Master
2023/2024
Global Challenges, Resources and Opportunities for Sustainable Development
Category 'Best Course for Career Development'
Category 'Best Course for Broadening Horizons and Diversity of Knowledge and Skills'
Category 'Best Course for New Knowledge and Skills'
Type:
Compulsory course (Sustainable Business Management)
Area of studies:
Management
Delivered by:
Department of Strategic and International Management
Where:
Graduate School of Business
When:
1 year, 1 module
Mode of studies:
distance learning
Online hours:
20
Open to:
students of one campus
Instructors:
Ekaterina Ivanova
Master’s programme:
Management of Corporate Sustainable Development
Language:
English
ECTS credits:
3
Contact hours:
24
Course Syllabus
Abstract
Holistic sustainable development can likely only be achieved when various actors in society engage with the topic. Companies are central actors which can foster or hinder a sustainable development in society, but only when they consider the expectations of their stakeholders. This course aims to introduce students to a scientific approach to the field of sustainability management in the context of global challenges, resources and opportunities for sustainable development from a stakeholder perspective. The focus is on providing students with the extensive knowledge on the most important terms and concepts of sustainable development and sustainability management. The course consists of three interrelated modules supported by the individual mentoring sessions: introduction into sustainable development and sustainability management; stakeholder perspectives on sustainability management; sustainability management in tools and instruments. As a result of taking the course, the students will understand the complexity of sustainability management in companies and the opportunities and challenges of various stakeholder groups in influencing corporate sustainability and sustainable development in general. Students will learn how companies can improve their sustainability performance using different tools of sustainability management. Finally, students will gain an understanding that successful sustainability management is always interdisciplinary and requires efforts throughout a company and potentially even beyond. This course is based on the experiential learning approach, which requires students to come prepared to each class and take an active part in class discussions with peers and guest-speakers. By the end of the course, students can expect to have acquired an appreciation of the sustainability management as a knowledge, art and craft for tackling the 17 Global Goals.
Learning Objectives
- Understand the evolution, key concepts and practices of sustainability management and sustainable development with focus on implementing the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
- Gain the extensive knowledge on stakeholder management and stakeholder influences on sustainable development and sustainability management and learn how companies can improve their sustainability performance using different tools of sustainability management (strategy, finance, control, accounting and reporting, production, logistics and supply chains, relations with non-business actors, people, marketing, innovations and business models);
- Grow personally and professionally through experiential learning opportunities, based on learning from the inspiring case studies and reflecting upon the interaction with ethical, responsible and sustainable management practices from the cutting edge guest-speakers;
- Facilitate cultivation of the sustainability mindset, by taking into account contemporary debates on the role of business in society and nature with respect to local culture, global challenges, resources and opportunities;
- Connect to themselves, their learning partners and peers in the cohort through contemplative practices and mentoring support of the course instructor.
Expected Learning Outcomes
- • Demonstrate solid knowledge and thorough understanding of the key terms, concepts, and their managerial implications for sustainability management, stakeholder management and sustainable development.
- • Demonstrate solid knowledge and thorough understanding of the UN Global Agenda 2030 and implementation of the UN 17 SDGs in the local and global context.
- • Demonstrate solid knowledge and thorough understanding of the centrality of stakeholder theory in sustainability management and sustainable development.
- • Demonstrate solid knowledge and thorough understanding of the complexities of incorporating challenges, resources and opportunities of sustainable development into organizational strategies and individual sustainability lifestyles.
- • Demonstrate solid knowledge and thorough understanding of the changing roles and expectations in the relationships between business, governments, society and nature in different contexts.
- • Develop proficiency in analyzing complex organizational situations, identifying key problem areas, and formulating strategies for ethical, responsible and sustainable management practices.
- • Develop an ability to critically evaluate courses of managerial action in cases relating to ethical, responsible and sustainable management practices.
- • Be aware of, and understand the appropriate seminal academic publications on sustainable management and sustainable development.
- • Cultivate the sustainability mindset: as an integrated way of thinking (knowledge), doing (competency), and being (values) in ecological worldview, systems thinking, emotional intelligence and spiritual intelligence.
- • Grow in personal awareness, creativity and independent critical thinking with relevance to complex global challenges, resources and opportunities for sustainable development.
- • Acquire the capacity to listen and communicate to professionals and laymen in English with precision and clarity both orally and in writing.
Course Contents
- 1. Introduction into sustainable development and sustainability management
- 2. Stakeholder perspectives on sustainability management
- 3. Sustainability management in tools and instruments
Assessment Elements
- Problem solving in tandem with a learning partner (group)Evaluation rubric for the problem solving in tandem with a learning partner (group assignment).
- Case study on sustainability management (group)The group assignment for case on sustainability practices.
- Report on the seminal paper on sustainability management (group)Group assignment on the seminal paper on sustainability management.
- Reflections on the experiential learning (individual)The individual reflection papers for experiential learning assignments on museum visit.
- Final exam (individual)The final exam will consist of essay questions (50%), short questions (25%) and multiple choice questions (25%) covering all 8 modules of the course content. It will be held in a closed-book format.
Interim Assessment
- 2023/2024 1st module0.15 * Case study on sustainability management (group) + 0.4 * Final exam (individual) + 0.2 * Problem solving in tandem with a learning partner (group) + 0.1 * Reflections on the experiential learning (individual) + 0.15 * Report on the seminal paper on sustainability management (group)
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- Principles of management : practicing ethics, responsibility, sustainability, Laasch, O., 2021
- The power of and : responsible business without trade-offs, Freeman, R. E., 2020
Recommended Additional Bibliography
- KIM, A., BANSAL, P., & HAUGH, H. (2019). No Time Like the Present: How a Present Time Perspective Can Foster Sustainable Development. Academy of Management Journal, 62(2), 607–634. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2015.1295
- Laszlo, C. (2003). The Sustainable Company : How to Create Lasting Value Through Social and Environmental Performance. Washington, DC: Island Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=118249
- The Oxford Handbook of Corporate Social Responsibility [Электронный ресурс] / А.Crane, D.Matten, A.McWilliams, J.Moon, D.S.Siegel, eds.; БД oxfordhandbooks. - Oxford University Press; 2008. – Режим доступа: http://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199211593.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199211593 – Загл. с экрана.