Introduction

Activities breakdown

Duration

Slide Presentation: Exploring Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Green Business Strategies.

(20 minutes)

Activity 1: Teamwork and interaction - desk research, case study, and problem identification.

(60 minutes)

Output: Group discussion, verbal presentation, and formative feedback.

(30 minutes)

Feedforward: Formative feedforward to group, linking theory and concepts to a real-life scenario.

(15 minutes)

Debriefing: Q&A session to identify gaps in learning and address them (Q&A, quiz, or case study).

(20 minutes)

Activity 3: Personal reflection and optional homework.

(60 minutes)

Assessment: Complete a training evaluation form.

(5 minutes)

The overall duration of the session: 3 hours 30 minutes - (2 hours 30 minutes session + 1 hour homework)

Topic: Exploring Business Strategies, Sustainability, and the SDGs.

1. Teacher provides a brief overview of the module, the sessions, and the activities.
2. Teacher hands out necessary learning materials and makes clear where to find the learning resources and other OERs.
3. Teacher gives a short slide presentation of topics and fosters discussion and interaction
4. Teacher runs a quiz session at the end to consolidate knowledge and address gaps
5. Teacher will facilitate the group-based activities and the feedback process

Background information: According to Lindner (2018), entrepreneurs are the ones who mobilise the market and prompt socio-economic dynamics by leveraging innovative ideas, products, and services. For this reason, the market and society need people with entrepreneurial competences. 

The OUTSIDE project sees the embedding of entrepreneurship education and skills development in the early stages of the green business strategy. Here in this session, entrepreneurship activities and workshops are intended to orientate participants towards a sustainable business mindset. For OUTSIDE, green entrepreneurs are value-oriented people who are willing to participate in conversations about a green and sustainable future. These are people who want to change the current narrative and have green-thinking integrated in today's market economy. 

Thus, for a green business strategy, players (skilled entrepreneurs) must act in a socially responsible way, demonstrating awareness of trends in environmental concerns, and understanding the market forces that influence them, and how they can shape them for a sustainable future.

By sustainability, OUTSIDE refers to United Nations Brundtland Report: “Our Common Future” (1987), which defines the term as, “Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. By embedding sustainable entrepreneurship within this module, participants are provided the opportunity to develop behaviours, attributes and competencies that would help develop a value proposition that has green thinking at the core of the business strategy. 

In a sense, this module should bring about increased confidence for participants, as they acquire and develop entrepreneurial competences. They become more self-aware, self-motivated, and determined at finding and solving environmental issues that can be turned into a real business idea. 

Participants would find this module rewarding as they begin to see themselves as influencers who can devise viable, green business propositions. This is the very mission of OUTSIDE, to help participants acquire innovative skills through the creation of entrepreneurial projects based on sustainable development.

Teacher should prepare to discuss the definition of an enterprise which according to the Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Education: Guidance for UK Higher Education Providers - January 2018, is defined “as the generation and application of ideas, which are set within practical situations during a project or undertaking.”. 

Teacher should also aim to draw attention to the difference between social entrepreneurship, which is driven by solving social or cultural issues; green entrepreneurship which seeks to leverage a positive impact on the natural environment; digital entrepreneurship, a way of digital transformation of products and services; and intrapreneurship, which calls for the application of enterprise behaviours, attributes and skills within an existing micro-organisation.

Slide Presentation: Exploring Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Green Business Strategies (20 minutes)

1. Teacher gives a short slide presentation or shows a video on the various aspects of sustainable development and green business approach.  
2. Teacher asks the participants for a reaction to the video.  
   • What did they learn? 
   • How do they feel after watching the video? 
   • Was there anything surprising in the video? 
   • Did participants think of any other sustainability issues not included in the video or introduction discussion?
3. Teacher introduces and reviews the UN SDGs, using slideshow or video.