ØAADM3600 Sustainable Business Emneplan

Business firms have many positive impacts on society but are also responsible for social and environmental problems and are under pressure from stakeholders to become more sustainable. Sustainability can be costly but also provide business opportunities, and most firms are now working on a range of sustainability initiatives and practices.

This course aims to give a broad introduction to business and sustainability. The course focuses on how business firms can combine increased levels of social and environmental sustainability with continued financial performance. Topics in the course include the business and ethical case for sustainability, business and climate change, resource use, social sustainability, organization for sustainability, sustainable finance and marketing, sustainability and innovation, regulation, and sustainability reporting.

Language of instruction is English.

None

After completing the course, the student should have the following overall learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills, and general competence:

Knowledge

The student has in-depth knowledge of

• businesses' impact on the climate, environment and society
• theories and frameworks used to explain firms’ sustainability engagement and performance
• different types of sustainability initiatives and practices in business

Skills

The student is able to

• analyse the current sustainability status of a business
• suggest how firms can change towards sustainability
• assess how sustainability initiatives are related to financial results

General competence

The student is able to

• reflect on how their professional life can contribute to business sustainability
• carry out an independent project in a diverse group of students

The course will combine lectures, case discussions and individual work. The course will be partly organized around one group project.

The teaching takes place with in-person attendance on campus.

No coursework requirements.

The exam in the course consists of two parts: a written group project and a supervised exam.

1. Written group project - counts 40% of the final grade

In the group project the students will assess the sustainability performance of a business and make suggestions for improvements, based on frameworks and theories from the course.

The group project will be carried out in groups of 2-5 students. The group members will be randomly selected.

The group project must have a scope of 8-10 pages, excluding front page, table of contents and appendices. Font and font size: Arial / Calibri / Verdana 12 points. Line spacing: 1,5

2. Supervised exam - counts 60% of the final grade

The exam is a supervised exam of 3 hours.

The students can write their exams in Norwegian or in English.

All parts of the exam must be passed in order to pass the course. If one of the exam components is evaluated as not passed, the failed component may be retaken.

Written group project: All aids are permitted, as long as the student follows the rules for examinations, source use and referencing, and OsloMet's guidelines for using artificial intelligence (AI) in student assignments.

Supervised exam: No aids are permitted.

Grade scale A - F

The exam papers are assessed by one internal and one external examiner.

At least 25 % of the exam papers will be assessed by two examiners. The grades awarded for the papers assessed by two examiners form the basis for determining the level for all the exam papers.

Jakob Utgård