Table of contents

The course is connected to the following study programs

Teaching language

English

Recommended previous knowledge

Bachelor's degree in Business Adminstration or equivalent.

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course the student should be able to:

  • analyse the role of capitalism, both the benefits capitalism has brought humanity, and the costs
  • understand the concept ‘planetary boundary’ and be able to account for key trends related to climate change and biodiversity
  • identify and critically discuss global contemporary challenges in business and society, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals and how these relate to business operations
  • analyse how the emergence of new business models in the economy is related to issues of resource scarcity, circular economy and environmental regulation
  • investigate how businesses can contribute to solving key environmental and social challenges, including climate change and resource scarcity

Contents

We start this course by describing the major challenges in society today, including the degradation of the earth’s ecosystem and the increasing threat of climate change. We also ask the question: How did we end up here? We trace the historical roots of capitalism and provide the students with knowledge to better understand current sustainability challenges. The course then proceeds to assess how business can respond to the current challenges. This includes introducing students to literature and cases on sustainable innovation and sustainable business models.

Teaching and learning methods

On campus lectures and seminars. Estimated workload is 210 hours.

Examination requirements

Written and/or oral assignment(s) must be approved. More information will be provided in Canvas at the start of the semester.

Examinations

4-hour written examination under supervision. Assessment expression: letter grade, A-F.

Due to grade requirements for state authorised auditors, a regular examination will be held both autumn and spring.

Student evaluation

The person responsible for the course, in consultation with the student representative, decides the method of evaluation and whether the courses will have a midterm- or end of term evaluation, see also the Quality System, section 4.1. Information about evaluation method for the course will be posted on Canvas.

Reduction of Credits

This course’s contents overlap with the following courses. A reduction of credits will occur if one of these courses is taken in addition:

Course Reduction of Credits
TFL400 – Sustainable Capitalism. 7.5
Last updated from FS (Felles studentsystem) Oct. 15, 2026 2:15:12 PM