Objectives and competences
In this course students:
1. Systematically enhance their theoretical knowledge in the field of ethics, social responsibility and sustainability and are able to apply it.
2. Gain the ability to apply their theoretical knowledge in complex practical problems in the field of ethics, social responsibility and sustainability.
3. Acquire approach of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and other methodologies developed in the course when studying development problems and are able to critically evaluate it.
4. Make critical judgements based, analysis and synthesis on a sound theoretical base.
Content (Syllabus outline)
The content of the course is based on the concept of sustainability and highlights three aspects, also called the triple bottom line or 3P - people, planet, profit, which are:
• social/social justice;
• environmental integrity/wholeness and
• economic prosperity.
Based on this basis, the course focuses on the ethics and social responsibility of organizations, taking as a starting point the individual who, with his personal responsibility through his activity in the organization, influences its sustainable orientation, ethics and social responsibility, which depending on this activity causes greater or lesser ethical, socially responsible and sustainable operation of the organization, and thus also greater or lesser economic prosperity, social justice and environmental integrity.
In terms of content, we will address all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations (UN): elimination of poverty; elimination of hunger; health and well-being; quality education; gender equality; clean water and sanitation; affordable and clean energy; decent work and economic growth; industry, innovation and infrastructure; reducing inequality; sustainable cities and communities; responsible consumption and production; climate action; life in water; life on land; peace, justice and strong institutions; partnerships to achieve goals.
In order to monitor the development of sustainability competences, we will measure the development of their sustainability competences at the beginning and at the end of the educational process for the participating students in the course with an already developed measuring instrument based on the content of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Findings obtained in this way about the level of development of the measured competencies will serve us to improve the pedagogical process in the next academic year. In this way and by introducing meaningful innovations, we will innovate the implementation of the teaching unit by approximately 10% every year.
We will weave at least one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (Sustainability Development Goals - SDGs) into every pedagogical meeting and draw students' attention to at least three other goals. Since the goals of sustainable development have not yet been realized, we must still (or especially because of that) pay special attention to them. Together with the students, we will also look for innovative ways for new aspects of achieving sustainability. We will also follow the goals of sustainability in the selection of examples of personal, organizational, social and economic practices. We will update the theoretically written goals of sustainable development / sustainable withdrawal (degrowth) and look at the situation in the world from a different perspective. We will develop thought patterns and infographics to make sustainability easier to understand.
Methodologically, we will use modern teaching methods, which have been proven to better develop the desired competencies of students through the targeted development of skills. These methods will be, for example: case study, teamwork, brainstorming, pedagogical drama, six thinking hats, meta plan, lateral thinking, gamification, systems thinking, flipped learning and teaching, development of concept maps, Lego system layout or others, which we will also upgrade using modern digitization tools, such as e.g. quiz, Mentimeter, Kahoot etc.
In the course, we will use formative and summative testing and assessment of students' knowledge. In formative testing and evaluation of students' knowledge, we will also introduce peer testing and evaluation of knowledge.
When implementing the course, we will use the results of the research findings of the Erasmus+ project Economics of Sustainability, which was completed in 2022 and was led by the head of this study unit at the Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Maribor. The project developed a monograph with the same title as the project, i.e. Economics of Sustainability, which is freely available to the public and covers the content of all 17 sustainable development goals and deals with the situation in the world from other perspectives (https://www.sbc.org.pl/dlibra/publication/614485/edition/578059/content).
The project also developed a useful gamification platform (https://econosteam.eu/gamification/), which we will also use.
Learning and teaching methods
- lectures
- AV presentations
- cases from practice
- methods: case study, teamwork, brainstorming, pedagogical drama, six thinking hats, gamification, systems thinking
- active individual and/or group work
Intended learning outcomes - knowledge and understanding
Cognitive/Intellectual skills:
Students:
• They acquire an understanding and use of critical analysis and development of theories about ethics, social responsibility and sustainability and their application in solving concrete and abstract problems, without additional instructions.
• They acquire the ability to find and synthesize new information in the field of ethics, social responsibility and sustainability in literature and practice, as well as the ability to place it in an appropriate professional framework.
• They are able to choose an appropriate method for obtaining a solution to a complex development problem and are able to judge the reliability, validity and significance of the results obtained.
• They know how to identify the problem of ethics, social responsibility and sustainability from different points of view and look for appropriate solutions.
• They know how to examine conflicting research-prognostic information and judge the reasons for this.
Key/Transferable skills
Students:
• Further develop skills and expertise in the use of knowledge in a specific working area.
• Upgrade the ability to become an autonomous learner.
• Upgrade the ability to apply information technology.
• Upgrade the ability for team-work and team leadership.
• Further develop their communication skills in an effective manner to effectively solve conflicts.
• Can identify key aspects of problem from different viewpoints and are able to find solutions.
• Are efficient in self-evaluation.
• Can select and manage information with minimal guidelines.
Practical skills:
Student:
• Get practical experience in the field of ethics, social responsibility and sustainability.
• Is able to act autonomously with minimal guidelines and supervision.
Readings
• ŠTRUKELJ, Tjaša (avtor, urednik), MEOLIC, Darija, ROŽMAN, Maja (avtor, urednik), DEŽELAK, Zdenko (urednik). Trije stebri trajnostnega razvoja : teoretično ozadje, študija primera in kvantitativne ekonomske analize : [znanstvena monografija]. 1. izd. Maribor: Bio energija, 2022, cop. 2023. 1 optični disk (CD-ROM), ilustr. ISBN 978-961-95035-5-3. [COBISS.SI-ID 120235011]
• Wójcik, E.; Zieliński, T. (ur.) (2022). Economics of sustainability / Ekonomika trajnosti. Katowice: Publishing House of the University of Economics in Katowice. 10.22367/uekat.9788378758167 ; ISBN 978-83-7875-790-0. Dosegljivo 24. 5. 2023 na: https://www.sbc.org.pl/dlibra/publication/614485/edition/578059/content.
• BRADAČ HOJNIK, Barbara. Ustvarjanje vrednosti v okviru trajnostnega podjetništva in poslovnih modelov = Value creation in the context of sustainable entrepreneurship and business models. V: DUH, Mojca (ur.), et al. Izzivi trajnostnega razvoja organizacij. Harlow (England) [etc.]: Pearson Education. 2022, str. 15-37, ilustr. ISBN 978-1-80006-681-6. [COBISS.SI-ID 122847491]
• KOREZ-VIDE, Romana, ŠTRUKELJ, Tjaša. Strateški okvir trajnostnega razvoja globalne panoge = Strategic framework for sustainable development of the global industry. V: DUH, Mojca (ur.), et al. Izzivi trajnostnega razvoja organizacij. Harlow (England) [etc.]: Pearson Education. 2022, str. 38-57, ilustr. ISBN 978-1-80006-681-6. [COBISS.SI-ID 122877699]
• KOREZ-VIDE, Romana, ŠTRUKELJ, Tjaša. Dejavniki in posledice neuravnotežene strateške razvojne usmeritve na primeru globalne panoge = Factors and consequences of unbalanced strategic development direction in the case of the global industry. V: DUH, Mojca (ur.), et al. Izzivi trajnostnega razvoja organizacij. Harlow (England) [etc.]: Pearson Education. 2022, str. 101-120. ISBN 978-1-80006-681-6. [COBISS.SI-ID 122909699]
