Resource and Energy Management

Teacher(s)

Belleflamme Paul; Marichal Xavier; Mossay Emmanuel; Shrestha Prabal;

Language

English

Prerequisites

None

Main themes

The climate emergency and the rapid exhaustion of non-renewable natural resources are making all economic activities increasingly reliant on the good management of natural resources. The long-term performance and durability of all organizations increasingly depend on sustainability strategies and business policies that explicitly consider the impact of their activities on the environment and, more globally, on society. Against this backdrop, this course focuses on understanding the business and policy logic for making the environment, sustainability, and natural resources core elements of the strategy and management of organizations. It studies the processes and tools that can be used to link environmental, sustainability, and natural resource concerns with strategies, development of products and services, and operations management. More specifically, the course provides guidance as to how and when environmental, energy, and natural resource management can be translated into business model innovations and the achievement of a circular and regenerative economy.

Content

The climate emergency and the rapid exhaustion of non-renewable natural resources are making all economic activities increasingly reliant on the sound management of natural resources. The long-term performance and durability of all organizations increasingly depend on sustainability strategies and business policies that explicitly consider the impact of their activities on the environment and, more globally, on society. Against this backdrop, this course focuses on understanding the business and policy logic for making the environment, sustainability, and natural resources core elements of the strategy and management of organizations. It studies the processes and tools linking environmental, sustainability, and natural resource concerns with strategy, development of products and services, and operations management. More specifically, the course guides how and when environmental, energy, and natural resource management can be translated into business model innovations and achieving a circular and regenerative economy. As the scope of the course is vast, the team of instructors will select a range of topics based on their background, interests and experience.
Potential covered topics are (but not limited to): Regenerative economy, Circular economy, Servitization, Energy business and strategy, Risk management and climate change, Sustainable business models, Innovation in cleantech and climate change solutions.

Teaching methods

Environmental/sustainability issues and their potential solutions are typically complex and multifaceted. Companies may also be tempted to leverage these issues for marketing and public relations purposes instead of implementing new practices that are genuinely sustainable. Thus, this course must adopt an interdisciplinary approach that sharpens the learners’ critical thinking skills. To this end, class time is devoted to lecturing, discussion, and invited talks. Students participate through case discussions and independent reading of academic and business literature. There is a heavy emphasis on student contribution to class discussion. There is a case-based activity in most sessions. These activities are designed to deepen the student’s knowledge of the topics addressed in the lectures. All students are required to participate in the activities.

Evaluation methods

Assessment method. At the start of the course, students will form groups of 5 to 6 members. Each group will collectively select one of two assessment pathways for the entire group to apply throughout the course.

• Standard pathway
  • Group Coursework (50%)
  • Individual Coursework (10%)
  • Final Exam (40%)
• Engagement pathway
  • Group Coursework (50%)
  • Individual Coursework (10%)
  • Collaborative engagement assessment (40%)

The group and individual coursework components are identical for all students, regardless of their pathway. They rely on a series of intermediate assessments, which will be communicated at the beginning of the course.
The key difference lies in the remaining 40% of the final grade:

• In the Standard pathway, this comprises a traditional summative and individual exam at the end of the term.
• In the Engagement pathway, it is based on continuous assessment, which includes participation, contributions to class and group activities, and sustained engagement throughout the course.

Clear criteria and expectations for the various components will be communicated at the outset of the course.
Objectives of this structure. This approach aims to promote both individual accountability and collective responsibility, accommodate diverse learning preferences, and encourage ongoing, meaningful participation.
Rules for the August session. Students who do not achieve the required credits for this course after the June session have the opportunity to improve their grade during the August session as follows:

• Students may take an oral exam if they failed the final exam (Standard pathway) or the engagement component (Engagement pathway).
• They may also submit an individual assignment if they failed the group coursework.
• Please note: marks for the individual coursework are final and cannot be retaken.

Online resources

All the information and teaching material relevant to the course will be posted on a dedicated Moodle website.

Bibliography

The course relies on a set of readings and other pedagogical material available to registered students through the Moodle website of the course.

Faculty or entity

> CLSM