Minor in Sustainable Business

A minor gives you the opportunity of having a second specialization in your degree. The minor is a bundle of three to four electives that can be chosen separately but if chosen together rewards a minor.

Sustainability is receiving increasing attention as a societal issue and a rapidly growing number of companies now recognize it as a major driver of competitiveness. Yet sustainability is not a simple concept, nor is it straightforward to translate sustainable business practice into attractive business models. At the root of the issue is the fact that sustainability is a systemic phenomenon – to assess whether a particular product, service, or business practice is “sustainable” requires consideration of how it fits into a larger system of production of raw materials and components, manufacturing, distribution, usage, and, ultimately, disposal. Moreover, sustainability involves not only environmental issues but also social and economic sustainability.

To turn sustainability into an effective business driver, companies must development of a clear business case for it and it must become part of the core business functions. Moreover, since the issues transcend internal and external company borders, the firm must develop effective means of communicating with and involving multiple stakeholders. The purpose of this minor is to equip you with theories, concepts, and methods to develop effective sustainable business strategies.

The below table lists the structure and the ECTS credits of the individual courses. The course descriptions are available in the online course catalogue. Direct links are inserted in the below table.

An increasing number of companies in the Western world outsource parts of their production to low-wage countries with poor social and environmental standards. Such long-distance outsourcing makes it difficult for companies to ensure that their products are being produced under socially and environmentally sound conditions. The course attempts to make the students capable of understanding and managing the opportunities and barriers facing companies, which wish to exercise social and environmental responsibility in their supply chains.

The course will use a mixture of learning styles, including lectures, case-study discussions, and company presentations. The course will in particular deal with the following topics:

• Introduction to the concept of CSR.
• The rise of global supply chains.
• The costs and benefits of CSR.
• Non-governmental organizations and their influence on corporate behavior.
• Theoretical and practical approaches to understanding the integration of social and environmental issues into supplier relations.
• Social and environmental audits, standards and labels.
• Responses by Third World suppliers.
• Consumer attitudes and behavior
• Multinational companies and labour issues

The minor consists of the examinations listed below. The learning objectives and the regulations of the individual examinations are prescribed in the online course catalogue. Direct links to the individual examinations are inserted in the table below.

Minor coordinator

Anders Ørding Olsen (aoo.ino@cbs.dk)

Study Board

The minor in Sustainable Business is offered by the Study Board for the Master of Science Programme
in Economics and Business Administration.

How to sign up

If you want to sign up for the minor in Sustainable Business, you have to select CCMVV1002U Minor in Sustainable Business when you sign up for electives. You will then subsequently be signed up for all three courses. You do not have to select all three courses individually.