Business Strategy and SDGs (7.5 ECTS)

Introduction to Business Strategy and SDGs

This course will provide students a detailed introduction to core theories and principles in business strategy, strategic leadership and strategic decision making, in the context of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Achieving the SDGs has been viewed as the key challenge for the new decade, and there has been an increasing pressure on firms and their executives to contribute to the advancement of the SDGs. The course is designed to explore how firm executives can align their business strategy with the SDGs and potential challenges with it. The goal of this course is to provide

1) a framework for understanding the main elements of a business strategy

2) a thorough understanding of strategic leadership and fundamental managerial decision-making concepts and

3) knowledge and insights into contextual factors, i.e. the co-evolution of business strategy and institutional framework in a time of transition.

Furthermore, the course will open for critical discussion and reflection on the role and commitment of different types of organizations and the SDGs and introduce approaches such as transformative innovation and directionality/mission economy.

Learning objectives

- Identify, explain, and discuss the key theories, models and concepts of business strategy, strategic leadership and strategic decision making, and apply them to the advancement of the SDGs

- Ability to reflect and discuss multilevel perspectives on the role of firms and managers for the humanity’s grand challenges and apply knowledge from business strategy and strategy leadership to help resolve them

- Analyze business case studies applying relevant concepts and theories of business strategy, strategic leadership and strategic decision making

- Discuss and critically reflect on the interdependencies of business and society in addressing global challenges such as the SDGs

ECTS

7.5