BUS-P316 Sustainable Operations

• 16 weeks
• 3 credits
• Prerequisite(s): BUS-K 201 or BUS-K 204 with a grade of C or higher

This course focuses on the sustainability journey, from the low-hanging fruit of waste reduction to the ultimate goal of a circular economy, where resources that are consumed in the production and delivery of products and services are recovered and cycled back into supply chains in an economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable manner. In addition to a reverse logistics system, implementing a circular economy requires an appropriate product and/or service design, and a related business model that ensures long-term success, which may involve selling a service instead of a product. Topics include lean, take-back legislation, environmental management systems and ISO 14001 certification, green buildings and LEED certification, life cycle assessment, mapping and reducing an organization’s carbon footprint, renewable energy, design for environment, leasing and servicizing, remanufacturing, recycling, reuse, and sustainability in the supply chain, including approaches for sustainable sourcing, and environmental product differentiation. The course makes extensive use of case studies.