ENS5810 · Sustainable business and innovation

Overview

Global sustainability challenges such as climate change, widening inequality, food insecurity, and ecosystems decline are creating greater levels of complexity and risk for business strategy and operations. Evolving legislative, regulatory, investor and societal trends are pushing business to do better by addressing associated environmental, societal, governance and ethical impacts. Failure to respond can lead to significant financial, policy, competitor, investor, and reputational risk. Consequently, business is needing to rethink sustainability value creation in radically different ways. The unit integrates insights from sustainable development, business management, business innovation, environmental and social sciences and systems thinking. You will demonstrate broad knowledge of global sustainable development challenges; critique current incremental sustainable business responses and approaches; interrogate systems focused frameworks and sustainable business models; and apply transformative tools to a real business. You will develop and demonstrate their employability-readiness through the application of new knowledge and skills to real-world challenges including: systems thinking; strategic sustainability analysis; research and evaluation; critical thinking and reflection; intercultural and interdisciplinary understanding; professional communication and teamwork.

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

Learning outcomes

1. Demonstrate broad knowledge of ecological and societal challenges and critically reflect on the interconnectedness with business;
2. Evaluate current business approaches to address sustainable development in global contexts;
3. Interrogate sustainable business model theories and frameworks for creating systems value;
4. Acquire practical skills and tools for transforming business to be future-fit.

Workload

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Independent study may include associated readings, assessment and preparation for scheduled activities. You are expected to complete all pre-class activities prior to your scheduled class, and post-class activities should be completed after your scheduled class. Learning activities may include a combination of teacher directed, peer directed and online engagement activities.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.