Innovation, Technology and the Environment

Module overview

This module explores the opportunities and challenges presented by the growing importance of the environmental agenda in the political, social economic and technological context. With increasing environmental awareness comes a need for commercially sustainable solutions to energy and resource conservation. The challenge lies in translating environmentally sound technologies into viable market solutions and business ventures - just because it is the right thing to do does not mean that customers will buy! Emergent new sectors present exciting opportunities, yet the very dynamism of such sectors, a nexus of new technologies, new markets, new networks, new regulatory practices presents risk too.

Linked modules

Pre-Requisites: MANG1003 or MANG1050

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

communicate effectively, in both oral and written form, using and justifying argument within reports, presentations and debates;
use a wide range of information sources requiring the development of bibliographic skills including the use the Internet;
plan and control effectively for successful completion of a personal and group workload;
carry out team-work effectively.

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

analyse the feasibility of implementing new technology opportunities in a sustainable context.
recognise trends in the environmental context (policy, technology, economic/social) that present entrepreneurial opportunities;
analyse how new industry sectors have arisen in response to new trends;
appraise the innovation challenges facing green entrepreneurs in a given industry setting;

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

the nature of the entrepreneurial environment: as a complex, dynamic set of inter-relations between new markets, new technologies and new regulatory practices;
the process of developing viable market opportunities based on energy and resource conservation issues.
the contextual factors (global and national) influencing innovation in an environmental context;
the challenges and opportunities presented to entrepreneurs by the green agenda;

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Learning activities include lectures; activity-based seminars; case studies; private study; online-quizzes, group presentations.

Study time
Type	Hours
Preparation for scheduled sessions	30
Lecture	24
Seminar	11
Completion of assessment task	30
Wider reading or practice	30
Revision	25
Total study time	150

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

Bessant,J. and Tidd, J. (2015). Innovation and Entrepreneurship. John Wiley & Sons.

Chesbrough, H., Vanhaverbeke, W. and West, J. (2006). Open Innovation: Researching a New Paradigm. Oxford University Press.

Koester, E. (2017). Green entrepreneur handbook: the guide to building and growing a green and clean business.. Taylor & Francis.

Geels, F., Kemp, R., Dudley, G. and Lyons, G (2012). Automobility in Transition? A Socio-Technical Analysis of Sustainable Transport. Routledge.

Bansal, P. and Hoffman, A. (2012). The Oxford Handbook of Business and the Natural Environment. Oxford University Press.

Carillo-Hermosilla, J. and del Rio Gonzalez. P. and T. Konnola, T. (2009). Eco-Innovation: When Sustainability and Competitiveness Shake Hands. Palgrave.

Esty, D. and Winston, A (2009). Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage. Wiley.

Jones, G. (2017). Profits and Sustainability: A history of Green Entrepreneurship. Oxford University Press.

Jolly, A. (2010). Clean Tech Clean Profits: Using Effective Innovation and Sustainable Business Practices to Win in the New Low-Carbon Economy. Kogan Page.

Assessment

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Group presentation	30%
Coursework	70%

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Coursework	100%

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Coursework	100%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External