Sustainable Communities and Global Business

(3-4 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

The University of Sydney International businesses must navigate an increasingly complex environment encompassing different laws, ethics, social movements, stakeholders, social and environmental responsibilities, consumers, and policies. These differences associated with operating across borders places immense pressure on an international business to consider their environmental impact and responsibility both upstream and downstream, of which is extensively more complex than that of a local-operating business. This unit examines the shifting mindset from profit maximising to acting as a responsible business. It explores how an international business can assess, manage and improve their operations to be accountable and transparent in relation to key global social and environmental challenges and opportunities including transitioning to a net-zero global economy, the United Nation's SDGs, biodiversity and modern slavery. On completion of this unit, students have enhanced skills and knowledge relevant to the understanding of how international businesses can be socially and environmentally responsible and sustainable. Santiago: Effective, ethical business leadership in a global context requires the ability to understand and synthesize inputs from a variety of sources, to discern information from multiple, often conflicting perspectives, and to communicate complex data and information clearly and persuasively to diverse stakeholders. Through reading and writing, discussion, and engagement with classmates and outside experts including international faculty, students will examine the intersections of sustainability and global business, with a focus on the role of business decision making and action in the interrelated areas of sustainable environmental and social impact. The topic is more salient than ever, as communities around the globe ask whether the pandemic and related economic crisis will prompt a new vision for society that focuses on justice and sustainability, or will simply continue to exacerbate existing inequities. The course complements courses on campus that address sustainable development, but differs in its focus on mainstream companies in advanced economies, and their engagement with community stakeholders. Through written work, reading, and exploration of key concepts, the students will work toward their culminating assignment, a research paper that presents an informed perspective on a specific topic of their choosing within the course theme.