URL study guide

https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/courses/2025-2026/E_MFEN_SE

Course Objective

L1 Academic and Research Skills: Students are able to understand how entrepreneurship can contribute to sustainable development and are able to interpret sustainable business opportunities and sustainable business models. L2 Bridging theory and practice: Students gain a basic understanding of implementing sustainability considerations into the entrepreneurial process, and are able to translate this knowledge into the understanding of a sustainable business model. L3 Social Skills: Students are able to work in a small team and further develop their communication skills. L4 Broadening your Horizon: Students are able to consider environmental implications of a business model and understand how entrepreneurship can contribute to sustainable development. L5 Self-Awareness: Students are able to critically reflect on their individual and team performance during the course, and the sustainable impact they could make as an entrepreneur.

Course Content

This course inspires and enables students to become “sustainable changemakers” by providing them academic knowledge and practical tools for understanding how entrepreneurship can contribute towards sustainable development. It draws on a rapidly emerging body of research and business cases on sustainable entrepreneurship that move towards an understanding of entrepreneurship as a vehicle for tackling the world’s existential sustainability threats. Indeed, solving the sustainability challenges we are confronted with in the 21st century (as captured by the UN Sustainable Development Goals) requires an ongoing stream of new, sustainable entrepreneurial initiatives. In this course, students will learn about the needs and motivations for sustainable entrepreneurship, the role of systems thinking in addressing sustainability issues, and different types of sustainable business models, including circular and regenerative business models. The course combines interactive lectures and practical tutorials and assignments that challenge students to consider how they can personally identify and offer new and creative insights into solving sustainable development challenges through entrepreneurial practices. To appreciate sustainable entrepreneurship in practice, examples and case studies will be used throughout the course.

Teaching Methods

Lectures (2 hours weekly) and tutorials (2 hours weekly, starting week 2)

Method of Assessment

Assessment consists of group assignments, individual assignments and an exam.

Literature

Selection of articles and cases to be announced on canvas

Target Audience

Students from the minor Entrepreneurship
Academic year1/09/2531/08/26
Course level6.00 EC

Language of Tuition

  • English

Study type

  • Bachelor