Browsing by Subject "Value chain"
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Item Open Access Beef Production in Brazil: A Value Chain Approach to Reducing Deforestation(2013-04-24) Gonnella, Carrie; Holt, Jana; Hill, Louise; Braunz, AmyDeforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is a persistent environmental problem due to its contributions to global climate change and biodiversity loss. The beef industry is a major contributor to this problem with an estimated 60-75% of deforestation caused by conversion of rainforest to pasture land. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Global Roundtable on Sustainable Beef (GRSB) are seeking advice on initiatives to pursue that will make significant contributions to the reduction of deforestation. This masters project analyzes the drivers of deforestation related to the production of Brazilian beef and identifies initiatives that could help reduce deforestation. For each initiative considered, benefits, risks, and barriers are explored. In addition, an analysis of the Brazilian beef value chain is undertaken to determine which segments of the chain hold the most appealing leverage points for implementing initiatives to combat deforestation. Based on the results of this analysis, this paper recommends that WWF and the GRSB pursue efforts to improve land use planning, diversification of farm income, and implement financial mechanisms, such as REDD+. This paper also lays out a timeline for undertaking these initiatives, specific roles that the GRSB can play in each of these initiatives, and key stakeholders that the GRSB must engage with to be successful at positively impacting the problem of deforestation in the Amazon.Item Open Access Maturity and Challenges of Water Sustainability across the Supply Chain(2011-04-29) Spear, EmilyCorporate engagement in water sustainability from a supply chain perspective is limited but growing, as a clear business case is manifesting. Increasingly, water is becoming a serious risk for companies with global operations, since water stress and water access problems are growing. To date, companies have cited water as a sustainability priority but often fall short of reporting sufficient data and progress on goals. However, the food and beverage industry has been active in this space, because water is an integral part of their business and touches most aspects of the supply chain. This project attempts to map the current landscape where companies are engaging in water sustainability across their supply chains and to identify various types of engagement, in order to draw out leading practices that will help companies better understand ways of advancing their level of engagement. Three companies were chosen for analysis – Nestlé Waters North America, PepsiCo, Inc., and The Coca-Cola Company – as they met the criteria of being engaged for two or more years, were within the food and beverage industry, and were willing to be interviewed. I created my own Sustainable Value Chain Collaboration Index to map out the companies’ maturity levels based on my own research and corporate interviews. The Index encompasses four key indicators (“Corporate,” “Internal Practices & Policies,” “Value Chain Collaboration,” and “External Stakeholder Collaboration”) with five stages of collaboration. The results from the Index indicate that there are some leading practices upstream with suppliers but still no standardization for best practices (i.e., none reached stage 5) and downstream engagement with customers is very limited. In addition, no company has incentives and accountability for desired behavior for their suppliers when looking at “Value Chain Collaboration.” I then conclude with some recommendations on ways companies can employ the Index and improve their level of collaboration with the value chain.Item Open Access The Electric Vehicle Transition: An Analysis of the EV Value Chain and Market Entry Strategies for an Energy Client(2020-04-24) Adams, Tucker; Davenport, Emily; Vitha, JayThe increasing adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs) will change the landscape of several industries including transportation, technology, and electric power. EVs will impact the business plans and strategies of energy providers as they continue to provide energy to customers. An energy client is trying to capture the additional value that EVs are going to bring to the energy sector. This study analyzes and categorizes the current state of the EV market, both in Texas and nationally, organizes the current projections made from large industry reports, assesses the value chain of EVs and provides recommendations for an energy client about how to best proceed with a new strategy that incorporates EVs to make the firm successful in this quickly changing industry.