Overview

This core course engages students in examining the range of environmental and social sustainability challenges facing society and how these are being addressed in practice. The course adopts a problem-oriented approach. Students will examine practical sustainability problems and then consider how theory and research can be used to deepen our understanding of problems and solutions.

The practice of sustainability is key to businesses which is challenged to respond effectively to the covid-19 crisis and post-covid-19 era. Businesses have the onus to portray capacities for innovation, good governance, societal inclusiveness and environmental sustainability. Poor performance has often resulted in business failures, affecting not just shareholders but other stakeholders as well. The linkage of business with societal sustainability is of prime concern globally linking emerging markets to developed economies. Ethics, good governance, and sustainability impart resilience to risks and enables collaboration on trans- boundary generic issues such as, water – waste - energy.

PhD students will be better prepared to perform if they are able to incorporate into their strategic and leadership competency bandwidth understanding of how sustainability intersects with business practices– personal ethics - society – and the environment. It is imperative for post pandemic recovery for future leaders to develop a positive role as change agents capable leading the changer to a more sustainable world.

 

Learning Objectives

1. Know and apply management practices in strategic leadership and planning, supply chain management, measurement, and change management to sustainability problems in organizations
2. Apply management theories to the analysis of sustainability challenges in organizations
3. Assess ethical challenges facing managers as they seek to address sustainability challenges in organizations
4. Analyze findings from literature in a specific field of sustainability studies and identify and implications for policy and practice
5. Critically write and present a sustainability report on to a sustainability management practice