Bachelor Program in Business and Management

Nowadays, the environment represents a key factor for companies’ competitiveness, independently on their aim, dimension and business sector. The environment, in fact, provides companies with natural resources and materials that feed the production system as inputs to be converted in products or services (output). In doing so, processes also produce unwanted outputs in terms of environmental impacts: air emissions, waste, etc. Minimizing these impacts not only contributes to improve the environmental conditions, but also helps companies in improving their efficiency and profitability.

In order to deal with the environmental variables in the best possible way, companies may rely on international “tools” that can give conceptual frameworks for considering and managing the production processes.

In particular, International standards guide companies in identifying critical processes so that they can implement an Environmental Management System (EMS) as a tool for checking and considering all the different company’s units thanks to the adoption of a systemic approach.

International Standards for the environment, as ISO 14001 and the European Regulation EMAS – Eco-Management and Audit Scheme - are helpful for assessing strategies that take into consideration the new development paradigm of the circular economy, which focus its attention particularly on reduction of material and energy resources.

At the end of the course, the student will be able in auditing and analysing the relationship between companies' processes and the environment and in the knowledge and the correct use of voluntary and mandatory normative instruments.

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING SKILLS

Know the main phenomena characterizing the biosphere

Know the main environmental impacts and their abatement technologies

Know the main aspects related to energy production and management, with particular reference to renewable sources

Know the main product and process environmental management tools that can be used by companies  

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

To understand and recognize the main elements on the relationship between companies and the environment and the methodologies and tools, including technological ones, to manage them

Choose, according to objectives and needs, which methodologies and tools are the most suitable to be used

To contribute to the planning of management and production activities based on sustainability

AUTONOMY OF JUDGMENT

Critically understand the dynamics of pollution and de-pollution

Critically analyze renewable energy sources, in the light of environmental, economic and social considerations

Carry out critical assessments on specific tools for the environmental management of the production process

Estimate the main environmental, economic and social impacts to formulate improvement hypotheses 

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

The appropriate technical terminology to represent the issues to be assessed.

An appropriate communication, depending on the public involved (stakeholders, employees, etc.), to highlight environmental issues and the tools and technologies to prevent and mitigate pollution

LEARNING SKILLS

The student develops learning skills that are useful for pursuing studies on issues of environmental management with a high degree of autonomy. At the end of the course, in particular, he/she should be able to recognise the main issues related to the anthropogenic activities and thus identify possible means to reduce their effects.

Reference to support for learning disabilities or other disabilities.

Please review the university’s support and accommodation policies (https://www.unito.it/servizi/lo-studio/studenti-con-disabilitaopen_in_new and https://www.unito.it/accoglienza-studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsaopen_in_new), particularly the procedures necessary for examination support (https://www.unito.it/servizi/lo-studio/studenti-e-studentesse-con-disabilita/supporto-studenti-e-studentesse-conopen_in_new).

The Environment: atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere - pollutants and depollution

Renewable energies

Bioeconomy, Green economy and Circular economy: concepts and evolution

Life Cycle Thinking

Life Cycle Assessment: concept and examples

International Standards and Management Systems for Organizations and Products

ISO 14001: 2015

Eco-Management and Audit Scheme

Ecolabels for products and services

European ecolabel

Case studies

Teaching is structured in 63 hours of classroom teaching. The program addresses the foundations of the environment, and aims at providing students the necessary information for identifying the relationships between companies and the environment through the analysis of the environmental aspects of the operation processes.

Didactic means are diversified (slides, articles, videos) and designed to encourage active learning.

Frequency is mandatory.

The Environmental Management Systems exam will be divided into two parts:

Part 1:  10 multiple choice questions (1 pt each question)

Part 2: 2 open questions (10 pts each question).

The exam will  last 1h10' minutes (10 minutes for the first part and 1h for the second part).

Marks are awarded for individual assessment and declare the level of achievement and the grades of performance and satisfactory or unsatisfactory completion of course objectives:

- (28-30 cum laude): Excellent

- (25-27): Good

- (21-24): Satisfactory

- (18-20): Poor

< 18: Failed

Teaching materials: slides provided by the Lecturers on MOODLE platform.

Suggested readings (scientific papers, official reports) will be provided during the course.