26823 Adaptive Sustainable Enterprise
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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.
Description
This subject employs a stakeholder management perspective to analyse organisational strategies, practices and processes that enable sustainable, high-performing organisations. Adopting a systems approach, the subject equips students to identify and analyse the dynamic interrelationships and interdependencies between business activities, pluralistic and changing societal expectations and the challenges of operating within Earth's Systems. Students evaluate current business models and design an adaptive approach to integrate sustainability-oriented innovation into organisational strategies, practices and processes or as a means for creating additional value. It provides essential skills that allow change-makers to successfully frame external opportunities to proactively create a dialogue to raise awareness of the imperative to act and develop the business case to enable the transition.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| 1. | Demonstrate comprehension of the sustainability imperative in strategies, practices and models of organisations |
|---|---|
| 2. | Critically apply sustainable business models and frameworks to evaluate strategies and practices |
| 3. | Apply the principles and tools of complex systems thinking to sustainable business challenges and/or opportunities |
| 4. | Develop and communicate the benefits of an adaptive change process for a transition to sustainability for an organisation |
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
This subject develops students' knowledge and analytical skills in applying contemporary sustainability frameworks to the strategies, practices, and policies of a various business models. Students develop an understanding of how to assess risks and opportunities of complex sustainability issues arising from social, ecological and economic systems. The knowledge developed in this subject enables students to confidently propose plans for corporate transformation through the execution of sustainable development plans.
This subject contributes to the development of the following graduate attribute(s):
- Social responsibility and cultural awareness
- Professional and technical competence
Teaching and learning strategies
The subject is offered in blended learning mode during the short teaching periods of six weeks duration. The teaching and learning approach is a mix of online learning and in-class seminars typically scheduled over four evening seminars. Classes are based on blended and flipped learning approaches: students engage with learning materials (including papers, book extracts, videos, etc.) before attending seminars.
Seminars include guided critical discussion of learning materials, group work on contemporary case studies, scenarios, workshops, peer discussions and learning from students' own professional experiences. Discussions and application of theory, case studies and best practices are supported by online learning and communication tools and the Canvas learning management system.
A formative assessment provides students with feedback to direct their self-study. Ongoing general and individual feedback will be provided throughout the subject via consultation seminars. A summative assessment provides feedback on students' comprehension and application of learning. Students also receive formal feedback on assessment tasks.
Content (topics)
- Sustainability and systems
- Drivers of sustainability
- Sustainability models, strategies and practices
- Sustainability transition strategies
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Sustainable Business Analysis (Individual)
| Objective(s): | This addresses subject learning objective(s): 1 and 2 |
|---|---|
| Weight: | 65% |
| Length: | Summary report (maximum 3 pages) and evaluation report (maximum 3,000 words) |
| Criteria: |
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Assessment task 2: Adaptive Change Proposal (Individual)
| Objective(s): | This addresses subject learning objective(s): 3 and 4 |
|---|---|
| Weight: | 35% |
| Length: | Maximum ten pages |
| Criteria: |
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Minimum requirements
Students must achieve at least 50% of the subject’s total marks and complete both assessment tasks.
Required texts
Benn, S., Edwards, M., & Williams, T. M. 2018. Organizational change for corporate sustainability (Fourth ed.). Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge.
Benn, S., Edwards, M., & Williams, T. 2021. Sustainability: a key idea for business and society (1st ed.). London: Routledge
References
Bocken, N. M. P., Short, S. W., Rana, P., & Evans, S. 2014. A literature and practice review to develop sustainable business model archetypes. Journal of Cleaner Production, 65: 42-56.
Bocken, N. M. P., & Short, S. W. 2021. Unsustainable business models – Recognising and resolving institutionalised social and environmental harm. Journal of Cleaner Production, 312: 127828.
Grewatsch, S., Kennedy, S., & Bansal, P. 2021. Tackling wicked problems in strategic management with systems thinking. Strategic Organization: 1-12.
Markard, J., Raven, R., & Truffer, B. (2012). Sustainability transitions: An emerging field of research and its prospects. Research policy, 41(6): 955-967.
Ocasio, W., Kraatz, M., & Chandler, D. 2023. Making Sense of Corporate Purpose. Strategy Science, 8(2): 123-138.
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., Folke, C., Gerten, D., Heinke, J., Mace, G. M., Persson, L. M., Ramanathan, V., Reyers, B., & Sörlin, S. 2015. Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet. Science, 347(6223): 1259855.