Business of Climate Change
| Module title | Business of Climate Change |
|---|---|
| Module code | MBAM844 |
| Academic year | 2023/4 |
| Credits | 5 |
| Module staff |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 0.5 days |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 10 |
|---|
Module description
We will discuss the paradoxical role of business and climate change, addressing the following questions: How does climate change affect business? How can businesses develop climate change strategies? How can business potentially benefit from climate change? How do carbon markets work, and what are their limits and potential? Why do we find it so difficult to adopt less carbon intensive lifestyles? What is the role of technology? What are the ethical issues that climate change raises? What are the responsibilities of business? How does business (and society at large) adapt to climate change? This module will address such questions, exploring the relationship between business and one of the, if not THE, most important question of our time.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The aim of this module is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between business and climate change, discussing the negative impact of businesses and their potential contribution to reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases. Students will gain academic and practical literacy in the climate change domain, understanding the political context that can shape companies’ environmental behaviour as well as issues relevant to business managers, policy makers, NGO activists and citizen-consumers.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Apply analysis to policy options for addressing climate change
- 2. Compare and evaluate different policies and strategic options, and determine their effects on the behaviour and performance of firms
- 3. Discuss the behavioural issues associated with carbon reduction
- 4. Explain the political economy associated with climate change
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Discuss the ethical dimensions of climate change and the extent to which ethical values can be effectively adopted by consumers and companies, and incorporated into government policies
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. Develop capacity for critical thought and reasoned discussion,
- 7. Develop skills for addressing complex problems
- 8. Develop written and verbal communication skills
Syllabus plan
- Introduction to Climate Change and its Science
- Carbon Markets Opportunities and Limits
- Changing Behaviours for a Changing Climate?
- The role of technology
- Climate Change and Company Strategy
- Climate Change Adaptation
- Climate Change and Ethical Issues
- Economic Futures: Path dependencies and alternatives
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | 33 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 15 | Lectures (6 hrs x 2.5 days) = 15 |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 2 | Lecturer feedback on written assignments and discussions Assessment for learning exercises |
| Guided Independent Study | 33 | Reading, Research, Writing |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| In class discussions | 3 hours | 1-5, 8, 9 | Peer feedback |
| Short written case analyses in groups | 2 x daily assignments each of 500 words | 1-6 | Written feedback on every assignment the morning after |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summative essay of 1000 words | 50 | 1000 words | 1-6 | Written, within normal feedback timescale |
| Individual presentations and Q&A | 50 | 15 minutes per person | 7-10 | Oral & written feedback after the presentation |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summative essay of 1000 words | 1000 words | 1-6 | Next reassessment window |
| Individual presentation and Q&A, 15 minutes | Individual presentation, 15 minutes | 7-10 | Next reassessment window |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Module reading will be from a variety of sources with many made available through the Module website. Each lecture has a mandatory reading list and a complementary one.
The following books, are references that can support the majority of the topics covered in this module.
- Wright, C., & Nyberg, D. (2015). Climate Change, Capitalism, and Corporations: Processes of Creative Self-Destruction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. http://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139939676
- Bansal, P. and Hoffman, A. (2011) The Oxford Handbook of Business and the Natural Environment Oxford: OUP (available online from the Forum Library)
- Gardiner, S.M. (2011) A Perfect Moral Storm: The Ethical Tragedy of Climate Change. Oxford University Press. (available online from the Forum Library)
- Hulme, M. (Ed.). (2019). Contemporary Climate Change Debates: A Student Primer. Routledge.
- Pinkse, J and Kolk, A. (2009) International Business and Global Climate Change London : Routledge. (available online from the Forum Library)
- Stern, N. (2007) The Economics of Climate Change: The Stern Review Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Also available from: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/sternreview_index.htm
| Credit value | 5 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 2.5 |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 26/7/2023 |
