Corporations can no longer ignore the impact of increasing formal (regulatory) and informal (community) expectations relating to their impact on society and the natural environment. As a result, implementing sustainability has become an increasingly important strategic intent of corporations. This course examines the scope and reasons behind these expectations, and evaluates the impact on corporations operating in a dynamic competitive environment in a capitalist economy. The course takes the perspective of an individual corporation that wants to: examine both its internal and external environments to determine the range of sustainability issues that it faces, including climate change and the path to net zero; develop strategies for sustainable practices that enhance its competitive position; make a case to a range of stakeholders, including owners, for the adoption of those sustainable practices.

 

This course aims to promote an understanding, within the context of a capitalist economy, of:

• the importance to each individual corporate entity of corporate sustainability;
• the inter-relationship between the natural environmental, social, and economic aspects of corporate sustainability;
• key drivers and inhibitors, both external and internal to the corporation, of the natural environmental and social aspects of corporate sustainability;
• the impact that climate change has on organisations operations and strategy;
• the roles of social and natural environmental risk, and product and process innovation, in developing corporate sustainability; and
• theoretical and practical constraints on the development of a business case for corporate sustainability;

 

and provide an overview of:

• the principal ‘toolkits' currently used by practitioners to recognise and appropriately resolve natural environmental and social sustainability issues in pursuing sustainable business strategy; and
• current best practice in corporate sustainability.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Identify issues that relate to the relationship between the corporation, its natural environmental and social sustainability
2. Apply sustainability concepts in the business context
3. Discuss contemporary issues driving business model innovation for sustainability
4. Argue the business case for sustainability for an organisation
5. Develop appropriate policies and tactics to address sustainability strategies for the organisation 

Research-Led Teaching

This course takes on an innovative approach where students will engage in learning through materials available on Wattle and live lectures and tutorials. This course draws on and teaches models and frameworks based on empirical research in management theory, organisational behaviour, and psychology and as such, takes an evidence-based approach to management. The assessments in the course require students to engage in analytic and critical thinking and the application of the models and frameworks to observational data. Further, students will be provided with the opportunity to develop research literacy through the use of examples and discussion of research design and methodology relevant to the discipline. The course convener has practical experience in all topics covered in the course and will incorporate discussion of this experience into the seminars, which include tutorial activities that will also be guided by research findings in the discipline and positively allow students to experience managerial training as well.

Field Trips

N/A

Additional Course Costs

N/A

Examination Material or equipment

There is a final examination for this course held during the end-of-semester examination period. All examination information will be communicated directly to students by the ANU Examinations Office. Further advice will be provided before Week 9.

Required Resources

There is no required textbook.

Recommended Resources

Steg, L. & de Groot, J. I. M. (2019). Environmental Psychology (2nd Ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.

The textbook is available as a hard copy from the bookstore or as an e-book from the publisher; e-book licenses are also available from the Library.

Any further readings will be made available via the course Wattle page as necessary.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Written comments
• Verbal comments
• Feedback to the whole class, to groups, and to individuals

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Week 1: Introduction; What is corporate sustainability? Why does it matter?	Course introductionIntroduction to assignment structureReview of basic concepts
2	Week 2: Attitudes, Values, and Beliefs	Readings:Ch. 17 Values and Pro-Environmental Behaviour Ito, K., & Li, L. M. W. (2019). Holism and pro-environmental commitment: An examination on the mediating roles of affective and cognitive determinants. Personality and Individual Differences, 149, 160-166.Schultz, P. W., Gouveia, V. V., Cameron, L. D., Tankha, G., Schmuck, P., & Franek, M. (2005). Values and their relationship to environmental concern and conservation behavior. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 36(4), 457-475.Johnson, K. A., Liu, R. L., Minton, E. A., Bartholomew, D. E., Peterson, M., Cohen, A. B., & Kees, J. (2017). US citizens’ representations of God and support for sustainability policies. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 36(2), 362-378.
3	Week 3: Emotions	Readings: Ch. 19 Emotions and Pro-Environmental BehaviourZhao, H., Zhang, H., Xu, Y., Lu, J., & He, W. (2018). Relation between awe and environmentalism: The role of social dominance orientation. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1-12.Onwezen, M. C., Bartels, J., & Antonides, G. (2014). Environmentally friendly consumer choices: Cultural differences in the self-regulatory function of anticipated pride and guilt. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 40, 239-248.Watkins, H. M., & Goodwin, G. P. (2020). Reflecting on sacrifices made by past generations increases a sense of obligation towards future generations. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 46(7), 995-1012.
4	Week 4: Social Norms	Readings: Ch. 18 Social Norms and Pro-Environmental BehaviourSchultz, P. W., Nolan, J. M., Cialdini, R. B., Goldstein, N. J., & Griskevicius, V. (2007). The constructive, destructive, and reconstructive power of social norms. Psychological Science, 18, 429-434.Cialdini, R. B., Reno, R. R., & Kallgren, C. A. (1990). A focus theory of normative conduct: Recycling the concept of norms to reduce littering in public places. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 1015-1026.Sparkman, G., & Walton, G. M. (2017). Dynamic norms promote sustainable behavior, even if it is counternormative. Psychological Science, 28(11), 1663-1674.
5	Week 5: Personality and Individual Differences	Readings: Markowitz, E. M., Goldberg, L. R., Ashton, M. C., & Lee, K. (2012). Profiling the “pro-environmental individual”: A personality perspective. Journal of Personality, 80(1), 81-111.Brick, C., & Lewis, G. J. (2016). Unearthing the “green” personality: Core traits predict environmentally friendly behavior. Environment and Behavior, 48(5), 635-658.Milfont, T. L., Richter, I., Sibley, C. G., Wilson, M. S., & Fischer, R. (2013). Environmental consequences of the desire to dominate and be superior. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 39(9), 1127-1138.
6	Week 6: Motivation	Readings: Zaval, L., Markowitz, E. M., & Weber, E. U. (2015). How will I be remembered? Conserving the environment for the sake of one’s legacy. Psychological Science, 26, 231-236.Feygina, I., Jost, J. T., & Goldsmith, R. E., (2010). System justification, the denial of global warming, and the possibility of “system-sanctioned change.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36, 326-338.Griskevicius, V., Tybur, J. M., & Van den Bergh, B. (2010). Going green to be seen: Status, reputation, and conspicuous conservation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 98(3), 392-404.
7	Week 7: Group Process	Readings: Ch. 23 The Role of Group Processes in Environmental Issues, Attitudes, and BehavioursFerguson, M. A., & Branscombe, N. R. (2010). Collective guilt mediates the effect of beliefs about global warming on willingness to engage in mitigation behavior. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30(2), 135-142.Gromet, D. M., Kunreuther, H., & Larrick, R. P. (2013). Political ideology affects energy-efficiency attitudes and choices. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(23), 9314-9319.
8	Week 8: Cultural Process	Readings: Eom, K., Papadakis, V., Sherman, D. K., & Kim, H. S. (2019). The psychology of proenvironmental support: In search of global solutions for a global problem. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 28(5), 490-495.Eom, K., Kim, H. S., Sherman, D. K., & Ishii, K. (2016). Cultural variability in the link between environmental concern and support for environmental action. Psychological Science, 27, 1331-1339.Preston, J. L., & Baimel, A. (2021). Towards a psychology of religion and the environment. Current Opinion in Psychology, 40, 145-149.
9	Week 9: Behavioural Change	Readings: Ch. 26 Informational Strategies to Promote Pro-Environmental Behaviour: Changing Knowledge, Awareness, and Attitudes  Ch. 27 Encouraging Pro-Environmental Behaviour with Rewards and Penalties Ch. 28 Persuasive Technology to Promote Pro-Environmental Behaviour Bain, P. G., Hornsey, M. J., Bongiorno, R., & Jeffries, C. (2012). Promoting pro-environmental action in climate change deniers. Nature Climate Change, 2(8), 600-603.
10	Week 10: Corporate Social Responsibility - Consumer Perspective	Readings: Sen, S., Du, S., & Bhattacharya, C. B. (2016). Corporate social responsibility: A consumer psychology perspective. Current Opinion in Psychology, 10, 70-75.
11	Week 11: Corporate Social Responsibility - Employee Perspective	Readings: Glavas, A. (2016). Corporate social responsibility and organizational psychology: An integrative review. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 162654.
12	Week 12: Final Exam Review	No Required Reading

Tutorial Registration

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

This course is taught in Seminars, which incorporates both lecture and tutorial together. Seminar registration is compulsory, and students that are unable to attend should contact the convenor in O Week to discuss options.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Tutorial Participation - 10%	10 %	*	3,4,5
Take Home Quiz - 20% (2 x 10%)	20 %	*	1,2
Tutorial Quiz - 20% (2 x 10%)	20 %	*	1,2
Group Presentation (15%)	15 %	*	1,2,3,4,5
Final Exam - 35%	35 %	28/11/2024	1,2,3,4,5

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

Participation is expected in all classes and assessments are based on the content and experiences within, therefore attendance and participation are expected in line with the "Code of Practice of Teaching and Learning" clause 2 paragraph (b). Lectures and tutorials will be face-to-face. Students are expected to read the course material (Seminar notes and Academic Journal) prior to attending as this will aid with both learning and the weekly assessment. Weekly consultations are posted for students that would like to drop in and ask questions.

Examination(s)

The final examination for the course will be held during the end-of-semester examination period.

All examination information will be communicated directly to students by the ANU Examinations Office. Further advice and information will be provided in-class and on Wattle by the end of Week 12. Details will be discussed in Week 12.

Assessment Task 1

Tutorial Participation - 10%

Details of task:

It is essential to your learning – and the learning of others in the class – that you are fully involved in the course. This means that you need to:

a) Attend class – though much learning will be done outside the classroom, class time is a valuable, scarce resource. You are expected to arrive ready to begin class on time; to not leave until class is over; and to attend all classes. If for any special reason you are unable to meet these requirements, please talk to the course convenor about it.

b) Actively participate in the learning – we owe it to ourselves and our colleagues to participate as fully as possible in the class sessions.

In-class exercises to be submitted either in class or through Wattle may be part of the participation task.

Marking Criteria:

This component is intended to evaluate the level and quality of your contribution to seminar discussions, which should reflect your analytical and problem-solving skills. More specifically, it assesses your ability to engage, work together in a team setting, and to communicate your views effectively. This assessment specifically addresses Learning Outcomes 3, 4, 5 by evaluating your ability to communicate effectively throughout the semester on sustainability issues for an organisation or broader society.

Assessment Task 2

Take Home Quiz - 20% (2 x 10%)

Take Home Quiz (2 x 10%)

Details of the task: Students take two take-home quizzes throughout the course (open book format). Each quiz includes 10 multiple-choice questions. Quantitative feedback will be provided during the semester and you may discuss your results and how to improve at any time with the course convenor. The exact dates and times of when the questions will be made available will be posted on Wattle in Week 1 after ANU Timetable is finalised.

Due dates: 23:59 pm on

11 Aug (end of Week 3) and 29 Sep (end of Week 8)

Return of assessment: After the quiz closes

Method of submission: The tasks will be submitted via Wattle. Additional details will be provided on Wattle in Week 1.

Late submission of this assessment task is not permitted

 

Assessment Task 3

Tutorial Quiz - 20% (2 x 10%)

Tutorial Quiz (2 x 10%)

Details of Task:

Students take two in-class quizzes throughout the course (closed book format). Quizzes are taken during tutorial sessions, and each quiz includes 10 questions. This component will assess student's knowledge of the course materials covered in the textbook/lecture notes. Quantitative feedback will be provided during the semester and you may discuss your results and how to improve at any time with the course convenor.

Due dates: Students need to submit their quizzes within the tutorial sessions. In-class quizzes will be taken in the tutorial sessions in Week 6 and Week 10.

Return of assessment: within 2 weeks after each submission

Method of submission: The tasks will be submitted via Wattle. Additional details will be provided on Wattle in Week 1.

Assessment Task 4

Group Presentation (15%)

This is an exercise to help students apply the obtained knowledge to understanding and driving change in real-world contexts. Students will form groups of 4-5 (depending on the enrollment number), and each group presents their analysis of defined sustainability problems in the organizational context or broader society. Each group defines a specific problem of interest or a target behaviour and presents its own analysis of psychological issues relevant to the issue and how to make significant change by employing a specific framework, theory, and/or concept covered in class. 

Due dates: Group presentations will occur during the tutorial sessions in Week 11 and Week 12. Groups present in their assigned week and submit their presentation material by the end of the session in which they presented. Presentations will be recorded for quality assurance purposes.

Marking criteria: The marking criteria will be provided on Wattle.

Feedback: Within 2 weeks of submission

Assessment Task 5

Final Exam - 35%

A final examination (in person and on campus) will be conducted during the formal final examination period. The examination will be designed to assess the student's understanding of the Course materials. Detailed information about the Final Exam for this course will be provided in class and on Wattle by the end of Week 10. It will be conducted during the end-of-semester examination period on a date and time to be announced.

Return of assessment: with the release of final grades (28 November 2024)

Late submission of this assessment task is not permitted

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure

 

All requests for extensions to assessment in RSM courses must be submitted through the CBE extension request portal: CBE Assessment Extension Request Form. Further information on this process can be found at https://rsm.anu.edu.au/study/students/extension-application-procedure

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Returning Assignments

Please see relevant assessment task details above

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

Unless specified otherwise in the assignment requirements, resubmissions are permitted up until the due date and time, but not allowed afterwards

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information. In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service — including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy. If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes. Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students