Business and the Environment (Sustainability) 440-726

Investigates the interaction between business and its physical environment. Material comes from a variety of sources and perspectives, including ecology, economics and public policy. Emphasis is on the evolving concept of sustainability, and emerging best practices in areas of eco-efficiency, product/service design, and closed loop manufacturing.

Course Content Goals and Objectives:

Demonstrate awareness of key environmental issues and the ways in which businesses are addressing environmental concerns;

Critique different analyses of business and environmental interactions;

Explain the complexity of environmental and regulatory issues and business responses;

Define the concepts related to sustainability, and the ways in which some businesses are adopting and implementing these concepts.

Course Performance Objectives

Communication (oral and written): Students should be effective communicators in business and professional settings.

Oral communication. Oral communication will be emphasized is not emphasized in the online format.

Written communication. Writing skills will be demonstrated through contributions in online class discussions and written assignments.

Problem Solving: Students should be able to determine optimal solutions to business problems.

Quantitative skills. Quantitative business analysis is not a core focus of this course but may be demonstrated in the student’s analysis of financial and accounting related sustainability concepts.

Critical thinking. Students will be expected to apply critical thinking skills to all the written assignments. Further evidence of critical thinking may be demonstrated in current event discussions.

Technology. Students will be required to use technology throughout the online course.

Ethical Decision Making: Students should be sensitive to the ethical ramifications of business activities.

Ethical decision making of managers is discussed in various topics of the course. Frameworks are provided to students to help weigh pros and cons of business decisions that affect the natural environment. Discussions and analysis using these frameworks is applied to different course topics.

Global Mindset: Students should be knowledgeable about globalization and cultural differences for businesses.

Global Issues, Markets and Operations, and Cultural Differences Issues relating to global considerations of business and the environment is evident throughout the course. Furthermore, students will work in global teams to address sustainability issues using the tourism industry for analysis.

Business Knowledge. Students should possess fundamental knowledge in all core business disciplines.

Students will be required to share and apply what they have learned related to sustainable business practices in discussions, assignments, and the case study application assignment.

This is a 3rd Party billing. PUCPR will pay $150 per student per course.