📖Program Curriculum
Compulsory modules
All the modules in the following list need to be taken as part of this course.
Principles of Sustainability
Module Leader
Professor Paul Burgess
Aim
Human population growth and increased resource use per capita requires improved management of our global ecosystem. Approaches such as the “Sustainable Development Goals”, “Natural Capital”, “Ecosystem Services”, and “Planetary boundaries” provide frameworks for businesses and wider society to resolve the synergies and trade-offs between major economic, environmental and social challenges. The “Circular Economy” approach refers to the development of “restorative” industrial systems that are grounded on the lessons of non-linear, feedback-rich ecosystems. The third approach is to explore the nexus between renewable energy, food, and other ecosystem services using per capita energy and food consumption. This module introduces and critiques the above frameworks and examines their application to resolve real-world problems and create commercial opportunities.
Syllabus
Definitions of sustainability; the Sustainable Development Goals, moving from an “Empty World” to a “Full World”.
Natural capital, ecosystem processes and succession; the role of energy; feedback systems; biodiversity and system restoration.
Using an ecosystem services and “doughnut economics” approach: quantifying trade-offs and synergies; improving water and nutrient management, reducing greenhouse gases emissions, enhancing stability, resistance and resilience, and issues of equity.
Introduction to the circular economy: opportunities for businesses.
How design, manufacturing practice and management can contribute to a circular economy.
Case study: trade-offs, synergies, and opportunities to enhance well-being and ecosystem service provision in terms of energy, food, feed and wood for a case study area.
Intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module you should be able to:
Critique terms such as “sustainability”, “ecosystem services”, “biodiversity”, “human well-being”, “circular economy”, “per capita energy use”, “natural capital” and “doughnut economics”.
Evaluate how natural capital and ecosystem service approaches can guide businesses and society to make decisions regarding the use of ecological resources, with a focus on biodiversity, greenhouse gases, and water use.
Explain how we can enhance the stability, resistance and resilience of human and natural systems.
Explain how the “circular economy” provides commercial opportunities.
Use a per capita approach to explore the synergies between food, feed, wood, and renewable energy production to guide decision making and identify opportunities in the context of a case-study.
Economic Valuation and Appraisal
Module Leader
Dr Anil Graves
Aim
Environmental accounting is being used by institutions and businesses to guide decision making regarding competing projects and programmes. It involves financial appraisal, environmental valuation, and economic appraisal (or social cost-benefit analysis). This module explores the economic concepts and techniques that can be used for the valuation of non-market social and environmental services. You will also gain practical experience in extending a financial analysis to allow an economic appraisal.
Syllabus
Environmental accounting at business, sector and national levels.
Techniques for non-market valuation of social and environmental services: cost and income based approaches, demand estimation methods - expressed and revealed preference, choice modelling: examples of applications .
Principles and practice of financial and economic appraisal.
Case study application for an afforestation project in a spreadsheet environment.
Cost effectiveness analysis.
Intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module you should be able to:
Explain the purpose and methods of environmental accounting at business, sector and national levels.
Explain the difference between financial and economic valuation and appraisal.
Valuation: Critically assess strengths and weaknesses of different environmental valuation methods and techniques.
Appraisal: Critically evaluate different financial and economic appraisal metrics such as benefit: cost ratio, net present value, equivalent annual value, internal rate of return, and the choice of discount rate.
Undertake a financial and an economic appraisal in a spreadsheet environment.
Risk Communication and Perception
Module Leader
Dr Simon Jude
Aim
The aim of this module to develop an appreciation of the importance of individual and group attitudes towards the perception of risk and how this may influence views, conduct and actions in the face of a range of risks including the development of communication methods to disseminate information about risk(s) to a range of audiences and how to determine its effectiveness.
Syllabus
What is meant by the perception of risk and how it varies with context.
Attitudes towards risk based on psychological, cultural and other dimensions.
The role of various societal groups (the media, NGOs, etc) in risk issues.
Models of the amplification and attenuation of risk.
Understanding the “fright factors” in risk perception and the development of trust.
Horizon scanning and scenario building tools for communicating future risk to individuals and organisations.
Communicating risk messages to individuals, groups and society at large and errors in communication.
Intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module you should be able to:
Describe the “non-science” influences in risk assessment and management using sociological and psychological theories relating to risk perception, attitudes and communication.
Identify and evaluate drivers that may influence individual or group perceptions and attitudes towards risk in specific scenarios.
Participate in the discourse on the roles in society of different stakeholders (e.g. the media, NGOs, academics, government) with respect to risk assessment issues and to be able to describe to others why they have the beliefs they hold.
Demonstrate skills in listening to concerns from different individuals/groups towards risks and the ability to enter into dialogue with such groups.
Develop effective means of communication to suit specific or general situations and how to demonstrate its effectiveness, and critique methods based on theories and evidence.
Environmental Policy and Risk Governance
Module Leader
Dr Simon Jude
Aim
A critical application of environmental risk management is in the development and appraisal of policy in central government and business. Policies are developed to manage environmental risks and selection of policy options must be informed by risk based tools and techniques. Doing so demands a comprehension of the technical, organisational and human elements of governing environmental risks and developing environmental policy.
This module draws these themes together by introducing core concepts and then illustrating these concepts with case studies spanning business and government, and finally application via a group exercise. Core lectures are supported by multiple case studies, a workshop and module assignment.
Syllabus
Risk governance.
Problem definition.
Environmental risk analysis and management.
Delivering organisational change, including implementation challenges and opportunities.
Environmental policy development and appraisal.
Policy instruments.
Intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module you should be able to:
Define the technical, organisational and human features of effective environmental risk governance.
Explain the environmental policy cycle of implementation and the basics of policy development and appraisal.
Critically analyse different types of policy instruments, including regulation, economic, voluntary and other measures, and identify the appropriate policy instruments to use in different contexts.
Compare and contrast environmental risk management techniques, selecting tools appropriate to the character of the risk in question.
Identify the requirements of risk management maturity and the pre-requisites of good corporate risk governance, including the importance of demonstrating value and aligning risk governance with other organisational functions.
Leading Corporate Sustainability
Module Leader
Dr Namita Shete
Aim
Global sustainability challenges are shaping the way business operates in the 21st century. Businesses are under increasing pressure from multiple stakeholders (for e.g. shareholders, customers, employees, society) to manage their positive and negative impacts with clear responsibility and strategic intent. Leading firms are choosing to respond to these challenges by generating sustainable value propositions to ultimately drive competitive advantage. For many this has meant re-engaging at the level of purpose and re-addressing their role in wider society and for human well-being.
This module outlines the major sustainability challenges and explores the capabilities organisations require to respond positively to them. It will engage you in gaining a better understanding of how corporate action can be best configured to promote responsible and sustainable business strategies. In doing so, it will demand management students (as future business managers and leaders) to reflect on the long-standing debate about whether or not ‘the business of business, is still business?
Watch video: An introduction to the Leading Corporate Sustainability module
Syllabus
The content is organised around the sustainability management ‘compass’ below:
The course content is structured as follows:
Leading Corporate Sustainability
Part 1: Setting the context
Context setting
Managing corporate sustainability
Social and environmental trends
The role of business
The role of business
Challenges and opportunities for business
Exploring possible futures
Playing an interactive future sustainable scenario board game
Part 2: Developing the capabilities
Setting a purpose
Formulating and implementing strategy
Working with stakeholders
Innovating
Collaborating
Valuing
Leading
Intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module you should be able to:
Identify global environmental and social trends and assess how these present both challenges and opportunities to business and analyse the capabilities businesses need to manage these.
Classify the potential stakeholder groups businesses can work with to develop and implement their sustainability strategies and evaluate collaborative approaches.
Assess the role of personal leadership in an organization’s values, strategic direction and ability to execute its sustainability strategy.
Critically assess the content and reporting of businesses’ sustainability strategies.
Design and recommend a sustainability-oriented innovation for a selected business.
Evaluating Environmental Sustainability
Module Leader
Dr Chikage Miyoshi
Aim
The need to quantify sustainability is great, especially in a world in which scarce resources are in increasing demand and the effects of climate change become more apparent. Climate change will change our capacity to meet our demands for any resources.
Almost all economic activity causes some negative impacts on the environment, either directly or through goods and services that are bought in. Mitigation methods for reducing unwanted emissions can themselves create other negative environmental impacts as side effects, as well as the positive effects including externalities.
This module aims to consider and evaluate the above challenges quantitatively and critically and propose the strategic options to mitigate the negative impact by balancing it with the positive outcomes.
Syllabus
Environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) including carbon footprint.
Background and principles,
The fundamental techniques of demand forecasting,
Outline of life cycle assessment,
Examples of case studies from staff and/or PhD students related to the topics of soil, agri, food systems.
Intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module you should be able to:
Implement and evaluate forecasting techniques as one of the fundamental aspects of environmental assessment,
Apply the principles of Environmental Life Cycle Assessment quantitatively, including carbon footprints.
Critically evaluate sustainability claims of products, services and policies on the basis of the environmental assessment methods used including the economic sustainability.
Environmental Innovation
Module Leader
Professor Jim Harris
Aim
While technological change is seen as the root cause of many environmental problems, it is simultaneously viewed as the means of solving such problems. This module explores technological change as part of positive sum strategies put forward by ecological modernisers. Theories of technological change are reviewed such as evolutionary, path dependent and long wave, and used to formulate technology policy to achieve environmental net gain or transition to a low carbon economy. These are then set in practical contexts such as innovation in manufacturing, ecological restoration or low-carbon living.
Syllabus
Ecological Modernisation, definition, key aspects, objectives and methodology.
Development of associated policy frameworks, market failure, the role of governments, policies and mechanisms to address this.
Innovation: Technology Development, transfer, adoption and diffusion.
Innovation and sustainability, utility which process offers in this context, drivers and barriers.
Integrated Sustainable Technology Assessment in context.
Clusters, technology road-maps and the development of sustainable technologies.
Intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module you should be able to:
Explain the limitations of selected theories of technological change, e.g. linear, induced, path-dependent, and evolutionary.
Critically summarise the key trade-offs that occur in achieving technological change and economic development alongside environmental protection.
Discuss and present a summary of examples of technological change developed to achieve transition, e.g., to a low carbon economy.
Evaluate technology options and policy initiatives to stimulate transitions, e.g. to a low carbon economy using examples.
Concisely justify a proposal for an environmentally beneficial initiative.
Strategic Foresight
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