MSB026-6 - Business Sustainability in Practice Assignment 2 Brief | University of Bedfordshire

Unit learning outcomes:

1. Comprehensive research and enquiry to investigate current sustainability challenges for businesses and organisations, including critical engagement with theories, frameworks and systems in pursuit of effective, authentic and original sustainability management.
   
   
2. Systematic data search, harvesting and management, project execution and management, use of digital design and editing tools and presentation.

Portfolio

The second assessment (a group, three-part portfolio) and is normally based on a live (authentic) project case study. 

Students are introduced to at least one company/organisation - likely to be operating in the regional (UK) economy - that has specific sustainability challenges, aspirations and/or ongoing projects. Students are ordinarily given the opportunity to meet representatives of the company (likely through MS Teams in class) and ask specific questions to facilitate problematisation and further research. They may require financial details or other legacy documentation. They will likely need to request data (hence know what they may need) to fulfil the task. They may also need to be critical of either the current strategy of the company or indeed be critical of the tools at their disposal (how fit-for-purpose they are) and offer thoughts on the reality for particularly small companies with few resources. 

Students report back using a portfolio approach. The portfolio has three discrete elements:

• 30% (equivalent to 1500 words) - Poster/flow diagram/mind map detailing the underlying sustainability challenges and options derived in line with client request (and designed using supported software as if it was an A1-sized physical poster). It must be suitable for presentation to client/live project stakeholders.
• 60% (20 minutes' duration) - A group webinar discussing companies' decision-makers' challenges to meet sustainability imperatives. The webinar can be recorded using MS Teams or radio/TV-studio platforms and facilities.
• 10% (500 words) A self-assessment of engagement of individual group members. This will require each individual member to complete a self- evaluation form (provided on BREO). 

Groups will be assigned by the unit tutor either randomly or by selection to balance group membership between nationalities, culture and demographics. This aids inclusivity, amongst other attributes. 

The portfolio is submitted on BREO. The use of a wide range of sources, both academic and reliable grey literature is a requirement for a postgraduate degree. The notions of accountability and academic integrity are givens. Plagiarism is not tolerated. All coursework assignments will require a thorough evaluation of the sources used and referencing will be done according to the University's Harvard Referencing System.