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2025/2026  BA-BSEMO2571U  Sustainability and Service Innovation, 1st Year Project

English Title
Sustainability and Service Innovation, 1st Year Project

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Bachelor
Duration One Quarter
Start time of the course Fourth Quarter
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for Service and Markets
Course coordinator
  • Adriana Budeanu - Department of Business Humanities and Law (BHL)
Main academic disciplines
  • CSR and sustainability
  • Innovation
  • Service management
Teaching methods
  • Blended learning
Last updated on 26-06-2025

Relevant links
Learning objectives
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
  • To explore and analyze the relationship between sustainability and services through a relevant problem statement
  • To develop a research project that critically discusses the role and relevance of sustainability perspectives in service management
  • To identify, explain and discuss characteristics of services and organisational factors that are vital to service innovation
  • To demonstrate critical and analytical abilities by reflecting on the strengths and weaknesses of service innovation in addressing sustianability challenges
Course prerequisites
Students not enrolled in BSc in Business Administration & Service Management must document a level in English equal to TOEFL 575, and knowledge of Philosophy of science & qualitative methods
Examination
Sustainability and Service Innovation, 1st Year Project:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Oral exam based on written product

In order to participate in the oral exam, the written product must be handed in before the oral exam; by the set deadline. The grade is based on an overall assessment of the written product and the individual oral performance, see also the rules about examination forms in the programme regulations.
Individual or group exam Individual oral exam based on written group product
Number of people in the group 3-4
Size of written product Max. 25 pages
The number of pages:

3 students: 20 pages
4 students: 25 pages
Assignment type Project
Release of assignment Subject chosen by students themselves, see guidelines if any
Duration
Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
20 min. per student, including examiners' discussion of grade, and informing plus explaining the grade
Grading scale 7-point grading scale
Examiner(s) Internal examiner and external examiner
Exam period Summer
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
If the student has participated in the written group project for the ordinary exam, but didn't attend the oral exam, the re-examination is conducted on the basis of the group project that has already been handed in. However, a copy of the project for the ordinary exam MUST be handed in for the re-exam within a specified time.

If the student has participated in the written group project for the ordinary exam, but not passed the oral exam, the re-exam is normally conducted on the basis of a revised version of the project that has already been handed in. However, the student may choose to hand in a new, individual project of 10 pages within a specified time.

NB! The student must clearly state at the frontpage of the project, if the project has been REVISED, or if the student has chosen to hand in a NEW PROJECT.

If the student has not participated in the written group project, the student may participate in the oral re-examination, if the student hands in an individual project of 10 pages within a specified time.

The student cannot claim supervision hours in connection with the retake/ reexam.
Description of the exam procedure

The final assessment is based on a written group project and an individual oral exam. The project should be based on theoretical perspectives, concepts, and methods covered in this course, as well as in related courses such as Method I: Philosophy of Science and Qualitative Methods.

 

Students are expected to work with a real-world research question related to service innovation and sustainability. The question should be derived from a service company. As a group, students are expected to select, refine, and define the research problem and related research question.

 

After submitting the written group project, each student will participate in an individual oral exam. The oral exam will take the point of departure in the written group project and will elicit individual student abilities to relate it to relevant theories and models from the course syllabus.

 

The final evaluation will be based on a combined assessment of the group project and students’ individual performance during the oral examination.
Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

The specificity of service organizations demands that business leaders pay special attention to organizational conditions, resources and competences needed for good quality services, along with concerns for profitability and longevity. Furthermore, thriving as a business in the Anthropocene Era demands that leaders navigate and respond adequately to grand societal challenges such as climate change, overconsumption, economic inequality and discrimination (to mention a few). The course provides insights into analyses of service innovations in contemporary market oriented companies, and offers space for students to discuss key characteristics of services and service innovation, innovations as process and outcome, the role of consumers as co-creators of value, and the role of technology in service innovation.

 

The course will focus on examining links between sustainability and service innovations through the exploration of four main themes:

  1. The role of businesses in society. This theme introduces dominant and emerging paradigms of business strategies in relation to sustainability challenges, giving students an opportunity to examine and compare elements of innovative business models.
  2. Value creation for business and society. This theme examines the concept of ‘value’ from individual, organizational and societal perspectives, introducing students to critical perspectives in service sciences and innovation studies.
  3. Novelty, materiality and practice. This theme discusses the duality of agency and structure, and its relevance for understanding service innovation, with a particular focus on sustainable services.
  4. Technology, digitalization and sustainability. This theme will critically examine the contribution of technological development in society, taking digitalization as a specific example to inquire about innovation effects within and beyond organizational boundaries.  

Through a mix of lectures, case discussions and group work, the course fosters a critical understanding of innovation in the context of services, exploring strengths and limitations in addressing sustainability aspects.

 

The course will lead to the 1st year project, where students are expected to present service concepts, provide arguments for their relevance as examples of innovation and critically reflect on the contribution they make to sustainability. 
Research-based teaching
CBS’ programmes and teaching are research-based. The following types of research-based knowledge and research-like activities are included in this course:
Research-based knowledge
  • Classic and basic theory
  • New theory
  • Teacher’s own research
  • Models
Research-like activities
  • Development of research questions
  • Data collection
  • Analysis
  • Discussion, critical reflection, modelling
  • Peer review including Peer-to-peer
Description of the teaching methods
Teaching methods include lectures, case studies, group discussions and exercises designed to introduce and practice the application of concepts, theories and models from the course syllabus to real-life examples. Students are expected to take an active part in the class discussions and exercises. Most class exercises will be in small groups where preparation is essential. Participation in group discussions and presentations are vital for a successful learning in this course. Furthermore, students will work in groups on a specific project (1st year project) that will be part of the final assessment and oral exam.
Feedback during the teaching period
Feedback during the teaching period:
Forms of continuous feedback are essential parts of the course and will be provided through interactive activities in class, student presentations and peer-to-peer feedback exercises allowing the students to practice their abilities to explain, apply and argue. In particular, students receive feedback in the following forms:

1. Interactive activities in class: Students get feedback through participating in classroom discussions and case study sessions, during which they can apply the tools and concepts discussed in lectures. This takes the form of both lecturer feedback and peer feedback.

2. Synchronous feedback on generic queries: Students receive feedback on generic queries about their understanding of particular sessions/contents of the course, based on an anonymous, collective Q&A discussion thread posted on Canvas. If teaching is delivered online or pre-recorded, students can use the discussion channel to pose their questions.

3. Project supervision in small groups: Project groups are offered two 1-hour focused supervision sessions outside of class activities. The teacher provides bookable slots for supervision sessions, that may take place either on campus or virtual platforms. In order to best support the work-in-progress with the group project, students are provided with guidance on how to prepare for supervision meetings (including pragmatic advice on scoping the research problem, questions and data collection).

4. Solicited feedback on specific queries: Students may also request and receive feedback during office hours on specific queries related to particular sessions/contents of the course or to the progress of the 1st year project
Student workload
Participating in lectures and class activities 38 hours
Preparation for classes 125 hours
Project work 40 hours
Further Information

The teacher will upload the course syllabus on CBS Canvas two weeks before the course starts.
Expected literature

Expected readings may include: 

 

Brownstein, M., Kelly, D., & Madva, A. (2022). Individualism, structuralism, and climate change. Environmental Communication, 16(2), 269-288.

 

Ehrenfeld, J. R. (2008). Sustainability by Design. Yale University Press.

 

Tabares, S., Morales, A., Calvo, S., & Molina Moreno, V. (2021). Unpacking B Corps’ Impact on Sustainable Development: An Analysis from Structuration Theory. Sustainability, 13(23), 13408.

 

Nidumolu, R., Prahalad, C. K., & Rangaswami, M. R. (2009). Why sustainability is now the key driver of innovation. Harvard business review, 87(9), 56-64.

 

Djellal, F., & Gallouj, F. (2016). Service innovation for sustainability: paths for greening through service innovation. In Service innovation (pp. 187-215). Springer, Tokyo.

 

Bruce, B. C. (1993). Innovation and social change. Cambridge University Press.

 

Bauer, J. M., Aarestrup, S. C., Hansen, P. G., & Reisch, L. A. (2022). Nudging more sustainable grocery purchases: Behavioural innovations in a supermarket setting. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 179, 121605.

 

Illies, C. F., & Meijers, A. (2014). Artefacts, agency, and action schemes. In The moral status of technical artefacts (pp. 159-184). Springer, Dordrecht.

https:/​/​doi.org/​10.1007/​978-94-007-7914-3_10

 

Bocken, N. M., Short, S. W., Rana, P., & Evans, S. (2014). A literature and practice review to develop sustainable business model archetypes. Journal of cleaner production, 65, 42-56.

 

Herring, H., & Roy, R. (2002). Sustainable services, electronic education and the rebound effect. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 22(5), 525-542.

https:/​/​doi.org/​10.1016/​S0195-9255(02)00026-4

 

The final reading list will be uploaded on Canvas prior to the start of the course.

 
Last updated on 26-06-2025