www.gogreen-project.eu This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] and all its contents reflect the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. [Project number: 2020-1-CY01-KA202-065983] ▪ 30-55 minutes for the actual role-playing/simulation activity, presentations and negotiations (duration depending on the number or roles/groups/participants) ▪ 60-75 minutes for the debrief and reflection process (debriefing discussion) Scenario Script Case The scenario focuses on a hypothetical medium-sized accountancy company that has been working for over 20 years in the accountancy sector in Europe with 10 employees. It has a diverse range of clients across many agricultural, manufacturing and services sectors and the size of its customers range from sole-traders (self-employed individuals) to family-run businesses. It provides the following services: secretarial services, bookkeeping services, management accounting, financial statements for all legal entities, advisory, consultation and due diligence, tax related services, and payroll. The company has grown significantly over the past 10 years in terms of staff headcount from 10 employees to more than 100, turnover and client numbers. The company provides reliable, costeffective solutions and up until recently had a good reputation in the business community regarding the quality of the services provided, but it is now becoming a low-tech operator and has not embraced technology or sustainability practices like many of its competitors and this is beginning to impact on customer retention and attracting new business. The company’s reputation is declining along with its CSR profile. Even though the accountancy company has heard of the imminent climate crisis, the EU Green Deal, COP26 event and all related activities set at National and EU level, but it has prioritized other business strategies such as growth and has not focused its attention on the impact its activities are having on the environment or climate change. Therefore, the company has no sustainability plans in place and has not yet begun moving towards a green business model. In fact, the company business practice is heavily reliant on paper, employees use paper to record every client engagement and transaction. Notes are taken, documents prepared, and memos generated – all printed and filed away! People in the company are excellent record keepers and large consumers of paper and paper products. The company’s lack of investment in ICT and e-conferencing facilities has resulted in all client consultation taking place face-to-face with spiraling travel and meeting costs being faced by the company as they have grown. The company’s carbon footprint is estimated to be high. Key Contextual Details The company of this role-playing simulation scenario does not have to decide to change its policy. Perhaps, it considers the notion of moving to a paperless office environment in the future, but for now there is no decision to be made. Thus, the company insists on keeping the business as usual, whilst acknowledging the opportunities missed by not changing the policy or not taking action. There are several pros and cons when adopting a paperless office policy, which are presented here, and the role of the Environmental Officer may suggest that there are other entities that apply a recycling policy, use digital storage, etc. with the following advantages: ▪ Less paper use eliminates paper waste reducing the environmental impact of the company: this in turn has a positive impact on GHG emissions
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