ERS 370 – Corporate Sustainability: Issues and Prospects Course Outline

ERS 370 – Corporate Sustainability: Issues and ProspectsCourse OutlineThe course will meet in lectures and tutorials.All students are expected to attend lectures, on Tuesdays from 2:30pm-4:20pm in DWE-3517.All students are expected to attend their assigned tutorial, either Wednesdays from 1:30pm to 2:20pm in RCH-109 or Wednesdays from 3:30pm-4:20pm in RCH-109. Students must ‘stick with’ their assigned tutorial and are not allowed to attend ‘the other one’.Course purpose:The purpose of the course is to examine the ways in which sustainability issues and business operations have interacted, considering progressively ‘greener’ corporate and other business responses and broader sustainability challenges.Course structure/approach:Apart from weeks 10 and 11 – which will largely be turned over to student presentations) – one key topic in corporate sustainability will be investigated each week. Students will be expected to do required readings in advance each week and to attend the lecture – where the course instructor will usually lecture for about an hour, and there will then be some kind of video/discussion/hands-on activity for the second hour. The next day, in tutorial, there will be discussion of readings and/or further exploration of a key concept from the previous day.Course readings:All readings are available electronically – either through UW course reserve (CR) or at a particular website (WEB). (Note that students are encouraged to read the required readings in the order in which they are listed on this course outline.)Course assessment:The course will be assessed by six elements. Full details regarding expectations for each are provided in individual ‘rubrics’, available on the course website.1) Participation – 10%2) Take-home essay answer – 15% – due (dropbox on the course website) by Friday, 14 October at 11:59pm.3) Final examination – 25% or 30%* – This will be during the final examination period, between 8 December and 22 December, inclusive, and every student is expected to be available throughout the final examination period. Details of the final examination will be provided on the course website at 8:30am on 1 December and will be discussed in the lecture that same day. The final examination will be two hours in duration, will cover the entire course, will require answers written in sentence-paragraph format, and will have extensive choice available.4) Project outline – 10% – due (in the dropbox on the course website) by Friday, 21 October at 11:59pm.5) Project presentation – 10% (on either Tuesday, 15 November or Tuesday, 22 November)6) Project – 25% or 30%* – due (in the dropbox on the course website) by Friday, 2 December at 11:59pm.* – Students’ marks will be calculated in two manners – one with the final examination and the project weighted 30:25, respectively, and one with them weighted 25:30, respectively; whatever method yields the higher result will be used to calculate the mark.2Note on submissions through the LEARN dropbox:Before you will be permitted to submit any assignment through the dropbox, you must complete the ‘assignment checklist’ which is presented to you in the form of a ‘quiz’ in LEARN. Though labeled a ‘quiz’, this will not be marked in any way, but must be completed before the dropbox for this particular assignment is open to you. The questions (which concern issues of ‘academic integrity’) refer, of course, to this particular assignment.Note on late submissions:Late submissions will be penalised 5 per cent (of the 100 per cent available for that particular assignment) for each day (or part thereof) late. Assignments will not be accepted after seven days (beyond the due date) have lapsed. Accommodation will be made in exceptional circumstances (usually related to medical emergencies supported by documentation). As soon as students realise that their assignment may be submitted late, they are encouraged to contact the course instructor. Please note that the LEARN system records submission times, and ‘late will be late’, with the following exceptions: submission time of 12:00-12:02 (1 per cent deduction); 12:03-12:05 (2 per cent deduction); 12:06-12:08 (3 per cent deduction); 12:09-12:11 (4 per cent deduction).Note on missed assignments:Should a student miss their ‘project presentation’ for reasons that are mutually-agreed as ‘acceptable’ by the student and the instructor, it will be completed as soon as possible afterwards.Research ethics:Please note that the University of Waterloo requires all research conducted by its students, staff, and faculty that involves humans as participants to undergo prior ethics review and clearance through the Director, Office of Human Research and Animal Care (Office). The ethics review and clearance processes are intended to ensure that projects comply with the Office’s Guidelines for Research with Human Participants (Guidelines) as well as those of provincial and federal agencies, and that the safety, rights and welfare of participants are adequately protected. If the development of your project consists of research that involves humans as participants, then please contact the course instructor for guidance as early as possible and see https://uwaterloo.ca/research/office-research-ethicsAcademic integrity:In order to maintain a culture of academic