It is no longer acceptable for organisations to focus entirely on financial success if they are to be competitive on the global stage. As corporate scandals continue to make headlines, you will expand your strategic thinking beyond your organisation’s competitive financial environment to consider its broader impact on society. You will grapple with the conflicting outcomes of maximising financial return and societal impact as you develop the skills to create a balance that is sustainable. Through structured learning activities (video lectures, quizzes, discussion prompts and written assessments) you will gain an appreciation of how important sustainability will be for every organisation in the future – and how to achieve it.
Ce cours fait partie de la Spécialisation Strategising: Management for Global Competitive Advantage
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À propos de ce cours
Ce que vous allez apprendre
Assess business decisions using metrics including financial maximization, shareholder value, customer well-being, and societal impact
Apply the principles and tools of complex systems thinking to sustainable business challenges and/or opportunities
Identify and evaluate strategies, processes and leadership techniques that enable successful sustainability transitions in a business context
Compétences que vous acquerrez
- Sustainability
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Ethics
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Université Macquarie
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Programme de cours : ce que vous apprendrez dans ce cours
The nature of sustainability
What is sustainability, why, and when did the concept develop, and why is it of crucial strategic importance for business? This week you will be introduced to the drivers that have given rise to the concept of sustainability; the diverse range of ethical, social, and environmental issues it contains; and the main global definitions, goals and frameworks of sustainable development. To provide context for the above, you will start by reviewing contemporary examples, from some of the world's most powerful corporations, of how neglect of sustainability has resulted in massive financial, reputational, and social costs.
Concerns with business impacts
What is it about the history and practices of business that have given rise to wider societal concerns regarding its impact on the sustainability of our world? Focussing upon three major developments – i) industrialisation, ii) neoliberalism, and iii) globalisation – this week you will examine the root of concerns with business impact on areas such as environmental pollution, inequality, and the quality of working lives. Understanding some of this wider critical context is an essential foundation if businesses and business leaders are to retain or gain the trust of the community, consumers, regulators, and employees.
Strategic responses to sustainability
Given the complexities of the relationship between business and sustainability, what are the key sustainable strategies that businesses can employ? You will be introduced to three such strategies this week, organised around: i) business ethics, ii) corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate philanthropy, and iii) natural or green capitalism. Through an examination of contemporary business practices, you will see that strategies in the above areas may still signal a variety of value positions by businesses, including those proactively committed to, reactive to, and resistant of sustainability.
The difficulty of being ethical in organisations
Why is it that some business leaders may knowingly engage in strategies that are unsustainable? Is there something particular to formal organisational structures that make them spaces where being ethical can seem the hardest thing to do? This week we consider important social scientific research that examines the dynamics by which such things as organisational hierarchy, too close an identification with work roles, a focus on procedures and instrumental outcomes, even relations of authority, can dramatically inhibit or subvert our sense of ethical responsibility in organisations.
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Meilleurs avis pour GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: BE SUSTAINABLE
A great course on understanding the concepts of sustainability and sustainable practices followed in various organizations. Case studies were more supportive and lectures are brief and succinct.
Really loved the course. The course is well structured and gives a good insight into a wide range of topics. Hoping to carry forward the learning and apply it in upcoming corporate jobs :)
Loved the readings and the layout of the course! Was very informative and I look forward to taking more courses
Fantastic course that every employee should take responsibly. The instructor is great- simple in approach, clear or simply amazing.
À propos du Spécialisation Strategising: Management for Global Competitive Advantage
Leaders must have the ability to develop and deploy effective strategies. This specialisation will prepare you to be the strategic change-maker capable of enabling your organisation to compete into the future. You will learn: how to think strategically to make your organisation more competitive (Be Competitive); how crucial it now is for supply chains to effectively meet customer demands (Be Global); how to leverage technology and innovation to disrupt and reshape your organisation (Be Disruptive); and how to make a positive contribution to the world while effectively maintaining the bottom line (Be Sustainable).

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