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Postgraduate

Enterprise and the environment

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This course emphasises sustainable production and product stewardship, and  addresses the continuing pressures to improve the efficiency with which organisations use energy and materials in the effort to tackle climate change. It also covers other developing concepts such as environmental management systems, life-cycle assessment and corporate disclosure (environmental reporting). Through the course, you will begin to understand the context in which materials and energy conservation affect individual, corporate and national activities. It will introduce you to a systemic approach to the study of business operations and methods for quantifying and optimising materials and energy use, tools that can reduce environmental and financial risk.

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No current presentation - see Future availability
This course is expected to start for the last time in November 2011.

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What you will study

Organisations around the world are changing the way they do business. Changes are taking place in relationships between customers and suppliers, and in the way businesses organise themselves.

Nowadays we are admonished to show concern for the environment – to save energy, boycott environmentally harmful products and buy ‘green’ ones, avoid waste, recycle. These principles are not just for individuals, but also apply to organisations of all kinds. No longer can they simply take the required pollution control steps: more comprehensive environmental strategies are needed. Environmental management systems offer tools for this.

Any company’s objectives, its internal organisation and its external environment are continually evolving, so the risks it faces are continually changing. A sound system of internal control therefore depends on thorough and regular evaluation of the nature and extent of those risks. Environmental management systems offer ways to deal with environmental risks and control associated costs, such as waste management and clean-up costs. They evolve into a business strategy that gives companies a ‘competitive edge’. In the long term, environmental management has a significant role in strategic business planning, taking into account the local and global constraints on an enterprise. This course emphasises sustainable production and product stewardship. A systemic approach to the study of business operations leads to methods for quantifying materials and energy use to ensure their efficient utilisation. In this way, legal obligations under provisions such as IPPC can be met, at the same time cutting costs and benefiting the environment. Organisations need to consider health, safety and the environmental effects of new and existing products and services, and to promote sound development, manufacturing, transport use and disposal routes. Concepts such as life-cycle thinking are part of the suite of environmental management tools that are covered in the course, as well as corporate disclosure.

Do you know:

  • the benefits of EMAS and ISO14001 to your organisation?
  • the opportunities for preventing pollution?
  • the pressures to improve energy efficiency under IPPC?
  • how environmental risk management can help you to minimise your liabilities?
  • what approaches are available to you to undertake an environmental audit?
  • about life-cycle assessment?
  • your obligations under duty of care?
  • that your customers will not continue to buy from you unless you improve your environmental performance?
  • whether you will be able to borrow money and insure against liabilities of your present performance?
  • about the needs of different audiences for information on environmental performance and how this may be presented in a manner appropriate to them and meeting guidelines on corporate reporting?

If you cannot answer ‘yes’ to all those questions, you need this course. It will appeal to managers and technologists who:

  • have responsibility for the environmental performance of an organisation
  • want to know about environmental management techniques
  • want to benefit from improved efficiency and reduction in waste of materials
  • want to take an environmentally sensitive approach to new products or processes
  • want to improve products and processes
  • lack the resources to employ environmental specialists.

The course is subject to continual development and enhancement, so it may differ somewhat in content and structure from the outline given here.

Why environmental concerns are important Pressures for sustainable development; command and control versus economic instruments for environmental protection; financial appraisal options; benefits of good environmental performance; approaches for implementing sustainable development in organisations.

What can be done Waste reduction and resource conservation; efficient use of energy and materials; minimising waste – options and benefits; practical examples.

How to do it Environmental management systems, risk assessment tools, including auditing techniques and life-cycle assessment; winning support and involving people by communication routes that include public reporting.

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Entry

There are no entry requirements, but we do assume that you have already done some study, up to HNC/HND or bachelors degree level, in a relevant subject area, or have equivalent experience from your employment. If you have any doubt about the suitability of this course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.

Parts of the course discuss issues of a scientific and mathematical nature, but the whole course is designed to allow flexible pathways. You can select a route that matches your background and needs. Support for some of the scientific and mathematical issues is provided on CD-ROM.

You do need to have a reasonable standard of spoken and written English to study successfully with us. Poor language skills will make study more difficult, and it will take longer. The normal requirements for English language skills are explained on our website.

If you have any doubts about whether your level of English is good enough for you to study this course you may find it helpful to look at our Skills for OU Study site.

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Qualifications

T862 is an optional module in our:

Some postgraduate qualifications allow study to be chosen from other subject areas. These qualifications allow most postgraduate modules to count towards them. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this module can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.

Excluded combinations

Sometimes you will not be able to count a module towards a qualification if you have already taken another module with similar content.  To check any excluded combinations relating to this module, visit our excluded combination finder or check with our Student Registration & Enquiry Service before registering.

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If you have a disability or additional requirement

Some of the study material is presented on DVD, and some on CD-ROM. You will need to spend considerable amounts of time using a personal computer and the internet. Written transcripts are available for the audio-visual material. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.

If you are a new student, or new to study using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our publication Meeting Your Needs.

You can also find information about accessible study materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.

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Study materials

What's included

Course books, other printed materials, DVDs, CD-ROM, software, website.

You will need

DVD player.

Computing requirements

This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave. Some of your course software will be provided on disk.

You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new Windows computer since 2005 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual. Please note that you cannot use an Apple Mac or Linux computer unless it is running Windows using Boot Camp or similar dual-boot system.

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Teaching and assessment

Support from your tutor

You will have a tutor who will be responsible for monitoring your progress on the course, marking and commenting on your written work and whom you can contact for advice and guidance. There is also an often lively online forum for all students on T862 which one of the tutors moderates. Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.

Assessment

The assessment details can be found in the facts box above.

You will be expected to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) online through the eTMA system unless there are some difficulties which prevent you from doing so. In these circumstances, you must negotiate with your tutor to get their agreement to submit your assignment on paper.

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Professional recognition

By completing this course, along with the discontinued courses T210 and T860 (or Environmental decision making: a systems approach (T863) in place of T860, subject to approval), students can now automatically gain Associate Membership of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (AIEMA) by paying IEMA's annual fee. Our Diploma in Environmental Decision Making, if it includes Integrated safety, health and environmental management (T835), can satisfy the academic requirement for Graduate membership of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). Our MSc in Environmental Decision Making, if it includes T835, may be accepted as part of the personal portfolio required for Chartered membership (please check with IOSH). The Open University is registered with The Association of Building Engineers (ABE), The Institute of Quality Assurance (IAQ), and Institute of Materials (IOM) for professional recognition.

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Future availability

The details given here are for the final course start in November 2011.

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How to register

We regret that we are currently unable to accept registrations for this course. Where the course is to be presented again in the future, relevant registration information will be displayed on this page as soon as it becomes available.

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Are you already an OU student ? Go to StudentHome for your personal prospectus information.

Course facts

A postgraduate course.

About this course:
Course code T862
Credits 30
OU Level Postgraduate
SCQF level 11
FHEQ level 7
Course work includes:
3 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs)
Examination
No residential school

Study explained

Course
- a module of study that can count towards a qualification.
Credits
- show how much study is required to complete a course or qualification. One credit represents roughly 10 hours of study.
Financial support
- find out if you qualify for support with your fees with our eligibility checker.
Study explained
- all you need to know about distance learning with the OU.

Student Reviews

This was a very disappointing course: - despite being ostensibly postgraduate, there was very little reading of authors outside the ...
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The course description does not really match the course content. Large parts of the text are applied to specific manufacturing ...
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Your questions

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Or contact an adviser in our Student Registration & Enquiry Service Email or call +44(0) 845 300 60 90+44(0) 845 366 60 35

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