96179 - SUSTAINABILITY TRANSITION MANAGEMENT M

Learning outcomes

The overarching aim of the course is to provide students with frameworks and tools to understand Sustainability Transition Management, particularly regarding the role of business and innovation.

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Understand sustainability transition and its different dimensions.
• Understand the role sustainability management plays in organisations.
• Critically assess the implementation and use of sustainability tools.
• Develop the competencies to kick-start or follow up a sustainability path in organisations.

Course contents

Prerequisites

No prerequisites are required for this course. Given that the course will be delivered in English, good reading, writing and listening English skills are expected.

 

Introduction to sustainability transition

We will explore how sustainable businesses have evolved with time and the scope of sustainability management, from the focal firm operations to their whole value chains. An introduction to sustainability transition theory will be provided exposing its interdisciplinary nature. The role business can play in sustainability transitions will be detailed. The first part of the course concludes with an overview of sustainable business models and practical examples.

 

Sustainability strategy

Companies need to develop a sustainability strategy to incorporate sustainability into their activities; however, this might be a challenging task. The second part of the course will focus on the steps related to developing a sustainability strategy and associated instruments that can assist in this process. 

 

Climate action

Climate change is one of the main challenges companies are currently facing. We will explore climate change and the physical science behind it. We will discuss how companies can develop strategies to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Current guidelines and instruments associated with climate action will be presented.

Readings/Bibliography

A complete set of readings will be available at UniBo Virtuale Platform (virtuale.unibo.it). The readings are pre-readings, which should be completed prior to each day’s session.

Teaching methods

• Lectures.
• Case studies.
• Hands-on exercises and Group Work.

Assessment methods

1. For students attending the course the final exam will consist of:

• A set of theoretical questions (multiple-choice) on the whole program;
• A Project Work (PW) developed in teams. The project will be discussed in a 15 minutes presentation where all members of the group are expected to participate. It should also be accompanied by a report (> 10 pages) aimed at describing the results obtained.

Exam is scored using the following criteria:

• Theoretical questions: 50% of the final grade;
• Project work content: 35% of the final grade;
• Project work presentation: 5% of the final grade;
• Individual participation in the project work and contribution: 10% of the final grade.
  

 

2. For students NOT attending the course the final exam will consist of:

• A set of theoretical questions (multiple-choice) on the whole program;
• Two written open-handeded questions on the whole program;
• An oral exam.

Exam is scored using the following criteria:

• Theoretical questions (multiple-choice): 40% of final grade;
• Open-handed questions: 20% of the final grade;
• Oral exam: 40% of final grade.

The exam will take place according to the timetable of the School and communicated through the platform AlmaEsami (https://almaesami.unibo.it [https://almaesami.unibo.it/] ).

Teaching tools

Slides and complementary material on case studies will be provided to students. Also, a project work will be conducted throughout the course.

Office hours

See the website of Leticia Canal Vieira