5 credits
30.0 h
Q1
Teacher(s)
Reuter Carsten;
Language
English
Main themes
This course will address environmental, social and ethical risks, and new business opportunities arising from managing the natural environment. This course will also look at responses at a strategic and operational level: sustainable innovation and green supply chain management, environmental management systems and certification (ISO 14001, EMAS, etc.), supplier code of conducts, sustainable supplier selection and supplier development, waste reduction, eco-efficiency, greenwashing, child labour and labour safety. The focus is not only on operations of the focal firm, but particularly also on sustainability challenges that enfold along globally dispersed supply chains.
Aims
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to : | |
| 1 | On successful completion of this program, each student will acquire the following skills :
|
The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.
Content
In the 21st century, a company cannot maintain its competitive position or achieve continuous operating improvement without the successful implementation of strategic, well-designed, and well-implemented sustainability initiatives. Sustainability improvements are critical at many points in an operation's value chain, from initial product conception to production/manufacturing, distribution, and waste disposal.
A sustainable, socially responsible, and financially-driven company must develop, analyze, select, and implement measures that will help it capitalize on the opportunities for improved operating performance, and that will mitigate the inevitable unfavorable effects of business operations. This requires managers who can identify potential threats and challenges, develop strategies to address such challenges, conduct the evaluations of competing alternatives, and make the fact-based decisions. It also requires managers to articulate the decisions to broad sets of stakeholders (i.e., the facility manager, the chairman of the board, individual employees, community organizations, governmental/regulatory agencies).
A sustainable, socially responsible, and financially-driven company must develop, analyze, select, and implement measures that will help it capitalize on the opportunities for improved operating performance, and that will mitigate the inevitable unfavorable effects of business operations. This requires managers who can identify potential threats and challenges, develop strategies to address such challenges, conduct the evaluations of competing alternatives, and make the fact-based decisions. It also requires managers to articulate the decisions to broad sets of stakeholders (i.e., the facility manager, the chairman of the board, individual employees, community organizations, governmental/regulatory agencies).
Teaching methods
The format is based on active learning and includes lectures, case studies, videos, incidents and class discussion, qualified speakers and a project work in sustainability management.
Each guest speaker discusses his or her professional background and organization, sustainability program objectives, and concrete strategies for meeting those objectives.
The course provides time for questions and discussion among the instructors, the speakers, and the students, giving students valuable insights into how sustainability is managed in the real world.
Students will read case studies and some background material designed to help them answer the questions posed at the end of each case exercise. The cases will always pose practical issues for decision makers to address'but issues that are best addressed with a firm grounding in the literature of management and sustainability.
Each guest speaker discusses his or her professional background and organization, sustainability program objectives, and concrete strategies for meeting those objectives.
The course provides time for questions and discussion among the instructors, the speakers, and the students, giving students valuable insights into how sustainability is managed in the real world.
Students will read case studies and some background material designed to help them answer the questions posed at the end of each case exercise. The cases will always pose practical issues for decision makers to address'but issues that are best addressed with a firm grounding in the literature of management and sustainability.
Evaluation methods
The performance assessment will be based on individual and group performance:
- Group Performance (50%)
- Individual Performance (50%)
'The assessment consists of three components.
1. Group Presentation (20%)
2. Group Case Report (30%)
3. Individual Exam (50%)
Students who won’t be present for the final exam as they are exchange students will have an alternate assessment.
Also, in case students failed the course, they will have the chance to resit their marks for the individual report and final exam in the second examination period in a 3 hour exam.
*Group Presentation:
'The group case presentation (details regarding the content and questions will be announced during the course). You will work on a real-life case. Grades will be given based on these criteria:
'Analysis'''''' 30%''
Suggested Solution '''''30%
Originality and critical thinking '''20%
Professionalism and rigor of presentation'' 20%
Groups can comprise max. five members.
Depending on the number of attendees, students may be required to turn in their presentation in form of a „screencast“, i.e. a Powerpoint-Presentation with voice-over.
*Group Case Report
Students will be asked to develop a group research paper that analyzes main CSR issues of SCs in a particular industry (e.g. meat, coffee, mobile phones, sneakers, laptops, energy, waste). Depending on the particular industry, the structure and governance of the SCs will differ and so will major CSR problems. We ask students to analyze the most apparent CSR problems of an industry by using relevant literature.
Groups can comprise max. five members.
*Individual Exam
The final exam is a written examination based on course literature and lectures. The exam content will be narrowed down at the end of the class.
- Group Performance (50%)
- Individual Performance (50%)
'The assessment consists of three components.
1. Group Presentation (20%)
2. Group Case Report (30%)
3. Individual Exam (50%)
Students who won’t be present for the final exam as they are exchange students will have an alternate assessment.
Also, in case students failed the course, they will have the chance to resit their marks for the individual report and final exam in the second examination period in a 3 hour exam.
*Group Presentation:
'The group case presentation (details regarding the content and questions will be announced during the course). You will work on a real-life case. Grades will be given based on these criteria:
'Analysis'''''' 30%''
Suggested Solution '''''30%
Originality and critical thinking '''20%
Professionalism and rigor of presentation'' 20%
Groups can comprise max. five members.
Depending on the number of attendees, students may be required to turn in their presentation in form of a „screencast“, i.e. a Powerpoint-Presentation with voice-over.
*Group Case Report
Students will be asked to develop a group research paper that analyzes main CSR issues of SCs in a particular industry (e.g. meat, coffee, mobile phones, sneakers, laptops, energy, waste). Depending on the particular industry, the structure and governance of the SCs will differ and so will major CSR problems. We ask students to analyze the most apparent CSR problems of an industry by using relevant literature.
Groups can comprise max. five members.
*Individual Exam
The final exam is a written examination based on course literature and lectures. The exam content will be narrowed down at the end of the class.
Bibliography
Examples of references are listed below :
Crane, A. (2013). Modern slavery as a management practice: Exploring the conditions and capabilities for human exploitation. Academy of Management Review, 38(1), 49-69.
Egels-Zandén, N. (2014). Revisiting supplier compliance with MNC codes of conduct: Recoupling policy and practice at Chinese toy suppliers. Journal of Business Ethics, 119(1), 59-75.
Gereffi, G., Humphrey, J., & Sturgeon, T. (2005). The governance of global value chains. Review of International Political Economy, 12(1), 78-104.
Goebel, P. et al. (2018). Purchasing managers' willingness to pay for attributes that constitute sustainability. Journal of Operations Management, in print
Grant, D. B., Wong, C. Y., & Trautrims, A. (2017). Sustainable logistics and supply chain management: principles and practices for sustainable operations and management. Kogan Page Publishers.
Hofmann, H., Schleper, M. & Blome, C. (2016). Conflict minerals and supply chain due diligence: an exploratory study of multi-tier supply chains. Journal of Business Ethics, in print.
Jiang, B. (2009). Implementing supplier codes of conduct in global supply chains: Process explanations from theoretic and empirical perspectives. Journal of Business Ethics, 85(1), 77-92.
Porter, M. & M.R. Kramer, (2011) Creating shared value, Harvard Business Review, January-February, pp. 62-77.
Reuter, C., Foerstl, K., Hartmann, E. & Blome, C. (2011). Sustainable global supplier management: the role of dynamic capabilities in achieving competitive advantage. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 46(2), 45-63.
Sroufe, R. (2013). Developing Sustainable Supply Chains to Drive Value: Management Issues, Insights, Concepts, and Tools. Business Expert Press.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Wilhelm, M.M., Blome, C., Bhakoo, V. & Paulraj, A. (2016). Sustainability in multi-tier supply chains: Understanding the double agency role of the first-tier supplier. Journal of Operations Management, 41, 42-60.
Crane, A. (2013). Modern slavery as a management practice: Exploring the conditions and capabilities for human exploitation. Academy of Management Review, 38(1), 49-69.
Egels-Zandén, N. (2014). Revisiting supplier compliance with MNC codes of conduct: Recoupling policy and practice at Chinese toy suppliers. Journal of Business Ethics, 119(1), 59-75.
Gereffi, G., Humphrey, J., & Sturgeon, T. (2005). The governance of global value chains. Review of International Political Economy, 12(1), 78-104.
Goebel, P. et al. (2018). Purchasing managers' willingness to pay for attributes that constitute sustainability. Journal of Operations Management, in print
Grant, D. B., Wong, C. Y., & Trautrims, A. (2017). Sustainable logistics and supply chain management: principles and practices for sustainable operations and management. Kogan Page Publishers.
Hofmann, H., Schleper, M. & Blome, C. (2016). Conflict minerals and supply chain due diligence: an exploratory study of multi-tier supply chains. Journal of Business Ethics, in print.
Jiang, B. (2009). Implementing supplier codes of conduct in global supply chains: Process explanations from theoretic and empirical perspectives. Journal of Business Ethics, 85(1), 77-92.
Porter, M. & M.R. Kramer, (2011) Creating shared value, Harvard Business Review, January-February, pp. 62-77.
Reuter, C., Foerstl, K., Hartmann, E. & Blome, C. (2011). Sustainable global supplier management: the role of dynamic capabilities in achieving competitive advantage. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 46(2), 45-63.
Sroufe, R. (2013). Developing Sustainable Supply Chains to Drive Value: Management Issues, Insights, Concepts, and Tools. Business Expert Press.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Wilhelm, M.M., Blome, C., Bhakoo, V. & Paulraj, A. (2016). Sustainability in multi-tier supply chains: Understanding the double agency role of the first-tier supplier. Journal of Operations Management, 41, 42-60.
Faculty or entity
CLSM
