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Enseignement scientifique et technique - FNS-M08.1_SASI_Module1 : Strategy and sustainability

Descriptif

This course aims at analyzing and understanding the issues faced by firms implementing sustainable development strategies. In general, firms implement sustainable strategies for two reasons: either they do so in a “corporate responsibility” perspective, because managers think it is the right thing to do (this is called the “normative case”), or they do so strategically, because they believe they can create a competitive advantage out of making their business more sustainable (called the “business case”).
Sustainability can therefore shift from being a constraint to becoming a business opportunity. However, whatever the motivation is, sustainable strategies will inevitably create a tension between the traditional profit maximization objective and the new socio-environmental objectives. The more innovative the sustainable business model, the more significant the tension between economic and socioenvironmental objectives.
This course explores different ways to manage this tension by discussing case studies that highlight different stages in companies: creating a new business, or a new business unit/ business model, or transforming the whole organization. The underlying questions addressed during the course are:
- whether it is possible for firms to create a sustainable competitive advantage through corporate social responsibility;
- how to do it.
The perspective of this course is that of a general manager whose responsibility is to maximize the overall performance of the firm or the performance of a business unit within the firm, while improving the sustainability of the firm’s activities, creating a new sustainable business model, or transforming the whole organization. To achieve these objectives, general managers must analyze the drivers of the firm’s current performance and identify external challenges and pressures that may affect this performance. On this basis, their job is then to find ways to better leverage the firm’s internal resources in order to sustainably improve performance and help the firm reinvent itself through sustainability. The course will thus explore how sustainability can be a driver for innovation and renewal.

Objectifs pédagogiques

When you complete this course, you should be able to:
• Understand the links between strategy, sustainable development and corporate social responsibility;
• Explain the origin of the tension between profit maximization objectives and sustainability objective;
• Know how to address and manage this tension, both in a new venture and in an existing firm;
• Identify and master the challenges of defining and implementing a relevant sustainability strategy.

18 heures en présentiel

Diplôme(s) concerné(s)

UE de rattachement

Pour les étudiants du diplôme MS Forêt, nature et société - Management international

Vos modalités d'acquisition :

Grading will be based both on individual (70%) and group work (30%):
- Individual: relevant class participation (15%) and a final essay (55% of the final grade - elevator pitch for a CEO on your opinion about how sustainability can create a competitive advantage);
- Group work: presentation of an innovative business model imagined by a team of 4/5 participants (in front of a jury): all details will be given after session 2.

Le coefficient de l'UE est : 3

Programme détaillé

18 hours – 6 sessions of 3 hours
Session 1: Introduction: linking strategy, business models and sustainability
Session 2: Creating a new business with the Odyssey 3.14 approach applied to sustainability
Session 3: Creating a new business unit within an existing firm: Circular economy: Michelin Fleet
Solutions Case study or The Magic Factory (students may choose between the 2 cases)
Session 4: Building a sustainability strategy, based on a materiality analysis and on the SDGs
Session 5: From new business models to the whole transformation of the firm: The Danone case study
Session 6: Project presentations, wrap up and conclusion

Mots clés

sustainable development strategies, corporate responsibility, business opportunity , socio-environmental objectives , sustainable business model

Méthodes pédagogiques

The course is organized on the basis of case discussions. For this method to be effective, you must have prepared the assigned case thoroughly prior to each class. We expect you to be ready to participate actively in the case discussion and be prepared or to start the case discussion if you are called upon to do so. Each student’s behavior and contribution are instrumental in making the learning process effective. In particular, it is essential to participate in each and every session, to be on time so as not to miss the beginning of the discussion and to bring value to this discussion by: • Providing analyses rather than repeating case facts; • Supporting your conclusions with facts and logic, rather than stating unsupported opinions; • Building on or responding to other students’ comments and viewpoints rather than monopolizing air time; To ensure all of us are fully engaged in the class discussion, the use of laptops is limited to taking notes. All course materials will be distributed through Blackboard after the introduction session.
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