Master of Sustainable Business Administration | (MSBA)

Professor Matthijs Bal and Dr Andy Brookes - Programme Leaders

Matthijs is a professor of Responsible Management at the Lincoln International Business School. His research interests concern absurdity, hypernormalization, ideology, sustainability, and workplace dignity. He is the co-founder of the FOWOP Movement, a Movement for a more sustainable future for work and organizational psychology (www.futureofwop.com). Andy teaches across a range of subjects in the field of business and management at undergraduate and postgraduate level. His research area is interorganisational collaboration, particularly in the domain of social problems. He has more than 30 years' experience as a manager in a number of organisations across the public and private sector.

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Welcome to (MSBA) Master of Sustainable Business Administration

The world is currently facing numerous challenges such as climate change, global pandemics, biodiversity-loss, hunger, poverty, and gender and racial inequalities. Although an increasing number of organisations are striving to take action to operate in more sustainable ways, our contemporary wealth creation processes continue to have an increasingly destructive impact on human and environmental wellbeing.

This MSBA programme will not simply offer a critique from the sidelines but will actively seek to imagine and create fairer and sustainable modes of organising. The programme aims to make the connection between global-level challenges and the day-to-day practice of organisations and managers.

Benefits for students could include:

- A satisfying and stimulating learning experience that can lead to personal growth.
- An opportunity to develop skills and knowledge that may enable you to make a make a difference and an ongoing contribution to the social good.
- A recognised management qualification that may improve career development and opportunities.

Benefits for sponsoring organisations could include:

- Developing staff with the skills and knowledge that could help with the transformation to more ethical and sustainable organisations.
- Providing tangible demonstration of a commitment to adopting increasingly responsible practices.
- Increasing knowledge and understanding of sustainable management across the organisation.

How You Study

The primary mode of delivery will be ten learning events over a two year programme. These two-day events will be delivered in the style of a conference, providing the participants with an immersive and intensive learning experience. The detailed content of the individual events will be developed in a flexible and iterative manner through genuine collaboration between the teaching team and the participants.

Each event will be designed around a primary theme and will explore a number of key questions with the aim of generating knowledge and a deeper understanding.

On this programme we aim to provide a space for dialogue, contestation, and the generation of radical alternatives. There will also be strong emphasis on enabling students to engage in critical self-reflection and reflective practice.

The two-day learning events may include expert contributors from universities, government, business, and civil society. We will also aim to include alternative voices and perspectives through the participation of groups and individuals impacted by social and environmental injustice.

Between the learning events students will continue to work together in collaborative action-research groups. Students will undertake a final research project worth 60 CATS, to be submitted six months after the last two day event. The project will be focused on the creation and implementation of a new and more sustainable mode of organising and managing.

An Introduction to Your Modules

† Some courses may offer optional modules. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by staff availability.

Changing society: Alternative modes of organising 2023-24MGT9715MLevel 72023-24This module will explore how the adoption of alternative modes of organising could reduce societal and environmental harms. It will explore such questions as: Which alternatives do we have for capitalist organizing? How to imagine the fair and equitable workplace? How can organisations and managers be vehicles for change?CoreChanging society: The law and social justice 2023-24MGT9716MLevel 72023-24This module will explore the relationship between the law and social/environmental justice. The impact of emerging environmental law on organisation, business, and management practice will be investigated. The module will seek to address such questions as: How is the law being developed to address social and environmental injustice? How is the law being used to safeguard and achieve improved human rights in the workplace?CoreContemporary modes of organising and managing 2023-24MGT9717MLevel 72023-24This module will theorise sustainability issues from the perspective of contemporary modes of organising and managing. It aims to examine practice in the contemporary workplace and explore the extent to which unsustainability has been normalised. It will also analyse contemporary working life and the links to health and wellbeing. In the module we will also establish links between wider social structures, cultures, and ideologies and the impact on organisation and management practice. This will also include a consideration of the question: How do contemporary practices create inequality and injustice?CoreCSR and sustainable development 2023-24MGT9718MLevel 72023-24This module will problematise CSR and sustainable development. It will explore both the discourse and practice of CSR and seek to make sense of why it has been ineffective in addressing the worlds most pressing social and environmental problems. It will build on this critique to develop a more nuanced understanding of responsible management, as both a concept and a practice. The concepts of development and growth will also be explored to determine to extent to which they are compatible with long term sustainability. The problematisation of CSR will be used to explore contemporary practice in the participant work organisations.CoreEthics and creativity 2023-24MGT9719MLevel 72023-24The aim of this module is to explore and imagine more ethical and sustainable modes of business and organisation. It will explore questions such as: What is responsible management? How do dominant western philosophies and mindsets constrain creativity? What are the emerging new sustainable philosophies? We will examine human imagination and creativity and ways that this can be harnessed to develop responsible and sustainable practice.CoreMSBA Transformation Project 2023-24MGT9723MLevel 72023-24This module is in the form of a MSBA Transformation Project. Students will need to deliver a project that aims to achieve a real and meaningful impact on social and environmental justice. This should include developing and implementing sustainable organisational, business or management practice. The project will involve analysis/diagnosis, implementation and reflection. In the module we will also explore questions such as: How is social transformation achieved? What are the societal barriers to achieving transformation? What are the organisational barriers? How to make social transformation personally and collectively? How to make a sustainable impact at personal, organisational and societal level?CoreSocial and environmental (in)justice 2023-24MGT9720MLevel 72023-24This module will explore issues around contemporary social and environmental justice from a range of inter-disciplinary perspectives. The meaning of the key concepts such sustainability, responsibility, and justice will be deconstructed and contextualised in terms of current problematic social phenomena. The links will be explored between the global challenges and practice at an organisational, business, and management level.CoreTechnology and work 2023-24MGT9721MLevel 72023-24This module will theorise sustainability issues from the perspective of work and technology. It will explore the changing nature of contemporary workplaces due to increasing use of digital media for communication, collaboration and remote working. The aim is to critically evaluate the impact of new and emerging technologies on organisation, business, and management practice. The impact on wider society and the environment as well as individual employees will be explored. We will seek to address questions such as: How does digitization impact on social and environmental injustice? What threats does automation and AI present to human rights?CoreThe contemporary political economy 2023-24MGT9722MLevel 72023-24This module will theorise social and environmental injustice from the perspective of the contemporary political economy. It aims to build understanding and develop a greater critical awareness of the broader political and economic structures that shape organisation, business, and management practice. It will explore the extent to which current forms of capitalism are sustainable. In this module we will also seek to make sense of why many environmental and social problems have apparently worsened in contemporary society.Core

How you are assessed

The assessment strategy is designed around two key principles:

1 - the support and assessment of learning through formative and summative assessment through the programme.
2 - the production and co-creation of purposive knowledge that has a meaningful impact on social and environmental injustice.

The approach will be to conceive of the student cohort as participant action researchers. This will be reflected in the learning assessment with numerous group activities throughout the programme, some of which will form part of the assessment. This also aligns with the University's 'student as producer' philosophy.

The students will work on projects e.g. an intervention in an organisation, or a new initiative to sustainability or social justice. These projects will form the basis of the assessments. We will support the students to generate outputs using a range of media that will promote imagination, creativity and critical thinking.

Range of assessment formats and approaches could include:

- Written: Essay, articles, blogs
- Verbal: Presentations, podcasts, viva
- Visual: Video, artwork, graphic novel

Each individual student will have the freedom to develop their own portfolio of assessment outputs throughout the programme. Guidelines around the development of the portfolio will ensure that all key skills are assessed and developed appropriately throughout the programme. Social transformation requires cooperative and collective action.

Fees and Funding

For eligible students, there are more ways than ever before to fund your postgraduate study, whether you want to do a taught or research course. For those wishing to undertake a Master's course, UK students can apply for a loan as a contribution towards the course and living costs. Loans are also available to those who wish to undertake doctoral study. The University offers a number of scholarships and funded studentships for those interested in postgraduate study. Learn how Master's and PhD loans, scholarships, and studentships can help you fund your studies on our Postgraduate Fees and Funding pages.

Programme Fees

Programme-Specific Additional Costs

For each course you may find that there are additional costs. These may be with regard to the specific clothing, materials or equipment required, depending on your course.

With regards to text books, the University provides students who enrol with a comprehensive reading list and you will find that our extensive library holds either material or virtual versions of the core texts that you are required to read. However, you may prefer to purchase some of these for yourself and you will be responsible for this cost.

Entry Requirements 2023-24

A minimum 2:2 honours degree and at least 3 years of work experience.

In addition, students whose first language is not English are required to have an English Language qualification of IELTS 6.0 or equivalent.

Features

Highlights of the MSBA Sustainable Business Administration programme include:

Real world sustainability projects that can make a difference
Wide range of contributors to the programme with expertise from government, business, and civil society
Collaborative working and active participation in the development of the learning programme
Membership of LIBS Connect for business networking.

Register Your Interest

If you are interested in studying the MSBA Master of Sustainable Business Administration, please contact the programme leaders at mbal@lincoln.ac.uk or abrookes@lincoln.ac.uk. We can also add you to the programme's mailing list to get updates about the formal application process.

Career and Personal Development

This course aims to develop essential managerial skills with entrepreneurial value, critical in becoming a responsible manager in the modern business world.

Students have the opportunity to access a large business network through a variety of activities. LIBS Connect membership provides students with access to a series of business networking events, where they can engage with the local business community.

Working in Partnership

Lincoln International Business School works with students and organisations to enhance the contribution of business to society. For students, that means developing their business skills and knowledge to improve their career readiness.

The University of Lincoln is a member of AACSB, a global nonprofit association connecting educators, students, and businesses to achieve a common goal: to create the next generation of great leaders. Find out more.

Postgraduate Events

Find out more about how postgraduate study can help further your career, develop your knowledge, or even prepare you to start your own business at one of our postgraduate events.

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Key Information

(MSBA) Master of Sustainable Business Administration