Established by: Dean of Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics, 2024-06-05
Contents
Sustainability has immense impacts within business and business landscapes, which is seen in the move away from carbon-intensive products and technologies and interest in circular economy. Due to continuous and aggregated transgressions of planetary boundaries, firms face sustainability challenges, e.g., relating to the increasingly forceful transitional policies and the physical risks of climate change. The course prepares students to organize and manage firms' changes accordingly. This means, for instance, learning about instrumental, integrative, and so-called "strong" approaches to corporate sustainability and their consequences for managers, employees, and other stakeholders. Moreover, it also pertains to understanding the challenge climate change poses for businesses.
Expected learning outcomes
After completing the course, the student should be able to:
Knowledge and understanding
identify sustainability challenges and critically reflect upon how they relate to organizing and managing.
discriminate instrumental, integrative, and strong approaches to sustainable organizing and management within and across business.
Skills and ability
develop and argue for instrumental, integrative, and strong approaches to organizing and managing sustainability and climate change.
appraise and judge the consequences of corporate sustainability approaches, for instance, concerning environmental effectiveness, social justice, and organizational performance.
critically discuss organizational approaches to climate change.
communicate central concepts for the course in English, both orally and in writing.
Judgment and approach
justifying and defending a particular approach to organizing and managing for sustainability.
Required Knowledge
90 credits out of which 75 credits in Business Administration whereof 15 credit bachelor courses or equivalent. Approved 52,5 credits whereof 7,5 credits in bachelor courses. Proficiency in English equivalent to Swedish upper secondary course English B/6.
Form of instruction
In addition to lectures, students' learning is supported by mandatory literature seminars, workshops, and casework. The casework teaches students different modes of organizing corporate sustainability and lets students develop their examples. Casework is reported via oral and written presentations.
Examination modes
The examination consists of:
individual written literature seminar memos (graded as Fail/Pass).
individual workshops (graded as Fail/Pass)
written group assignment with oral presentation
a written individual hall exam.
The following grading system is used: Pass with distinction (Väl godkänd, VG, 75% or more), Pass (Godkänd, G, 50% or more), and Fail (Underkänd U, less than 50%).
Grades on the course are awarded when the student has passed all the examinations.
A student who does not pass the first examination will be offered an opportunity to sit a re- examination within two months. An additional examination opportunity is normally offered every academic year, one week prior to the start of the autumn term. If required by specific circumstances, other form of examination can be used.
A student that has failed an examination on two occasions has a right to have another examiner or grading teacher appointed, unless there are special reasons against it. A written request addressed to the Director of Studies should be made no later than 14 days before the next examination opportunity.
Adaptations Examiners may decide to deviate from the modes of assessment in the course syllabus. Individual adaptation of modes of assessment must give due consideration to the student's needs. The adaptation of modes of assessment must remain within the framework of the intended learning outcomes in the course syllabus. Students who require an adapted examination - and have received a decision on the right to support from the coordinator at the Student Services Office for students with disabilities - must submit a request to the department holding the course no later than 10 days before the examination. The examiner decides on the adaptation of the examination, after which the student will be notified.
Academic integrity and cheating As a student, you are expected to act with academic integrity. This means writing and presenting within the limits of the academic rules and expectations communicated in the university's regulations and what is otherwise specified by the responsible department. Disciplinary action may be taken against students who use unauthorized help aids or in some other way try to mislead on a test or on another type of task for examination. Rules and regulations concerning the production of academic texts and correct referencing will be applicable to written assignments. Submitted material may be subject to plagiarism control. In addition, Umeå University rules and regulations for education and research apply.
Other regulations
Academic credit transfers are according to the university credit transfer regulations.
Literature
Valid from:
2025 week 2
Literature
The course is mainly based on articles available from Umeå University library's databases. There will be about 15-20 scientific articles (approx. 200-300 pages) as required readings for the module, featuring bodies of literature such as corporate sustainability and organization and management research into climate change. The literature list will be available at the start of the module.
