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Cursus: GEO4-2601
GEO4-2601
Business and Sustainability Challenges
Cursus informatie
CursuscodeGEO4-2601
Studiepunten (EC)7,5
Cursusdoelen
The objective of this course is to introduce the students to the sustainability challenges and discourses and the role that companies are playing in this (whether impacting negatively or positively).
 
After completion of the course, the student is able to:
  • understand the global sustainability challenges;
  • evaluate the major sustainability oriented alternatives (technological, managerial, and organisational);
  • evaluate the importance of systems and life cycle thinking;
  • evaluate the role and impacts that businesses have on the environment and societies (positive and negative);
  • evaluate how businesses can influence the context they are operating in, and vice versa how the context pressurises the businesses to act/change in a sustainable way.
Inhoud
Sustainability has grown into a societal paradigm that cannot be ignored by firms.  Consumers, citizens, NGOs and policy makers clearly express the demand that firms innovate and do business in a way that is socially responsible.  Firms know that they need to deal with this growing societal demand but struggle in their efforts realizing this. Path dependencies, lack of knowledge and internal resistance to change make change difficult.  This course, therefore, offers preliminary insight in sustainability challenges, technological  options that can be used by firms to produce in a more environmental friendly manner and social science knowledge that creates insight in the behavior of organizations, stakeholders involved and organizational change and innovation.
 
Through lectures and guest lectures by experts and businesses we will discuss the global challenges and how they affect firms to change their practices. What kind of strategies do they have to change their practices within the firm?  What kind of strategies do they have to change the context in which they operate? Which kind of technological options can they apply to achieve the change?
 
Concepts that will be treated in this course are:
  • Sustainable development and sustainability discourses
  • Systems thinking
  • Life cycle thinking
  • Corporate Sustainability (focusing on the role of businesses in contributing to sustainable development)
The challenges that will discussed and presented by experts will be about Climate Change, Energy, Water, Food and Health.

This course is an entry requirement for:
  • Consultancy Project SBI (GEO4-2605)
  • Master’s Thesis Internship (GEO4-2606)
Academic skills: Concise writing, valuing literature, giving feedback
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