Core (required) readings:

Sandhu, S. 2010. Shifting paradigms in corporate environmentalism: From poachers to gamekeepers. Business and Society Review, 115(3): 285-310.

Porter, M. E., & Kramer, M. B. 2011. Creating Shared Value. Harvard Business Review, 89(1/2): 62-77.

Rangan, K., Chase, L., & Karim, S. 2015. The Truth about CSR. Harvard Business Review, 93(1/2): 40-49.

Additional (optional) readings and resources

The UNEP Global Environmental Outlook reports (the GEO 5 Summary for Policy Makers and the GEO 5 For Business Executive Summary).

Note: You can get more information on these reports, and the GEO projects at the United Nations Environmental Program web site:  

These reports give a broad overview of some key social and environmental issues humanity is facing and their high-level business impacts, and helps set the scene for the drivers underpinning the moves to see business adopt sustainable business practices. When reading the reports, keep an eye out for a few themes that are particularly relevant to this course, such as:

• The link between environmental and social wellbeing.
• Issues of equity and justice (both intra-generational and intergenerational) that arise from the environmental and social issues the reports touch on.
• The role business might be playing in both the creation of the problems the reports identify, and what business might need to do to help remedy the problems.
• How some of the issues identified might impact on your own business, including:
  •   Direct environmental impacts (say, the implications of water shortages, climate change, etc).
  •   Impacts through the value chain your firm is involved in.
  •   Implications of various regulations and international agreements (current or future).

The reports also mention the Millennium Development Goals. Here is the link to the UN site that talks of these goals:  

The UN Global Compact site is also worth visiting:   The Compact is an initiative of the UN to engage the business sector in helping to progress the achievement of a number of UN promoted initiatives (human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption). These initiatives link to some of the issues covered in the GEO5 reports, the Millennium Development Goals, and the broader sustainable world agenda.

 UNEP 2014, Global Environmental Outlook 5: Summary for Policy Makers, United Nations Environmental Programme, Nairobi, Kenya.

UNEP 2014, Global Environmental Outlook 5: For Business - Executive Summary, United Nations Environmental Programme, Nairobi, Kenya. 

Social and ecological challenges

Rockström, et al, 2009, 'A Safe Operating Space for Humanity', Nature, vol. Vol 461, no. 24, September 2009, pp. 472-475.

web site: Footprint Network  

Other useful resources:

Global warming:

The scientific concensus: 

NASA: 

David Suzuki Foundation: 

A sustainable world 

Williams & Millington 2004, 'The Diverse and Contested Meanings of Sustainable Development.', Geographical Journal, vol. 170, no. 2, 2004/06, pp. 99-104.

Giddings, Hopwood & O'Brien 2002, 'Environment, Economy and Society: Fitting Them Together into Sustainable Development', Sustainable Development, vol. 10, pp. 187-196.