Professional Practice - Sustainablilty Blog 4

Professional Practice – Blog 4 Sustainability

By Simon Marks

Student Number: 99003928

I believe sustainability is an important part of running a massage business. The three areas that a business needs to look at to call themselves sustainable are environmental, social and economic. I will talk about some of the reasons why sustainability is important when running a business and how someone in the massage profession can be sustainable in their business.

Sustainability is related to the quality of life in a community whether the economic, social and environmental systems that make up the community are providing a healthy, productive, meaningful life for all community residents, present and future (M. Hart 1998-2006). Businesses including the massage industry can have an effect on these things. With out taking these in to account the business is likely to fail or may not run smoothly. I believe that in massage the economic and social aspects are imperial to a successful business. Economic because without sustainable economic running the business would fail due to money lose and/or bankruptcy as economic sustainability can simply be interpreted as how companies stay in business (D Doane & A MacGillivray). Socially sustainability is huge as it is such a customer based profession. If a massage business had bad relationships with customers and the community then the business would surely suffer, through lack of clients.

Ways in which you can change the running of your business to become sustainable

Environmental:

• using environmentally friendly washing products (For linen/table)
• electricity use (using thermostats on heaters / limiting the use of dryers)
• Insulating the room used for massage to minimize need for heating
• Storing client information on computers instead of paper so as to keep paper usage down

Social

• Joining MNZ and working to guide lines to insure the public are getting a safe and regulated service
• Working in with other therapists by referring clients if others can treat them more appropriately
• Promoting health living to clients and other workers
• Looking after yourself so you can work to your potential
• not undercutting your business community
• not poaching other similar businesses clients
• Providing clear guide lines and systems in the work place

Economic

• Combine the aspects of both social and economic to become an economically sustainable businesses
• Businesses can incorporate triple-bottom line reporting into there financial reports this is now done by many large companies and could possibly become compulsory in the future as governments are becoming more aware of the need for it
• Use cash flow charts to show incomings and out goings to insure they balance of profit is created


There are benefits in working with some of the above ideas and becoming sustainable in a massage business.

• leads to improved service and processes
• saves on raw materials and energy, reducing production costs
• increases competitiveness through the use of new and improved technologies
• reduces the need for more environmental regulation
• reduces risk from on- and off-site treatment, storage and disposal of toxic wastes
• improves the health and safety of employees
• improves staff morale, leading to better productivity
• improves a company’s public image
• reduces the cost of increasingly expensive end-of-pipe solutions

(Queensland Government, 2008)

The importance of becoming sustainable in business in the past was not a priority and businesses were free to run there business without the need to worry about the impact they are having on the society, environment and other businesses around them. Time has shown that this can not last, as we are on a finite planet and are removing resources as if it were linear in design. Also people are more aware of the problems that arise if thing are not run I a sustainable way. They will soon frown upon businesses that don’t move with the times resulting in poor business. This is now more readily known and accepted and sustainable concepts will therefore get used more and more by business owners.

I believe sustainability is an important thing to consider when starting or running a business as there soon will be no place for businesses that don’t comply with the rules and guidelines of sustainability. I believe that people will come to see the benefits in lifestyle and financial gains both to businesses and consumers. This will prompt others too conform and we can start living in a world that has a long term future.

D, Doane & A, MacGillivray. (2001). The Business of staying in business. Retrieved 25/09/2009.
http://www.projectsigma.co.uk/RnDStreams/RD_economic_sustain.pdf

M, Hart. (1993). Guide to Sustainable Community Indicators. New Society Publishers. Gabriola Island, BC.


Queensland Government. (2008). Environmental Management – Cleaner Production. Retrieved 25/09/2009
http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/environmental_management/sustainability/industry/cleaner_production