2018/19 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

SOEE3270 Business and Sustainable Development

10 creditsClass Size: 70

Module manager: Paul Abbott
Email: P.Abbott@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2018/19

This module is approved as a discovery module

Module summary

What is the business case for sustainable development? Can business entreprises make profits and be sustainable? What is the right trade-off between business interest and sustainability interest? How innovations can help sustainability in business organisations? If these questions motivate you then Business and Sustainable Development is the module you need. The module will focus on the strengths and limitations of the current wave of strategies and tools that can be subsumed under the umbrella terms of corporate social responsibility/ corporate sustainability.The module will help you understand what the current mode of voluntary, beyond compliance, stakeholder-oriented CSR can and cannot achieve in terms of Sustainable Development. The module will be taught through a combination of lecture and case studies, and has no pre-requisites.

Objectives

On completion of this module, students will:

- Have an understanding of why addressing environmental and social issues are important to move business towards sustainable development.
- Be able to analyse the linkages of business activities with society (present and future) and the natural environment within the concept of sustainable development at micro and macro levels.
- Understand the strengths and limitations of the current wave of strategies and tools that can be subsumed under the umbrella terms of corporate social responsibility/ corporate sustainability.
- Be capable of analysing whether business in its traditional form can address sustainable development.

Skills outcomes
The module places considerable emphasis on:
- recognising and using subject-specific theories, paradigms, concepts and principles;
- analysing, synthesising and summarising information critically, including prior research;
- applying knowledge and understanding to address familiar and unfamiliar problems;
- referencing work in an appropriate manner;
- receiving and responding to a variety of information sources (eg textual numerical, verbal, graphical).

Syllabus

Lectures, tutorials and seminars will comprise the following topics: introduction to business and Sustainable Development; CSR and related concepts; sustainable entrepreneurship/CSR in SMEs; the CSR business case; stakeholder management & legitimacy management; key issues in international CSR; international CSR strategy; CSR and poverty alleviation; CSR and environmental justice; and CSR in the context of Global Governance.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lecture	6	2.00	12.00
Seminar	5	2.00	10.00
Private study hours			78.00
Total Contact hours			22.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			100.00

Private study

- Reading;
- Exam preparation;
- Essay preparation and write up.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Feedback on essay and exam.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	2,000 words, excluding references and appendix	60.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		60.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Exams

Exam type	Exam duration	% of formal assessment
Open Book exam	1 hr 30 mins	40.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)		40.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 03/09/2018

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