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2025/2026  KAN-CCBDO1009U  Responsible Value Chains ‐ a Path to Sustainable Development?

English Title
Responsible Value Chains ‐ a Path to Sustainable Development?

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Mandatory (also offered as elective)
Level Full Degree Master
Duration One Quarter
Start time of the course Second Quarter
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for Global Business and Politics
Course coordinator
  • Peter Lund-Thomsen - Department of Management, Society and Communication (MSC)
Main academic disciplines
  • CSR and sustainability
  • International political economy
  • Supply chain management and logistics
Teaching methods
  • Face-to-face teaching
Last updated on 23-05-2025

Relevant links
Learning objectives
By the end of the course, the students are expected to be able to:
  • Describe the theories and concepts covered in the course readings that are relevant to the analysis of sustainability in global value chains
  • Apply these concepts and theories to analyse how sustainability strategies, standards and practices in global value chains impact various groups of actors and natural environments in developing country contexts.
  • Critically evaluate these theories, their application and limitations in relation to explaining how sustainability in global value chains affects and is affected by local producers, workers, communities and environments.
  • Demonstrate appropriate academic writing skills, including: correct referencing, clear argumentation and correct usage and definition of key concepts.
Course prerequisites
The most important qualification for participating in this course is intellectual curiosity and a willingness to examine—and challenge—your own assumptions about what sustainability means and how it is addressed in Global South contexts. Students who have recently returned from, or are planning to undertake, internships or fieldwork in the broad area of business and development studies may find the course’s “hands-on” approach particularly valuable.
Examination
Responsible Value Chains - a Path to Sustainable Development:
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 Oral group exam based on written group product
Number of people in the group 2-5
Size of written product Max. 30 pages
2 students max 20 pages. 3 students max 25 pages. 4-5 students max 30 pages.
Assignment type Written assignment
Release of assignment The Assignment is released in Digital Exam (DE) at exam start
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 second internal examiner
Exam period Winter and Winter
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
A) If the student is absent from the oral exam due to documented illness but has been part of handing in the report, s/he does not have to submit a new project report, but MUST hand in the same project AGAIN for the re-exam.
B) If an individual student fails the oral exam, s/he does not have to submit a new project report, but MUST hand in the same project report again for the re-exam.
C) If a whole group fails, they must hand in a revised report for the re-take.
D) If a student has not handed in anything for the ordinary exam, he/she will hand in a report for the re-exam.
Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

Over the past thirty years, numerous international media and NGO reports have highlighted poor labor and environmental conditions at the base of global value chains operated by internationally branded corporations. In response, many of these corporations have developed their own standards and codes of conduct and/or joined multi-stakeholder initiatives that bring together businesses, NGOs, governments, and other organizations to address the social and environmental challenges of export-oriented industries in the Global South.

 

This course explores the potential and limitations of improving working conditions and environmental outcomes in global value chains (GVCs), with a focus on export-oriented industries in the Global South. We take a global value chain analysis approach to examine how industries are transnationally organized, and to uncover the power relations and inequalities embedded within them. This includes mapping the connections between consumers, brand owners, suppliers, workers, and nature. In particular, we trace how global brands’ sustainability strategies travel through GVCs and “touch down” in specific localities—differentially impacting local firms or farmers, workers, communities, and ecosystems.

 
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
  • Methodology
  • Models
Research-like activities
  • Data collection
  • Analysis
  • Discussion, critical reflection, modelling
  • Activities that contribute to new or existing research projects
  • Students conduct independent research-like activities under supervision
Description of the teaching methods
The course is designed to integrate theory and practice in a cohesive way. It combines foundational theories of global value chains (GVCs), global production networks, and recycling approaches with a focus on economic, social, and environmental upgrading. These theories are applied to real-world cases using hands-on, dialogue-based learning methods that encourage critical thinking and problem-solving. The course emphasizes developing students’ ability to evaluate and devise solutions to complex sustainability dilemmas faced by corporate executives, NGO representatives, trade union leaders, and government policymakers working in the Global South.

A variety of teaching methods are employed to foster active student engagement. Practical case studies or video-based exercises serve as a foundation for exploring sustainability dilemmas in GVCs, followed by small group discussions where students can exchange ideas and analyze different perspectives. Key insights from these discussions are then synthesized and explored in plenary sessions. Guest speakers will offer practical perspectives on how sustainability challenges are addressed in GVCs outside the classroom. Additionally, traditional lectures will link course discussions to relevant literature and theoretical frameworks, allowing students to deepen their understanding and engage with the course content in a structured way.
Feedback during the teaching period
The principal way for students to receive feedback on their readings and work for this course is through active participation in discussions in class and in small breakout exercises. During class discussions, students will be challenged by the course lecturers to reflect on their own assumptions and views about what constitutes “appropriate” ways of addressing sustainability issues in global value chains. Students are expected to attend all lectures in person. They also have the possibility of receiving individual and group feedback during the regular weekly consultation hours of teaching staff. In addition, at the end of the course, student groups will have the opportunity to receive ten minutes of supervision to briefly discuss the main ideas for their written exam paper with the course coordinator.
Student workload
Lectures 30 hours
Exam 35 hours
Preparation 141 hours
Total 206 hours
Expected literature

To be announced on Canvas
Last updated on 23-05-2025