Strategy and sustainability is a 20 session elective that is offered in the second year of the full time MBA that deals with two issues. One is how business is responding to the challenge of environmental sustainability at the strategic level. The other is to explore what strategic options exist for entrepreneurs and activists associated with environment. The course is also offered in 6 sessions in the Global Executive MBA program and is focused on considering how firms might choose to think about sustainability in terms of its impact on their businesses over the next few years and aver the long term.
The objective of the course is to prepare students to either play an active role in guiding the response of industrial and service companies to sustainability or to help develop strategy for firms and institutions involved with the issue. Conceptual content is largely based on my own book Strategy & Sustainability.
Although the conceptual framework of the course is based on my book, Strategy & Sustainability, the course is largely based on case studies which have been written under my direction over the last couple of years. I also use MIT’s Fishbanks simulation as well as a workshop on scenario planning. Recently developed case material includes case studies on Henkel, Dia, The Rocky Mountain Institute, PeePoo, Alsthom, The Copenhagen Consensus Center and others.
Finally as the entire subject of environmental sustainability is changing very quickly, I frequently invite guest speakers to class.