Postgraduate Course: Carbon and Environmental Consulting Project (CMSE11360)
Course Outline
| School | Business School |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 15 |
ECTS Credits | 7.5 |
| Summary | The Carbon Consulting Project is an interdisciplinary course that views carbon specifically and climate change more generally from the eyes of businesses. To understand the opportunities and pitfalls that the engagement with climate change brings to businesses, the course addresses the mitigation and adaptation options that businesses have. At the heart of the course are a number of collaborations between private and/or public sector organisations and groups of students. The business partners are private and/or public sector organisations that ask the students to address and solve one of their low carbon related concerns. This allows the students to apply their academic knowledge and industry experience to a business situation. The students have to formally present their findings and recommendations to the business partner and the course organizer through oral presentation and a written report. |
| Course description |
Aims, Nature, Context
Climate change (Levin et al. 2007) brings significant risks for natural and social systems (cf. IPCC 2013) costing 'at least 5%' and 'up to 20% of global GDP each year' (Stern 2006: vi). These developments pose fundamental challenges to the way in which society is organised and governed and will multiply existing 'threats at a very rapid pace, changing patterns that will not allow people to stay where they are and to continue to eat' (Dillon 2015). An increasing number of studies therefore advise that an interdisciplinary effort from businesses, society and policy makers alike is needed to respond to these challenges. The course 'Carbon Consulting Project' challenges students to think about climate change in the context of businesses' current and future decision-making. Currently, businesses are largely seen as organisations that are impacted by climate change, rather than being important participants, and possibly leaders, in attaining a low carbon society. The students will learn to challenge this interpretation of businesses by gaining an in-depth understanding of the fundamental challenges that carbon-related issues pose to business current decision making. More specifically, the students will gain expertise on how business leaders make decisions on low carbon and how specific problems can be solved through knowledge attained in previous classes. The course will prepare the students to be future business leaders that engage with climate change in sustainable, profitable and meaningful ways.
Syllabus
1. Course Introduction & 'What do you want to learn from you client?¿ workshop
2. Project Launch & Meet Client
3. Project Management Session & Status Update & To Dos
4. Group Dynamics Workshop & Feedback on Terms of Reference
5. Group Presentations (to clients and lecturers)
6. Reflective Case Study Workshop & Feedback on Presentations
Student Learning Experience
The students will be experiencing a mixture of lectures, workshops and training sessions which are spread over the semester period and which will occur in conjunction to the student's assignments. The main focus of the course is on the successful corporation between the student groups and their business partner. The students are therefore expected to spend a significant amount of time consulting with the business partner and their group members outside of the lectures, workshops and training sessions. The students are expected to deliver their final work in form of an oral presentation and a written report. There will also be a number of other written assignments.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2018/19, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 30 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
150
(
Lecture Hours 10,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 120,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 3,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
17 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Group presentation and report - 80%
Individual written learning report - 20%
The grading of presentations is based on a student/group demonstrating a clear and coherent understanding of the issue, its relevance to business, and the arguments and implications that stem from it. A first class student will be able to build on this by identifying the strategic issues which need to be addressed by relevant stakeholders and, where relevant, by making appropriate recommendations for these stakeholders. |
| Feedback |
All students will be given at least one formative feedback or feedforward event for every course they undertake, provided during the semester in which the course is taken and in time to be useful in the completion of summative work on the course. Such feedback may be at course or programme level, but must include input of relevance to each course in the latter case.
Feedback on formative assessed work will be provided within 15 working days of submission, or in time to be of use in subsequent assessments within the course, whichever is sooner. Summative marks will be returned on a published timetable, which has been made clear to students at the start of the academic year. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Develop and articulate a clear and appropriate consultancy methodology that is sound and feasible within the time scale of the project.
- Build and sustain a mutually satisfying relationship with a business partner, particularly in terms of communication, negotiation and a flexible response to changing circumstances within the relationship.
- Maximise value to the business partner through a clear analysis of the client's value proposition. Through working in a small group, students will develop the ability to devise a division of labour, maximising the effectiveness of each individual's contribution.
- Understand and critically evaluate the impacts of climate/environmental change on businesses and vice versa.
- Learn to act as a consultant by applying tools and practices associated with measuring, reporting and analysing carbon emissions and environmental impacts/change.
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Reading List
ESSENTIAL READING
Reading on working effectively in groups will be provided.
RECOMMENDED READING
To be determined based on the nature of projects or project hosts. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Cognitive Skills:
-Knowledge and understanding
-Practice
-Generic cognitive skills
-Communication
-Autonomy, accountability and working with others
After completing this course, students should be able to:
-Understand past, current and future developments related to climate change in businesses
-Know the different aspects that businesses need to consider when confronted with a specific low carbon challenge impact that climate change has on the business community and the impact that businesses have on climate change
-Apply adequate mitigation and/or adaptation activities to individual businesses
-Comprehend how different public sector and/or private sector organizations are linked to the decisions taken by businesses that related to low carbon
-Understand the political context and specific climate change related policies and their relation to business decision making
-Critically examine the opportunities and pitfalls of climate change for businesses
-Be able to construct a consultancy report and advice a business on low carbon decision |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Kathi Kaesehage
Tel:
Email: Kathi.Kaesehage@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Yvonne Stewart
Tel: (0131 6)51 5333
Email: Yvonne.Stewart@ed.ac.uk |
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