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GRE 401 Sustainable Development & Competitive Advantage

Final Examination for February 2012

PLEASE READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY

• This is an open-book, ‘open-web’, essay-type examination that you will complete at a place of your own choosing.

• The maximum time period allowed for this exam is 24 hours.

• This examination material remains the property of Asian International College.

• By taking this examination, you acknowledge this and agree not to disclose, publish or disseminate the examination materials or make infringing copies, either in whole or in part.

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GRE401: Sustainable Development & Competitive Advantage [February 2012]

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THE CONTEXT

The Chief Executive Officer of your company travelled from India to the UK recently to attend the Business for the Environment (B4E) Summit in London at which Björn Stigson gave the opening address. Your CEO had not been that enthusiastic about attending and, before leaving the office, she had written off Stigson as “just another 'greenie' trying to undermine business”.

Björn StigsonImage source: flickr.com/photos/greenweek2009/

Björn Stigson is the outgoing president of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), a CEO-led, global association of some 200 companies dealing exclusively with business and sustainable development. An expert on the challenges of sustainable development, his background in international business has enabled him to lead the WBCSD over the past decade as it has established itself as the world’s leading organisation focused on business and sustainable development.

Since resigning as President of the WBCSD in December 2011, his energies are now focused on serving boards and committees advising the Chinese government, the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, the Clinton Global Initiative and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).

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GRE401: Sustainable Development & Competitive Advantage [February 2012]

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After attending the conference, your CEO appears to have changed her opinion of Stigson. It seems she may also have been influenced by the fact some very prominent members of the Indian business community – most notably Mukesh Ambani (Reliance) and Kris Gopalakrishnan (Infosys) – are members of the WBCSD Executive Committee for 2012, but she was also persuaded by the content of Stigson’s opening address, and she has asked you to review a video recording of his speech.

In this keynote speech, Stigson talks about the importance of business placing a higher value on social equity, natural capital and ecosystem services in an era of burgeoning population growth, climate change, and increasingly scarce resources.

However, it is not all doom and gloom because, according to Stigson, the green economy heralds a new era of opportunity for those companies that are ready to make the paradigm shift and formulate corporate strategies founded on the principles of sustainability. The ‘race to be green’ is on, says Stigson, and those slow to adapt may be left behind.

The next B4E Global Summit is to be held in Berlin in May 2012, with the theme Collaborate, Innovate, Act – Delivering the Green Economy, and is set to explore transformative business models, smart cities and innovative financial solutions, with a view to developing proposals for a better, more sustainable future.

Importantly, the outcome of the B4E Summit discussions will be shared with key decision makers at the ‘Rio +20’ United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (more commonly known as the Earth Summit) to be held in June this year, which marks the 20th anniversary of the first Earth Summit in the same city back in 1992.

Image source: uncsd2012.org/rio20/

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GRE401: Sustainable Development & Competitive Advantage [February 2012]

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THE TASK

Prior to attending the London seminar, your CEO had not been exposed to the concept of sustainable development (or she had a misconception of the term, at least). After the event, she has started reading more on the subject, specifically, the work of government ministers and various thought leaders in the field of sustainable development, whose eyes are presently on the 2012 Earth Summit. While her understanding remains at a largely superficial level, she has been persuaded that sustainable development might be of strategic importance to the company, and early adoption could assist in securing competitive advantage.

The CEO wants to put forward a draft proposal at the next Board Meeting. As she lacks expertise in this area, the CEO is seeking the counsel of staff within the organisation (many of whom are studying for MBAs) and has called for submissions in the form of discussion papers. As a recent graduate of Sustainable Development and Competitive Advantage classes delivered by a leading Indian business school, you decide to make a submission. Your brief, very simply, is to critically evaluate the likely impact on the competitive position of the company if it were to pursue a business strategy based on sustainable development.

GUIDE TO THE TASK

To help guide your thinking, you have discussed the matter with colleagues and, among other things; they suggest you contemplate the following: ü Consider the theoretical underpinnings of sustainable development

ü What are the contending perspectives on sustainable development? Does

the market mechanism help or hinder a move toward sustainable

development?

ü What sorts of changes in thinking are required to achieve sustainability,

and what are the obstacles to change that the company faces?

ü Is the company likely to be affected by public policy? Are the current policy

settings (at a national and international level) supportive of a move toward

sustainable development?

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GRE401: Sustainable Development & Competitive Advantage [February 2012]

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE PREPARATION OF YOUR WORK

1) In completing this task, be sure to draw on relevant concepts and

analytical tools you have learnt about during GRE 401 Sustainable

Development & Competitive Advantage, making direct references to the

module materials (i.e. the online courseware, videos, articles, and other

resources). Students who fail to comply with this directive will not

receive a passing grade.

2) You must upload a written response of no more than 1500 words (+/-

10% excluding references) in 24 hours’ time.

3) The piece of writing you submit should be referenced in the normal way,

using an internationally recognised referencing system. Students who

fail to comply with this directive will not receive a passing grade.

4) This is a broad question that invites a variety of ‘equally correct’

answers.

5) High marks will be awarded for good, critical analysis, rather than

content cut and pasted from websites and other electronic sources.

6) The expectation is that you will not have the time to submit an answer of

the quality of a term-time assignment. However, you should try, as much

as possible, to submit an answer of similar quality.

END OF PAPER

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GRE401: Sustainable Development & Competitive Advantage [February 2012]