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MSc in Business, Language and Culture - Business and Development Studies

Re­spons­ible Value Chains - a Path to Sus­tain­able De­vel­op­ment?

About the course

Emner
Forsyningskæde Logistik Socialt ansvar Bæredygtighed International økonomi Politik

Course content

Over the past thirty years, numerous international media and NGO reports have highlighted poor labor and environmental conditions at the base of global value chains operated by internationally branded corporations. In response, many of these corporations have developed their own standards and codes of conduct and/or joined multi-stakeholder initiatives that bring together businesses, NGOs, governments, and other organizations to address the social and environmental challenges of export-oriented industries in the Global South.

 

This course explores the potential and limitations of improving working conditions and environmental outcomes in global value chains (GVCs), with a focus on export-oriented industries in the Global South. We take a global value chain analysis approach to examine how industries are transnationally organized, and to uncover the power relations and inequalities embedded within them. This includes mapping the connections between consumers, brand owners, suppliers, workers, and nature. In particular, we trace how global brands’ sustainability strategies travel through GVCs and “touch down” in specific localities—differentially impacting local firms or farmers, workers, communities, and ecosystems.

 

See course description in course catalogue

What you will learn

By the end of the course, the students are expected to be able to:

  • Describe the theories and concepts covered in the course readings that are relevant to the analysis of sustainability in global value chains
  • Apply these concepts and theories to analyse how sustainability strategies, standards and practices in global value chains impact various groups of actors and natural environments in developing country contexts.
  • Critically evaluate these theories, their application and limitations in relation to explaining how sustainability in global value chains affects and is affected by local producers, workers, communities and environments.
  • Demonstrate appropriate academic writing skills, including: correct referencing, clear argumentation and correct usage and definition of key concepts.

Course prerequisites

The most important qualification for participating in this course is intellectual curiosity and a willingness to examine—and challenge—your own assumptions about what sustainability means and how it is addressed in Global South contexts. Students who have recently returned from, or are planning to undertake, internships or fieldwork in the broad area of business and development studies may find the course’s “hands-on” approach particularly valuable.

Facts

Level
Kandidat
Type
Obligatorisk fag – også udbudt som valgfag
ECTS
7,5
Code
CCBDO1009U
Teaching periods
Efterår – 2. quarter
Academic year
2025/2026
Status
Available places
Teaching language
English
Teaching Format
På campus
Exams
  • Skriftlig opgave og mundtlig eksamen på campus
    Group exam, vinter
Assessment type
  • 7-trins skala