Sustainability and its impact on the four management functions People across Australia today use their own eco-friendly shopping bags when they go to the supermarket. Why have so many people changed their daily habits and stopped using convenient plastic bags? The transition from plastic bags to recycled ones is just one aspect of a global change in attitude towards environmental issues. In recent decades, companies have focused on reducing production costs, without considering the consequences for the coming years. Today, organizations around the world are starting to change the way they operate to prevent an environmental crisis. “Sustainability” is the new approach that has led to a change in the agendas of many organizations. In other words, sustainable development focuses on long-term existence without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. There is no doubt that every organization is now facing the challenge of "sustainable development" and must embrace new ways of management that will help save the world's environment. This type of change cannot happen overnight and requires a major reform of the entire organization. Top managers will have to make some crucial management choices that will influence the behavior of managers at all levels and throughout the organization. Companies will have to undergo a global process to become sustainable. First, managers will need to embrace the concept of managing a profitable organization (or achieving the goals of an unprofitable organization) while taking environmental issues into account. Regardless of the type of product manufactured, companies will need to operate so that...... middle of paper....../citizenship/environmental_report2006.pdf• ​​​​The Coca Cola Company. (December 31, 2006). Environmental travel. Retrieved from http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/citizenship/our_journey.html• The IKEA Company. (nd) Energy efficiency and emissions reduction. Retrieved n.d., from http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_AU/about_ikea_new/our_responsibility/climate_change/index.html • Womack, J.P., Jones, D.T. & Roos, D. (1990). The machine that changed the world. USA: Macmillan Publishing Company.• Whitehouse, I., Mayes, L. & Petersen, C. (2007).Sustainability choices are more often grey. Journal of Chartered Accountants, 86(9), 18-19.