What you'll learn

Understand the mega-trends and drivers influencing the change in consumer preference and business landscapes towards sustainable impact outcomes.
Frame and scope new business challenges, strategically grounded in contributing to UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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Assessments

9 assignments

Taught in English

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This course is part of the Sustainable Business Strategy for Future Leaders Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

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There are 4 modules in this course

This course will help you to discover the features of sustainable business and how you can adopt these for business success.

You will gain a high-level understanding of the critical ‘big picture’ issues facing humanity today and learn how we can address them through innovation development and implementation. You’ll consider implications for businesses arising from UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). You will assess existing business design and innovation approaches to problem solving in a sustainability context. Via text-based resources and task books, you’ll gain comprehensive understanding and benefit from in-depth reference points as you formulate your ideas and plans.

This week introduces the basics of the course structure and suggests ways to make the most of the course content. You will explore what sustainable business is and how it functions.

What's included

9 readings2 assignments3 discussion prompts

9 readingsTotal 35 minutes

Welcome to the course4 minutes
Course requirements6 minutes
Engaging with your tasks7 minutes
Shifting towards sustainable business3 minutes
Thoughts from your course instructor3 minutes
Defining sustainable business3 minutes
Shifting towards triple bottom line thinking5 minutes
Thoughts from your course instructor2 minutes
Week 1 summary2 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 60 minutes

Week 1 assignment30 minutes
How much do you know already?30 minutes

3 discussion promptsTotal 20 minutes

Your task: Introduce yourself10 minutes
Your task: What is sustainable business?5 minutes
Your task: Triple bottom line companies5 minutes

This week explores why sustainable business is vital for a desirable future. You will examine why sustainable business is an effective way to contribute towards dealing with collective grand challenges and ‘wicked problems’. You will also see how sustainable business can have an impact at the overall ecosystem level, helping to leave the world a better place than we found it.

What's included

11 readings2 assignments4 discussion prompts

11 readingsTotal 53 minutes

Welcome to Week 23 minutes
Why we need sustainable business9 minutes
Thoughts from your course instructor3 minutes
Why do the figures continue to get worse?7 minutes
Thoughts from your course instructor2 minutes
Sustainable business: invention and innovation6 minutes
Thoughts from your course instructor3 minutes
Innovation ambition matrix6 minutes
Your task: Deciding on your sustainable business or innovation ambitions (Part 1)10 minutes
Thoughts from your course instructor2 minutes
Week 2 summary2 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 60 minutes

Week 2 assignment30 minutes
Week 2 self-assessment30 minutes

4 discussion promptsTotal 30 minutes

Your task: Significant environmental impacts in your own lifetime5 minutes
Your task: Reflecting on your own day-to-day impacts10 minutes
Your task: Differences between invention and innovation5 minutes
Your task: Deciding on your sustainable business or innovation ambitions (Part 2)10 minutes

This week, you will identify ways that sustainable business opportunities drive positive change. You will also learn how to implement sustainable business in practice, drawing on inspirational cases and practical guidance on engaging divergent stakeholders. At the same time, you will appreciate the key needs and problems across stakeholder ecosystems and ways that these allow you to frame business opportunity spaces.