<iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-PHTV9K7" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden">
Loading
Skip to Main Content
Product cover image for Poppy Barley: Weighing the Costs and Benefits of Sustainability Certification

Poppy Barley: Weighing the Costs and Benefits of Sustainability Certification

Joel Gehman; Greg Dobbelsteyn; Peter Loginov; Aimee Van Dam; Brittnay Verstraete; Leanne Hedberg Carlson

Product #:9B18M103
Supplier:Ivey
Discipline:Entrepreneurship, International Business, Strategy
Setting:Mexico, 2017
Details:Case (PDF) • 9 pages • 2018-07-20

Subjects:

Supply chain managementCorporate social responsibilityOperations and supply chain managementCorporate governanceEnvironmental sustainabilityBusiness and societyBusiness managementEntrepreneurshipInternational businessStrategy

Industries:

Goods, trade, and consumer services

Geography:

MexicoNorth America
Your Price:$9.71

Purchase this material with a free Educator Account and enjoy more benefits:

  • Free Educator Copy
  • Free Teaching Notes
  • Build your coursepack
  • Discounted academic price

In November 2016, the co-founders of Poppy Barley Inc. (Poppy Barley) had just finished discussing the company’s fiscal projections and sustainability goals for the upcoming 2017 year. Poppy Barley, a made-to-measure footwear retailer in Edmonton, Alberta, had grown rapidly. The co-founders, who were sisters, wanted to further both their product line and their commitments to corporate sustainability. Would becoming certified as a sustainable business publicize their commitments and values, and improve their triple bottom line? If so, which certification should they choose? On the other hand, given the company’s growth stage, would directing finite resources toward certification detract from other important business areas?

Learning Objectives

The case can be used in a corporate sustainability, strategy, business, or entrepreneurship course at the undergraduate or graduate level. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to
  • understand various third-party sustainability designations;
  • design business strategy that aligns with sustainability;
  • discuss corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the triple bottom line; and
  • explain the role of ethical sourcing in CSR and the triple bottom line.
Loading
Case Study: Poppy Barley: Weighing the Costs and Benefits of Sustainability Certification (English version) | Ivey Publishing