This half-semester course will encourage students to examine marketing and business models through the lens of sustainability while emphasizing the interconnections between society and the environment. We view the term sustainability in the broadest sense as it relates to the need to conserve and use natural resources to maximize individual and societal welfare for present and future generations. Our goals for this course are, first and foremost, to engender an appreciation among students for the need for sustainable marketing and business practices and the considerable challenges that need to be overcome to achieve such practices. The course objectives include providing students with:

• An understanding of the relationship between sustainable business practices, societal welfare, and ecological systems
• An understanding of marketing and business practices that are sustainable and work in harmony with, rather than in competition with, nature
• An understanding of the leadership role marketing must play in creating the sustainable consumption society of the future
• An understanding of the interdisciplinary and eclectic nature of sustainable marketing
• An opportunity to demonstrate how each element of the marketing mix can be adapted to implement sustainable marketing strategy in the broader context of a firm’s corporate strategy.
  

Class lectures will cover different areas of marketing and management. Although the primary emphasis of the course will be on sustainable marketing management, such an approach necessarily interfaces with all areas of business and several other disciplines. Students are encouraged to explore a broad range of issues in sustainability from different disciplinary lenses to develop holistic solutions that address business challenges while maximizing societal welfare. We envision a learning experience that is global in scope. Cases and a course project will be selected that cover different contexts across the globe covering advanced

Attendance & Participation

50% of the grade for this class is for individual assignments, participation in in-class assignments and discussions, and tutorials. Therefore, attendance is very important and a necessary condition for participation. Students who do not attend class regularly cannot participate effectively and can easily lose one or more letter grades. In-class work will involve presentations and write-ups of cases and other assignments throughout the semester.

Project

The course emphasizes hands-on experience and applications. Therefore, a sizable portion of the grade is for a project where you will design a new product and develop a sustainable marketing plan. You will work in a group which will serve as a resource for completing several assignments and a final presentation and written report. Each individual's contribution to his/her group will be assessed by peer evaluation. The peer evaluation form is attached to the end of this handout. A deduction in the points earned for group assignments will be made in proportion to the group peer evaluations. This often leads to reduction of an individual’s overall grade by one or more letter grades. Free riding will be identified & penalized in this course.

Grading

The two most important aspects for grading are in-class work and participation in the group project. Therefore, lower performance in class work (i.e., missing class-work for more than 1 class) or in participation in group work (as indicated by peer evaluation below 100%) can lead to reduction in overall grade by one or more letter grades.