Sustainable Business: Strategy & Innovation

Course description

Climate change, environmental pollution, waste of resources and the decline of biodiversity clearly show mankind that processes of change are necessary. On a policy level, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris climate agreement and the Green New Deal are setting the stage, at the corporate level, standards such as environmental social and governance (ESG) reporting, supply chain integrity and voluntary certification, and diversity are critical to long-term business success.

How are companies innovating towards more sustainability today? What are the criteria, the success factors and the strategic approaches to tackle consumer, policy, employee and societal demand for more sustainability?

This course will look at current sustainability frameworks, sustainable companies and sustainable innovation. The participants will get to know and to apply collaborative tools to be better prepared for a business environment. One focus will be on the development of a sustainable business model or project, based on which we will learn and try out modern methods such as the Sustainable Business Canvas, Design Thinking, Effectuation and the Blue Ocean Strategy.

Student profile

Students interested in evaluating and creating business-related sustainability strategies that are relevant for future business development and leadership positions, entrepreneurs, sustainability consultants, NGO- and policy-related careers, and policy in general and public debates.

Course requirements

1. Regular attendance and active participation in class.
2. Group presentation in class (about 30 minutes) on a project of the course.
3. Final Exam with questions on the course project and the course contents.

Grading

• 30% - Class Participation
• 40% - Presentation (learning groups)
• 30% - Exam

- Class Participation means regular, active participation.

- The presentation will be a presentation on a project of the course students will prepare in a small learning group. It will provide a useful opportunity for cohort cooperation and feedback. The final exam will include questions on the course project and the course contents.

Readings

A digital course reader will be provided.

• Steffen, W., Richardson, K., Rockström, J., et al. (2015). Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet. Science, 347(6223), 736–746.
• Raworth, K. (2012). A safe and just space for humanity: Can we live within the doughnut? Oxfam Discussion Papers. Oxford: Oxfam.
• Schoneveld, G. (2020) Sustainable business models for inclusive growth: Towards a conceptual foundation of inclusive business, Journal of Cleaner Production Volume 277, 20 December 2020, 124062
• Geissdoerfer M et al., (2020), Circular business models: A review, Journal of Cleaner Production Volume 277, 20 December 2020, 123741
• Sarasvathy, S. D. (2001). Causation and Effectuation: Toward A Theoretical Shift from Economic Inevitability to Entrepreneurial Contingency. The Academy of Management Review 26(2).