Sustainability Management
Nachhaltigkeitsmanagement
6 CPWinterENno longer offered
Contents
The module will trace the evolution of the concept and dimensions of Corporate Sustainability, from a purely financial bottomline to environmental, social and governance (including economic and ethics) considerations. Several sustainability frameworks will be discussed, including models of sustainable value creation (Hart and Milstein), creating shared value (Porter and Kramer), circular economy ( and the sustainability imperative (Lubin and Esty). These frameworks will be tested against a specific company, using its annual and sustainability reports, and then applied to the development of a sustainability vision and strategy for a company. The second part of the module will focus on ways to embed the sustainability perspective in management functions, such as operations, marketing, organizational behaviour and development, and finance and accounting.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to: 1. Discuss different sustainability frameworks applied to corporate sustainability; 2. Apply these frameworks in developing sustainability vision and strategies for a company; Embed the sustainability perspective in management functions, such as operations, marketing, organizational behavior and development, and finance and accounting.
Assessment
Exercise: Application of the frameworks to a specific company using its annual and sustainability reports (25%) Exercise: Development of sustainability vision and strategy to a local company of choice (25%) Focus Group Presentations: Incorporating sustainable processes/systems in operations, marketing, organizational behaviour and development, and finance and accounting (50%)
Literature (1)
- De los Reyes, G.Jr., Scholz, M., Smith, N.C. (2017). Beyond the Win-Win: Creating Shared Value Requires Ethical Frameworks. California Management Review 59 (2), 142-167. Ellen MacArthur Foundation & McKinsey Center for Business and Environment. (2015). Growth Within: A Circular Economy Vision for a Competitive Europe. Europe: SUN (Stiftungsfonds für Umweltökonomie und Nachhaltigkeit), Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and the McKinsey Center for Business and Environment. Hart, S.L & Milstein, M.B. (2003). Creating Sustainable Value. Academy of Management Executive, 17(2), pp. 56-69. Hopkinson, P., Zils, M., Hopkins, P, & Roper, S. (2018). Managing a Complex Global Economu Business Model. California Management Review 60 (3), 71-94. Korhonen, J. Nuur, C., Feldmann, a., & Birkie, S.E. (2018). Circular Economy as an Essentially Contested Concept. J. of Cleaner Production 175 (2018), 544-552. Lubin, D.A. & Esty, D.E. (2010). The Sustainability Imperative. Harvard Business Review May 2010, pp. 43-50. Murphy, C. & Rosenfield, J., Eds. (2016), The Circular Economy: Moving from Theory to Practice, McKinsey Center for Business and Environment Special Edition Porter, M.E. & Kramer, M.R. (2011). Creating Shared Value. Harvard Business Review, (Jan-Feb 2011), 1-17. WBCSD & BCG. (2018). The New Big Circle: Joint Report of the WBCSD and BCG. Geneva, Switzerland: World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
Remarks
Complementary module for study programme Bachelor and Master Environmental and Resource Management.
Source: BTU's module description · retrieved 18 Oct 2026Original