Corporate Environmental and Social Management

Aim

In this unit learners will find that businesses have to do more than make a profit for their owners. They will develop an understanding of sustainable development including the ‘triple bottom line’ of balancing economic, social and environmental issues and the effects this has on business management.

Learning outcomes and assessment

LO1 Know the development of global, European and national policies relating to sustainability

1.1 outline the background to changing attitudes of the public, politicians and business to the environment since the Second World War

1.2 state the Brundland definition of ‘sustainable development’

1.3 outline the evolving international and UK policies to sustainable development since the Earth Summit of 1992

1.4 describe the ‘triple bottom line’ approach to sustainable development

LO2 Understand the commercial case for considering social and environmental matters in business management

2.1 discuss the role that stakeholders have in persuading business to adopt policies that consider social and environmental matters

2.2 explain that there may be cost savings as a result of adopting an environmentally aware approach

2.3 illustrate with an example the advantage to a business of considering its environmental or social effects

LO3 Understand that it may be necessary to reconcile the sometimes conflicting expectations of stakeholders with respect to social and environmental issues

3.1 discuss the conflict arising from customers who say that they are concerned about the environmental or social aspects of a product or service they are purchasing, but are not prepared to pay a premium

3.2 discuss whether shareholders are prepared to sacrifice short term dividends for developing products or services that have longer-term beneficial social or environmental advantages

3.3 discuss the extent to which it is possible to collaborate with pressure groups that seek to change the approach of the business to social and environmental matters

LO4 Understand how businesses can manage their environmental and social performance

4.1 evaluate sources of guidance available to help businesses improve their social and environmental performance

4.2 review appropriate strategies for management of environmental performance in businesses of different type

4.3 discuss approaches to environmental life cycle assessment and the use of the results in product labelling.