21954 Sustainable Enterprise in Dynamic Systems
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Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 3 cp
Subject level:
Postgraduate
Result type: Grade and marksThere are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Anti-requisite(s): 210954 Sustainable Enterprise in Dynamic Systems
Description
This subject provides students with systemic and sustainable business models to analyse business opportunities arising from complex issues related to grand sustainability challenges. It equips students to systematically understand and analyse the dynamic interrelationships and interdependencies between business, society and the natural environment. Conceptualising business as a multiscalar activity system, students are encouraged to explore new sustainable business models that generate value for the natural environment, society and the economy. The subject enables students to understand the leading principles, practices, policies and processes that organisations implement when they adopt a sustainable business approach. By analysing contemporary practices, students have an opportunity to determine how an organisation might transition to becoming a sustainable organisation. Such sustainability transitions are positioned as opportunities for business to proactively engage with sustainability issues within their stakeholder networks. Within this framework students develop a sustainable business strategy, model or change plan that could be implemented within an existing corporation or small-medium-sized organisation.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| 1. | analyse systemic and sustainable business models as nested in social and ecological systems, multi-scalar and complex |
|---|---|
| 2. | apply the principles and tools of complex systems thinking to sustainable business challenges and/or opportunities |
| 3. | apply key concepts and techniques of voluntary reporting, sustainable business models and certification systems that could progress organisations towards social and environmental sustainability |
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
This subject introduces students to sustainable and systemic business models and provides analytical frameworks to understand and analyse business opportunities and challenges. It equips students to understand and analyze the dynamic interrelationships and interdependencies between business, society and the natural environment from a complexity/holistic point of view. Through these frameworks the subject enables students to develop sustainable business models that proactively address social and ecological issues. The subject explores new business models emerging in the sustainable economy, such as the Circular Economy, and the implications of these models for management in relation to business model innovation, developing sustainable supply networks and change transitions.
Teaching and learning strategies
Classes adopt a blended learning approach that combines inquiry based and experiential learning techniques. Through a flipped learning approach students are directed to access pre-read materials for each main content area.
During the first two modules, students will develop an analysis of an organisation in relation to its social and ecological systems context and using specific sustainability frameworks, models and practices. This ongoing task is built into an online learning platform through which students will receive ongoing feedback. Lectures are delivered in a dialogic style to maximize critical engagement with the foundation concepts. Students experience collaborative learning through engagement in-class with systems mapping activities, case studies, stakeholder analysis and presentations. During the final module, students will create a sustainable transition development plan through an in-class creative brainstorming session and they will continue the development of this project through guided learning via an online.
The teaching management system is the online platform used to deliver the online and digital context for each module, to share course information, enable peer interaction, and provide feedback between staff and students.
Content (topics)
- Sustainability principles such as complexity, resilience and adaptability within planetary boundaries.
- Drivers of sustainability - the dynamic business environment as nested in social and ecological systems at the global, national and organisational level.
- Sustainable and systemic business models
- Conceptualising sustainability transitions
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Sustainable business analysis
| Objective(s): | This addresses subject learning objective(s): 1 and 2 |
|---|---|
| Type: | Reflection |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 50% |
Assessment task 2: Sustainable Business Development
| Objective(s): | This addresses subject learning objective(s): 3 |
|---|---|
| Type: | Reflection |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 50% |
Minimum requirements
Students must achieve at least 50% of the subject’s total marks and attend both assessments.
Required texts
There is no standard text for this subject. Instead please refer to the readings provided on Canvas.
References
Benn, S., Edwards, M., & Williams, T. (2018). Organisational Change for Corporate Sustainability.
Bocken, N., S. Short, P. Rana and S. Evans, "A literature and practice review to develop sustainable business model archetypes," Journal of Cleaner Production, 65, 42–56.
Markard, J., Raven, R., & Truffer, B. (2012). Sustainability transitions: An emerging field of research and its prospects. Research policy, 41(6): 955-967.
Reeves, M., Levin, S., & Ueda, D. (2016). The biology of corporate survival. Harvard Business Review, 94(1): 46-55.
Steffen, W., Richardson, K., Rockström, J., Cornell, S.E., Fetzer, I., Bennett, E.M., Biggs, R., Carpenter, S.R., de Vries, W., de Wit, C.A. and Folke, C., (2015). Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet. Science, 347(6223): 736-46.
Zott, C., & Amit, R. (2010). Business model design: an activity system perspective. Long range planning, 43(2): 216-226.