"Business and the Environment" (D.G. Webster, Dartmouth University)

ENVS 16
Business and the Environment
Fall 2014
Class location: Life Sciences Center 105
Class Meeting time(s) 10:00-11:05 Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Instructor:
Office Location:
Email:
Office Phone:
Office Hours:
X-hours:
D.G. Webster
Fairchild 104
D.G.Webster@Dartmouth.edu
603-646-0213
11:05-12:00 MWF or by appointment
See schedule
Course Description
In recent years, consumers and producers alike realized the limits of the Earth’s natural
resources. As a consequence, many companies have jumped on the “green business” bandwagon,
seeking ways to make their products more environmentally attractive while also increasing
profits through improved processes and technological innovations. Much of the literature on
green business is micro-level. It explains why and how companies strive to reduce their impact
on the environment. We will spend the first half of the course at this level of analysis. There is
also a growing literature on the shift to a “green economy”. We will spend the second half of the
course learning how the greening of businesses fits into the green economy discourse. This
requires understanding of how green business is both impacted by and has impacts on larger,
macro-level elements such as business cycles, macroeconomic policy, international trade, and
sustainable development. Throughout the course we will focus on using real-world data to
explore these different facets of business-environment interactions.
Course Objectives
There are many different perspectives on corporate environmentalism. Some authors view green
business in simplistic terms, seeing it as either the salvation of the world or a mere gloss over
age-old corporate greed. Students in this class will learn about green business as a complex and
emergent phenomenon, with both positive and negative aspects. They will have to think critically
about the private costs and benefits of going green, but will also learn about the public value of
voluntary greening, green regulation, and green or “sustainable” economic development.
Furthermore, students will apply this knowledge by building their own case studies of a specific
green business.
Expectations
This is a seminar-style course. Each session is designed to encourage active participation so
students should complete all reading assignments prior to the date the material is to be covered in
class. My expectations regarding written assignments are quite high, both in terms of the breadth
of the required research and the quality of the written and oral presentation of findings (see my
Writing Guidelines posted with the syllabus on Canvas).
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Exams: We will have both a midterm and a final for this course. The midterm will include 15
short answer questions and requires that students answer 2 out of 3 essay questions. The final is
cumulative and consists of 30 short answer questions and 3 out of 5 essay questions.
Projects: Each student will also complete a case study of a specific “green” business that he or
she chooses in the first few weeks of class. No two students are allowed to study the same
business. There are several assignments/events in the first two weeks of class that will help
students select their businesses. This timing is deliberate, since students should consider the
availability of data on a company before choosing it for their case study. Cases will be compiled
via a web site where each student will create his or her own “Green Business Profile” or GBP for
short. We’ll use Google Sites to build the pages. This is a fairly simple site-building tool but if
you need help figuring it out please make an appointment to see Prof. Webster in the first two
weeks of the course.
Web pages will be graded twice, once a few days before the midterm and again at the beginning
of the pre-examination break. Sites will be graded on clarity, organization, comprehensiveness,
effective use/presentation of data, and correct citation of evidence. Comprehensiveness means
that I expect the sites to cover all of the main points from the readings/lectures/discussions. As
described below, homework for the course is designed to help students prepare their GBPs in a
comprehensive manner. Most of the other expectations for the sites are covered in my Writing
Guidelines (posted on Blackboard). The main purpose of the site is to allow the student to apply
what he/she has learned using a method that is increasingly important in the modern economy.
That said, students should maintain rigorous academic standards for all information and analysis
contained in the site. This is not a blog or an opinion page but a well-researched, cohesive online case study of a green business, inside and out. Pictures and graphs are strongly encouraged
but sources must be cited for these as well. All sources must be cited as described below; they
can be cited on a separate “references” page as long as references are hyperlinked.
Homework: Aside from a few short assignments in the first two weeks of the course, homework
consists of case-study/site building. Each student should post a short essay applying what he/she
learned from the reading to his/her green business on the Blackboard discussion board. The
thread for each day contains a few pertinent questions to help students focus their research (and
directions for any non-GBP homework, which will also be turned in via the discussion board). I
strongly recommend reading the homework prompts on the discussion board at least a week in
advance so that you can plan ahead; particularly during the first week of class. Unless otherwise
noted, posts are due by 9 am every day that we have class and should be no more than 200-300
words long. Entries should be clear, concise, and well supported with data. Sources should be
cited for all information not original to the student. Citations do not count in the word count.
These posts can be used to build the foundation for the student’s GBP but will need to be
updated and improved based on class lectures/discussions and feedback from Prof. Webster.
Students get 5 “freebees” on homework—that is, the lowest 3 post grades will be dropped.
Students should use appropriate citation in all writing assignments. All information not original
to the student should be cited in text (not as footnotes but as parenthetical citations) using the
author-date method in the Chicago style. This style was chosen because it is common in the
sciences, it is relatively simple, and it provides the two most important pieces of information
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about a source—the author and the date—without disrupting the reading experience. On-line
sources not associated with a peer reviewed journal or well-established periodical source are not
acceptable—do not cite Wikipedia or similar sites unless specifically permitted in the
assignment. However, for the GBPs you may use information posted on company web-pages,
though you must acknowledge any implications regarding potential bias.
These web-sites provide tips and examples for citing sources:
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/sources/
http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html
Required texts:
Anderson, Ray C. 1998. Mid-Course Correction. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green. 207
p.
Esty, Daniel C. and Andrew S. Winston. 2009. Green to Gold. New Haven: Yale University
Press. 366 p.
Hawken, Paul. 2010. The Ecology of Commerce, Revised Edition. New York: Harper Business.
224 p.
Jackson, Tim. 2011. Prosperity Without Growth. Washington, DC: Earthscan. 264 p.
Winston. 2014. The Big Pivot. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press. 344 p.
Other readings/videos are posted on our Library Reserves page or can be found via web-links
provided.
Recommended but not required:
Bragdon, Joseph. 2006. Profit for Life. Cambridge, MA: The Society for Organizational
Learning, Inc.
Dauvergne, Peter and Jane Lister. 2013. Eco-Business: A Big-Brand Takeover of Sustainability.
Boston: MIT Press.
Harvard Buisness Review, ed. 2008. Profiting from Green Business. Cambridge, MA: Harvard
Business School Publishing Corporation.
Makower, Joel. 2009. Strategies for the Green Economy: Opportunities and Challenges in the
New World of Business. New York: McGraw Hill.
McElroy, Mark W. 2011 . Corporate Sustainability Management. Washington, DC: Earthscan.
Sachs, Jeffrey D. 2008. Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet. New York: The
Penguin Press.
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Grading
Class Participation
Blackboard posts
Green Business Profiles
Midterm
Final
5%
15%
40%
15%
25%
Academic Honor
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~reg/regulations/undergrad/acad-honor.html
Student Needs
Students with disabilities enrolled in this course and who may need disability-related classroom
accommodations are encouraged to make an appointment to see me before the end of the second
week of the term. All discussions will remain confidential, although the Student Accessibility
Services office may be consulted to discuss appropriate implementation of any accommodation
requested.
Student Accessibility Services (http://www.dartmouth.edu/~accessibility/facstaff/)
Academic Skills Center (http://www.dartmouth.edu/~acskills/)
The Academic Skills Center is open to the entire Dartmouth Community. Here are some
common reasons why you might visit the ASC:
• You're getting B's but you want to get A's
• You don't feel comfortable talking in class
• You're attending class regularly but you feel like you're missing important points
• You feel like you're a slow reader
• You're spending hours studying for foreign language but still not “getting it”
• You feel like you don't have enough time to get everything done
• You're not sure how to take notes
• You want to sign up for a tutor or study group
• You're not sure if you should get tested for a learning disability
The Research Center for Writing, and Information Technology (RWiT)
(http://www.dartmouth.edu/~rwit/)
The Student Center for Research, Writing, and Information Technology (RWiT) is a place where
you can meet with an undergraduate tutor to discuss a paper, research project, or multi-media
assignment. The RWit tutors are trained to help you at any phase of your process. Whether you
are brainstorming or planning, drafting or structuring, tweaking or polishing, the RWiT tutors
can provide feedback that will help you to create final products of which you can be proud.
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Course Schedule (May change to accommodate guest presenters & student needs)
Date
15-Sep
17-Sep
18-Sep
19-Sep
22-Sep
24-Sep
25-Sep
26-Sep
29-Sep
1-Oct
2-Oct
3-Oct
6-Oct
8-Oct
9-Oct
10-Oct
M
W
X
F
M
W
X
F
M
W
X
F
M
W
X
F
13-Oct
15-Oct
16-Oct
17-Oct
20-Oct
22-Oct
23-Oct
24-Oct
27-Oct
29-Oct
30-Oct
31-Oct
3-Nov
5-Nov
6-Nov
7-Nov
10-Nov
12-Nov
13-Nov
14-Nov
M
W
X
F
M
W
X
F
M
W
X
F
M
W
X
F
M
W
X
F
Topic
Introduction
Market forces
Readings/Assignments
E-waste article
Hawken 2010, 1-44
What is a "green" business?
Win-win solutions
Eco-design intro
Esty & Winston 2009, 1-64; Green Product Survey
Esty & Winston 2009, 65-104; GB Framework (groups)
Hawken 2010, 45-101; Life Cycle Description
Lifecycle Analysis
Tuck library orientation
Site-set-up class, LCA workshop
Guest Speaker: Benoit Rosin; http://www.eiolca.net/
library pre-test; short list of businesses
Select your business day; bring laptops with STELLA
Ecoetrepreneurship
Brand management
Business Norms
Anderson 1998, 1-61
Esty & Winston 2009, 105-194
Hawken 2010, 121-136
Whole system design
Anderson 1998, 101-137
Corporate Sustainability
Management
McElroy & van Engelen, Chpts 1-2 (Blackboard)
Modern challenges
Winston 2014, 1-92
1st half of GB Web Page due by 9 am
"Radical" strategies
Winston 2014, 93-192
MIDTERM EXAM
Partnering Pivot
Winston 2014, 193-266
Discussion with Andrew Winston; attend evening Sustainability Cafe
Demand in the green economy Jackson 2011, 1-49
Growth and consumption
Jackson 2011, 50-102
Ecological macroeconomics
Jackson 2011, 103-156
International trade
Hawken 2010,103-119
Regulation
Hawken 2010, 137-171
Ecoetrepreneurship Revisited
Anderson 1998, 149-181
Discussion with John Replogle; attend evening Sustainability Cafe
Standards & transparency
Levy & Newell 2005, 223-248
Agriculture
Levy & Newell 2005, 135-165
Regulation revisited
Levy & Newell 2005, 73-104
Fair vs. free trade
Pardee Center 2010, 33-51
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17-Nov M Synthesis
Jackson 2011, 157-204
21-Nov F
Final GB Web-site due by 5 pm
25-Nov Tu FINAL EXAM @ 8 am, location TBA
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