Module BUSI4BP15: Principles of Sustainable Business

Department: Management and Marketing

BUSI4BP15: Principles of Sustainable Business

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To equip students with a comprehensive understanding of how businesses can principles of sustainable business and how these inform organisational decision-making in addressing global challenges, including alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• To develop students' ability to apply principles of sustainable business to the design of business strategies and business modes supporting ethical decision-making and promoting cross-sector collaboration.
• To prepare students to lead and contribute to organisations by applying principles of sustainable business to balance economic performance with social and environmental considerations.

Content

• Foundations and principles of sustainable business including the role of business in addressing global social and environmental considerations.
• Ethical frameworks, corporate governance and leadership in sustainable business contexts.
• Sustainable business strategies and business models and their integration into organisational decision-making.
• Global value chains, stakeholder engagement and cross-sector collaboration for sustainability.
• Measurement, reporting and evaluation of corporate sustainability performance.
• Innovation, change and future directions in sustainable business practice.

Learning Outcomes

• Knowledge of the principles of sustainable business practices and how these shape organisational decision-making in addressing social, environmental and economic challenges.
• Understanding of firms contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across global value chains, informed by empirical evidence analysis.
• Ethical frameworks, governance arrangements and accountability mechanisms underpinning sustainable business conduct in a global context.
• Understanding of key sustainability metrics and reporting approaches used to measure corporate social and environmental impacts.

• Apply principles of sustainable business to analyse and evaluate business strategies and business models.
• Critically assess sustainability claims n performance, distinguishing between substantive practices and superficial or symbolic actions.
• Analyse stakeholder relationships and cross-sector collaboration, evaluating their role in addressing complex sustainability challenges.
• Use data, evidence and case material to support principled judgements about sustainable business decisions.

• Written and oral communication
• Critical thinking and problem solving
• Data interpretation and sustainability performance reporting
• Planning, organising, and time management

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 lectures, seminars, presentations and case-based discussions, supported by guided reading.
• Summative Assessment: Students will complete an individual sustainability project presented as a poster (A1 format, equivalent to 2,500 words), worth 100% of the module grade. This project assesses students' ability to apply sustainability principles to business practice, critically evaluate sustainability strategies, and effectively communicate their analysis.
• Formative Assessment: Formative feedback will be provided through active participation in seminar discussions, especially those involving case studies. This enables students to develop analytical and critical thinking skills through the discussion and evaluation of sustainability-related business cases and to receive ongoing feedback on their contributions.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Feedback will be provided on individual contributions to the class discussion on case studies.

■ Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University.