Strategy and Sustainability
Business and environmental sustainability are not natural bedfellows. Business is about making money. Sustainability is about protecting the planet. Business is measured in months and quarters. Sustainability often requires significant short term costs to secure a sometimes uncertain long-term benefit. To some activists, all executives are exploitative, selfish one percenters. To some executives, all activists are irresponsible, unyielding extremists.
Monthly Subscription Starting at AED 99 + VAT
- Level Foundation
- Duration 16 hours
- Course by IESE Business School
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Offered by
About
Business and environmental sustainability are not natural bedfellows. Business is about making money. Sustainability is about protecting the planet. Business is measured in months and quarters. Sustainability often requires significant short term costs to secure a sometimes uncertain long-term benefit. To some activists, all executives are exploitative, selfish one percenters. To some executives, all activists are irresponsible, unyielding extremists. And yet engaging with the issue isn’t optional – all businesses must have a strategy to deal with sustainability and, like any strategy, this involves making choices. This Strategy and Sustainability course based on Rosenberg's recently published book by Palgrave (http://www.palgrave.com/la/book/9781137501738) that encourages learners to filter out the noise and make those choices in a hard-nosed and clear-eyed way. Prof. Rosenberg’s nuanced and fact-based point of view recognizes the complexity of the issues at hand and the strategic choices businesses must make. He blends the work of some of the leading academic thinkers in the field with practical examples from a variety of business sectors and geographies and offers a framework with which senior management might engage with the topic, not (just) to save the planet but to fulfill their short, medium and long-term responsibilities to shareholders and other stakeholders. This course promises to be both engaging and thought-provoking, aimed at anyone who wishes to gain a deeper understanding of a subject that is no longer perceived as a choice but a necessity for future managers and business leaders alike.Modules
Course Syllabus and Introduction to Strategy & Sustainability
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1
Videos
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4
Readings
1
Videos
- Welcome to the Course
4
Readings
- About This Course
- Course Syllabus
- Required Reading Week 1: "A Strategic Approach to Sustainability"
- Optional Reading: Strategy & Sustainability
Business & the Environment
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6
Videos
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3
Discussion
3
Discussions
- Contradictory Priorities
- What You Don't Know Can Hurt You
- Saving Animals, the Planet and Humans
6
Videos
- 1. Course Introduction
- 2. Governance & Sustainability
- 3. Six Differences
- 4. The Last 60 Years
- 5. How Business Has Responded
- 6. Session Summary: It's Not About Right and Wrong!
Quiz Week 1
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1
Readings
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Week 1
1
Readings
- Quiz 1 Solutions
Strategic Issues
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6
Videos
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2
Discussion
2
Discussions
- Losing Social License to Operate
- Agricultural, Manufacturing and Service Economies
6
Videos
- 1. Five Strategic Issues
- 2. Catastrophic Risks
- 3. License to Operate
- 4. Consumer Response
- 5. Technological Innovation
- 6. Globalization
Week 2 Assignment
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1
Readings
1
Readings
- Ted Talk: Elon Musk and the mind behind Tesla
Quiz Week 2
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1
Readings
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Week 2
1
Readings
- Quiz 2 Solutions
Strategic Options
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6
Videos
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1
Readings
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2
Discussion
2
Discussions
- Incentives to Make Company More Sustainable
- Taking a Gamble on Future Customer Behavior
6
Videos
- 1. Sensibility and Compliance
- 2. Take the Low Road & Break the Law
- 3. Wait and See
- 4. Show and Tell
- 5. Pay for Principle
- 6. Think Ahead
1
Readings
- Learning Objectives
Week 3 Assignment
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1
Readings
1
Readings
- Ted Talk, "Ray Anderson: The business logic of sustainability"
Quiz Week 3
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1
Readings
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Week 3
1
Readings
- Quiz 3 Solutions
Environmental Interest Groups
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6
Videos
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2
Discussion
2
Discussions
- Dealing With Activists
- Dealing With Localists
6
Videos
- 1. Introduction: The Sierra Club and Four Types of Environmentalists
- 2. Conservationists
- 3. Activists
- 4. Localists
- 5. Advocates
- 6. Non-Market Strategy
Week 4 Assignment
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1
Readings
1
Readings
- Ted Talk, "Global priorities bigger than climate change"
Quiz Week 4
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1
Readings
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Week 4
1
Readings
- Quiz 4 Solutions
Differences across industries and around the world
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6
Videos
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2
Discussion
2
Discussions
- Strategies for Shifting Customer Preferences
- Worldwide Environmental Standards?
6
Videos
- 1. Introduction: Differences Across Industries and Regions
- 2. Automotive and Oil & Gas
- 3. Consumer Goods & Consumer Electronics
- 4. The United States & Europe
- 5. China & India
- 6. Africa
Week 5 Assignment
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1
Readings
1
Readings
- Ted Talk, "Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala: How Africa can keep rising"
Quiz Week 5
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1
Readings
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Week 5
1
Readings
- Quiz 5 Solution
How to develop a sustainability strategy
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6
Videos
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2
Discussion
2
Discussions
- Ten-Year Horizons
- Crafting a Plan for Your Company
6
Videos
- 1. Introduction: Framework
- 2. Do the Math!
- 3. The Past, the Present and the Future
- 4. The Role of the Board
- 5. Crafting the Plan
- 6. Summary
Week 6 Assignment
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1
Readings
1
Readings
- Required Reading, "Using Scenarios to Plan for Tomorrow"
Quiz Week 6
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1
Readings
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1
PeerReview
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Week 6
1
Peer Review
- Quiz Week 6 - Part 2
1
Readings
- Quiz 6 Solutions
Auto Summary
Enhance your strategic acumen with the "Strategy and Sustainability" course by Professor Rosenberg. Delve into the intricate balance between business profitability and environmental responsibility, drawing insights from leading academic thinkers and practical examples. This foundational-level course spans 960 minutes and is perfect for future managers and business leaders. Available through Coursera with both Starter and Professional subscription options, it equips you to make informed, strategic choices for sustainable business practices.
Mike Rosenberg