NBS8650 : Sustainability Management and the Natural Environment
NBS8650 : Sustainability Management and the Natural Environment
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Dr Cristina Neesham
- Lecturer: Dr Irene Chu
- Owning School: Newcastle University Business School
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 5.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Pre-requisite
Modules you must have done previously to study this module
Pre Requisite Comment
N/A
Co-Requisite
Modules you need to take at the same time
Co Requisite Comment
N/A
Aims
This module aims to provide broad knowledge about global sustainability as a key condition for addressing grand environmental challenges facing human society today – in particular, climate change, pandemics, and chronic scarcity of natural resources. Focusing on how international business and globalisation affect and are affected by these challenges, students will be empowered to use insights from ecological economics and the broader social sciences to examine the role of interdependent individual and group behaviours, social norms and institutional-regulatory regimes in generating global-systemic environmental problems, and to explore strategies for developing and managing sustainability solutions that can be delivered by and for global business.
Outline Of Syllabus
The module will cover:
1. Evolution of modern concepts and theories of sustainability
2. Markets, organisations, externalities and the natural environment
3. Globalisation and global-systemic environmental problems: climate change, pandemics, resource scarcity
4. The role of international business in sustainable development and the SDGs
5. Planetary boundaries, environmental sustainability transitions, and principles of sustainability management
6. Sustainability management drivers and strategies in international business, stakeholder networks and cross-sector partnerships (technology, regulation, culture)
7. Human behaviour and social change as sources of global sustainability
Learning Outcomes
Intended Knowledge Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
• demonstrate awareness of key features of global-systemic environmental problems and their sources
• critically examine the role of international business in promoting global sustainability, using key sustainability concepts and theoretical frameworks
• identify sustainability management challenges and opportunities experienced by international business, from niche operators to global corporations
• analyse global sustainability management strategies designed, developed and implemented by business and its stakeholders in cross-sector(business-government-civil society) partnerships
Intended Skill Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
• apply sustainability management principles to evaluate cases of international business affecting (and affected by) global-systemic environmental problems
• design key elements of sustainability management strategy for different types of organisations
• develop sustainability solutions that engage interdependent human behaviours and cultural norms in organisations, markets and communities, to produce social change for a healthier planet
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 30:00 | 30:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 10 | 1:00 | 10:00 | PIP lectures |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 1 | 22:00 | 22:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 3 | 2:00 | 6:00 | PIP sessions |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 30:00 | 30:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Scheduled on-line contact time | 2 | 1:00 | 2:00 | online assessment surgery and module talk |
| Total | 100:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
The lectures and seminars introduce the concepts and theories, as well as the real-world issues to which these need to be applied. The seminars will focus on problem-solving and policy development in specific contexts.
Online sessions are to support assessment preparation.
Reading Lists
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case study | 2 | A | 100 | Case Analysis Report, 2000 words |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prob solv exercises | 2 | M | Feedback is provided during seminars on activities related to the core material that supports the final assessment. |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The Case Analysis Report tests the students’ knowledge and skills in (i) defining and addressing global sustainability problems from the perspective of international business organisations in interaction with their stakeholder networks; and (ii) developing viable sustainability management strategies for an environmentally responsible business.
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- NBS8650's Timetable
Past Exam Papers
- Exam Papers Online : www.ncl.ac.uk/exam.papers/
- NBS8650's past Exam Papers
General Notes
N/A
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Disclaimer
The information contained within the Module Catalogue relates to the 2024 academic year.
In accordance with University Terms and Conditions, the University makes all reasonable efforts to deliver the modules as described.
Modules may be amended on an annual basis to take account of changing staff expertise, developments in the discipline, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback. Module information for the 2025/26 entry will be published here in early-April 2025. Queries about information in the Module Catalogue should in the first instance be addressed to your School Office.