Sustainable Business Practices (MGMT90208)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
Overview
| Availability | Semester 1 |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
This subject addresses the sustainability related challenges confronting business organisations, and how these can be overcome. Many organisations find it difficult to balance short and long-term objectives relating to economic, social and environmental outcomes. The subject addresses the complexity and multi-faceted nature of social and environmental issues and why they present significant challenges to organisations. Principles of sustainability will be discussed with reference to concepts such as corporate social responsibility, corporate political responsibility, triple bottom line thinking and creating shared value. It will then review how organisations respond to these challenges, both negatively and positively, and why they respond in these ways, including strategic, ethical and critical perspectives. The subject then addresses approaches that increase organisations’ capability for continuous renewal and long-term success, whilst also promoting social and environmental benefits. This will be done through a focus on topics such as managerial competencies and organisational capabilities for sustainability, stakeholder management, industry and transnational guidelines for sustainability, national regulation and self-regulation, and an integrated supply chain perspective.
Intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:
- appreciate the variety of social, political and economic forces, stakeholders and issues affecting business organisations today at the global and local levels;
- identify and analyse current public issues in the interplay between businesses and their stakeholders, such as social justice, environmental degradation, varieties of globalisation, and privatisation;
- critically evaluate the debates around ethics, social responsibilities and sustainability for business; identify the different ethical frameworks for engaging in those debates; and understand how managers and marketers can respond to calls for social responsibility and sustainability; and
- apply the above learnings to real-world cases and situations.
Generic skills
On successful completion of this subject, students should have improved the following generic skills:
- critical thinking about societal and ethical issues in organised settings;
- oral and written communication;
- problem solving and collaborative learning; and
- synthesis of data and other information.
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Assessment
| Description | Timing | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
Individual essay
| Week 4 | 15% |
Group assignment (groups of 3-4)
| Week 10 | 35% |
End of semester exam
| During the examination period | 50% |
Additional details
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Dates & times
- Semester 1
Coordinator Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 36hrs (one 3-hour seminar per week) Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 3 March 2025 to 1 June 2025 Last self-enrol date 14 March 2025 Census date 31 March 2025 Last date to withdraw without fail 9 May 2025 Assessment period ends 27 June 2025 Semester 1 contact information
A/Prof Ben Neville banevi@unimelb.edu.au
Time commitment details
Estimated total time commitment of 170 hours per semester
What do these dates mean
Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:
- Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
- And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
- Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Further information
- Texts
- Related Handbook entries
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Please note Single Subject Studies via Community Access Program is not available to student visa holders or applicants
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
Last updated: 4 March 2025