2020/2021 KAN-CCMVV1801U Consulting for Sustainability – Harnessing Business Models and Innovation
English Title | |
Consulting for Sustainability – Harnessing Business Models and Innovation |
Course information |
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Language | English |
Course ECTS | 7.5 ECTS |
Type | Elective |
Level | Full Degree Master |
Duration | One Semester |
Start time of the course | Autumn, Spring |
Timetable | Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk |
Max. participants | 75 |
Study board |
Study Board for MSc in Economics and Business
Administration
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Course coordinator | |
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Main academic disciplines | |
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Teaching methods | |
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Last updated on 04-06-2020 |
Relevant links |
Learning objectives | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
After having participated in this course students
should be able to:
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Course prerequisites | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Students with various interests are welcome to attend this course. As such, there are no specific prerequisites for the course | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Examination | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Course content, structure and pedagogical approach | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Consulting for Sustainability – Harnessing Business Models and Innovation course is designed to prepare students to become effective contributors in consulting firms, organizations that require consulting assistance, and organizations implementing important changes. From time-to-time every organization experiences the need to renew its ability to be successful and often uses external consultants to assist in the process. The broad topic of sustainability provides the oppportunity to analyze an organization’s competitive position, capabilities, organizational processes, culture, etc. Once a new sustainability direction is developed the process of implementing the changes must be managed. Even if you do not plan to make consulting your career goal, you will have many opportunities in both your professional and personal life to use consulting skills.
This seminar provides an opportunity for CBS Master’s students to undertake a consulting assignment that looks for private sector partnerships and government opportunities to address specific sustainability problems of the Cities of Frederiksberg and Copenhagen and for companies and organizations who include CLEAN, Henning Larsen, Velux, Green Building Council. These are not simulated problems, nor organizations. Students will apply the skills they have acquired throughout their degree to a specific sustainability problem defined by their client. In order to successfully complete the course, students must clearly define the client's problem, assemble evidence,select criteria for evaluation, define project outcomes, confront intervention trade-offs, and decide and recommend a course of action that addresses the clients sustainability needs. The goals of the class are to develop your innovative and professional thinking, policy analysis, project management, teamwork, written and oral presentation skills.Students from all backgrounds and interests are encouraged to take this class.
Client Example: City of Frederiksberg & City of Copenhagen are looking for Student Consultants Each group of students will be assigned to a sustainability problem being worked on by the City of Frederiksberg or Copenhagen. Students will engage in commissioned initiatives by various city departments within the fields of energy supply, buildings, transportation, etc. For each project, the students will explore the potential for various forms of private sector partnerships to contribute to addressing the problem. This will entail some discussion with and direction from City staff to ensure that the work being done is relevant and connects usefully to the City’s priorities and program development activities. The work delivered by the students will inform and assist the City to make a final decision linked to thier sustainability problem.
Background Information The cities of Frederiksberg and Copenhagen municipalities are both leaders in the field of urban sustainability. Since 2008, Frederiksberg municipality has been part of the ‘climate municipality’ initiative spearheaded by The Danish Society for Nature Conservation with a commitment to reduce CO2 emission by 3 percent annually until 2020. In order to meet this goal, Frederiksberg has launched a number of initiatives, including energy renovation of public property, introduction of ‘environmental ambassadors’ across all municipal departments, and a pool of funds for green transformation where both individuals and organizations can apply. One specific example can be found in the period between 2005-2014 where Frederiksberg’s CO2-emission decreased by almost 200,000 tons, corresponding to a 41 percent reduction.
Similarly, the Copenhagen municipality has set the ambitious goal of becoming the first CO2-neutral capital in 2025. While not part of the ‘climate municipality’ initiative, Copenhagen has made extensive efforts to improve the climate since 2009, with the formulation of a specific climate strategy towards 2015 of decreasing emission by 20 percent. Having already reached this goal in 2011, a number of new initiatives have been introduced. A recent example is the Agenda 21-strategy, which describes four principles for how citizens, public management, and other relevant actors can cooperate in contributing to a sustainable city in the 21st century. The central principles are:
Like Frederiksberg, Copenhagen municipality is also focusing on climate adaptation, in particular to curb the effects of flooding. Copenhagen annually publishes its environmental accounts on nine different topics, which is also available in a summarized pamphlet version.
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Description of the teaching methods | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Teaching includes lecture-style classes, in-class
workshops with students presenting and actively participating in
discussions.
Development of personal competences linked to traditional “lecture style” characteristics of this course: • Knowledge/competences about theory/models/tools in sustainability; • Knowledge/competences in reading and analyzing scientific literature; • Presentation and discussion skills; • Analytical skills; and • Knowledge/competences in writing a final project report. Development of additional personal competences linked to applied and project related characteristics of this course: • Knowledge/competences in identifying, developing and evaluating ideas for sustainability initiatives within urban landscapes; • Knowledge/competences in doing consulting for cities; • Competences in innovative methods on how best to present, to develop and to integrate such sustainability recommendations; • Competences in sustainability case analysis and development; and • Competences in group organization and communication (experiences with group dynamics as preparation for and during the course). |
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Feedback during the teaching period | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Students will receive feedback in the following
forms
1.) In class feedback based on the classroom discussions 2.) Digital feedback in response to emails 3.) Exam feedback following the exam |
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Student workload | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Further Information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Confidentiality: You will be working on real issues for client organizations. Although the information you are likely to research and analyze is not secret, it may certainly be sensitive in nature and you may be given access to internal or proprietary information. You are to maintain confidentiality in all the work that you do on behalf of your client. Outside of class, you may comment generically that you are working on a project for a given organization. However, you should not discuss, tweet, Facebook, reference in LinkedIn or otherwise publicize the content of your work until you have been fully debriefed by your client on his/her preferences on the subject and receive that acknowledgement in writing via email. |
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Expected literature | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Robinson, J. (2004). Squaring the circle? Some thoughts on the idea of sustainable development. Ecological economics, 48(4), 369-384.
Sneddon, C., Howarth, R. B., & Norgaard, R. B. (2006). Sustainable development in a post-Brundtland world. Ecological economics, 57(2), 253-268.
Robinson, J. (2003). Future subjunctive: backcasting as social learning. Futures, 35(8), 839-856.
Banerjee, S. B. (2003). Who sustains whose development? Sustainable development and the reinvention of nature. Organization studies, 24(1), 143-180.
Robinson, J., & Cole, R. J. (2015). Theoretical underpinnings of regenerative sustainability. Building Research & Information, 43(2), 133-143.
Miller, T. R. (2013). Constructing sustainability science: emerging perspectives and research trajec-tories. Sustainability science, 8(2), 279-293.
Porter, M.E. & Kramer, M.R. (2011). Creating shared value. Harvard Business Review, 89 (January-February), 62-77.
Reinecke, J., Manning, S., & Von Hagen, O. (2012). The emergence of a standards market: Multi-plicity of sustainability standards in the global coffee industry. Organization Studies, 33(5-6), 791-814.
Hamedani, A. Z., & Huber, F. (2012). A comparative study of DGNB, LEED and BREEAM certificate systems in urban sustainability. The Sustainable City VII: Urban Regeneration and Sustainability, 1121. |