If we are to live in a more sustainable world, much depends on how well the demands of the sustainability
agenda are addressed, not just by business, but by consumers and other stakeholders such as
governments. Verweij and Thompson (2007) and Emery (2013) refer to sustainability issues as wicked
problems, which can lead to clumsy solutions and result in uncomfortable knowledge, generating a new set
of wicked problems.
Evaluate how any one provider from your chosen sector is dealing with the business challenges presented
by the sustainability agenda. Assess the extent to which your chosen provider is managing the sources and
consequences of any sustainability-related wicked problems through its business activities and how it is
encouraging consumer engagement with sustainable consumption, indicating the suitability of its overall
strategy and tactics.
You may select a provider to use as your case example from one of the following sectors:
o Fashion
o Energy
o Dairy (food)
o Mobile telephones
References
Emery, B. P. (2013) Higher Education Academy (HEA) conference presentation – Embedding sustainability in
the curriculum: Practising what we teach – Sustainable Marketing Conference for United Nations’ initiative –
Principles for Responsible Management Education within the curriculum (UN PRME) held at London South
Bank University, March 2013.
Verweij, M. and Thompson, M. (Eds.) (2007) Clumsy Solutions for a Complex World: Governance, Politics
and Plural Perceptions Basingstoke: Palgrave.