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BUSI4BP15: Responsible Business

Type Tied
Level 4
Credits 15
Availability Available in 2025/2026
Module Cap None.
Location Durham
Department Management and Marketing

Prerequisites

  • None

Corequisites

  • None

Excluded Combinations of Modules

  • None

Aims

  • To equip students with a comprehensive understanding of how businesses can act responsibly to address global challenges, particularly through alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
  • To develop skills to create sustainable business strategies, develop responsible business modes, fostering ethical decision-making, and promoting cross-sector collaboration.
  • To prepare students to lead organisations that balance profitability with social responsibility and environmental stewardship.

Content

  • Introduction to responsible business
  • The role of business in achieving the SDGs
  • Ethical frameworks for corporate responsibility
  • Sustainable business models and strategic integration
  • Global value chains and responsibility
  • Stakeholder engagement and cross-sector collaboration
  • Corporate governance and responsible leadership
  • Measuring impact: Sustainability reporting and metrics
  • Innovation for sustainability: Opportunities and challenges
  • Future of responsible business: Trends and student presentations

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

  • Advanced understanding of the principles of sustainable business practices, including corporate social responsibility, integration of sustainability into core strategy, and balancing profitability with social and environmental impacts.
  • Understanding how firms contribute to the SDGs across global value chains, with emphasis on empirical evidence and case study evaluation
  • In-depth knowledge of stakeholder engagement and cross-sector collaboration, including frameworks for partnerships between businesses, governments, and NGOs to address complex societal challenges.
  • Understanding of ethical frameworks and governance models that underpin responsible business conduct, focusing on transparency, accountability, and ethical decision-making in a global context.
  • Knowledge of key sustainability metrics and reporting standards used to measure corporate social and environmental impacts.

Subject-specific Skills:

  • Ability to integrate sustainability into strategic business decision-making, ensuring that economic, social, and environmental factors are aligned to create sustainable value.
  • Skill in designing stakeholder engagement initiatives, facilitating meaningful collaboration with governments, NGOs, and communities to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
  • Competence in applying ethical frameworks to business practices, critically evaluating corporate actions to ensure they contribute positively to both societal welfare and organisational integrity.
  • Ability to assess and critically analyse corporate sustainability claims, distinguishing between genuine initiatives and superficial "greenwashing" through data-driven evaluation.

Key Skills:

  • Written and oral communication
  • Critical thinking and problem solving
  • Data interpretation and sustainability reporting
  • Planning, organising, and time management

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • Learning outcomes will be met through a combination of workshops, presentations and discussions on case studies, supported by guided reading.
  • Summative Assessment: Students will complete an individual sustainability project presented as a poster (A1 format, equivalent to 2,500 words), worth 100% of the module grade. This project assesses students' ability to integrate sustainability principles into business practice, critically evaluate sustainability strategies, and effectively communicate their findings.
  • Formative Assessment: Formative feedback will be provided through active participation in seminar discussions, especially those involving case studies. This enables students to develop analytical and critical thinking skills in a supportive environment and to receive ongoing feedback on their contributions.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

ActivityNumberFrequencyDurationTotalMonitored
Workshops10Weekly330Yes
Preparation and Reading1120 
Total150 

Summative Assessment

Component: Individual Sustainability Project (Poster)Component Weighting: 100%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
PosterA1 Poster (equivalent to 2500 words)100

Formative Assessment

Feedback will be provided on individual contributions to the class discussion on case studies.

More information

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