module specification

This module enables the student to take up the opportunity to become familiar with the award winning practical achievements of the University in the area of environmental protection.

This will incorporate an introduction to the practices and achievements of the University’s Sustainability Department. It will lead to a one day practical training to undertake an environmental audit, organised by the University Estate’s Department, followed by a Practical Audit exercise conducted on site among University employees. This will lead to the award of the Certificate in Environmental Auditing

During the semester the students will be addressed by professional environmentalists and managers fully involved in changing their industries to meet and raise environmental standards.

Students will also have the opportunity to work with staff organising the ‘Green Week’ held in the spring at LMU, and be invited to listen to the attendant outside speakers.

Subsequently the students will be required to prepare a three thousand five hundred word proposal for a sustainability report.

The proposal may be a function of a work experience during the third semester after completion of the taught course work, or the result of independent research. Students will investigate a sector, an organisation, an industry or issue with the aim of making clear recommendations from the research carried out. Each student will agree a topic for the report with the module leader. This proposal cannot be the same as that which you intend to submit towards the Project Module.

The module aims to introduce MSc CSR and Sustainability students to the different challenges the dramatically worsening environmental conditions within which both business and social life is conducted and contemporary responses to them.

The aims of the module are:

1. To provide students with the practical skills necessary to undertake successful auditing of the working environment.
2. To develop environmental analysis techniques in relation to theory
3. To foster a critical awareness and deep interest in Practical Sustainability and combine knowledge and analysis acquired in core modules to develop sustainability management skills.
4. To enable students to produce a professional business report  proposal and to provide an opportunity for critical self-reflection, studying and research skills and knowledge

External and Internal  Environmental Factors that Affect Business

The impact of ‘green issues’ on contemporary business: industrial waste, sustainable development of raw materials and water and air emissions. Hazardous Waste Disposal, recycling and resale.

Environmental Influence on Business:  Technology and equipment and procedures to meet imposed standards.

Protective and proactive environmental measures. Sustainable Development of Raw Materials.  Air and/or water emissions, which include particle or chemical-filled smoke, ash and particles and chemicals that seep into ground water through run-off.

The module will be delivered by a team of skilled academics, practical managers and outside environmental experts. These sessions will help the students understand the relation between changing conceptions and practices of environmental risk and business sustainability. This will enable them to reflect upon and develop the issues being examined for their Report Proposal. Students will need to use some of the 'directed learning’ hours allocation for individual preparation of research tasks.

The Learning process provides the option for module clients to undertake a placement (uncredited) in the final part of the course, which could act as the base for the student’s Project Proposal, or for the separate project module FS7P44.

On successful completion of this module students will be able to:

1. Work independently to plan and deliver an environment audit proposal for their organisation to a professional standard and demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems.
2. Apply appropriate research methods to propose a detailed investigation in the subject.
3. Demonstrate high order skills of analysis, evaluation and synthesis in dealing with a business environment challenge.
4. Discuss and critically evaluate findings generated by the practical experience in the module with reference to the existing literature.
5. Make sound judgements in the absence of complete information, and communicate these findings clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences

The module will be assessed through two pieces of work.

The first will be the Practical Audit activity, which is preceded by a day’s training. (40%) And is also assessed for the certificate in Environmental Auditing

The second part of the course work (60%) will consist of an individual report proposal preceded by a presentation.

The total word count for the proposal will be no more than 3,500 words, and the maximum number of presentation slides is 10.

This proposal cannot be the proposal that you intend to submit towards the Project Module.

Holland. D., Sanchirico . J., Johnston R., Jogleka. D., Economic Analysis for Ecosystem-Based Management  Routledge   2010

Schwab K. The Fourth Industrial Revolution   Jan 2017

Çalıyurt. K, Yükse.  Ü, eds. Sustainability and Management: An International Perspective  2017 Routledge/Gower (emphasis on developing economies)

Pritwani, K   Sustainability of Business in the Context of Environmental Management 2016   The Energy and Resources Institute.  New Dehli

Weybrecht. G.: The Sustainable MBA: A Business Guide to Sustainability, 2/E. 2013
Wiley

Short  C A , The Recovery of Natural Environments in Architecture: Air, Comfort and Climate (Building Research and Information) Paperback –  Jan 2017

CITB     Health, Safety and Environment Test for Managers and Professionals: GT 200 2016  

CITB     Health, Safety and Environment Test for Operatives and Specialists: GT 100/16 2016 Paperback Apr 2016  

Andersson  K and Brynolf  S., Shipping and the Environment: Improving Environmental Performance in Marine Transportation     Mar 2016

Mehta.L., Ed. The Limits to Scarcity: Contesting the Politics of Allocation 2011 Routledge ( focuses on economic issues)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_environmental_books

Web sites for Organisation

Network for Business Sustainability (Ontario)
http://nbs.net/about/

and key items within

http://nbs.net/about/what-is-business-sustainability/

http://nbs.net/knowledge/business-models-for-shared-value/executive-guide/

Network for Business Innovation and Sustainability (USA)
http://nbis.org/