GRA 6849 Sustainable Strategy and Circular Economy
GRA 6849 Sustainable Strategy and Circular Economy
Addressing sustainability is a necessity in today's business environment. Civil society, media and governments increasingly expect that companies look beyond short-term profit toward a broader goal of long-term sustainable value creation. The launch of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) also reflects this broader business agenda.
A good sustainability strategy provides opportunities to improve day-to-day business, establish a competitive advantage and develop new and sustainable products. A move from linear to circular economies require revised strategic approaches. Systemic thinking and sustainable business strategies are addressed. The circular economy, defined as eliminating waste and extending the use of resources, is crucial to achieving a sustainable future. To move from talking about “waste” as a problem to realizing it as a “resource”, is a key element in this process. In this course, discussions and case studies will address such topics as eco-design, industrial symbiosis, functional economy refurbishment, repair, re-manufacturing and recycling.
The course will focus on understanding how to develop and integrate a sustainable strategy approach. Circular economy, innovation, customer behavior, risk management, communicating/reputation and media management, governance and responsible investment (ESG) will all be addressed. Since sustainability is a global issue, challenges and opportunities in emerging markets will be incorporated into the lectures.Cases in different sectors will be presented and discusses. Impact evaluation relative to the The UN Sustainable Development Goals, application of the SWOT model and Kotters 8-Step Process for Leading change, will be applied to address upscaling of good Circular Economy cases.
Circular economy potentials in a set of sectors will be addressed. Electronics, building and construction, transport, food, plastic, fashion and textile, and deposit and return systems, are examples of sectors which can be included.
The teaching will be based on lectures, presentations, and outside speakers, all in close collaboration with corporations engaged in sustainable business strategy and circular economy.
This course is designed to provide:
- Strategy development and system thinking in the Circular Economy
- New business models for sustainable innovation
- Sustainability and circularity in a global setting
- Relevant tools to evaluate and report on activities
- Application of the UN Sustainable Development Goals
- Familiarity with application of the SWOT model and Kotters 8-Step Process for Leading change
- Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) associated with sustainability
- Familiarity with a set of Circular Economy cases from an international perspective
Skills developed upon completion of the course include the abilities to:
- Develop a corporate strategy for sustainability in a circular economy
- Identify profitable ideas for sustainability-based innovation and value creation
- Collaboration throughout the supply with different stakeholders, like customers, sectors, employees etc.
- Apply leadership models for sustainable circular economy
- Analytical thinking and problem-solving applied to real cases
- Application of the SWOT model and Kotters 8-Step Process for Leading change
- Evaluating eco-design, industrial symbiosis, functional economy refurbishment, repair, re-manufacturing and recycling in business development
- Impact evaluation of Circular Economy ideas
Upon the completion of the course, students should be able to reflect on:
- Sustainable strategy and circular economy in a global setting
- The role of companies in the pursuit of sustainable development
- Distinguish between sustainability and greenwashing
The teaching will be based on lectures, presentations, and outside speakers, all in close collaboration with corporations engaged in sustainable business strategy. In a setting of Circular Economy potentials, a set of sectors will be addressed. Electronics, building and construction, transport, food, plastic, fashion and textile, and deposit and return systems, are examples of sectors which can be included. A selection of issues below will be addrssed relative to the sectors addressed.
- New business models for sustainable innovation and circular economy
- Development and implementation of a sustainable strategy
- Circular economy (including eco-design, industrial symbiosis, functional economy refurbishment, repair, re-manufacturing and recycling)
- Business opportunities and challenges in a circular economy
- Innovation through circular economy - life cycle analysis
- Leadership and management of sustainable business
- Customer management and stakeholder collaboration
- Supply chain collaboration and management in a circular economy
- Sustainability in global economy
- ESG and finance in a sustainable setting
The teaching will be based on lectures, cases, group work, presentations and multimedia tools.
Please note that while attendance is not compulsory in all courses, it is the student’s own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class.
This is a course with continuous assessment (several exam components) and one final exam code. Each exam component is graded by using points on a scale from 0-100. The components will be weighted together according to the information in the course description in order to calculate the final letter grade for the examination code (course). Students who fail to participate in one/some/all exam elements will get a lower grade or may fail the course. You will find detailed information about the point system and the cut off points with reference to the letter grades when the course starts.
At resit, all exam components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course.
All courses in the Masters programme will assume that students have fulfilled the admission requirements for the programme. In addition, courses in second, third and/or fourth semester can have specific prerequisites and will assume that students have followed normal study progression. For double degree and exchange students, please note that equivalent courses are accepted.
Disclaimer
Deviations in teaching and exams may occur if external conditions or unforeseen events call for this.
| Assessments |
|---|
Exam category: Activity Form of assessment: Class participation Weight: 30 Grouping: Group/Individual (1 - 8) Duration: 1 Semester(s) Comment: Class participation included presentations. Exam code: GRA 68491 Grading scale: Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade Resit: All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course |
Exam category: Submission Form of assessment: Written submission Weight: 70 Grouping: Group Duration: 1 Semester(s) Exam code: GRA 68491 Grading scale: Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade Resit: All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course |
| Activity | Duration | Comment |
|---|---|---|
Teaching | 36 Hour(s) | |
Seminar groups | 29 Hour(s) | |
Submission(s) | 33 Hour(s) | |
Student's own work with learning resources | 62 Hour(s) |
A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 6 ECTS credits corresponds to a workload of at least 160 hours.