Students who complete this module successfully will be able to:
* Demonstrate an advanced understanding of relevant concepts related to (social, economic and environmental) sustainability, sustainable development and sustainable business. (Knowledgeable and aware)
* Evaluate changes in functions of business en route to sustainability. (Analytical thinker)
* Critically engage with the role of business in change towards sustainability in relation to other types of actors and organisations. (Independent Learner)
* Actively participate in discussions of business functions for sustainability based on scholarly literature. (Effective Communicator)

This module familiarises students with foundational topics and concepts related to sustainable business research and practice, thereby providing the frame- and groundwork for subsequent modules and projects. On the one hand, students will study core sustainability and sustainable development concepts and engage critically with notions such as weak and strong sustainability, relative and absolute decoupling, efficiency and sufficiency. On the other hand, this module reviews primary functions of business, including R&D, production, operations, management and finance, in light of increasing sustainability challenges. This module will briefly highlight the types of sustainable innovations, at the technology, product, business model, value chain and systemic level (which the Sustainable Business Innovation module addresses in depth). It will touch upon sustainability indicators adopted by businesses like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and recent sustainability developments like the rise of the Circular Economy. Furthermore, by engaging with the sustainable transitions literature, this module sensitises students to the wider context of business, thus creating awareness for the complexity of sustainability challenges, the need for triple-helix or multi-level and -actor approaches to change and the role of uncertainty and risk. The lecture-supported PBL pedagogy employed throughout the module invites critical engagement with course materials and appreciates students’ varied backgrounds and level of expertise and experience.