Group Sustainable Business Project - ENV00120M

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Module summary

In this module students will undertake a group sustainable business project in collaboration with a business partner. Broad project ideas will be defined by business partners and then developed and implemented by student groups. All projects will challenge student groups to mobilise their skills, knowledge and values to lead on a change towards more sustainable business practice in a real-world setting.

Module will run

Occurrence	Teaching period
A	Semester 2 2025-26

Module aims

This module focuses on giving students an opportunity to collaborate with a business partner to work on a sustainability challenge as a business project. The sustainable business project challenges students to mobilise their skills, knowledge and values in leadership for amore sustainable business practice in a real-world setting.

Module learning outcomes

• Conduct advanced research and critically apply appropriate sustainability assessment methods to analyse a complex sustainability problem as part of a group and individually to inform and guide the development of a real-world sustainability challenge business project;
• Work as a team to identify sustainability challenges with business seeking and focused innovative and entrepreneurial sustainable solutions;
• Design and implement effective systematic approaches and innovative solutions to real-world sustainable business problem-solving;
• Collaborate effectively and professionally both face-to-face and online with group members and external business partners;
• Communicate effectively and professionally during group meetings and with written reports and communication.

Module content

At the start of the module, students will select a broad project idea from a list of project themes and sustainability challenges compiled in collaboration with our business partners. Project development and implementation will be supported with a set of workshops (2-hours),weekly meetings with our business partners (1-hour) and a review and feedback of the sustainable business report with staff and our industry partners during two seminars throughout the term.

Indicative assessment

Task	% of module mark
Essay/coursework	100.0

Special assessment rules

None

Additional assessment information

The Individual Project Report is developed in consultation with the work and guidance of a Group Project Report Proposal that is centred on each group project theme. As such, a formative assessment is prepared by each group that considers the direct feedback from staff and our business partners to shape and guide the final individual business reports.

The Individual Project Report is informed, developed and shaped by the group work and engagement with business partners, which is assessed through a specific Individual Project Report marking criteria.

Indicative reassessment

Task	% of module mark
Essay/coursework	100.0

Module feedback

Summative feedback will be provided on written feedback sheets as per Department of Environment and Geography assessment criteria.

Indicative reading

Thomas, D. and Hodges, I. D. 2010. Designing and Managing Your Research Project: Core Skills for Social and Health Research. London: Sage Publications.

Chesebro, J. L. 2014. Professional Communication at Work: Interpersonal Strategies for Career Success. London: Taylor and Francis.

Madsen, S. 2015. The Power of Project Leadership: 7 Keys to Help You Transform from Project Manager to Project Leader. Kogan Page.

Lüdeke-Freund, F. (2020). Sustainable entrepreneurship, innovation, and business models: Integrative framework and propositions for future research. Business Strategy and the Environment, 29(2), 665-681.

Ferlito, R., & Faraci, R. (2022). Business model innovation for sustainability: A new framework. Innovation & Management Review, 19(3), 222-236.

Gümüsay, A. A., Marti, E., Trittin-Ulbrich, H., & Wickert, C. (2022). Organizing for societal grand challenges (p. 320). Emerald Publishing.