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Sustainability and Business - MAN00055H

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  • Department: The York Management School
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: H
  • Academic year of delivery: 2024-25
    • See module specification for other years: 2023-24

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 2 2024-25

Module aims

The aims of the modules are to:

  • Familiarise students with a range of historical and advanced theoretical debates about sustainability in both its wider context and business and management;

  • Equip students with the knowledge to effectively analyse the role of stakeholders within the sustainability process and the evolving nature of corporate purpose;

  • Equip students with knowledge and experience of various perspectives on sustainability and the impact of sustainability of a range of business functions and industries;

  • Equip students with the ability to critique business approaches to sustainability and to be able to effectively convey sustainability solutions within a range of business and management elements.

Module learning outcomes

  • Critically examine core sustainability concepts and perspectives examining both historical and contemporary approaches;

  • Demonstrate knowledge of and critique sustainability communications including internal, corporate disclosure, annual reports and marketing;

  • Critically examine and critique the role of government, stakeholders, shareholders, employees and consumers in sustainability processes, systems, decision making and the evolving nature of corporate purpose;

  • Demonstrate understanding of, critically examine and critique sustainability approaches across different business functions (finance, accounting, supply chain, operations, marketing, HRM etc) and business sectors (energy, transport, manufacturing, services etc).

  • Demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate and present sustainability focused strategies in a range of business scenarios.

Module content

  • History and development of sustainability theory (both within and outside of business)

  • Sustainable Development/Transitions to sustainability

  • Climate change/climate crisis - business and management approaches

  • Sustainability globalisation, governance, law and ethics, purposefulness

  • Systems, multidisciplinary and interconnected approaches to sustainability (economics, geography, business, biology, ecology, environmental science)

  • Core sustainability and sustainable development concepts including, but not restricted to: sustainability indicators, measuring performance, ESG standards, circular economy, net zero, climate change/crisis, UN Sustainable Development Goals, sustainable transitions

  • Social sustainability: role of companies in the community and engagement practices

  • Corporate sustainability: Sustainable Design and Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Operations, Supply Chain Management, Accounting, Marketing and HRM

  • Marketing and Consumer Behaviour: Marketing and Society, Contemporary consumers, environmental consumers, social marketing

  • Operations: engaging in staff change; practices to reduce material, energy and other wastes; legacy impacts of capital investments, skill requirements, the role of digital

  • Supply chain: knowing and controlling what is really in the supply chain; auditing and influencing practice in suppliers and educating customers; building resilience to climate and global political and business decisions

  • Accounting, Accountability And Finance: Sustainability Reporting, Sustainable management accounting and control, ESG investments and risk management

  • Sustainable HRM: Green HRM, sustainable organisational change, sustainable leadership, sustainability culture

Indicative assessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 75
Groupwork 25

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 75
Oral presentation/seminar/exam 25

Module feedback

Feedback will be given in accordance with the University Policy on feedback in the Guide to Assessment as well as in line with the School policy.

Indicative reading

Antonioli, D., Ghistti, C., Mazzanti, M., and Nicolli, F. (2022) Sustainable production: The economic returns of circular economy practices, Business Strategy and the Environment, in press

Brinkmann, R. (2016) Introduction to Sustainability, Wiley-Blackwell

Buchholz, R.A., 1991. Corporate responsibility and the good society: From economics to ecology. Business Horizons, 34(4), pp.19-32.

George, G., Haas, M.R., Joshi, H., Tracey, P. (2022) Handbook on the Business of Sustainability, Edward Elgar

Gray, R. A., Carol, A. Owen, Dave. (2014). Accountability, social responsibility, and sustainability : accounting for society and the environment Boston : Pearson Education Limited.

Kumar, S., Sureka, R., Lim, W.M., Mangla, S.K and Goyal, N. (2021) What do we know about business strategy and environmental research? Insights from Business Strategy and the Environment, Business Strategy and the Environment, 30, 3454-3469

Markovic, S., Sancha, C., Lindgreen, A (2021) Handbook of Sustainability-Driven Business Strategies in Practice, Edward Elgar

Peterson, M. (2021) Sustainable Marketing: A Holistic Approach, Sage

Raworth K. Doughnut Economics : Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist. London: Random House Business; 2017. or

Raworth K. A Doughnut for the Anthropocene: humanity’s compass in the 21st century. The Lancet Planetary Health. 2017;1(2):e48-e49. doi:10.1016/S2542-5196(17)30028-1

Sitko, R. (2023) Sustainable Human Resource Management, Kogan Page

Williams, A., Kennedy, S., Philipp, F and Whiteman, G. (2017) Systems thinking: A review of sustainability management research, Journal of Cleaner Production, 148, 866-881.

Whiteman G, Walker B, Perego P. Planetary Boundaries: Ecological Foundations for Corporate Sustainability. Journal of Management Studies. 2013;50(2):307-336. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6486.2012.01073.x


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.