Delivered at:: Department of Strategic and International Management

Course type:: Compulsory course

When:: 2 year, 1, 2 module

Instructor

Ivanova, Ekaterina

Full Syllabus

Abstract

This innovative course explores the critical intersection of business management and sustainability in today's rapidly evolving global marketplace. It equips future business leaders with the essential knowledge and skills to navigate global challenges while driving sustainable development and creating long-term value. "Sustainable Business Management" delves into how purpose-driven organizations can act as agents of world benefit, addressing planetary 'grand challenges' such as climate change, inequality, and social impacts of global supply chain practices. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of how to integrate sustainable practices into core business strategies, operations, and decision-making processes, aligning with the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria.The curriculum covers key topics such as circular economy principles, stakeholder engagement, corporate social responsibility, and the paradigm of humanistic management. This approach focuses on protecting dignity and promoting well-being rather than just wealth acquisition, emphasizing the shift towards a net-zero economy. Through case studies, interactive discussions, practical projects, and innovative experiential learning approaches, students will develop a holistic mindset that combines ecoliteracy, systems thinking, and emotional and spiritual intelligence. Students will learn to analyze sustainability-related risks and opportunities, implement sustainable business models, and measure the triple bottom line impact of their decisions.By the end of the course, students will be equipped with the knowledge and tools to drive sustainable innovations, enhance organizational resilience, and lead responsible businesses that contribute positively to both profit and planet. Students will emerge prepared to implement ethical and responsible management practices, engage diverse stakeholders, and drive positive change in both local and global contexts. This course aims to nurture a new generation of conscious business leaders capable of steering organizations towards higher purposes while addressing complex global issues. Students will be ready to navigate the complexities of sustainability, create competitive advantages in an increasingly conscious market environment, and contribute to making our planet a better place for living.

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 sustainability strategies in global business, developed and communicated in line with the generally accepted international frameworks and standards (e.g. the UN Global Compact, ISO 26000, GRI, etc.) and approaches for addressing the ESG challenges at the operational level;
Grow personally and professionally through experiential learning opportunities, based on learning from inspiring case studies and reflecting upon the interaction with ethical, responsible and sustainable management practices from the cutting edge guest-speakers;
Develop critical and appreciative view of the world, 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, and opportunities;
Create stories of local sustainability champions for the AIM2Flourish.com platform by addressing one or several of the UN’s SDGs.

Expected Learning Outcomes

• Interlink different subjects and disciplines on a specific, theoretical, methodological and empirical level
• Translate a complex societal problem into a scientific research question, develop a research design for a study to answer it, by applying up-to-date social empirical methods, such as appreciate inquiry interview
• 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 changing roles and expectations in the relationships between business, governments, society and nature in different contexts.
• 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.
• Acquire the capacity to listen and communicate to professionals and laymen in English with precision and clarity both orally and in writing.
• Analyze, communicate and present ideas, principles and evidence that support a reasoned and consistent argument.
• Contribute successfully to a peer work group, while delegating and coordinating tasks in culturally diverse teams.
• Through self-learning train how to effectively manage time, extract essence from large amount of information, and approach it analytically.
• Develop proficiency in analyzing complex organizational situations, identifying key problem areas, and formulating strategies for ethical, responsible and sustainable management practices in global business.
• Develop an ability to critically evaluate courses of managerial action in cases relating to ethical, responsible and sustainable management practices in global business.
• Synthesize material, write and debate analytically on current business ethics, responsible business and sustainable development problems in national and international contexts.
• Conduct research projects both independently and in groups in a multicultural context.
• Grow in personal awareness, creativity and independent critical thinking with relevance to complex social situations.
• Basic ICT competences for communicating, retrieving and elaborating on the UN SDGs research projects.
• Demonstrate solid knowledge and thorough understanding of the complexities of incorporating challenges of sustainable development into organizational strategies and sustainable lifestyles.

Course Contents

Introduction into sustainable development
Concepts and reasons for sustainability management
Sustainability strategies and stakeholder perspectives
Experiential learning on sustainability management
Sustainability management in tools and instruments
Final presentations on the AIM2Flourish project

Assessment Elements

Case study on sustainability management (group)
In class moderated group activity on the case-study.
Reflection papers (individual)
Written reflection papers.
UN SDGs research project AIM2Flourish.com (group and individual)
Experiential learning project @ AIM2Flourish.com
Book world café and cinemalogia (group)
In class group facilitated discussion

Interim Assessment

2024/2025 2nd module
0.2 * Reflection papers (individual) + 0.2 * Book world café and cinemalogia (group) + 0.2 * Case study on sustainability management (group) + 0.4 * UN SDGs research project AIM2Flourish.com (group and individual)

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

Principles of management : practicing ethics, responsibility, sustainability, Laasch, O., 2021
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.
The power of and : responsible business without trade-offs, Freeman, R. E., 2020

Recommended Additional Bibliography

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

Authors

IVANOVA EKATERINA ALEKSANDROVNA

Master’s Programme 'Business Informatics: Digital Enterprise and Information Systems Management'

Contacts

Sustainable Business Management