Innovation for a Sustainable Society

UCOL21402 Innovation for a Sustainable Society 10 Semester 1 Undergraduate Level 2 Josephine Mylan Unit coordinator Alliance Manchester Business School 1 FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' Middle part of Bachelors ' European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 5.0 Achieving sustainability and combating climate change is a key challenge facing the world today.  This unit is designed to enable you to discuss the concepts behind efforts to achieve sustainability and where the real world challenges and opportunities lie. Innovation is crucial in developing less resource intensive ways of meeting the needs of society (such as food, transport and energy).  Solutions will include new products, new services, changing behaviours and even re-shaping entire systems.  But how is this possible when so many societal actors are involved?  What roles can consumers, businesses, governments and new technologies play in this transformation?  Answering these fundamental questions requires perspectives which span traditional academic disciplines, including sociology, economics, management and innovation studies.  This unit does just that, by bringing together world-class sustainability expertise to introduce cutting edge ideas and debates in this area.  Throughout the unit these perspectives will be explored through discussion of sustainability initiatives in areas of food, transport and energy provision in the UK and beyond.  Achieving sustainability and combating climate change is a key challenge facing the world today.  This unit is designed to enable you to discuss the concepts behind efforts to achieve sustainability and where the real world challenges and opportunities lie. Innovation is crucial in developing less resource intensive ways of meeting the needs of society (such as food, transport and energy).  Solutions will include new products, new services, changing behaviours and even re-shaping entire systems.  But how is this possible when so many societal actors are involved?  What roles can consumers, businesses, governments and new technologies play in this transformation?  Answering these fundamental questions requires perspectives which span traditional academic disciplines, including sociology, economics, management and innovation studies.  This unit does just that, by bringing together world-class sustainability expertise to introduce cutting edge ideas and debates in this area.  Throughout the unit these perspectives will be explored through discussion of sustainability initiatives in areas of food, transport and energy provision in the UK and beyond.  <div> The unit aims: 1. To introduce contemporary debates and concepts from a range of disciplines of how to meet the challenges of sustainability, with a focus on climate change2. To explore the roles of different actors in achieving a sustainable society, particularly the state, firms and consumers3. To explore different forms of “sustainable innovation” particularly in products, services and behaviours and underpinning rationales as strategies for sustainability4. To expose students to some current and emerging sustainability challenges and innovations in the domains of transport, energy and food provision</div>     <table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 158px"> Knowledge and understanding</td> <td style="width: 444px"> Demonstrate an awareness of the range of tools and strategies employed by the state and firms in addressing sustainability challenges  Demonstrate knowledge of a range of sustainable innovations across the domains of energy, food and transportDemonstrate an appreciation of  the different rationales that underpin different types of sustainability strategies (including economic, management, social, political and socio-physiological)</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 158px"> Intellectual skills</td> <td style="width: 444px"> Critically appraise initiatives proposed by firms and the state toward stimulating sustainable innovationCompare and contrast the challenges and constraints associated with specific innovations across the domains of food, energy and transport</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 158px"> Practical skills</td> <td style="width: 444px"> Demonstrate analytical and critical skills by applying concepts from the course in the context of a specific sustainable innovation  Demonstrate written and oral presentation and communication skillsIdentify and extract relevant information toward the critical assessment of a particular sustainability initiative</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 158px"> Transferable skills and personal qualities</td> <td style="width: 444px"> Communicate in an effective manner, in written and oral formManage personal time to deliver completed tasks to planned deadlinesDevelop and apply research skills</td> </tr> </tbody> </table>   2 Written assignment (inc essay) 80% 6 Project output (not diss/n) 10% 7 Oral assessment/presentation 10% Y 0 0 0