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