The assessment for this module is a 2500-word essay on a topic of your choice drawing upon theories
and materials relevant to the module. You have the choice to adopt an empirical (focused on an
example) or a conceptual approach (focusing on a theory or concept) or a combination of both.
For an empirical focus
Focus your essay on an example taken from a company or organisation, for instance: a sustainability
policy (e.g. evaluating its ecological value); a product/object/innovation that has been developed to
tackle an environmental concern (e.g. a recyclable phone) or known to have caused environmental
problems; a management process (e.g. recycling electronic waste, saving water) a confrontation with
an environmental protest (e.g. anti-fracking, south Dakota water protectors), or a specific response to
an environmental issue more broadly (e.g. water pollution, climate change, water stewardship). This
list is not exhaustive, you are welcome to explore other ideas and discuss them with the module
leader.
If you choose an empirical approach your essay should include
• A detailed description of your organisation and problem of focus. What do they do,
how, users and stakeholders? Describe the problem and environmental issue or
issues you are focusing on.
• A critical analysis of its ecological implications using a theoretical approach from
the module completed with your own private study and reading of academic literature
(e.g. you can choose to analyse a company’s policy for environmental sustainability
from the perspective of the recycling of waste, and look at how this puts in practice
elements of ecology (cyclic thinking) ecological management (supply chain loops) and
how it could be done better (implementing principles or business models from the
“circular economy”).
• You can also include relevant information from the press (but remember this does not
replace the appropriate use of academic literature).
For a conceptual or theoretical focus:
Choose a concept or a theory presented in the module and use the essay to expand your knowledge
on it. For instance, you could explicate and analyse the concept of socio-ecological resilience, one
aspect of the theory of ecological commons, or to comparatively analyse the Anthropocene versus
the Capitalocene concepts. You can also choose a theory relevant to ecology and sustainability that
has not been discussed in the module (but please let the module leader know if you do).
If you choose a theoretical approach your essay should include:
• A detailed presentation of the concept or theory you are focusing on.
• Critical analysis of its ecological implications using materials from the module
complemented with your own private study and reading of academic literature.
• If relevant have your discussion include one or two organisational examples
(obviously presented with less detail than if your essay takes an empirical approach)
to illustrate the theory and evaluate its relevance.
Whether you prefer to work on an empirical or conceptual approach we recommend that you
choose your examples from a sector you are interested in or have some knowledge of (whether this
is retail marketing, banking, tourism, non-profit sector…). It is better to choose examples on which
there is abundant information – a website explaining how an organisation, a project, or object came
to be, press articles, reports or interviews with company leaders. You can choose examples
mentioned during lectures but you obviously need to go further in your research than the
information that has been already discussed in class or is available in slides and set readings.