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

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date

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.