Strategy, Governance and Sustainability

Aims of this Unit

Leaders operate in complex environments with dynamic trends, opportunities and challenges. They require an understanding of how to set an organisation’s future direction and execute strategy. Leaders must consider a broader range of stakeholders and integrate Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles and practices as they make decisions and enact changes to corporate strategy, governance and sustainability.

This unit is important for leaders at all levels and in various organisations. Leaders can exist in a wide range of situations – from formal executive leadership roles to influential roles as advisors, thought leaders, and consultants. Board directors also exercise leadership. This unit requires students to think about their role as leaders. They must apply the themes to their organisation and industry and learn from the examples and case studies of other organisations and industries.

The emphasis on ESG principles will include reporting requirements, social responsibility, shared value, stakeholder management, governance, risk and ethics. The unit focuses on key leadership behaviours for effective leadership of strategy, governance and change. It integrates workplace learning to develop personal leadership goals and plans.

This unit aims to help you develop and apply knowledge in strategy, governance, and sustainability to facilitate the successful planning and achievement of organisational goals and build sustainable organisations. This unit is a capstone – it extends and synthesises previous learning and enhances the student’s ability to think and act as an effective leader.

Knowledge and Understanding

This unit is designed to provide students with an understanding of:

• The emerging influence of ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) principles and practices on strategy, governance and reporting.
• The way a broad range of stakeholder relationships influence strategy, governance and ethics
• The range of strategic choices available to an organisation to support its corporate strategy, including approaches to dynamic environments, diversification, mergers and acquisitions.
• The necessary leadership behaviours and decision-making skills required to be an effective leader, responsible for strategy and for leading strategic change.

Learning Outcomes

Following completion of this course, participants should be able to:

1. Formulate, implement, monitor and evaluate corporate strategy and distinguish corporate strategy from business strategy utilising recent academic research and contemporary events.
2. Display the necessary leadership behaviours, decision making and risk management knowledge to be effective as an executive leader responsible for corporate strategy.
3. Influence the construction of their organisation’s strategic plan from a strategic positioning point of view so that it takes account of both the external environment and internal factors.
4. Articulate and evaluate a range of strategic choices to their organisation with respect to strategy design and execution.
5. Interpret and transmit the crucial importance of corporate social responsibility, governance, risk and ethics in strategy formulation, development and execution.
6. Demonstrate creativity and flexibility in the application of knowledge and skills to new situations, to resolve problems and to think rigorously and independently.