Module manager: Andrea Taylor
Email: A.L.Taylor@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
SOEE2310 Tools and Techniques for Business, Environment and Corporate Responsibility
This module is not approved as a discovery module
This module aims to introduce some of the tools, techniques and practices that businesses can use to understand and improve their sustainability. The module introduces a set of tools and techniques that organisations use, discusses the principles and concepts behind them, and critically studies how they are used in practice.
To provide students with a detailed understanding of a range of tools and initiatives developed for and by businesses to help them and the societies where they operate become more sustainable (including the environmental, social, and time dimensions). This module provides an overview of theoretical principles of the tools, exploration of how they are and could be used in practice, and a case study approach to their implementation in practice.
Learning activities are designed for students to have time to understand the theoretical principles of tools that are taught, to critically analyse their use through group activities and independent study, and to learn to apply them through a structured case study project.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
LO1: To understand that businesses (and other organisations) can use a variety of tools and techniques to improve their sustainability performance (in social, environmental and economic dimensions).
LO2: To understand the theoretical foundations of some of the most commonly used tools and techniques for sustainability (for example: Sustainability Reporting, Life-Cycle Sustainability Assessment, Sustainable Business Models, Organisational Behaviour Change).
LO3: To critically analyse the use of appropriate tools and techniques in improving the sustainability of an organisation.
LO4: To propose appropriate tools to enable organisations to meet their sustainability goals.
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
SLO1: To find, analyse and communicate information about the sustainability performance and strategies of organisations, critically evaluating the reliability and integrity of sources. [Digital and Academic Skills].
SLO2: To critically evaluate information about sustainability performance, question business-as-usual approaches and identify practices that align with sustainable values [Work Ready and Sustainability Skills].
SLO3: To work productively in a team, collaborating with other students to deliver a project.
SLO4: To manage a project, planning a timeline with milestones, setting priorities, allocating resources, and completing work by a set deadline.
SLO5: To communicate project outcomes professionally and in a style appropriate for a business audience.
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 10 | 2 | 20 |
| Practical | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Seminar | 10 | 1.5 | 15 |
| Private study hours | 162 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 38 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Students work on set tasks in the seminars in small groups. In most sessions they will report on their discussions to the whole class. Feedback is provided by staff contributing to student discussions during the sessions and by peers and staff responding to presentations at the end.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Coursework | 50 |
| Coursework | Group work | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
The Group project includes peer feedback in the assessment, with individual marks adjusted according to the relative contributions reported by peers. For the second assignment, which is a group project, the resit consists of the same tasks as the original assignment with shorter deliverables to account for an individual effort. SLO3 will be assessed with the addition of a short reflective piece on the challenges of team-based projects.
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
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