top of page

Practices for Enhancing Your Small Retail Business

Module 4: Triple Bottom Line 

Business Growth

Developed by John Elkington, TBL analysis provides a strategic framework for evaluating the impact and outcomes of retail business beyond the economic bottom line to include environmental and social considerations. 

MODULE DESCRIPTION

Important Concepts

  • Climate change

  • Product/service lifecycle

  • Triple bottom line: balancing three-legged stool

  • Living wage

  • Externalities and costing: market price vs. real price

Trash on Beach

Required Reading Materials

  • Savitz, A. W., & Weber, K. (2013). The triple bottom line:  How today’s best-run companies are achieving economic, social and environmental success and how you can too.  San Francisco: Jossey-Boss.

  • Elkington, J. (1998). Cannibals with Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business. Oxford: Capstone Publishing Limited.

  • Miller, D. & Williams, P. (2009). What price a living wage? Implementation issues in the quest for decent wages in the global apparel sector. 

Windmills

Practice Case

  • Marks & Spencer’s Plan A

Conference Room
Fashion Rail

Nau, Patagonia, Timberland, Nike, Del Forte Denim, Alabama Chanin, Levi Strauss, Gap, American Apparel

TBL/SWOT CASE STUDY ASSIGNMENTS

Discussing the Numbers

  • Collective TBL/SWOT analysis (in-class or via course Wiki)

CLASS ACTIVITY

To begin the educational materials for Module 4: Triple Bottom Line (TBL), click the link below.

bottom of page