Sustainable Business Strategy

Overview:

Introduction:

This training course explores the meaning and role of business sustainability from a management perspective.  It will discuss the emergence of, and rationale for employee engagement, encouraging delegates to reflect on how sustainability challenges are affecting, and being affected by business activity. The training course will consider how management’s responsibility to shareholders for delivering financial returns might be balanced with meeting wider stakeholder expectations, highlighting mutual benefits to people, organisations and economies. This training course will invite delegates to reflect on how sustainability policies might be integrated with business strategy and operations, and how this may link with competitiveness and brand integrity.

Course Objectives:

At the end of this course the participants will be able to:

• Critically evaluate the meaning and role of sustainable business strategy

• Demonstrate innovative thinking for overcoming sustainability challenges from a management and organisational perspective

• Examine the links between sustainability and corporate activity

• Identify creative solutions to embed sustainability in different organisations

• Analyse the role of sustainability in corporate strategy, organisational culture and operations

Targeted Audience:

• Business leaders

• Managers

• Supervisors

• Entrepreneurs

• Anyone who wants to have a greater understanding of sustainable business strategy

Course Outlines:

Unit 1 :The Sustainable Vision

• The meaning of sustainability in business

• How perspectives on strategy influence sustainability

• The history and challenges of sustainability

• The pillars of corporate social responsibility (People,Profit, Planet)

Unit 2:Developing a Sustainable Strategy

• Sustainability leadership: Challenges and responsibilities

• Identifying the corporate ambition

• Understand how sustainability issues are considered as part of strategic planning and product development.

• Identify the opportunities and challenges posed by sustainability issues

• Engagement with key stakeholders

• Sustainability as part of competitive positioning

Unit 3:Sustainable Operations 

• Operational functions for sustainability

• Sustainable entrepreneurship

• Sustainable procurement

• Sustainable supplier management

• Sustainability across the supply chain

Unit 4:The Role of Innovation in Addressing Sustainability Challenges

• The role of technology in a sustainable business

• Sustainability and the future of energy

• Sustainable quality

• Sustainable design

• The sustainable marketing mix

Unit 5:Sustainable finance

• The importance of sustainable finance

• Measuring sustainability

• Sustainable business risks

• Investments and corporate performance

• Green and socially responsible investment opportunities