Faculty of Environmental Studies
&
Schulich School of Business

Graduate Diploma In Business And The Environment

DIPLOMA GUIDELINES

September 2007

Business and Environment Guidelines

Perspectives on Green Business course detailed schedule and readings at:

www.greeneconomics.net/Perspectives07page.htm

[page numbers reproduced from hard copy for reference]

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Table of Contents

Introduction	3
Admission Requirements	3
Academic Requirements	3
Course Requirements	3
Internship Requirements	5
Internship Proposal Requirements	5
Internship Report Requirements	6
Additional Program Specific Requirements	7
MBA Students Requirements	7
MES Student Requirements	7
Addendum 1: Faculty of Environmental Studies Students	8
Internship Supervisor’s Statement	9

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Introduction

The interests of private enterprise and the pursuit of sustainable development, including environmental, cultural and economic sustainability, are still viewed in many quarters as fundamentally in conflict - separated by very different philosophies, by private versus public interests, and by differing concepts as to what constitutes “progress”.

However, economic activity as a transaction mechanism between humans, and between humans and their environments, is of great importance and private enterprise from small local businesses to transnational corporations, for profit and not for profit, play important roles within our economic systems. The challenge is to find new models of economic activity, including new models of private enterprise that can provide needed services and goods in a manner consistent with the principles of sustainable development.

The Diploma provides students in the MES and the MBA degree programs with the opportunity to explore such models, and to develop a more focused and rigorous approach to their studies of the field of business and the environment. Graduates of the degree programs who also successfully meet the requirements for the Diploma will receive a graduate diploma in Business and the Environment in addition to an MBA or MES degree.

The following information outlines the requirements for the Graduate Diploma in Business and the Environment:

Admission Requirements

Students who are registered in either the MBA or MES programs may apply to be granted a Graduate Diploma in Business and the Environment if they meet the requirements outlined below. The Diploma will be taken concurrently with either of these graduate degrees. This is a “type 2" Graduate Diploma which is awarded only in conjunction with a graduate degree.

In accordance with regulations of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, the Graduate Diploma will be awarded either simultaneously with the graduate degree, or no later than one term following the award of the graduate degree.

Academic Requirements

Course Requirements

To obtain the Diploma in Business and the Environment, students in both the MBA and MES programs will take four courses (12 credit hours) including 2 courses from part (A) and 2 courses from part (B) below.

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These courses may be counted, in full or in part, towards degree credit in their graduate programs.

PART A: Required Core Courses

Students will be required to take the following 2 core courses.

BSUS 6500.03/ENVS 5113.03	Business Strategies for Sustainability
BSUS 6300.03/ENVS 6191.03	Management Practices for Sustainable Business

PART B: Elective Courses

Students are normally required to choose 2 courses from the following list. The list is in need of minor revision, particularly to include new courses, but this cannot take place until the transition at Schulich is completed. For the current year, students are urged to consult with the B&E coordinator if there are relevant courses they would like to be counted as B&E electives.

Schulich

ECON 6170.030¹ Environmental Economics for Business

BSUS 6980/ENVS 6190.030 Case Studies in Environmental Management (*not currently offered)

ETHC 6100/ENVS 6110.030 Environmental Ethics: Policy and Management Perspectives (*not currently offered)

ACTG 6951.030 Accounting & Accountability for the New Economy

OBIR 6350.030² The Management of Change

OBIR 6400.030 Interpersonal conflict, politics & power in organizations

BSUS 6900.015/030 Independent study – pre-approved by Diploma Committee

MKTG 6480.030 Not-for-Profit Marketing

ETHC 5510.015 Ethics and Social Responsibility in Management

Environmental Studies

ENVS 5150 Perspectives on Green Business

ENVS 6115.030¹ Ecological Economics

ENVS 6186.030 Theory and Methods of Environmental Impact Assessment

ENVS 6148.030 Environmental Negotiations and Mediation

ENVS 6114.030 Sustainable Development for Canada

ENVS 6599.030 Individual Directed Study – pre-approved by Diploma Committee

ENVS 6281.030 Consulting Skills

ENVS 6144.030 Action Learning

ENVS 5107.030 Management in Turbulent Environments

ENVS 6155.030 Program Implementation

ENVS 6190.030/BSUS 6980 Case Studies in Environmental Management

ENVS 6599K Dimensions on Green Business

1 Students may choose either ECON 6170 or ENVS 6115 to count towards their diploma requirements but not both

2 Students may choose either OBIR 6350 or ENVS 5107 to count towards their diploma requirements but not both.

Osgoode

LW 2880/0ENVS 6164.030 Environmental Law

LW 4880.030 International Environmental Law: Protection of the Global Environment

LW 3490.030 Resource Management

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Internship Requirements

In addition to the course requirements described above, students taking the diploma must complete an internship, in a business or organization, with a focus on business and the environment topics, learning about business-environment inter-relationships, of at least 12 weeks (normally a minimum of 30 hours per week or 360 hours total). The internship may be paid or unpaid, and completed on a full- or part-time basis provided that the required time commitment is achieved. The internship requirement is additional to degree requirements. (FES Students see Addendum 1)

Students are responsible for securing their own internship placement; however, members of the Diploma Committee will provide advice and/or assistance where possible. Students will consult with Committee members to discuss internship criteria and review possible internship placements. The student and Committee will agree on learning objectives and strategies (see below) prior to approval of the internship. The Diploma Committee must pre-approve the internship placement.

Normally, the internship would take place following completion of at least one of the required courses (BSUS 6500.03/ENVS 5113.03: Business Strategies for Sustainability or BSUS 6300.03/ENVS 6191.03: Management Practices for Sustainable Business).

Internship Proposal Requirements

In order to receive approval for an internship, the Diploma Committee must receive an internship proposal. In approximately 2 pages, the internship proposal should:

1. Identify the name and nature of the organization within which the internship will be undertaken, and how the internship will allow you to explore business-environment relationships.

2. Indicate that the organization recognizes that you are working toward an internship requirement and is committed to helping you achieve your goals.

3. Indicate the time period that the internship will extend over.

4. Identify the Supervisor of the internship and that she/he understands the internship requirements (Supervisor agreement form attached. Obtain the Supervisor’s signature on this form and return to the relevant Program Coordinator).

5. Clearly identify business-environment related learning objectives for the internship. (In the case of MES students, the relationship between the internship and the student’s Plan of Study should be made clear.)

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6. Clearly identify how the business-environment related learning objectives will be met.

7. Identity the form that the internship report will take (i.e. the deliverable, portfolio of evidence, written report etc)

(Note: Refer to the requirements for the final internship report, presented below, when developing your internship objectives.)

Internship proposals from FES students should be directed initially to the FES Co-Coordinator who will review the proposals initially and when satisfied with the proposal will send it on to the full Committee for its consideration. MBA students should similarly direct their proposals to the MBA Co-Coordinator who will review the proposals prior to circulating to the entire Committee. Normally, proposals must be approved prior to beginning the Internship.

Internship Report Requirements

On completion of the internship, the student will prepare a (10 page) report on his or her internship learning experience for submission to the relevant Faculty Co-Coordinator of the Diploma Program for their review prior to circulation to the whole Committee for approval.

In no more than 10 pages, the Internship report should:

1. Identify the name and nature of the organization within which the Internship was undertaken.

2. Describe your activities within the Internship.

3. Discuss what you have learned from the Internship, in terms of the Business-Environment relationship, in the context of your Plan of Study (for MES students) and your (previously identified) objectives for the Internship.

4. Confirm that the internship was at least 360 hours duration.

For internships undertaken within a not-for-profit or governmental organization, the Internship report should:

1. Discuss how you were able to apply within the internship setting knowledge about business-environment principles, strategies or methods gained in your academic studies.

2. Critically reflect on the issues and barriers experienced in implementing such principles, strategies or methods, and the means required to address such issues and overcome barriers in your internship setting.

3. Critically reflect on the differences in implementing such principles, strategies or methods between for-profit vs not-for-profit organizations, based upon course work insights into for-profit organizations.

It is recognized that different internship settings will present different opportunities for meeting the above learning criteria, and that depending on the student’s study interests (and in the Faculty of Environmental Studies, a student’s Plan of Study), these learning criteria will be addressed differently.

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Although the internship is the expectation, in certain rare circumstances, students can submit a Research Paper instead of an internship report with prior approval of the Diploma Committee. (These circumstances may include, but are not limited to: visa restrictions that would not allow a student to pursue employment in Canada, or students with extensive work experience in the field who would prefer to expand their knowledge base). It is expected that this paper will be submitted within a term after completion of the degree requirements. Similar pre-approval, guidance and assessment of the research paper by the relevant Faculty Co-Coordinator of the Diploma Program will pertain.

Additional Program Specific Requirements

Both MES and MBA students must provide documentation to show that their program specific requirements will be satisfactorily met, as set out below.

MBA Students Requirements

The MBA students will be required to incorporate an environmental or sustainability component into their MGMT 6100 Strategy Field Study. The strategy study site must be pre-approved by the Diploma Program Committee and students will have to address how they intend to ensure that the aforementioned component will be accomplished within the framework of the strategy study. This course normally serves as the major course used to fulfill the requirements of the MBA Program. MBA students should direct proposals to the MBA C0-Coordinator.

Proposals should outline the following:

1. Identify clearly the nature of the business and environment dimension of the Strategy Field Study;

2. Indicate what form this information will take (e.g. integrated into report, appendix or stand-alone document).

3. Provide sufficient information on how this business and environment dimension will be researched;

4. Provide confirmation that the student’s advisors, group members and supervisor are aware that the student is pursuing the Diploma Program.

Note: Due to the confidentiality agreements associated with the Strategy Studies MBA students may need to address how the Committee will be assured that the Business and Environment focus will be appropriately addressed in the document.

MES Student Requirements

FES students in the Diploma Program need to demonstrate that their Plan of Study and Major Paper, Project or Thesis have a clear business and environment focus. A two page summary outlining how the Plan of Study and Major Paper, Project or Thesis address business and the environment considerations should be submitted to the FES Diploma Program Co-Coordinator, for approval, prior to the Student’s MES II-III general examination. For the purposes of the Diploma Program, this summary should:

1. Identify clearly the nature of the business and environment dimension of the student’s Plan of Study and Major Paper, Project or Thesis;

2. Provide sufficient information on how, for the Major Paper, Project or Thesis, this business and environment dimension will be researched;

3. Provide confirmation that the student’s Advisors and Supervisor are aware that the student is pursuing the Diploma Program.

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For more information, please contact

Brian Milani	Nancy Sutherland
Faculty of Environmental Studies	Acting Associate Director
Health Nursing and Environmental Studies	Erivan K. Haub Program in Business and
(HNES) Building, Room 226	Sustainability
York University	Schulich School of Business, Room N-213
4700 Keele Street	York University
Toronto, ON	4700 Keele Street,
M3J 1P3	Toronto, ON M3J 1P3
Email: bmilani@web.ca	Email: nsutherl@schulich.yorku.ca
Tel: 416-736-5252	Tel: 416-736-2100 ext 40478
Fax: 416-736-5679	Fax: 416-736-5195

Addendum 1: Faculty of Environmental Studies Students

Internship Requirements for the Diploma in Business and the Environment

The requirements for the Diploma in Business and the Environment include an Internship of 360 hours within an organizational setting where the principles and practices of an integrated approach to business and the environment can be explored.

This internship may be undertaken in either of two ways:

1. As an ENVS 6699 or 7699 Field Experience registration (for a total of 9 to 12 credits reflecting the need for at least 360 hours of experience), in either a paid or unpaid organizational setting. While this Field Experience/Internship is best done in a block of time, it is also possible to undertake the Field Experience, and acquire the necessary 360 hours, over several terms with successive Field Experience regulations.

Registration for the Field Experience must be undertaken as per the Field Experience guidelines and both a Field Experience report and an Internship report (with a cover sheet that clearly indicates that it is an Internship report) must be completed. The Field Experience report should be submitted to the Field Experience Supervisor. The Internship report should be submitted to the FES Business and Environment Coordinator and copied to the Business and Environment Diploma secretary.

2 In the term immediately following the completion of your MES degree requirements, in a paid or unpaid organizational setting.

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Graduate Diploma In Business And The Environment

GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN BUSINESS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Internship Supervisor’s Statement

A major requirement for the Graduate Diploma in Business and the Environment is an Internship which allows the student to explore business and environment considerations in a work setting (paid or unpaid). Important to the success of the internship is the understanding and commitment of the host organization and of the Internship supervisor. This form is intended to help ensure that the necessary understanding and commitment regarding the student’s internship is in place.

Name of Sponsoring Organization:

Name of Internship Supervisor:

Position of Supervisor:

I confirm that I have reviewed the internship proposal of __________________________

^{Student’s name}

and that_______________________________ is committed to helping this intern achieve

^{Organization name}

the objectives of the Internship.

Signature:

Date: