ØKB3133 Sustainability as a Competitive Advantage

Contents and structure

The subject is not taught in spring 2025.

This course aims to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to develop sustainable business strategies and integrate them into business operations. The course is structured into five parts, each focusing on different aspects of sustainability in a business context. The objective is to develop students' capabilities in strategic thinking and action within sustainability, enabling them to understand and apply relevant concepts and tools for sustainable business development.

Content

The Big Green Picture: Introduction to sustainability, global context, the Paris Agreement, UN Sustainable Development Goals, circular economy, and the EU taxonomy.

Assessment of Current Situation and Key Priority Areas: Externalities, corporate sustainability profiles, materiality analysis.

Green Growth Ladder: Six steps to sustainability in business, including energy and resource usage, and sustainable business models.

Climate Accounting, Measurement, and Sustainability Reporting: Climate accounting, science-based climate and nature objectives, sustainability reporting.

Communication, Nudging, and Green Synergies: Effective communication about sustainability, avoiding greenwashing, industrial symbiosis.

Learning Outcome

Knowledge:

The student has:

• an understanding of sustainability and its strategic significance for businesses.
• insight into global and local sustainability challenges and opportunities.
• familiarity with key frameworks and standards within sustainability.

Skills:

The student has:

• the ability to develop and implement sustainability strategies in a business setting.
• competence in conducting materiality analysis and sustainability reporting.
• skills in communicating sustainability in an engaging and authentic manner.

General Competence:

The student has:

• the ability to identify and utilize sustainability as a competitive advantage.
• an understanding of how strategic work with sustainability can enhance a business's competitiveness.
• competence in applying sustainability principles in various business contexts.

Entry requirements

None

Recommended previous knowledge

None

Teaching methods

Teaching consists of four to five assemblies with a focus on a large degree of interactivity. The teaching will consist of a combination of lectures, conversations/discussions and assignments.

Compulsory learning activities

1) Participation in the teaching sessions is mandatory.

2) Oral group presentation of the draft of the semester assignment (25-30 min).

Assessment

Semester assignment 100%. Grading scale: A - F. Language: English. Group size: 2-3 students.

Examination support material

All supporting materials allowed.

More about examination support material