Strategy and the Sustainable Enterprise

Strategy and the Sustainable Enterprise analyses the structure of sustainable development from a business perspective. The course explores why sustainability has become a pressing concern for strategists and how firms are responding to the numerous sustainability challenges they face. By adopting a sustainability driven perspective, a firm can transform these potentially crippling challenges into profitable opportunities, benefiting both itself and society. The course highlights multiple frameworks to address these sustainability challenges and adapt those to fit the issues at hand. Along with frameworks, the course brings several experts from the corporate and academic spheres to the table for meaningful discussion on sustainable development.While considering the rapid change in the business landscape in a globalized world, the course deals with the need to manage stakeholders and risks through the lens of sustainability. The last modules detail the journey a firm can take to continually transform into a sustainable enterprise.

Week 1: What is Sustainability and why should Strategists care?• Introduction to Sustainability• The Changing Landscapes of Business• New Rules of Doing Business

Week 2: Managing Stakeholders• Introduction to Stakeholder Management• The Stakeholder Theory of the Firm• Managing for Stakeholder Value• Stakeholders and Non-Market Strategies

Week 3: Managing Sustainability Risks• Introduction to Risk Management• Assessing Sustainability Risks• Managing Issues• Managing Risks in a Global Context

Week 4: Transforming into the Sustainable Enterprise
• Introduction to Corporate Sustainability• Tools and Techniques• Green Supply Chain Management• Company Case Studies• Sustainability Reporting

Week 5: The Anarchist Corporation
• Introduction• New Business Models for Sustainability• The Anarchist Corporation• Corporate Stories• Synthesis and Summation