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Sustainable Business Innovation - ENV00117M

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  • Department: Environment and Geography
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: M
  • Academic year of delivery: 2024-25

Module summary

This module will teach students how to innovate for sustainability in every aspect of an organisation, from marketing to finance. Students will learn to recognise, classify, and create innovations that reduce negative impacts and increase positive impacts on the environment and society.

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 1 2024-25

Module aims

The aims of this module are to:

  • Equip students with the knowledge and skills to assess the potential and limits of sustainability-oriented innovations and to implement them in organisations.

Skills:

  • Collaborate with peers to propose innovative solutions for sustainability challenges

  • Apply design thinking principles and methods to identify and address the needs and expectations of various stakeholders involved in sustainability innovation.

  • Generate original and feasible ideas for sustainability innovation using various creative thinking techniques and tools.

Module learning outcomes

At the end of the module students will be able to:

  • Describe, explain and discuss the relevant concepts related to the field of sustainable innovation as well as the role of different business and organisational functions regarding innovation.

  • Investigate and appraise the business and organisational responses related to innovation and sustainability challenges.

  • Formulate a sustainable business innovation case taking into account multiple business and organisational functions perspectives.

  • Defend and critique cases for sustainable innovation in various business and organisational functions, based on scholarly literature and/or interactions with businesses and organisations.

Indicative assessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 100

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 100

Module feedback

Formative feedback will be provided in weekly workshops. Summative feedback will follow DEG guidelines with scripts being annotated and a feedback form provided.

Indicative reading

Bocken, N., & Ritala, P. (2021). Six ways to build circular business models. Journal of Business Strategy, ahead of print.

Buhl, A., Schmidt-Keilich, M., Muster, V., Blazejewski, S., Schrader, U., Harrach, C., … Süßbauer, E. (2019). Design thinking for sustainability: Why and how design thinking can foster sustainability-oriented innovation development. Journal of Cleaner Production, 231.

Kerschner, C., Wächter, P., Nierling, L., & Ehlers, M.-H. (2018). Degrowth and Technology: Towards feasible, viable, appropriate and convivial imaginaries. Journal of Cleaner Production, 197.

Rosa, H. (2017). Dynamic Stabilization, the Triple A. Approach to the Good Life, and the Resonance Conception . Questions de Communication, 1.


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University constantly explores ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary. In some instances it may be appropriate for the University to notify and consult with affected students about module changes in accordance with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.