Curriculum

Semester 2

Strategic Management

The course provides an overview of the most important theories, concepts, and tools in general strategic management. The purpose is to define and analyse the major strategic issues and functions that managers must understand to operate both effectively and sustainably in an international business and governance context. Special attention is paid to the institutional framework surrounding strategic managers and to questions of environmentally and socially responsible management. We introduce and discuss the business impacts of accommodating the ESG criteria (Environment, Social, Governance) and the Triple Bottom Line and 3P (People, Planet, Profit) frameworks. The course will also investigate theories and practical applications of a circular economy. Cases will be presented where the maintenance of materials, products, and components at a high utility level, as well as the recovery and regeneration of products and materials, open up new business potentials.

After completing the course, the student should have:

• In-depth knowledge of key theories in general strategic management.

• Ability to apply central concepts and tools in general strategic management to practical business operations.

• An analytical perspective on business models that drive change towards environmental sustainability.

• A good understanding of how ecological concerns shape business strategies and generate new business opportunities.

• An understanding of how new regulatory frameworks shape market opportunities for companies in ASEAN and beyond.

• Practical skills in applying the GRI standards through a GRI certification

General Business Environment

This course aims to train students to obtain a deep understanding of the Asian, particularly the ASEAN, social and political environments and their impacts on business and government. Theoretically, the course builds on New Institutional Economics, where institutions are understood as the ‘rules of the game.’ Diversity and multiplicity characterize the ASEAN countries, and the pluralism of formal laws and regulations and informal norms and customs must be comprehended to develop environmentally sustainable and economically efficient management of business and government units. This course examines the complex socio-political and cultural landscapes of businesses and governments in the ASEAN region. It addresses how organizations and institutions, both formal and informal, prevail, emerge, and change in response to the dynamic local and global contexts. Climate change represents some of the most urgent environmental, social, and economic challenges internationally. This course explores the legal, political, and business challenges of addressing and responding to climate change.

On successful completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• Examine and understand the cultural, social, and political contexts impacting doing business in ASEAN and beyond.

• Identify and quantify sources of national economic growth and preconditions for sustainable economic development.

• Understand the role of institutions, including practices of collusion and corruption, on business operations and socio-economic development.

• Recognize national, regional, and global reasons behind economic turmoil and crises.

• Critically analyse cases of climate change and GHG emissions and reduction.

• Incorporate climate change and carbon trading schemes (cap-and-trade) in business decision-making.

Food Security and Conservation Management

Agriculture is a way of life in ASEAN, with eight of the ten countries heavily reliant on agriculture as a primary source of national income. In nations such as Myanmar and Laos, the sector contributes more than 40% to GDP. ASEAN is a significant producer and exporter of palm oil, crude rubber, rice, sugar, seafood, and fruits. However, the sustainability of the sector currently faces threats from land conversion, climate change, and unsustainable farming practices. While achieving food security remains a major social, political, and economic issue globally and regionally, the challenge is particularly pronounced in poorer countries, where efforts to address it are hindered by limited knowledge and environmental degradation. Globally, agricultural production will need to double over the next three decades to satisfy the growing demand driven by population growth, primarily in developing countries. This course discusses the evolution of agricultural systems and food security in relation to land conversions, climate change, and environmental pollution. Emphasis is placed on management and new technologies, product platforms, and innovative business models, which are likely to lead the transition from both traditional peasant and modern industrial agriculture towards a socially just and environmentally sustainable food production and distribution system. New conservation paradigms now view protected areas more as nature-socio systems, rendering ‘fortress conservation’ obsolete. The course will present theories of the ‘tragedy of the commons,’ common-pool resource management, community-based and co-management regimes, including multi-stakeholder agreements and multi-disciplinary thinking.

Upon the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Understand the basics of crop and husbandry production, including biotechnology principles, irrigation, fertilization, and plant protection.

• Assess the consequences of various biomass production on soil fertility and erosion, water and air pollution, biodiversity, greenhouse gas emission, food security, and on local societies.

• Analyse economic, environmental, and social consequences of alternative land-use conversions in specific contexts.

• Develop business models for various biomass production and distribution.

• Quantify the costs and benefits of ecosystem services (PES) and critically analyze how economic benefits can be fairly distributed among stakeholders.

• Develop business models for the sustainable use of forests and conservation areas.

Marine Resources and Coastal Management

The increasing negative impacts of human interaction with oceans and coastal ecosystems call for competence-building in marine resources and coastal management (MRCM), especially in a seafaring and archipelagic region like ASEAN, which has 173,000 km of coastline. MRCM includes traditional marine activities such as fisheries and shipping, as well as marine reserves, tourism, mining, subsea pipelines, and the development of aquaculture and offshore renewable energy sources. The intensity of marine resource and coastal use has heightened awareness of the need to coordinate the spatial and temporal relationships between the ecological and economic dimensions of marine and coastal systems. This course first introduces the fundamental concepts of marine and coastal resources, including introductory oceanography and marine ecology. Next, the course explores business, management, and economic theories and analyses used as tools to inform and enhance MRCM, such as theories of economic incentives and public versus private goods. Finally, the course presents and discusses case studies of conflicts in the use of marine and coastal resources, particularly in ASEAN. 

After completing the course, the student should be able to:

• Identify and map potential ocean and coastal resources.

• Understand physical and socio-political factors in resource use dynamics (e.g., tides and waves, erosion and tsunamis; profit interests and government regulations).

• Critically utilize available tools to assess economic resource values and ecological vulnerability.

• Understand and utilize ecological balance and carrying capacity analyses, such as EIA (environmental impact assessment) and SEA (strategic environmental assessment).

• Critically assess the strengths and weaknesses of various policy and regulatory frameworks.

Energy Resource Management

Research shows a clear correlation and causality between energy consumption and economic growth, not least in emerging economies such as those in ASEAN. The proven negative impacts of the extensive use of fossil energy sources, especially on global warming, put pressure on the development and efficient utilization of various renewable energy sources. Conventional energy sources and supply infrastructures are therefore undergoing rapid changes, which contribute to heightened risks but also new business opportunities in the energy sector. This course firstly offers an overview of energy resources and the management of energy production, supply, and sustainability. Further, the course systematically examines the intersections among energy resources and the environment, energy use and economic development, and energy demand and supply. Finally, the course analyses potential strategies for improved access to energy, particularly electricity, for unserved and underserved regions and populations.

After completing the course, the student should be able to:

• Understand the use of primary energy sources, electricity generation, and types and characteristics of power plants.

• Discuss strategies to promote renewable energies (e.g., feed-in tariffs, tax holidays, and renewable portfolio standards).

• Have a deep understanding of management issues and challenges related to energy production and distribution.

• Develop frameworks that enable enhanced renewable energy usage.

• Contribute to increasing energy efficiency.

• Understand energy costing across the power plant lifetime (levelized cost of energy, LCOE).

Urban Planning and Management

As observed worldwide, economic growth in ASEAN has been, and will continue to be, significantly driven by urban centres. The ASEAN urban population is expected to increase by 90 million people over the next 10 years. Issues such as traffic congestion, water supply, air quality, waste disposal, poverty, and citizen security will significantly influence the quality of life for hundreds of millions of people. Urban expansion is consuming land and natural resources while reducing biodiversity. Conversely, cities are also viewed as the nexus of sustainable human living, with residents using resources more efficiently, having broader access to health, educational, and cultural services, and demonstrating greater innovation. This phenomenon is referred to as the urbanization paradox, and ‘smart cities’ have been introduced as a concept and strategy to address urban growth challenges. This course offers informed theoretical discussions and practical tools in three main fields of urban management: intelligent traffic systems, secure and clean water supply, and efficient waste disposal. Practitioners from private businesses and urban governments will be invited to the class to share insights on the latest challenges and solutions in these areas.

Upon the successful completion of this course, students will:

• Understand the contexts, rationales, meaning, and challenges of urban planning and management.

• Understand the principles, instruments, and strategies for urban management.

• Be capable of evaluating best practices/cases in urban management.

• Choose and utilize IT systems precisely and contextually as foundations of Smart Cities.

• Understand the basic principles of current technologies for affordable clean water supply and wastewater treatment.

• Have in-depth knowledge and analytical skills in solid waste management for effective environmental protection.

Research Methods

Environmental sustainability is a multifaceted issue that demands research methods accommodating complexity as part of the research agenda. In this course, emphasis is placed on participatory action research and design thinking as components of the qualitative research methodology, enabling a deeper understanding of the realities and challenges of implementing sustainable management in organizations. This course aims to prepare students for their engagement in internships, data collection and analysis, and thesis writing at their various locations. It will foster students’ analytical capacity and reflexive stance towards relevant sustainability challenges, stimulating grounded interventions for effective solutions. Specialized workshops on data collection and thesis writing will be held as part of the course, focusing on various aspects of the themes studied in the concentration courses.

After completing the course, the student should:

• Be able to formulate precise research questions and design suitable methods for data collection and analysis of relevant issues related to business and sustainability.

• Demonstrate the ability to evaluate ethical aspects of applying different research methods.

• Be able to demonstrate how both quantitative and qualitative methods can be applied in business studies.

• Have the basis for structuring and writing an academically stringent master’s thesis.

• Have in-depth knowledge about design thinking and action research approaches for co-creation processes.

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