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Often when we think of sustainability, we focus on environmental protection, resource conservation and minimising waste. Yet sustainability also encompasses social impact, community wellbeing, ethical behaviour, governance and accountability, and the economic viability of business.
The challenge, therefore, is where do we start with such a complex topic? As a university lecturer, I faced the same difficulty while developing a module on this broad subject, as well as providing the practical application for my students as future supply managers.
Fortunately, my professional background, coupled with my academic interests – and incorporating external events such as the global pandemic and strained geopolitics – highlighted that all these functions are not only crucial to business, but are far-reaching and can influence, positively and negatively, other outputs and organisational strategy.
Combine this with ethical issues and emissions, it made this module one of the most challenging I could design.
I spent several months scrutinising the triple bottom line, the Five Capitals Framework, planetary boundaries, circular economics, the Sustainable Development Goals, industrial symbiosis, corporate responsibility – the reading list was endless. Yet the question remained, how do these ideas and frameworks translate into a postgraduate programme, and what concepts are relevant in a supply chain context? In short, they all have relevance and, depending on your position, some are more relevant than others.
Some common themes emerged during my research, which were: risk, choice, decision-making and systems thinking. We need to approach ‘risk’ from the perspective of what risks do we pose to our environment, and, as managers, we have many ‘choices’, but we are always accountable for our ‘decisions’ and, given the many interrelationships of sustainability, some ‘systems thinking’ is required. What became clear from my research is that responsible management is not exclusive to supply chains and has a wider application and value.
Responsible management must be embraced across an organisation and not as a standalone problem, as changes in one area inevitably affect and influence others. Building on this conceptual foundation, and guided by the ISEP Sustainability Skills Map and its13 competencies, I developed a ‘Responsible Supply Chain Strategy’ module. As it took shape, the interconnected nature of the themes became increasingly clear, highlighting broader relevance across the enterprise. This was further demonstrated
when the module attracted interest from the MBA and MSc International Business programme leaders at Lincoln International Business School, as well as programmes from the University of Lincoln School of Engineering. As a result, the module will be integrated into their curriculums from the 2025-26 academic year.
The true value of responsible management – its systemic nature, wide-ranging application and practical impact – is best captured in the words of my student Vy Nguyen: “What felt abstract or idealistic has become a tangible set of tools, strategies and values that I can apply in my personal decisions and future professional practice.
Charles McKnight is programme leader, MSc Supply Chain and Logistics Management, University of Lincoln
Image credit: Shutterstock
