4.1 Course Notes

course notes2

4.1 Understanding of the organization and its context

The context within which the organisation operates – both internal and external – is a major influencing factor on any organisation. Consider external or internal context that may limit the ability to do all that is necessary to manage issues at a best practice level.

External Issues

Destination
  • Where does the organisation or event operate? Which country or city?
  • How engaged is the local government in sustainable development and creating sustainable cities and communities?
  • How does the degree of sustainable development within the destination affect the organisation’s ability to meet its intended outcomes?
  • Are there any political, legal or economic issues within the event destination that could influence the ability to achieve the event’s  intended sustainability outcomes?
  • Are there safety concerns for implementing ‘usual’ best practice initiatives? For example promoting the use of public transport or cycling and walking.
Attendees
  • Who are the attendees and what is their level of interest in, engagement with, understanding of, or expectation for, sustainable event production?
Supply Chain
  • Are required solutions in existence in the destination (eg waste services, product availability, sustainably operated venues, local food production).
  • What is the impact of bringing things in?
Cultural
  • Are there cultural or religious aspects which may influence decisions and potentially conflict with ‘usual’ best practice operations of the event organiser?
  • The way that work gets done, work and business ethics and timeframes, worker welfare and right to collective bargaining and unions.
Attendees
  • Who are the attendees and what is their level of interest in, engagement with, understanding of, or expectation for, sustainable event production?

 

Internal Issues

Organisation type
  • Is the organisation for profit, not for profit, a fund raising concern?
Event Activities
  • Are events the main purpose of the organisation or a tool the organisation uses to promote or do business?
  • What are the activities the organisation does, if not events?
Policies
  • What are the corporate/head office policies and could they impact the event sustainability ambitions positively or negatively?
  • Is the event reliant of sponsorship funding, and those sponsors put requirements on the event which conflict with the sustainability intentions?
Resources
  • Are there internal resources, capacity or organisational culture issues that could prevent or enhance success?
  • Is the organisation run by professionals or volunteers?

This context is required to be  articulated so when taking a certain position on an issue’s management, or setting an objective set for the event, this is able to be justified and to be understood by interested parties and auditors.
Consider  areas where external scrutiny might reveal that the declaration of ‘context’  may just be allowing the organisation to ‘opt out’ of issues management by declaring it is the operating context (internal or external) that will disallow best practice.
Remember that in some cases international norms of behaviour may require an organisation to go over and above the destination-based ‘norms’ where it is seen that would not be complying with accepted sustainable development principles.

Requirements of this Clause:

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  • Create a formal explanation of the context of the organisation in which it operates. This should include detailed external and internal issues which may affect your ability to meet the intended sustainability outcomes.
  • This is likely to be included your policy, preamble statement to a report, or officially documented separately.

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