Talk:Sustainable Business

Meeting with Leanne
Can it be simplified? (See email). The book as it stands is trying to cover too much. It would benefit from a simplification.
 * 1) The business has been able define what sustainability means for itself
 * 2) The book provides guidance for a new business to create a business plan that incorporates sustainability
 * 3) Integrating sustainability into an existing business (If time permits)

These will become the new chapter structure for the book.. We are dropping the 4th chapter called Evaluation, on the belief that basing the book closely to an existing business plan template, will afford opportunities for us to point out evaluation and feedback mechanisms.

To do

 * 1) Leanne to finish principles survey
 * 2) Leanne to author a sustainability discriptor
 * 3) Leigh to copy NZTE business plan template into Wiki
 * 4) Next meeting 25 January

2nd meeting with Leanne 5 Feb 2010
Broadening principles to encompass a wider scope of what it means to run a sustainable business

We will continue to define sustainability principles as per references, but we will note that these are not the be-al and end-all, and that people will want to consider principles work-life balance, financial viability, othere..? We're making a distinction between the principles for sustainability, and the values of business

What language would we use? Perhaps we sau that the use of the word "principles" is order to define sustainability, "values" might be another word to use that will encompass the wider range of considerations. Remembering that this aspect of preparing a business plan, can relate to the marketing section, in that it helps articulate a value proposition. For example, Community Contribution and Fareness (a principle in the sustainability framework) an example of the aplication of that principle, could be used in the Defining the Value Proposition, and/or developing the marketing position.

In considering the different levels of applicating sustainability (weak and strong), the graphic designer to consider a motif for representing that.

To do

 * 1) Leigh to update Sustainability chapter with Leanne's framework, and try aligning the Permaculture principles. Attribution to Leanne Holdsworth.
 * 2) Leigh to adjust book structure to reflect earlier thoughts.
 * 3) Leanne to update the sustainability framework to capture the thoughts about principles and values
 * 4) Leigh is add NZTE text linked from the business plan template sections
 * 5) At same time, Leanne is to work through the plan template and add prompts and/or new section for the sustainability principles. If need be adding external references as examples, or further information to help think about the prompt or section. Use sentences that capture the concept of the external link (key words to aid search, keeping in mind the insecurity and inconvenience of a link to readers of the printed text) - where possible, internalise the information.
 * 6) Leanne to add examples, using the weak and strong indications to indicate the level of application

Meeting Leigh and Leanne 25 Feb 2010

 * Leigh showed Leanne how to edit the wiki
 * Discussion on whether the wording of the book could be for existing businesses, and people new to business can simply imagine their business idea exists. For example: "What will your target market be" compared to "what is your target market". The meaning is not lost, but the audience is made wider. So we will go through the text and change wording to be for existing businesses.
 * Regarding the chapter Business Plan: we will reduce the NZTE business plan to a "basic business plan" with additional information for more specialised information relating to exporting or ecommerce for example, being added below with a note saying "if your business involves these areas of concern, please add this template section to your business plan.


 * to do


 * Leanne: raise the issue of practical business resources. there is a job for someone and it shouldnt be me, to put the links on the wiki of practical things businesses can do where they exist, such as a link to the sustianable procurement guide, recycling programmes, volunteering community programmes, eeca progs, resource efficiency, greenstar certiifcation, product enviro certiifcation etc. can i leave this with you to find someone to do this?


 * Leigh: Structure the business plan. Finish the copying of the NZTE texts. Restructure the business plan template into a basic plan with extra info, and the use Leanne's attachment (17 Feb) to add and delete content for sustainability.

Meeting Leigh and Leanne 16 March 2010

 * Solved some confusion regarding links within The Business Plan. Leigh thought they were intended to be new booklets, in fact they are prompts into existing booklets - where the term "useful booklet" at the end of the prompts was considered not direct enough.
 * Leigh to go back through and change the links to new booklets into prompts into existing booklets, and to try and copy paste content prompts sent by Leanne to Leigh in an email on 2 March 2010
 * Further discussion was documented on the talk page to the Business Plan
 * Next meeting 18 March 2010 at 4pm NZST

Meeting Leigh and Leanne 18 March 2010

 * Leanne to cross check principles of sustainability with the business plan sections and prompts
 * Leigh to try and make the booklets correspond with the business plan sections
 * Leigh still to integrate document sent by Leanne on March 2
 * Leanne to write a sustainability in business introduction
 * Leigh to change the Sustainability chapter into a booklet called Sustainable business practice
 * Leanne to continue editing the new booklet Sustainable Business Practice
 * Leigh to find free content on the SWOT and add it to the right booklet, also make the SWOT content more obvious
 * Regarding the integration of sustainability into the text.. we have manged a high level integration, such as cross checking the principles with the business plan sections, and adding comments and prompts where obvious. However, we realise now that the task of integration into each and every booklet is too much - so, the proposal is to make such a task a learning activity.. where participants study the Sustainable Business Practice booklet, and adopt one of the other booklets on the wiki and attempt to integrate sustainability.

Orphaned pages

 * Sustainable Business/Business plan template
 * Sustainable Business/Developing your value proposition
 * Sustainable Business/Examples
 * Sustainable Business/Getting help
 * Sustainable Business/Importing and exporting
 * Sustainable Business/Longer Term Finance
 * Sustainable Business/Managing tax
 * Sustainable Business/Personal Finance
 * Sustainable Business/Selling your business

These are not linked to by this book. Please mark them for deletion with, link to them, or merge them into another page and mark them with. – Adrignola talk 00:46, 12 July 2010 (UTC)