Sustainability in Global Value Chains

Course information

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student is able to:

1. understand what are global value chains (GVCs) and why are they are at the core of sustainability;
2. identify different ways of economic, social and environmental upgrading in GVCs;
3. reflect upon the interdependencies and tensions between social, economic and environmental sustainability of GVCs;
4. envision how MNEs can transform their strategies and GVCs based on sustainability; and
5. apply Excel for basic analysis of data.

Content

The course consists of three modules: 1) Introduction; 2) Social, economic and environmental upgrading in GVCs; and 3) Presentations and Conclusions
The first module provides an overview of the course and its key concepts. It emphasizes the role of global value chains (GVCs) in addressing global grand challenges and the UN sustainable development goals. The second module focuses on the different ways that companies can upgrade their GVCs and contribute to social, economic and environmental sustainability. Several classes draw on real-life cases and engage guests from different sectors and industries. The third module is dedicated to students’ presentations of future-oriented entrepreneurial solutions to promote sustainability in GVCs.

Teacher

Tiina Ritvala, Iiris Saittakari

Study material

Readings and other material as indicated in the syllabus.

Workload

• Contact teaching
• Independent work

Prerequisites

This course is only for Master level students.

Evaluation

Based on participation and assignments

Teaching time and location

The teaching time and the location of the course can be found at Sisu information system

1. The link leads to Completion methods tab of the course page
2. From the top of the page (Version drop-down menu), check that academic year 2025-2026 is selected  

3. From the blue bar, click Lecture and open the Groups and teaching times tab to see the teaching time and the location of the course. Exam times can be seen by clicking Exam.
    

   Exam instructions at the Open University

The teacher has four (4) weeks to grade the exam submissions starting from the exam date.

Further information

Equivalences to other courses: 26E03302 Sustainability in International Business, 26E03301 Institutions, Partnerships and Responsible Business
 

Online learning environment for the course  

MyCourses online learning environment is a tool for both students and teachers for communication and managing everyday course work. You need an Aalto User ID to log in to the course's MyCourses workspace and participate in teaching.

Digital workspace of the course:
MyCourses

More details on completing the course will be available at MyCourses closer to the start of the course.

Registration and course fee

Registration for Open University courses is done via the link below: 
Course registration

Registration for this course starts on 22.9.2025 at 9.00  
Registration for this course ends on 13.10.2025 at 23.59

It is not possible to register before the registration period has started or after it has ended.

The number of participants is limited to 5.

This course is organized by the Aalto University School of Business.

The course fee is paid upon registration for each course at a time and it is binding. Familiarize yourself with registration and payment rules as well as other guidelines for students:
Registration, payments and rules

Activating Aalto ID and Multifactor Authentication

You can activate your Aalto User ID the day after the registration and you should activate it no later than the day before the start of the course.
Instructions for activating your Aalto user ID

Once you have activated your Aalto user ID, also enable multifactor authentication. Some of Aalto University's services require multifactor authentication.

Instructions for using Multifactor Authentication