MBAB 650 – Spring 2005 – p.2

MBAB 650 (Spring 2005)

Environmental Strategy

Instructor: Dr. Edmund Gray Office Phone: (310)338-7408

Office: H353 Home Phone: (310)374-0337

Office Hours: Tue 12:30pm – 1:30pm E-Mail:

2:50pm – 4:50pm

Thurs 12:30pm – 1:30pm

and by appointment

Course Description

This course deals with what the instructor feels is the most important issue facing our society (and by extension, business corporations) in this century – environmental degradation. It will attempt to acquaint students with society’s principal ecological threats and how they affect business firms. Hopefully, after taking this course, the student will be better able to understand the environmental challenge and play a role in formulating and implementing industry’s response to the challenge.

Although there will be some lectures, the course will be run principally in seminar style with discussions of readings, cases, and videos.

Course Objectives

1.  To sensitize the student to the world’s principal environmental threats.

2.  To show the student how these environmental threats are impacting business firms, particularly at the strategic level.

3.  To familiarize the student with the concept of sustainable development.

4.  To introduce the student to strategic concepts that can be useful in responding to the issue of sustainable development.

Course Materials

Scientific American, Managing Planet Earth, W.H. Freeman and Company, 1990.

Packet of Cases and Readings (to be sold in class)

Course Project

To be announced in class

Energy Presentation

To be announced in class

Grading

Course Project 30%

Energy Presentation 10%

Class Participation 20%

Final Exam 40%


MBAB 650 (Spring 2005)

Environmental Strategy

Course Schedule
1. / Jan 13 / Introduction
2. / Jan 20 / Introduction (cont.)
Sustainable Development
SA 1, Buchholz
3. / Jan 27 / Sustainable Development (cont.)
SA 6, 10, 11; MacLean
4. / Feb 3 / Sustainable Development (cont.)
Gladwin
5. / Feb 10 / Global Climate Change
SA3; “BP Amoco” case
6. / Feb 17 / Ozone Depletion; Air Pollution
SA 2
7. / Feb 24 / Energy Forum
SA 8
8. / Mar 3 / Declining Ecosystems
SA 4, 5; “Condition Critical”
9. / Mar 10 / Declining Ecosystems (cont.); Toxic and Solid Waste
“Bank of America and the Carlsbad Highlands Foreclosure (A)” case
10. / Mar 17 / Agriculture and Genetic Modification
“The Monsanto Co. (A) & (B)” cases; SA 7
11. / Mar 24 / Easter Break
12. / Mar 31 / Holiday
13. / April 7 / Green Strategies
Berry; Holiday; “The Body Shop International” case
14. / Apr 14 / Green Strategies: Manufacturing
Porter; Klassan; “Benzinger Family Winery” case
15. / Apr 21 / Green Strategies: Marketing, Investment
Ottman; Hart, “Global Sustainability . . .,” Deja Shoe” case; “Patagonia Inc.” case
16. / Apr 28 / Sustainable Enterprise
Hart & Milstein, “Creating Sustainable Value”; Hart & Sharma; “Stonyfield Farm” case
17. / May 5 / Final Exam