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GRE 401 Sustainable Development &
Competitive Advantage
Final Examination for February 2012
PLEASE READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY
• This is an open-book, ‘open-web’, essay-type examination that you will
complete at a place of your own choosing.
• The maximum time period allowed for this exam is 24 hours.
• This examination material remains the property of Asian International
College.
• By taking this examination, you acknowledge this and agree not to
disclose, publish or disseminate the examination materials or make
infringing copies, either in whole or in part.
GRE401: Sustainable Development & Competitive Advantage [February 2012]

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THE CONTEXT
The Chief Executive Officer of your company travelled from India to the UK
recently to attend the Business for the Environment (B4E) Summit in London
at which Björn Stigson gave the opening address. Your CEO had not been
that enthusiastic about attending and, before leaving the office, she had
written off Stigson as “just another 'greenie' trying to undermine business”.
Björn Stigson
Image source: flickr.com/photos/greenweek2009/
Björn Stigson is the outgoing president of the World Business Council for
Sustainable Development (WBCSD), a CEO-led, global association of some
200 companies dealing exclusively with business and sustainable
development. An expert on the challenges of sustainable development, his
background in international business has enabled him to lead the WBCSD
over the past decade as it has established itself as the world’s leading
organisation focused on business and sustainable development.
Since resigning as President of the WBCSD in December 2011, his energies
are now focused on serving boards and committees advising the Chinese
government, the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), the Kennedy School
of Government at Harvard University, the Clinton Global Initiative and
the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).
GRE401: Sustainable Development & Competitive Advantage [February 2012]

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After attending the conference, your CEO appears to have changed her
opinion of Stigson. It seems she may also have been influenced by the fact
some very prominent members of the Indian business community – most
notably Mukesh Ambani (Reliance) and Kris Gopalakrishnan (Infosys) – are
members of the WBCSD Executive Committee for 2012, but she was also
persuaded by the content of Stigson’s opening address, and she has asked
you to review a video recording of his speech.
In this keynote speech, Stigson talks about the importance of business
placing a higher value on social equity, natural capital and ecosystem services
in an era of burgeoning population growth, climate change, and increasingly
scarce resources.
However, it is not all doom and gloom because, according to Stigson, the
green economy heralds a new era of opportunity for those companies that are
ready to make the paradigm shift and formulate corporate strategies founded
on the principles of sustainability. The ‘race to be green’ is on, says Stigson,
and those slow to adapt may be left behind.
The next B4E Global Summit is to be held in Berlin in May 2012, with the
theme Collaborate, Innovate, Act – Delivering the Green Economy, and is set
to explore transformative business models, smart cities and innovative
financial solutions, with a view to developing proposals for a better, more
sustainable future.
Importantly, the outcome of the B4E Summit discussions will be shared with
key decision makers at the ‘Rio +20’ United Nations Conference on
Sustainable Development (more commonly known as the Earth Summit) to be
held in June this year, which marks the 20th anniversary of the first Earth
Summit in the same city back in 1992.
Image source: uncsd2012.org/rio20/
GRE401: Sustainable Development & Competitive Advantage [February 2012]

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THE TASK
Prior to attending the London seminar, your CEO had not been exposed to the
concept of sustainable development (or she had a misconception of the term,
at least). After the event, she has started reading more on the subject,
specifically, the work of government ministers and various thought leaders in
the field of sustainable development, whose eyes are presently on the 2012
Earth Summit.
While her understanding remains at a largely superficial level, she has been
persuaded that sustainable development might be of strategic importance to
the company, and early adoption could assist in securing competitive
advantage.
The CEO wants to put forward a draft proposal at the next Board
Meeting. As she lacks expertise in this area, the CEO is seeking the counsel
of staff within the organisation (many of whom are studying for MBAs) and
has called for submissions in the form of discussion papers.
As a recent graduate of Sustainable Development and Competitive Advantage
classes delivered by a leading Indian business school, you decide to make a
submission. Your brief, very simply, is to critically evaluate the likely
impact on the competitive position of the company if it were to pursue a
business strategy based on sustainable development.
GUIDE TO THE TASK
To help guide your thinking, you have discussed the matter with colleagues
and, among other things; they suggest you contemplate the following:
ü Consider the theoretical underpinnings of sustainable development
ü What are the contending perspectives on sustainable development? Does
the market mechanism help or hinder a move toward sustainable
development?
ü What sorts of changes in thinking are required to achieve sustainability,
and what are the obstacles to change that the company faces?
ü Is the company likely to be affected by public policy? Are the current policy
settings (at a national and international level) supportive of a move toward
sustainable development?
GRE401: Sustainable Development & Competitive Advantage [February 2012]

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE PREPARATION
OF YOUR WORK
1) In completing this task, be sure to draw on relevant concepts and
analytical tools you have learnt about during GRE 401 Sustainable
Development & Competitive Advantage, making direct references to the
module materials (i.e. the online courseware, videos, articles, and other
resources). Students who fail to comply with this directive will not
receive a passing grade.
2) You must upload a written response of no more than 1500 words (+/-
10% excluding references) in 24 hours’ time.
3) The piece of writing you submit should be referenced in the normal way,
using an internationally recognised referencing system. Students who
fail to comply with this directive will not receive a passing grade.
4) This is a broad question that invites a variety of ‘equally correct’
answers.
5) High marks will be awarded for good, critical analysis, rather than
content cut and pasted from websites and other electronic sources.
6) The expectation is that you will not have the time to submit an answer of
the quality of a term-time assignment. However, you should try, as much
as possible, to submit an answer of similar quality.
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GRE401: Sustainable Development & Competitive Advantage [February 2012]