BUSDEV 724 : Designing for Sustainability

Business and Economics

2021 Quarter Four (1218) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Addresses challenges in designing for sustainability, including lifetime and disposal costs, environmental and social impacts, compliance issues, and tensions between corporate responsibility and profit generation. Explores contemporary topics like eco-innovation, circular economy, and social enterprise.

Course Overview

This course is part of the innovation and product management specialization within the Master of Business Development programme. Taking a Circular Economy (CE) and Cradle to Cradle (C2C) perspective, this course focuses on the development and critical interdisciplinary evaluation of sustainable solutions to design products, services and systems. The major topics include: environmental and other principles of eco-design, C2C and Circular Economy concepts; product and system design methodologies; management issues relevant for implementation of circular economy and C2C – at project, organisation and system levels; circular business model strategies; combination of environmental and management options to support C2C design and to Circular System thinking.

Course Requirements

No pre-requisites or restrictions

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2: Critical Thinking
Capability 3: Solution Seeking
Capability 4: Communication and Engagement

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Identify and explain the key challenges, of designing sustainable products, processes and systems. (Capability 1, 3, 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3)
  2. Describe and explain theories that underly social enterprise, circular business models and eco-innovation processes and practices. (Capability 1, 2, 4.1 and 4.2)
  3. Understand and evaluate the drivers and rationale for eco-innovation and social enterprise and circular business models and evaluate their role and relevance in current and future business contexts. (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3)
  4. Apply knowledge, theory and frameworks to critically analyse real-world cases of sustainable products, eco-innovations and social enterprises to evaluate their effectiveness in meeting their unique objectives. (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Essay 40% Individual Coursework
Quizzes 50% Individual Coursework
Presentation 10% Group & Individual Coursework
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4
Essay
Quizzes
Presentation

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in. Thus, you can expect to spend about 15 hours per week on course related activities, including reading, webinars, contributing to discussions, and working on assignments.

Delivery Mode

Online

The course will include live on-line seminar events. Those will be recorded, and so attending those events 'in real time' is optional.
In addition, there will be on-line office hours where you can talk with the teaching staff.
Attendance on campus is not required for any component of the course.
Where possible, all study material will be available when the course begins.
This course runs to the University's quarter timetable and all the associated completion dates and deadlines will apply.

Learning Resources

Course readings are available via Reading Lists on the main navigation menu in Canvas (the University’s online learning management system) and are also linked within each module in Canvas (canvas.auckland.ac.nz).

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Digital Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Published on 18/02/2021 09:57 a.m.