Marketing Sustainable Innovations - Period 3

Building on the preceding subjects in the minor Sustainability: Management and Innovation, this course analyzes the final element in the value chain: bringing sustainable products and services to the market. The course will end with a boot camp in which the students are challenged to combine the insights gained in previous courses, into an attractive marketing plan that takes all stakeholders into account. The course starts with a stakeholder marketing perspective, specifically focusing on the consumer and how that consumer acts within a network of stakeholders. It discusses the psychological and behavioral aspects that come into play when bringing sustainable innovations to the market. Despite efforts involving consumers in the early stages of innovation, sustainable products and services often struggle with limited take-off. As an (international) business professional, but also as a sustainability consultant or policy maker, it is crucial to understand the mechanisms that drive the adoption of sustainable innovations. We discuss relevant insights from innovation, psychology, behavioral economics, and consumer value research to gain a better understanding of what affects actual consumer behavior. Based on these insights, students will develop a marketing plan. This will challenge students to connect and integrate knowledge and insights from different subjects and help to recognize how various elements of the value chain and value network need to be aligned to create a successful sustainable product or service.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) awards credits based on the ECTS system. Contact hours listed under a course description may vary due to the combination of lecture-based and independent work required for each course therefore, CEA's recommended credits are based on the ECTS credits assigned by VU Amsterdam. 1 ECTS equals 28 contact hours assigned by VU Amsterdam.