The case is set in June 2013, and deals with an SME-sized Singapore-based property developer’s decision on whether to launch a sustainability initiative and engage in sustainability reporting as an innovative practice to improve the long-run viability of the company through improved operational efficiencies. The question arose in response to the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent recession, which exposed the vulnerability of the property development industry to macro-economic effects. Top management at the company has tasked Annie Tan, the company’s COO, to render an initial critical evaluation of its competitors’ sustainability initiatives and reporting, before making recommendations on the adoption and design of a similar sustainability initiative for this privately held property developer specialising in small-scale customised property developments.

Discussion of this case should enable students to understand the strategic benefits and limitations of sustainability initiatives and sustainability reporting as they relate to the triple bottom line of environmental, social and economic sustainability in the context of property developers and beyond. Students should be in a position to make an in-depth assessment of the relationship between sustainability, productivity and profitability by way of an analysis of the dimensions of sustainability, sustainability measures, metrics and benchmarks as well as hypotheses on correlation and causation.

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·             The Case (SMU-13-0021)

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·             The Case (SMU-13-0021)

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