
Sustainable Value Creation
Overview
This unit aims to equip students with the knowledge and tools to lead organisations towards sustainable growth while balancing economic, environmental, and social priorities. Through a focus on climate change and other sustainable development challenges, students will learn to embed sustainability into business practices, fostering long-term value creation for all stakeholders. The curriculum delves into circular economy practices, promoting resource efficiency and waste reduction, and explores social entrepreneurship as a means to drive positive social impact through innovative business models. Additionally, the unit emphasizes the importance of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategies in shaping responsible and resilient organizations. The unit also introduces key sustainability reporting frameworks, including the Global Reporting Initiative Standards and the Australian Sustainability Reporting Standards, to enhance transparency and accountability.
Requisites
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Analyse organisational impacts on climate change and climate-related risks affecting business and devise business strategies to reduce carbon footprints and mitigate risks
- Critically evaluate sustainability and ESG initiatives, assessing their influence on organisational reputation, stakeholder relationships, and long-term performance
- Develop integrated strategies for sustained organisational growth that consider economic, social, and environmental impacts
- Apply sustainability reporting frameworks, including Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards and the Australian Sustainability Reporting Standards, to enhance organisational transparency and compliance
- Evaluate social entrepreneurship and stakeholder engagement as means to drive positive social impact through innovative business models and practices
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
---|---|---|---|
On-Campus Class |
2 | 12 weeks | 24 |
Online Lecture (asynchronous) | 1 | 12 weeks | 12 |
Unspecified Activities Independent Learning | 9.5 | 12 weeks | 114 |
Total | 150 |
Swinburne Online
Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
---|---|---|---|
Online Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning | 12.5 | 12 weeks | 150 |
Total | 150 |
Assessment
Type | Task | Weighting | ULOs |
---|---|---|---|
Assignment 1 | Individual | 20-30 % | 1,2,3 |
Assignment 2 | Individual | 30-40 % | 2,3,5 |
Assignment and Presentation 1 | Group | 30-50 % | 1,2,3,4,5 |
Content
- Certification in Carbon Literacy to understand and act on climate-related challenges.
- Sustainable development challenges
- Corporate Social Responsibility and corporate philanthropy
- Social entrepreneurship and innovation
- Sustainable marketing and consumer behaviour
- Business models for sustainability, including circular/sharing/performance economy-based business models
- Initiatives to mobilize companies to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies and practices.
- Sustainability reporting frameworks and their role in organisational accountability.
- Corporate governance for sustainability
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.