Lec 1: What is Sustainability?

 Outline how sustainability strategies deliver the

real benefits to their triple bottom line (50)
 How may CSR strategies lead to ‘sustainable’
business? How can investment in CSR initiatives
be best explain to a company’s stakeholders (50)
 At an annual shareholder’s meeting, how can a
CEO justify investment in Corporate Social
responsibility and sustainability initiatives? Is it
likely that the Unilever radical sustainability
agenda will become a benchmark for other
companies? (50)
 Is Corporate Social Responsibility simply a public
relations exercise? How has Unilever embedded
CSR strategies into their long-term development?
Have there been real benefits to its strategy?
(50)
 Using a contemporary global company, outline
their sustainability strategy and demonstrate how
they may deliver real benefits to their Triple
Bottom Line (TBL). Can your example be used
as a model for other global companies? (50)
 The triple bottom line (TBL - People, Planet,
Profit) characterises business sustainability. As
the CEO of a global company where do your
priorities lie with respect to the TBL? How would
you justify your position to your key
stakeholders? (50)
 Is Milton Friedman’s approach to Corporate
Social Responsibility a limited view, or
commercially realistic? (25)
 In 1970, Milton Friedman defined his now famous
viewpoint that “the social responsibility of
business is to increase its profits”. Is this
statement defendable in the context of ‘business
sustainability’? (25)
 Critically analyse the key models of business
sustainability. Use applied examples where
necessary (25)

Lec 2: Business Drivers of  A key challenge to the development of Business

Sustainability Sustainability strategies is, ‘how do we make
money?’ Outline the potential sources of
increased sales and increased profits that may
be generated from an effective sustainability
strategy. Demonstrate using concrete examples
from a contemporary global company known to
you (50)
 Within the scope of a corporate sustainability
strategy what are the demonstrable benefits of a
phased programme to reduce the companies
carbon footprint? Consider both the planet and
company. Should such corporate initiatives

Lec 3: Climate Change and Carbon
Lec 4: Carbon Accounting
Lec 5: Triple Bottom Line
Lec 6: Sustainability Reporting &
Materiality
Lec 7: Net zero, Science Based Targets
Lec 8: Sustainability and Marketing
receive governmental support? (50)

 Carbon Emission trading has been developed as
control mechanism for reducing Green House
Gas emissions. Does it offer a useful insight to
develop other mechanisms or regulations to
positively impact ‘Planet’ in the Triple Bottom
Line (TBL)? What mechanisms / regulations
could be developed with international
agreement? (50)


 How would a company utilise carbon accounting?
 How should companies utilise carbon-offstting?
 Utility of TCFD and Project Drawdown?
 Outline measurable financial benefits of Triple
Bottom Line (TBL) activities. (25 marks)
 What are the potential advantages of embedding
business sustainability into the ‘culture’ of a
company? (25)

 Describe how you would develop a ‘matrix’ to
report the triple bottom line. Demonstrate how
strategies for People and Planet may impact
Profit (50)
 The Triple Bottom Line, People / Planet / Profit
introduces a reporting framework for
sustainability concepts. What elements of the
TBL can be shown to deliver value for a
company? What are the limitations of this
reporting framework? (50 marks)
 The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) brings what
benefits to the reporting of sustainable business
strategic initiatives? What is the key weakness of
GRI? (25)

 How can a company go about fulfilling their net-
zero promise

 Is corporate social responsibility merely
‘marketing Public Relations (PR)’? (25)
 Is corporate responsibility merely an extension of
public relations and hence ‘greenwash’? (25)
 How can a company ‘design in’ sustainability
elements in its product line? (25)
 How can green marketing strategies generate
competitive advantage? (25)
