Environmental Management for Business MSc

• Professor Paul Burgess

Human population growth and increased resource use per capita requires improved management of our global ecosystem. Approaches such as the “Sustainable Development Goals”, “Natural Capital”, “Ecosystem Services”, and “Planetary boundaries” provide frameworks for businesses and wider society to resolve the synergies and trade-offs between major economic, environmental and social challenges. The “Circular Economy” approach refers to the development of “restorative” industrial systems that are grounded on the lessons of non-linear, feedback-rich ecosystems. The third approach is to explore the nexus between renewable energy, food, and other ecosystem services using per capita energy and food consumption. This module introduces and critiques the above frameworks and examines their application to resolve real-world problems and create commercial opportunities.

• Definitions of sustainability; the Sustainable Development Goals, moving from an “Empty World” to a “Full World”,
• Natural capital, ecosystem processes and succession; the role of energy; feedback systems; biodiversity and system restoration,
• Using an ecosystem services and “doughnut economics” approach: quantifying trade-offs and synergies; improving water and nutrient management, reducing greenhouse gases emissions, enhancing stability, resistance and resilience, and issues of equity,
• Introduction to the circular economy: opportunities for businesses,
• How design, manufacturing practice and management can contribute to a circular economy,
• Case study: trade-offs, synergies, and opportunities to enhance well-being and ecosystem service provision in terms of energy, food, feed and wood for a case study area.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Critique terms such as “sustainability”, “ecosystem services”, “biodiversity”, “human well-being”, “circular economy”, “per capita energy use”, “natural capital” and “doughnut economics”,
• Evaluate how natural capital and ecosystem service approaches can guide businesses and society to make decisions regarding the use of ecological resources, with a focus on biodiversity, greenhouse gases, and water use,
• Explain how we can enhance the stability, resistance and resilience of human and natural systems,
• Explain how the “circular economy” provides commercial opportunities,
• Use a per capita approach to explore the synergies between food, feed, wood, and renewable energy production to guide decision making and identify opportunities in the context of a case-study.

• Dr Anil Graves

Environmental accounting is being used by institutions and businesses to guide decision making regarding competing projects and programmes. It involves financial appraisal, environmental valuation, and economic appraisal (or social cost-benefit analysis). This module explores the economic concepts and techniques that can be used for the valuation of non-market social and environmental services. You will also gain practical experience in extending a financial analysis to allow an economic appraisal.

• Environmental accounting at business, sector and national levels.
• Techniques for non-market valuation of social and environmental services: cost and income based approaches, demand estimation methods - expressed and revealed preference, choice modelling: examples of applications .
• Principles and practice of financial and economic appraisal.
• Case study application for an afforestation project in a spreadsheet environment.
• Cost effectiveness analysis.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Explain the purpose and methods of environmental accounting at business, sector and national levels.
• Explain the difference between financial and economic valuation and appraisal.
• Valuation: Critically assess strengths and weaknesses of different environmental valuation methods and techniques.
• Appraisal: Critically evaluate different financial and economic appraisal metrics such as benefit: cost ratio, net present value, equivalent annual value, internal rate of return, and the choice of discount rate.
• Undertake a financial and an economic appraisal in a spreadsheet environment.

• Dr Simon Jude

The aim of this module to develop an appreciation of the importance of individual and group attitudes towards the perception of risk and how this may influence views, conduct and actions in the face of a range of risks including the development of communication methods to disseminate information about risk(s) to a range of audiences and how to determine its effectiveness.

• What is meant by the perception of risk and how it varies with context.
• Attitudes towards risk based on psychological, cultural and other dimensions.
• The role of various societal groups (the media, NGOs, etc) in risk issues.
• Models of the amplification and attenuation of risk.
• Understanding the “fright factors” in risk perception and the development of trust.
• Horizon scanning and scenario building tools for communicating future risk to individuals and organisations.
• Communicating risk messages to individuals, groups and society at large and errors in communication.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Identify and analyse the “non-science” influences in risk assessment and management using sociological and psychological theories relating to risk perception, attitudes and communication.
• Identify and evaluate drivers that may influence individual or group perceptions and attitudes towards risk in specific scenarios.
• Participate in the discourse on the roles in society of different stakeholders (e.g. the media, NGOs, academics, government) with respect to risk assessment issues and to be able to describe to others why they have the beliefs they hold.
• Demonstrate skills in listening to concerns from different individuals/groups towards risks and the ability to enter into dialogue with such groups.
• Develop effective means of communication to suit specific or general situations and how to demonstrate its effectiveness, and critique methods based on theories and evidence.

• Dr Simon Jude

A critical application of environmental risk management is in the development and appraisal of policy in central government and business. Policies are developed to manage environmental risks and selection of policy options must be informed by risk based tools and techniques. Doing so demands a comprehension of the technical, organisational and human elements of governing environmental risks and developing environmental policy.

This module draws these themes together by introducing core concepts and then illustrating these concepts with case studies spanning business and government, and finally application via a group exercise. Core lectures are supported by multiple case studies, a workshop and module assignment.

Risk governance. 

Problem definition.

Environmental risk analysis and management.

Environmental policy development and appraisal.

Policy instruments. 

Policy co-design.

Evidence-based conservation.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

Critically assess the technical, organisational and human features of effective environmental risk governance.  

Critically evaluate the environmental policy cycle of implementation and the basics of policy development and appraisal.   

Critically analyse different types of policy instruments, including regulation, economic, voluntary and other measures, and identify the appropriate policy instruments to use in different contexts.  

Compare and contrast environmental risk management techniques, selecting tools appropriate to the character of the risk in question.  

Rigorously interrogate the challenges and constraints of environmental policy co-design and evidence-based policy-making. Understand the challenges and constraints of environmental policy co-design.  

• Dr Namita Shete

Global sustainability challenges are shaping the way business operates in the 21st century. Businesses are under increasing pressure from multiple stakeholders (for e.g. shareholders, customers, employees, society) to manage their positive and negative impacts with clear responsibility and strategic intent.  Leading firms are choosing to respond to these challenges by generating sustainable value propositions to ultimately drive competitive advantage. For many this has meant re-engaging at the level of purpose and re-addressing their role in wider society and for human well-being.

This module outlines the major sustainability challenges and explores the capabilities organisations require to respond positively to them. It will engage you in gaining a better understanding of how corporate action can be best configured to promote responsible and sustainable business strategies. In doing so, it will demand management students (as future business managers and leaders) to reflect on the long-standing debate about whether or not ‘the business of business, is still business?

Watch video: An introduction to the Leading Corporate Sustainability module

The content is organised around the sustainability management ‘compass’ below:

The course content is structured as follows:



Part 1: Setting the context

Context setting

• Managing corporate sustainability
• Social and environmental trends

The role of business

• The role of business
• Challenges and opportunities for business

Exploring possible futures

• Playing an interactive future sustainable scenario board game
  



Part 2: Developing the capabilities

• Setting a purpose
• Formulating and implementing strategy
• Working with stakeholders
• Innovating
• Collaborating
• Valuing
• Leading

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

1. Identify global environmental and social trends and assess how these present both challenges and opportunities to business and analyse the capabilities businesses need to manage these.
2. Classify the potential stakeholder groups businesses can work with to develop and implement their sustainability strategies and evaluate collaborative approaches.
3. Assess the role of personal leadership in an organisation’s values, strategic direction and ability to execute its sustainability strategy.
4. Critically assess the content and reporting of businesses’ sustainability strategies.
5. Design and recommend a sustainability-oriented innovation for a selected business.

• Professor Jim Harris

While technological change is seen as the root cause of many environmental problems, it is simultaneously viewed as the means of solving such problems. This module explores technological change as part of positive sum strategies put forward by ecological modernisers. Theories of technological change are reviewed such as evolutionary, path dependent and long wave, and used to formulate technology policy to achieve environmental net gain or transition to a low carbon economy. These are then set in practical contexts such as innovation in manufacturing, ecological restoration or low-carbon living.

• Ecological Modernisation, definition, key aspects, objectives and methodology.
• Development of associated policy frameworks, market failure, the role of governments, policies and mechanisms to address this.
• Innovation: Technology Development, transfer, adoption and diffusion.
• Innovation and sustainability, utility which process offers in this context, drivers and barriers.
• Integrated Sustainable Technology Assessment in context.
• Clusters, technology road-maps and the development of sustainable technologies.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

Illustrate and debate the innovations in use and in development designed to tackle climate change, net zero and biodiversity loss.

Critically summarise the key trade-offs that occur in achieving technological change and economic development alongside environmental protection. 

Discuss and present a summary of examples of technological change developed to achieve transition, e.g., to a low carbon economy. 

Evaluate technology options and policy initiatives to stimulate transitions, e.g. to a low carbon economy using examples. 

Concisely justify a proposal for an environmentally beneficial initiative.

• Dr Kenisha Garnett

Strategic foresight research refers to a range of methods that can be used to identify, analyse and communicate insights about the future. Standard methods include horizon scanning, trend research, and scenario planning. Outputs include emerging issues, trends, visions, scenarios, and wild cards. The methods employed and insights produced are used by both private and public sector organisations to inform a wide range of policy, risk, strategy and innovation processes. Foresight research is a truly inter-disciplinary ‘science’, covering and combining developments in society, technology, economy, ecology, politics, legislation and values.

Crucially, foresight research is as much about analysing the past and present, as it is about looking to the future. Once we understand how a system has developed and works today, we can explore how it may evolve and what it may look like in the future. Strategic foresight techniques consider a wide range of possible, plausible futures so that planning can be put in place to adapt to and mitigate against various conditions. It is designed to add resilience, adaptability and flexibility to organisations in an increasingly complex and fast changing world.

This module will explore how:

• Horizon scanning can act as a method of gathering new insights that may point us towards affirming or discrediting existing trends and developments, as well as identifying new and emerging trends and developments that are on the margins of our current thinking, but will impact on the future.

Other foresight methodologies (e.g. scenario planning, visioning, back-casting) can be used to help us to use the trends identified from horizon scanning to identify how the future might develop.

In this module, you will adopt a bespoke three-step foresight process to interpret change in the external organisational environment and use the insights generated to anticipate plausible futures and stress-test strategies that support building organisational resilience. 

The foresight process will support you in building: 

Robust organisational intelligence through systematic horizon scanning and insight generation,

Resilience through comprehensive exploration and interpretation of the future to maintain flexibility (ability to adapt) against impending risks and to cease opportunities.

Step 1: Build organisational intelligence 

A 360o horizon scan of the external environment, both operational (e.g. market and consumer trends, competition) and contextual (e.g. regulatory constraints and opportunities, technological and social change), to systemically analyse those trends and patterns within the industry/sector and beyond that point to persistent trends, discontinuities or sharp disruptions that may challenge the future direction and ambition of your organisation. 

Step 2: Develop a set of alternative plausible future scenarios 

Build a set of plausible scenarios that explore alternative development pathways for your organisation in the future. The scenarios will reflect both positive and negative factors influencing the development of the organisation over the short to long-term, considering the contrasting role that various external driver of change (e.g. socio-demographic, technological, economic and policy change) will play. The scenarios should also consider discontinuities or sharp disruptive events (e.g. fuel crisis, political conflict or war) that may challenge the organisation’s continuity and its resilience, requiring an analysis of risks, opportunities and trade-offs over the long-term. 

Step 3: Create a vision and strategic roadmap for achieving a desirable future (scenario)  

Develop a vision and strategic roadmap for achieving the utopian scenario (i.e. most desirable future), defining the pathway and options for achieving the ambitions of your organisation. Apply the scenarios to stress-test the organisation’s future vision / strategy against potential disruption and to better prepare for other impending risks (e.g. financial and regulatory constraints) but also ceasing the opportunities that may arise. 

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Assess why organisations engage in strategic foresight research and what foresight research aims to achieve - and what it cannot do,
• Evaluate the utility and application of different foresight research methodologies,
• Examine the role of foresight research evidence in a broad organisational and environmental context,
• Identify and apply the tools of strategic foresight research in a broad organisational and environmental context.
• Apply strategic foresight research methods to support a convincing case for action within the organisation and use foresight research evidence to effectively plan for the long-term resilience of the organisation.

• Dr Gill Drew

Environmental impact assessment and life cycle analysis are important tools for evaluating the sustainability of complex renewable energy technologies and industrial processes or products. The tools and concepts taught in this module will enable you to assess the sustainability of a case study from an environmental standpoint. Analysis of relevant case studies to demonstrate the assessment process, including how to account for uncertainty and sensitivity analysis.

• Environmental impact assessment and sustainability,
• Environmental Impact Assessment,
• Indicator selection and analysis,
• Life cycle analysis, and carbon footprinting,
• Social impact assessment,
• The technique of demand forecasting.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Critically assess the emissions and waste production throughout the lifecycle of a technology or process,
• Design a framework to ensure compliance of a  process, product or service to support the transition to Net Zero that is  compliant with regulatory and voluntary requirements,
• Evaluate forecasting techniques as one of the fundamental aspects of environmental assessment,
• Critically evaluate different environmental and social appraisal metrics,
• Design and implement a strategy to assess the environmental sustainability of a process or technology, and evaluate the associated uncertainties.