MO9706 - Circular Economy: Sustainable Production and Consumption

You will learn through a teaching model that combines access to industry-leading academic and practitioner knowledge, online support and engagement with your module tutor. This learning model is designed to enable you to rapidly develop new skills and knowledge and apply them to real world business and management challenges.



As such a mixture of lectures and seminars sessions will be delivered and supported by on-line learning materials and activities. Lectures will be used to introduce the key topics such as circularly, green manufacturing, responsible marketing and consumption, using a research led approach. The lectures will be followed by seminar activities using case studies and discussion of real world scenarios in which you will apply principles of circular economy, sustainable technologies and resource optimisation. Thus, you will very much use ‘learn by doing’ approach in this module. You will have opportunities to engage in discussions with your peers as well as your tutor.



An initial workshop will introduce you to the module, assessment and core topics. Subsequent to this you will be guided through a range of subject specific topics delivered over the period of the module. Key messages from these sessions will also be available by online learning materials including video/podcast to support your learning outside of the classroom.



In order to develop your capacity and confidence as an effective learner, you will also engage in directed learning. This will be supported by tutor-guided activities reflected in a learning plan, including prompted reading, activities to undertake and questions to address. However, you will also extend to advanced independent study which entails reading beyond the learning materials/reading list provided and reflecting on its potential relevance for your own development.



The virtual learning environment will be used to encourage individual and group contributions to debate on key topics and issues. Materials and discussion group work will be available on the e-learning portal to support and engage you. To support and embed the learning, provide the opportunity for reflection, and encourage effective communication, you will engage in discussion forums via the University’s e-Learning platform. This will include posing and answering topic specific questions posed by the tutor and peer group and providing peer group formative feedback. You will also be encouraged to use email and discussion board tools to clarify issues.

A range of approaches are adopted to accelerate your learning in this module.



During the first week of this module, you will receive information about the module and Teaching & Learning Plan. The teaching and learning plan (TLP) set out:



Learning outcomes and overall module and programme aims

Teaching, learning and assessment strategy

Teaching schedule

Directed reading references (text and journals) and core texts for the module

References to data sources and details of seminar/workshop activities



Further supporting your learning journey, the first session of this module will discuss the rational and learning objectives of this module and how it contributes to your overall programme goals. The formative and summative assessment strategy will be outlined as well a refresher on key academic skills, expectations of seminar or workshop activities and resources critical to your success as a learner on this module. Usually, this session will also be available as a video/podcast for further reinforcement.



During this module, your module tutor, a specialist in business management and strategy, will provide academic support including:

Delivering lectures on contemporary topics of sustainable production and responsible consumption towards a circular economic model.

Delivering seminars and workshops

Providing guidance in relation to the assessment

Development of key resources including seminar activities, made available through the electronic learning platform Blackboard.

Provide constructive feedback in summative and formative assessments



E-Reading Lists

The module will also have an e-reading list which directs learners to specific reading for each session. This includes direct access to repositories, journal articles and other academic sources. You will also be provided with access to a significant set academic research sources via the Northumbria University library portal.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:

Evaluate the theoretical foundations and principles of the circular economy paradigm [MLO1]

Critically assess a company’s value chain from a circular viewpoint [MLO2]



Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:

Draw practitioner-oriented implications and recommendations for transitioning from traditional to sustainable production and consumption business and social models [MLO3]

Students in this module are assessed formatively and summatively. Formative assessment takes place in-class while students work individually or in learning sets on tutor-led tasks. Students will receive feedback by their tutor in class.



The module is summatively assessed:



Assessment A (100%), individual, consists of two parts:



Part 1: Theoretical debate on circularity, 2000 words (60%) [MLO1]

Part 2: Create a Transformation Journal for an organisation, 1500 words (40%) [MLO 2, MLO3]

None

None

Developed economies in conjunction with developing economies have signed up to the global transition towards circular economic models and social attitudes. In a circular, as opposed to a linear, economy there is a beneficial (rather than harmful) relationship between ecological and economic health. In the European Union and United Kingdom the goal is for each country’s economy to be fully circular by 2050. Other countries around the world are also making this transition, with some economies leading the way (see China, Japan), and others following suit (see South Africa, Thailand). What they all have in common is that they are sources of both demanding challenges but also opportunities for international businesses. In this module you will study sustainable production models and responsible consumer behaviour and marketing, supply chains and concepts of recycling, application of technologies and optimisation models towards the reduction of carbon footprint both at individual (micro) and organisational (macro) levels.