The Sustainable Business Challenge

Tutors:Liz Walley (Unit leader) l.walley@mmu.ac.ukWebsite: http://www.business.mmu.ac.uk/staff/staffdetails.php?uref=12 Karen Greig k.greig@mmu.ac.ukWebsite:http://www.business.mmu.ac.uk/staff/staffdetails.php?uref=433

Outline

• Summary of the unit and topics taught• Unit delivery• Assessment and resources (core text)• Employability

3 Pillars

Three Pillars

Topics covered in the unit

• Concepts of corporate sustainability• Corporate environmental strategy• Sustainable business models: natural capitalism;

triple bottom line, the natural step, industrial ecology, cradle-to-cradle

• Sustainable products & production• Sustainable consumption & marketing• Environmentalism & sceptical approaches• Green managers and green entrepreneurs

Unit Delivery

• Taught/delivered over 10 weeks, 4 hours per week

• Unit is delivered jointly by Liz Walley & Karen Greig, roughly 50/50.

• In 2010/11 the unit was delivered in term 2 on Wednesdays , 11am -1pm & 2pm – 4pm

• Each week is a mixture of lectures, tutorials, case studies, etc

Assessment & Resources

• One individual assignment report, approximately 5000 words. There is a choice of assignment topics and focus

• Core textbook: DesJardins J.R. (2007) ‘Business Ethics and the Environment: imagining a sustainable future’ Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey

Employability

• The unit is intended to be relevant for students:– wishing to pursue a specialist environmental

sustainability career path – And to a range of other general business roles

• Student quote, (now working in the environmental industry):“I have realised how relevant and well-rounded the material was. I really believe the concepts I learned and the breadth of material made available to us has given me a sound foundation to begin my career in the industry…”(Alice Boswell BREEM Consultant, Reegen)