NCI Courses

Learners will gain an understanding of the historical issues around climate change and the impacts corporations have had. Case studies such as the BP Gulf Oil spill, the Bhopal disaster and the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster will be exampled as corporate impacts upon the environment. Seminal works such as Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, Meadows et al Limits to Growth, Garrett Hardin’s Tragedy of the Commons, and Jared Diamonds Collapse will be used to illustrate issues within climate change.

This section will cover the importance of biodiversity and the impact global business has on transforming the biodiversity of our world. Learners will gain an understanding of the importance biodiversity has across business areas such as supply chain, operations, compliance, and production. Learners will also explore the intrinsic and instrumental values that biodiversity brings to business. Students will also examine the planetary boundaries and what their crossing means in a business context.

Natural Capital is a concept that perceives resources such as plants, animals, water, and minerals as assets that have significant benefits to society. Natural capital measures the values of our natural world and is expressed in numerous ways. Learners will gain an understanding of natural capital as a measure of national wealth and natural capital accounting.

This section will explain the need for environmental legislation and introduce the various approaches to regulatory development, such as the “command and control” and “self-policing” approaches and the “technology forcing” concept. We will examine current and future legislation, both in Europe and elsewhere in the world, related to the environmental issues studied in section ii. Students will gain an understanding of the regulatory requirements facing businesses today with respect to the environment. From a business perspective, significant regulatory requirements include legislation on product take-back and waste disposal; the protection of endangered species and air and water resources; and new legislation relevant to climate change and greenhouse gas emissions

Ethical considerations about the environment are a shared set of values reflecting the societal and business attitudes, actions and policies that protect ecological systems. Students will explore and critique the wide range of ethical issues regarding business and its relationship to the environment. Issues around the responsibility of businesses to incorporate environmental considerations into strategies are discussed.

Value capture and creation within a business centres on the way companies create value over time. Students will identify how businesses identify key value creation capitals of a business, exploring how they create value in the immediate and long term and contribute to a more sustainable focused enterprise

New innovations are becoming increasing important as people look to develop technologies that mitigate environmental concerns. Such technologies are now an invaluable aspect of businesses as they look to meet national and international regulations. Students will explore how such technologies are altering the nature of practice and how these technologies can be used as ways to future proof social, economic, and environmental activities.

How does communication and marketing play a part in the sustainable development of an organisation? The concepts of both Green marketing and Green washing are becoming dominant consumer issues. Students will develop an awareness of the environmental attributes of goods and how they can be made known to consumers. They will also learn about utilising environmental concepts for product differentiation and addressing green consumer behaviour.

"Greening" business operations involves determining how environmental issues can be incorporated into business practices, such as building techniques and product manufacturing, which can significantly reduce input and operating costs for firms. Students will learn about closed-loop supply chains and learn how to conduct a Life Cycle Assessment.