Smithfield's journey to sustainability: A work in progress

✍ Scribed by Ralph Deptolla

• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 2011
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 97 KB
• Volume: 30
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1932-2054
• DOI: 10.1002/joe.20401

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Smithfield Foods certainly did not set out to gain a reputation as a bad corporate citizen and neighbor when the company was founded in 1936. But in the process of growing from a modest meatpacking company located on the banks of the historic Pagan River in Smithfield, Virginia, to an $11 billion global food company employing more than 48,000 people worldwide, Smithfield Foods grappled with embarrassing environmental issues that made it a target of governmental agencies and activist groups. This case study examines Smithfield Foods' challenging journey to become a leader in corporate social responsibility and sustainability by learning from its mistakes and creating a new company culture focused on core values that place a premium on leadership, performance, and accountability. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.