Leading Responsible Business in a Global Context

Syllabus

• Week 1

  Introduction to Sustainable Governance in Business

  • Getting Started in Week 1

    The question of how business operates and what responsibilities it carries has never been more pressing or more contested.

  • University of Salford

    At the University of Salford, we are committed to addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

  • What is Sustainable Development and Why Does It Matter for Business?

    The Commission defined sustainable development as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

  • Interactive Activity

    This activity applies the concepts introduced this week to a context directly relevant to you.

  • Building Your Knowledge

    Week 1 has established the conceptual foundations of this course: what sustainable development means and why it matters for business.

  • Reflection Task

    Estimated time: 30 to 45 minutes | To complete before Week 2

  • Week 1 Learning Check Quiz

    The following questions test your understanding of the key concepts introduced this week.

• Week 2

  Global Frameworks and the Sustainable Development Goals

  • Getting Started in Week 2

    This week builds on and deepens your sustainable development foundation knowledge.

  • The UN Global Compact and the Ten Principles

    The Ten Principles are derived from four foundational international agreements.

  • Voluntary to Mandatory

    One of the most significant developments in sustainability governance over the past decade has been the systematic transition from voluntary to mandatory frameworks.

  • Critical Perspectives

    It is important to approach global sustainability frameworks not only with an understanding of what they are and how they work, but with a critical perspective on their limitations.

  • Case Study: Patagonia and the Purpose-Led Business Model

    Organisation: Patagonia, Inc., an outdoor apparel and equipment company Sector: Apparel and Retail | Region: United States, global operations | Founded: 1973

  • Interactive Activity

    This activity develops your ability to analyse which sustainability frameworks are most relevant to a specific business, and why.

  • Building Your Knowledge

    You have moved from the foundational awareness of Week 1 to a working understanding of the major reporting and governance frameworks.

  • Reflection Task

    Estimated time: 30 to 45 minutes | To complete before Week 3

  • Week 2 Learning Check Quiz

    The following questions test your understanding of the key concepts introduced this week.

• Week 3

  Stakeholders, Power and Decision-Making

  • Getting Started in Week 3

    This week introduces stakeholder theory, one of the most influential frameworks in business ethics and strategic management.

  • Stakeholder Theory in Practice

    The concept of a stakeholder, meaning any individual or group that affects or is affected by an organisation's activities, has roots in management thinking that predate its formal theoretical development.

  • Case Study: Shell and the Ogoni People, Nigeria

    Organisation: Shell Petroleum Development Corporation (a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell) and the Ogoni people of the Niger Delta Sector: Extractive Industries | Region: Nigeria, West Africa | Period: 1950s to present

  • Interactive Activity

    This activity applies the stakeholder analysis frameworks introduced this week to a realistic scenario.

  • Building Your Knowledge

    Week 3 has equipped you with the theoretical and practical tools to understand stakeholder dynamics in sustainability governance.

  • Reflection Task

    Reflection Task: Stakeholders in Your Context Estimated time: 30 to 45 minutes | To complete before Week 4

  • Week 3 Learning Check Quiz

    The following questions test your understanding of the key concepts introduced this week.

• Week 4

  Applying Governance in Practice

  • Getting Started in Week 4

    This week makes the turn from theory to practice. The question it addresses is not what sustainability governance frameworks say, or even what they require, but what it actually looks like to apply them.

  • Multi-Level Governance: Local, National and Global

    One of the most challenging aspects of sustainability governance for any business operating in the contemporary global economy is that it does not take place at a single level.

  • Case Study: IKEA and the Governance of Sustainability at Scale

    Organisation: Ingka Group (the largest IKEA retailer) and Inter IKEA Group (the franchisor of the IKEA concept) Sector: Retail and Home Furnishings | Region: Global (retail operations in 60 countries)

  • Interactive Activity

    This activity asks you to apply the governance concepts from this week to a realistic business scenario.

  • Building Your Knowledge

    Week 4 has moved from theory to practice, equipping you with the tools to understand and improve sustainability governance in real organisational contexts.

  • Reflection Task

    Estimated time: 30 to 45 minutes | To complete before Week 5

  • Week 4 Learning Check Quiz

    The following questions test your understanding of the key concepts introduced this week.

• Week 5

  Inequality, Ethics and Responsible Leadership

  • Getting Started in Week 5

    This week examines the human and ethical dimensions of sustainability leadership that formal governance frameworks often address only partially.

  • Global Inequalities and the North-South Divide

    The concept of the North-South divide is a shorthand for a set of profound inequalities that shape the global political economy of sustainability.

  • The Risks of Ethical Failure

    The ethical failures that arise when businesses treat sustainability as a compliance exercise rather than a genuine obligation carry consequences.

  • Case Study: The Rana Plaza Disaster, Bangladesh (2013)

    Location: Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh Sector: Garment manufacturing and global fast fashion retail | Date: 24 April 2013

  • Interactive Activity

    This activity develops your ability to analyse complex sustainability challenges from multiple ethical and stakeholder perspectives, a core competence for responsible leadership.

  • Building Your Knowledge

    Week 5 has examined the human, ethical and inequality dimensions of sustainability leadership.

  • Reflection Task

    Estimated time: 30 to 45 minutes | To complete before Week 6

  • Week 5 Learning Check Quiz

    The following questions test your understanding of the key concepts introduced this week.

• Week 6

  Leading Sustainable Change and Future Practice

  • Getting Started in Week 6

    The week draws on the most current thinking in sustainability leadership, including the Harvard Business Review's May 2025.

  • Sustainable Strategies

    Building on the frameworks developed across this course, a credible and effective sustainable strategy requires several elements working together.

  • Leading Change

    Change management for sustainability has several features that distinguish it from conventional organisational change.

  • Bringing It Together

    This step pauses before the final activities to trace the connections across the full course and to surface the most important integrative insights.

  • Reflection Activity

    This is not a test of knowledge. It is an exercise in professional development.

  • Course Completion

    You have developed the knowledge, analytical frameworks and critical perspectives of a sustainability-aware leader.

  • Final Reflection and Course Closing

    Estimated time: 45 to 60 minutes | Your final course activity

  • Final Learning Check Test

    The following twenty questions test your understanding of the key concepts introduced across all six weeks of this course.

Who will you learn with?