BEM100L Sustainability in International Business Assessment Brief 2026

Task Description  

This is a three-part case study portfolio in which each component builds on the previous one, guiding you from a macro-level understanding of a contemporary sustainability issue, through a company-level analysis, to applied managerial implications and recommendations. You are required to select a sustainability context of global importance and a real-life international company, and critically analyse the company’s approach to sustainability within that context.

Component 1: Contemporary Sustainability Context (700 words)

a. You are required to select one of the following sustainability contexts and analyse its significance for international business:

1. The rise of ESG regulation and reporting standards

2. The green transition and net-zero commitments

3. The global transition to a circular economy

4. The growing influence of stakeholders on corporate sustainability

5. Sustainability challenges and opportunities in emerging markets

b.   Your analysis should explain the context, evaluate its implications for international business (e.g., opportunities, challenges, and regulatory pressures), and draw on credible academic and industry sources.

Component 2: Company Case Study (1000 words)

c. You are required to select a real-life international company that is directly relevant to your chosen context from Component 1 and critically analyse its approach to sustainability. Your analysis should evaluate how the company addresses environmental, social, and governance (ESG) challenges, integrates sustainability into its global operations, and responds to pressures from stakeholders and international markets.

d. Your company analysis must be clearly connected to the sustainability context established in Component 1, demonstrating how the company responds to, is shaped by, or contributes to that context.

Component 3: Managerial Implications and Recommendations (800 words)

e. Drawing on two relevant module theories and frameworks, you are required to critically discuss what your findings from Components 1 and 2 mean for managerial decisionmaking.

f.  You may draw on any theories and frameworks covered in the module, such as

Stakeholder Theory, Institutional Theory, Dynamic Capabilities, Resource-Based View (including the Natural Resource-Based View), Porter’s Five Forces, Triple Bottom Line, or PESTLE.

g. You should develop realistic, evidence-based recommendations for how the company could strengthen its sustainability approach.

General Requirements 

h.  The three components must be interconnected: your chosen context should inform your company selection, and both should inform your theoretical analysis and recommendations.

i. The case study portfolio should not exceed 2,500 words in total across all three components, excluding title, contents, abstract, tables, figures, figure captions and references. In-text citations will be counted within the word count.

Submission Instructions (When and Where do I submit?)

Please submit your assessment via your module’s Assessment Area on Blackboard. Guidance on how to submit can be found below:

• Guide to submitting to Blackboard assignments.

a. Please use an MS Word document for your assignment, with font size 12 in Times New Roman, double spaced line and normal margins.

b. References should follow a consistent author-date style. APA and Harvard are both acceptable.