GRA xxx2 Succeeding with Sustainable Growth

GRA xxx2 Succeeding with Sustainable Growth

Course code: 
GRA xxx2
Department: 
Leadership and Organizational Behaviour
Credits: 
4
Course coordinator: 
Per Espen Stoknes
Course name in Norwegian: 
Succeeding with Sustainable Growth
Product category: 
Executive
Portfolio: 
EMBA Business Administration - Core Courses
Semester: 
2025 Spring
Active status: 
Active
Level of study: 
Master
Teaching language: 
English
Course type: 
Four semesters
Introduction

This course introduces green and sustainable growth as a field of leadership and strategy. Most studies show that the more sustainable businesses are better at attracting talent, discovering new opportunities for innovation and collaborating with regulators. We spell out these links, discuss hybrid business models and explore the personal motivation and ethics of sustainability leadership. Participants will gain insight into the main differences between green economics and mainstream economics, learn how to create visions with broader purpose and set science-based targets. The course will give tools for analysing impact, the latest reporting requirements (CSRD etc) and assessing opportunities for profitable green growth. We will also discuss controversies of “greenwashing”, the circular economy and radical resource productivity. 

Learning outcomes - Knowledge

Participants will learn: 

  • how sustainability can improve corporate financial performance
  • theories of Green Growth and how it relates to EU Green Deal and reporting
  • the main differences between "Green Economics" and mainstream economics. 
  • circular economy and resource productivity
  • core concepts: planetary boundaries, carbon-, material- and ecological footprint, carbon budget etc
  • criteria for distinguishing greenwashing from green growth
  • leadership and motivation in leading sustainable companies.
Learning outcomes - Skills

Participants will be able to

  • develop sustainability strategies, risks and opportunities for any company by mastering green growth tools
  • analyse both low-hanging fruits and long-term breakthrough options 
  • identify opportunities in the main sectors: buildings, transport, energy, food, industry, and public sector
  • assess and calculate the business case for sustainability projects and investments
  • how to avoid pitfalls and master success criteria for the communication of climate and sustainability issues
General Competence

Participants will be challenged to reflect on: 

  • personal motivation and ethics of sustainability leadership.
  • integrated sense of purpose for a greater good
  • ideology and motivation: how to resolve "sustainability versus profits dilemmas” ?
  • balancing short- and long-term considerations
Course content
  • Green Growth: Definitions, Current trends - future scenarios
  • Opportunities in the main sectors: buildings, transport, energy, industry, food, public sector
  • "Green Economics" and mainstream economics
  • How and why are "sustainability" and “profits” related
  • "Greenwashing: When is “green” a fraud?
  • Circular economy and radical resource productivity - is sufficient decoupling of value creation from resource use possible?
  • Leadership and motivation in leading companies
  • The communication of climate and sustainability issues
Teaching and learning activities

A mix of lectures, plenary discussions and case-work, as well a group-work on creating a green strategy improvement for a company, with group presentation. The course will integrate with and provide the sustainability requirements for the CP - consultance projects.

Attendance to all sessions in the course is compulsory. If you have to miss part(s) of the course you must ask in advance for leave of absence. More than 25% absence in a course will require retaking the entire course. It's the student's own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class that is not included on the course homepage/ It's learning or other course materials.

Candidates may be called in for an oral hearing as a verification/control of written assignments.

The course is a part of a full Executive MBA programme and examination in all courses must be passed in order to obtain a certificate.

In all BI Executive courses and programmes, there is a mutual requirement  
for the student and the course responsible regarding the involvement of the student's experience in the planning and implementation of courses, modules and programmes. This means that the student has the right and duty to get involved with their own knowledge and practice relevance, through the active sharing of their relevant experience and knowledge.

Software tools
No specified computer-based tools are required.
Qualifications

Granted admission to the EMBA programme. Please consult our student regulations.
 

Disclaimer
Deviations in teaching and exams may occur if external conditions or unforeseen events call for this.

Assessments
Assessments
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Submission PDF
Exam/hand-in semester: 
Fourth Semester
Weight: 
40
Grouping: 
Individual
Duration: 
4 Week(s)
Comment: 
Individual written assignment, counts 40% of the final grade
Exam code: 
GRA xxx21
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Resit: 
Examination when next scheduled course
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Submission PDF
Exam/hand-in semester: 
Fourth Semester
Weight: 
60
Grouping: 
Group (2 - 6)
Duration: 
4 Week(s)
Comment: 
Written assignment in groups, counts 60% of the final grade.
Exam code: 
GRA xxx22
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Resit: 
Examination when next scheduled course
Type of Assessment: 
Ordinary examination
All exams must be passed to get a grade in this course.
Total weight: 
100
Student workload
ActivityDurationComment
Teaching
32
Prepare for teaching
25 Hour(s)
Student's own work with learning resources
63 Hour(s)
Sum workload: 
120

A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 4 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of at least 110 hours.