Modular value: 10 credits
Module Aim
This elective module takes a complementary approach, and builds on existing marketing, management and strategy modules, to incorporate explicit environmental and sustainable perspectives, in understanding how management can operate at a new level to include cradle-to-cradle environmental principles and meet the challenges of managing businesses in a resource-constrained world. Consideration will be given at corporate, competitive and functional levels and in particular the implications for marketing will be examined.
Learning outcomes
On completion of this module you will typically be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- The physical environment, ecosystems, closed and open systems, circular and linear flows; Gaia Theory and the laws of thermodynamics; the complexity and diversity of the natural environment.
- Biological carrying capacity, cultural carrying capacity; over-population and over-consumption; energy consumption and world economic growth rates; ecological footprints, carbon emissions and the greenhouse effect.
- Social psychology, Freudian psychology, gestalt and ecopsychology, and how each of these can explain some of our behaviour towards the environment.
- The interconnections and inter-relationships between the natural environment and large scale global business activity at local, functional and group/corporate levels.
- Different theories, models, methods and concepts of managing sustainably, understanding how to implement and evaluate SES.
- Your own position as part of a local and the global ecosystem. And also understand conventional perspectives, limitations and difficulties in achieving some sustainable approaches.
- Practical steps one can take as an individual and as a manager in a marketing or general management role to engage positively and implement a sustainable approach.
- A critical awareness of recent developments and academic research in the area of strategic environmental sustainability.