Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Postgraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2018-2019 (archived)

Module BUSI47U15: SUSTAINABILITY, ETHICS AND CHANGE (TAUGHT)

Department: Business School (Business)

BUSI47U15: SUSTAINABILITY, ETHICS AND CHANGE (TAUGHT)

Type Tied Level 4 Credits 15 Availability Available in 2018/19 Module Cap
Tied to N1KS17
Tied to N1KR17
Tied to N1N417
Tied to N1N317

Prerequisites

  • None

Corequisites

  • None

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • Sustainability, Ethics and Change (Online)

Aims

  • To explore the concept of global sustainability as it relates to business and other organisations;
  • To consider the role and purpose of business and other organisations in relation to other actors in society;
  • To review current trends in Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Governance;
  • To explore the management of change inside organisations to enable them to respond to significant multiple external challenges including commercial and sustainability imperatives.

Content

  • Global ecological sustainability and the impact on and responsibilities of organisations
  • The role and purpose of business and other organisations
  • Corporate Social Responsibility
  • Stakeholder theory
  • Corporate Governance
  • Management of change – models of transactional and transformational change

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:
  • By the end of the module students should be able to:
  • Critically evaluate the requirements of global ecological and social sustainability on business and other organisations
  • Critically evaluate the role and purpose of business and other organisations in relation to other actors in society
  • Critically evaluate trends in Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Governance in the light of stakeholder theory
  • Critically evaluate models for the management of change in organisations
  • Demonstrate advanced knowledge and understanding of: - the parameters for global ecological and social sustainability; - stakeholder theory and its relation to Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Governance; - theories and models of the management of change
Subject-specific Skills:
  • By the end of the module, students should:
  • Be competent in accessing and assimilating literatures of an advanced nature in global ecology, sustainability, stakeholder theory and change management
  • Be competent in applying them to organisational practice
Key Skills:
  • The ability to communicate effectively: communicating complex ideas orally and in writing;
  • The ability to think critically and creatively and to argue coherently

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • Learning outcomes will be met through a combination of taught input, groupwork, case studies and discussion, supported by guided reading and specially-written self-study material.
  • The summative assessment of the module is designed to test the acquisition and articulation of knowledge and critical understanding, and skills of application and interpretation within the business context.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
Workshops (a combination of taught input, groupwork, case studies and discussion), timetabled in blocks 28
Preparation and reading 122
150

Summative Assessment

Component: Assignment Component Weighting: 100%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Individual written essay on managing change for sustainability 4,000 words 100% Same

Formative Assessment:

Group-based presentation in class.


Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University