Module manager: Dr Maria Ilieva
Email: m.ilieva@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
This module is not approved as a discovery module
This module provides students with critical insight into how international businesses can drive value through sustainable practices and contribute to societal goals. It will explore the full sustainability spectrum in international business, encompassing its economic, social, and environmental dimensions covering all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It will equip students with the knowledge of how Multinational Corporations (MNCs) can be powerful agents for positive change.
The module will explore how Multinational Corporations (MNCs) spread best sustainable practices from developed economies to their subsidiaries in emerging markets; effectively filling institutional gaps in environmental and social responsibility. Students will analyse how global firms, including both MNCs and international small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), leverage the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to not only reduce costs and meet legal requirements but also create stakeholder value by implementing sustainable practices throughout their global value chains. This will include examining the challenges faced by internationalising SMEs in meeting the demands of this evolving global sustainability agenda. Students will gain valuable insights into how international businesses are responding to growing consumer awareness of recycling, reuse, and environmental responsibility through green entrepreneurship and eco-innovation.
By incorporating a wide range of case studies from developed, emerging, and developing countries, the module will provide a multi-layered perspective on sustainable business practices within the global context.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Critically analyse the economic, environmental, and social issues addressed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the context of international business.
2. Critically evaluate the strategies and practices of multinational corporations and international small and medium-sized enterprises in adopting sustainable business models.
3. Assess the impact of cultural and national contexts on sustainable business practices, using real-world examples to inform ethical and sustainable decision-making.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
1. Ethical Decision-Making: Identify and critically assess ethical considerations in sustainable business practices, recognising the broader social and environmental impact of decisions.
2. Information Literacy: Effectively source, evaluate, and synthesize information to support rigorous analysis and self-directed research on sustainable business topics.
3. Systems Thinking: Analyse complex sustainability issues, considering interdependencies across environmental, economic, and social systems to inform evidence-based decision-making.
4. Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving: Analyse complex sustainability issues, evaluate evidence, and propose innovative solutions.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| Seminar | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| Private study hours | 84 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 16 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 100 | ||
- There will be an opportunity to submit a practice essay before the exam and written feedback will be provided to each student who submits a practice essay.
Feedback will also be presented at the end of the module to the entire cohort on:
- The best features of the exam answers
- The areas of the exam answers requiring attention
- Steps to be taken to improve future work
Feedback will also be provided to students on a weekly basis through:
- Feedback will be provided during and after discussions in class (lectures and seminars).
- Written feedback on the discussed topics will be shared on Minerva after every seminar.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Online Assessment | 2-hour online exam | 100 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
The resit for this module will be 100% by Online Time Limited Assessment.
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 30/04/2025
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team