Module Directory

This module provides a comprehensive exploration of sustainability within the realms of business, marketing, and entrepreneurship in today’s global economy and knowledge society. As the global landscape continues to evolve, organisations are increasingly recognising the need for sustainable practices. Drawing from the established ethics, governance and sustainability theories from within the literature, this first aim of the module is to equip students with a robust theoretical foundation encompassing diverse perspectives on ethics and sustainability. The module then further explores at the organisational level how sustainability can be integrated into business practices, ranging from sustainable marketing to how sustainable entrepreneurial behaviour can be induced. This module then considers the relations between sustainability and current regulatory environments, the law, and technological change. This includes the exploration of the perception and understanding of sustainability in different cultures, examples and case illustrations of sustainability dilemma in business activities, and latest development in sustainability including the sharing and circular economies.

The aims of this module are:

• For students to develop a critical understanding of the underlying theories and business ethics, sustainability and good governance.


• For students to understand how sustainability relates to organisational life with a view to developing a sound understanding of sustainability in business, marketing and entrepreneurship.

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:

1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of principal theoretical approaches to and concepts of ethics and sustainability.


2. Evaluate critically possible interventions in the presence of sustainability dilemmas faced by managers, entrepreneurs, and stakeholders in business organisations.


3. Have developed a critical understanding of the sustainability challenges for managing and developing human resources effectively in different organisational contexts.

Transferable skills:

• Communicate concepts and research to different communities and stakeholder groups.

• Cultivate the ability to introspect and contemplate their personal responsibility when navigating the dynamic intersection of sustainability and the business world.

Indicative content:

• Introduction to sustainability in business, marketing and entrepreneurship
  
  
  
  • Definition and principles of sustainability
  
  
  • Historical evolution of sustainable business marketing and entrepreneurship, practices
  
  
  • Global sustainability challenges and opportunities
  
  
  • UN Sustainable Development Goals and other policy initiatives
  
  
  
  

• Theoretical perspectives on ethics and sustainability, including (but not limited to):
  
  
  
  • Triple bottom lines (3Ps)
  
  
  • Stakeholder theory, ethical egoism and ethical considerations in business decision-making
  
  
  • Ethical consumerism
  
  
  
  

• Sustainable Entrepreneurship
  
  
  
  • Characteristics of sustainable entrepreneurs
  
  
  • Social and environmental impact assessment in entrepreneurship
  
  
  • Funding and support mechanisms for sustainable startups
  
  
  
  

• Sustainable Marketing Strategies
  
  
  
  • Understanding consumer attitudes towards sustainability
  
  
  • Principles of green marketing and consumer-centric sustainability
  
  
  • Sustainable branding and communication
  
  
  • Consumer perception and behaviour in green marketing
  
  
  • Designing products and services for conscious consumers
  
  
  
  

• Circular Economy and Sustainable Supply Chains
  
  
  
  • Concepts and principles of the circular economy
  
  
  • Integration of circular practices in business operations
  
  
  • Sustainable sourcing and supply chain management
  
  
  • Entrepreneurial opportunity recognition in the circular economy
  
  
  • Marketing circular economy products and services
  
  
  
  

• Social Entrepreneurship and charitable initiatives towards sustainability
  
  
  
  • Definition and characteristics of social entrepreneurship
  
  
  • Case studies of successful social enterprises
  
  
  • Scaling social impact through entrepreneurship
  
  
  • Impact of social marketing
  
  
  
  

• Future Trends and Emerging Issues

This module will be delivered via:

1. One 1-hour lecture per week
2. One 1-hour seminar per week

The lectures will be developed around the key concepts of ethics, governance and sustainability as mentioned in the indicative course content and will use a range of examples and cases from business practice and society to demonstrate the application of concepts.

The Seminars will concentrate particularly on the elaboration of specific theoretical approaches with reference to their possible application through the selection of business problems or ethical dilemmas which were either already experienced by students, that arose or are likely to arise in organisational, management, and business situations. Seminars will include the discussion of case studies/ethical dilemmas and journal articles/presentations.