, I will detail my two recommendations in improving relations with the Fijian government. Taxing Battles When FIJI Water first opened its factory in 1995, the government at the time granted the corporation a thirteen year tax holiday. As a result, the company has paid very few taxes since beginning operations. When Commodore Frank Bainimarama rose to power in 2006, two years still remained on FIJI Water’s tax holiday. But in July 2008, without consulting the company, the Fijian government imposed a tax of $.20F per liter of water. In response FIJI Water threatened to shut down, frightening the government...
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...Introduction Relations between the Fijian government and FIJI Water have been tense since early 2008 when the new military government seemed to suddenly notice the huge exporter (accounting for 20% of Fiji’s total exports) (Dornan). Though there are a variety of disputes, I will focus on two in particular 1) The Fijian government’s belief that FIJI Water is engaging in transfer pricing. 2) The Fijian government’s repeated efforts to tax the company. At this point both sides have lost face in standoffs, and the tension is building. While the company may not be popular with the national government, FIJI Water is a star in its community. Since opening in 1995 it has provided a great deal of aid to the villages surrounding the bottling plant, creating goodwill that can be used to appeal to the Fijian government. Following an analysis of the above issues, I will detail my two recommendations in improving relations with the Fijian government. Taxing Battles When FIJI Water first opened its factory in 1995, the government at the time granted the corporation a thirteen year tax holiday. As a result, the company has paid very few taxes since beginning operations. When Commodore Frank Bainimarama rose to power in 2006, two years still remained on FIJI Water’s tax holiday. But in July 2008, without consulting the company, the Fijian government imposed a tax of $.20F per liter of water. In response FIJI Water threatened to shut down, frightening the government into...
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