Postgraduate Course: Climate Change & Corporate Responsibility (online) (PGGE11213)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Climate change is a strategic challenge for business, creating new risks and but also opportunities. In this course we discuss what role(s) business/industry may/should have in the climate change adaptation and mitigation debate, and the management practices and tools that are emerging to help businesses find a path through the changing landscape in which they operate. Students will explore the financial and operational drivers behind these risks and opportunities, how they have changed over time and what the future may hold. |
| Course description |
"Climate change is the single most important strategic issue facing business in the next fifty years" - Professor David Levy, University of Massachusetts, 2009.
Whether or not everyone agrees with the above statement, it is undoubtedly true that business attitudes to climate change have undergone a remarkable evolution since the "Earth Summit" in Rio in 1992. Climate change is now widely regarded as a strategic issue with significant operational and financial implications for business. These implications form a complex web of interactions between climate change science, policy and economics. Each has its own uncertainties, overlaps and contested domains. To succeed in such a complex and ever-changing world, there is a need for business practitioners and other stakeholders (such as NGOs, government, media and the general public) to have a deeper understanding of the present and future implications of climate change for business.
"Solving" the climate change problem requires input and involvement from business. The course aims to provide students with an opportunity to explore, analyse and communicate the myriad of impacts of climate change for business, the ways in which business can respond, and the wider implications of their responses for a range of stakeholders including the environment, shareholders, employees and consumers.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | This course is only available to students studying the online Certificate in Climate Change Management or the online MSc in Carbon Management. Students are not permitted to audit this course unless formally agreed with the course organiser. |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2017/18, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Block 5 (sem 2) |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Online Activities 40,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
156 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
20%: Business memo
30%: Circular Economy Lifecyle Redesign - this is a group assignment
50%: Business strategy development |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Analyse a business and its competitive environment regarding present and future carbon emissions, incorporating the perspectives of multiple stakeholders.
- Develop corporate strategy that reflects climate change expectations within any policy or regulatory framework.
- Communicate complex ideas that incorporate business, climate change and sustainable responsibility to a range of audiences through synthesis and creative application of relevant literature to practical situations.
- Critically evaluate the challenges to transitioning to a low-carbon economy, taking into account a range of sometimes diverging viewpoints.
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Reading List
Required and further readings for this course generally take the form of reports from industry/government/NGOs and peer-reviewed journal articles. Due to nature of this course, there is no single volume textbook that covers the range of material presented.
Details of required and recommended further reading for individual lectures can be found in several places: the full course reading list on Learn and the Welcome page on the VLE, and; lecture specific readings on the Welcome page of that lecture.
Preparatory Reading could include:
Packard, K. and Reinhardt, F. (2000) 'What Every Executive Needs to Know about Global Warming', Harvard Business Review, July-August, pp. 129-135
Lash, J. and Wellington, F. (2007) 'Competitive Advantage on a Warming Planet', Harvard Business Review, March, pp. 95-102
Hoffman, A. (2007) Getting Ahead of the Curve: Corporate Strategies that Address Climate Change, Executive Summary (pp v-vii) and Synthesis Report (pp 1-7)
Porter, M. & Kramer, M. (2011) The Big Idea: Creating Shared Value, Harvard Business Review.
Goldman Sachs Sustain (2009). Change is coming: A framework for climate change- a defining issue of the 21st century, pp 1-17.
McKinsey & Company (2009) Pathways to a Low-Carbon Economy. Version 2 of the Global Greenhouse Gas Abatement Cost Curve, pp 190.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Cognitive Skills:
Through this course, students will have the opportunity to develop business analytical skills, numerical skills, research and synthesis skills, and presentation skills. These will be developed throughout the course via reading and reflecting on academic and business literature; the content of the lectures; discussion with other students and facilitators, and; assessment preparation and presentation.
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| Keywords | Business,Strategy,Climate Change |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Stephen Porter
Tel: (0131 6)51 4545
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Karolina Galera
Tel: (0131 6)50 2572
Email: |
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