Sustainable Commercial Development MCEL 20011 Credit rating 10 Unit coordinator: Veronica Sanchez Romaguera ECTS credits 5 Semester 1 Alliance Manchester Business School Undergraduate Level 2 FHEQ level Middle part of Bachelors Marketing course unit overview Sustainable development is increasingly becoming a goal to which numerous countries and organisations throughout the world aspire. There is a growing recognition and acceptance that society needs to develop new pathways to achieve a more sustainable future. This is driving elements of government policy, business strategy and technical innovation, recognising that the past and present strategies of industrial societies have led to unacceptable damage of the physical environment and inequalities both within "developed" communities and with the rest of the non-industrialised world. The goal is to achieve economic progress, ecological protection and social justice. Achieving a balance between all three elements is a challenging task. Engineering is central to the well-being and economic development of every nation. Electrical and Electronic Engineers are responsible for providing fundamental services in the delivery of infrastructure as well as manufacture products synonymous with the modern world. There is now a professional duty on engineers to formulate systems, technologies and attitudes that will deliver a more sustainable approach across all these sectors of engineering. Climate change, resource depletion, waste generation and pollution, poverty and inequity are some of the difficult problems we face. Engineers have a special place in being able to develop solutions and new strategies to deal with these critical subjects, whilst also providing the necessary tools to address global issues. The challenge for many organisations is in finding robust ways of implementing sustainable development at a practical level: addressing global challenges whilst remaining competitive on a global stage. Sustainable Commercial Development focuses on the following key areas, which are believed to be essential ingredients for well-equipped engineers to tackle the issues facing the modern world and become the leaders of competitive organisations: Context An awareness of key global challenges, awareness of unsustainable practices (from product/service design to business practices), understanding of sustainable development concepts and principles and the importance of stakeholders engagement in the context of engineering organisations. Examples of innovative products, services and business
practices will be used to illustrate the challenges and opportunities faced by the industry. Additionally, examples of current cutting-edge research taking place at the School of EEE will be used to illustrate how global issues provide opportunities for innovation and how these innovations could be taken to market. Furthermore, the concept of well-equipped engineer will be contextualised. Perspectives Acknowledging that research, technical innovation and business skills must be understood nurtured and combined as precursors to the successful implementation of sustainable solutions. Change An understanding of mechanisms for change towards sustainable development in organisations so future engineers are equipped to play a leadership role. Course unit overview Sustainable development is increasingly becoming a goal to which numerous countries and organisations throughout the world aspire. There is a growing recognition and acceptance that society needs to develop new pathways to achieve a more sustainable future. This is driving elements of government policy, business strategy and technical innovation, recognising that the past and present strategies of industrial societies have led to unacceptable damage of the physical environment and inequalities both within "developed" communities and with the rest of the non-industrialised world. The goal is to achieve economic progress, ecological protection and social justice. Achieving a balance between all three elements is a challenging task. Engineering is central to the well-being and economic development of every nation. Electrical and Electronic Engineers are responsible for providing fundamental services in the delivery of infrastructure as well as manufacture products synonymous with the modern world. There is now a professional duty on engineers to formulate systems, technologies and attitudes that will deliver a more sustainable approach across all these sectors of engineering. Climate change, resource depletion, waste generation and pollution, poverty and inequity are some of the difficult problems we face. Engineers have a special place in being able to develop solutions and new strategies to deal with these critical subjects, whilst also providing the necessary tools to address global issues. The challenge for many organisations is in finding robust ways of implementing sustainable development at a practical level: addressing global challenges whilst remaining competitive on a global stage. Sustainable Commercial Development focuses on the following key areas, which are believed to be essential ingredients for well-equipped engineers to tackle the issues facing the modern world and become the leaders of competitive organisations: Context An awareness of key global challenges, awareness of unsustainable practices (from product/service design to business practices), understanding of sustainable development concepts and principles and the importance of stakeholders engagement in the context of engineering organisations. Examples of innovative products, services and business practices will be used to illustrate the challenges and opportunities faced by the industry. Additionally, examples of current cutting-edge research taking place at the School of EEE will be used to illustrate how global issues provide opportunities for
innovation and how these innovations could be taken to market. Furthermore, the concept of well-equipped engineer will be contextualised. Perspectives Acknowledging that research, technical innovation and business skills must be understood nurtured and combined as precursors to the successful implementation of sustainable solutions. Change An understanding of mechanisms for change towards sustainable development in organisations so future engineers are equipped to play a leadership role. Aims Sustainable Commercial Development is a unit that explores sustainable development concepts and examples which are relevant to engineers. The aim of this unit is to develop EEE students awareness of key global challenges, understanding of basic engineering for sustainable development principles and, the place of their chosen engineering specialism in delivering them, and with relevant knowledge and skills to apply in the engineering profession. Interactive lectures and structured group activities/workshops are used to apply theoretical concepts: equipping students with sustainable development literacy and competencies to enhance student employability by enabling them to understand and contribute to the social, environmental, economic and ethical responsibilities of potential future employers ranging from large engineering and consultancy companies to NGOs.. Knowledge and understanding A1 Demonstrate knowledge of key sustainable development principles and definitions. A2 Demonstrate knowledge of the "three pillars" model of sustainable development, identifying, integrating and balancing social, environmental, economic and ethical considerations. A3 Demonstrate understanding of key global environmental and social challenges, and show awareness of the impacts of industry on these issues. A4 Demonstrate knowledge of recent innovative engineering research and industry developments aiming to tackle sustainable development issues A5 Demonstrate knowledge of how research is commercialised. Intellectual skills B1 Demonstrate understanding of how to apply a whole lifecycle perspective to analysis of a scenario, predicting both short term and long term consequences. B2 Show understanding of how sustainability of a system or scenario could be assessed using appropriate methodology (e.g. SIA). Practical skills C1 Apply problem solving skills C2 Communicate effectively in presentation format (create and deliver a team presentation) C3 Research and critically analyse information from published literature and internet sources
Transferable skills and personal qualities D1 Demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively and effectively within a team and organise their own time in working towards identified targets. D2 Develop, analyse, structure and communicate information (written and verbally). Employability skills Employers frequently report that while students are knowledgeable about their subject area they lack of various non-technical skills such as for example: commercial awareness, communication skills (written and verbal) and team working skills. The course attempts to give students the opportunity to develop those skills by providing opportunities for team work, finding and compiling information in the form of an individual written report and team presentations and getting students thinking about the commercial side of their subject area. Syllabus This course unit provides an introduction to understanding sustainable development in a professional context. A combination of lectures and group activities enable students to learn both the basic theory of sustainable development principles and understand its application in a professional context. When possible, examples are drawn from real life scenarios and guest lecturers from EEE are involved to describe different subject perspectives. Teaching and learning methods Lectures (whole cohort) will be used to introduce sustainable development concepts and principles. Responseware technology will be used to foster interactive sessions. Guest lecturers from the School of EEE are invited to provide in depth technical or industrial insight into the topics. Interactive workshops) will be used to apply theoretical concepts and give students the opportunity to develop practical and transferable skills through participation and contribution to group activities. Assessment methods Assessment methods (formative & summative): Formative assessment: Summative Assessment: Sustainable Development Principles (Blackboard Quiz Coursework (50%): Mid-term Individual Report Exam (50%) during normal university exam period Feedback methods 1. You will receive immediate feedback regarding your understanding of basic principles of sustainable development upon completing the formative quiz in blackboard. The test can be taken unlimited number of times. 2. Attending lectures, joining discussions about case studies and doing short work tasks set within the lecture session.
3. Your lecturer may provide brief replies to your e-mailed enquiry within their scheduled working hours if time permits, or may arrange to meet immediately before, following or during a scheduled class session. 4. Your lecturer may feedback messages to the whole class via Blackboard if the point that you have raised could be of benefit to the whole class. It is your responsibility to check blackboard regularly. Requisites Available to EEE students ONLY. Available as free choice? N Recommended reading Core text: Mulder, K. ed. (2006). Sustainable Development for Engineers: A Handbook and Resource Guide, Greenleaf Publishing Ltd. (ISBN-10: 1874719195) Azapagic A., Perdan S. (2011). Sustainable Development in Practice: Case Studies for Engineers and Scientists 2 nd Edition Wiley (ASIN: B005FMLIMM) Supplementary text: Conaway, R. N., Laasch, O. (2014). Principles of Responsible Management: Glocal Sustainability, Responsibility, and Ethics (ISBN-10: 1-285-08026) Rogers P.P., Jalal K.F., Boyd J.A. (2012) An Introduction to Sustainable Development Routledge (ASIN: B0081YWAQ4) Allenby B.R. (2012). The Theory and Practice of Sustainable Engineering Pearson (Prentice Hall) (ISBN10: 0 273 75216 2) Nicholas Ashford and Ralph Hall (2011). Technology, Globalization, and Sustainable Development: Transforming the Industrial State, Yale University Press (ISBN-10: 0300169728) Scheduled activity hours Lectures, 12 weeks x 2 hours Contact hours 24 Independent study hours 76 hours