CE3EVA: Environmental Management and Assessment

Module code: CE3EVA

Module provider: School of Construction Management and Engineering, School of Built Environment

Credits: 20

Level: 6

When you’ll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Professor Jacopo Torriti , email: j.torriti@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2025/6

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 3 April 2025

Overview

Module aims and purpose

The aim of this module is to introduce issues of environmental management and assessment from both conceptual and applied perspectives. The module is divided into two parts. The first part focuses on corporate environmental management, including drivers, tools, contrasting types and strategies. The second part is centred in environmental assessment, including economic assessment tools, environmental risk management and other current practices in environmental assessment in the built environment.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Describe the tools used by corporations to manage their environmental impact and analyse the reasons why corporations undertake environmental management; 
2. Discuss the current state of corporate environmental management practices and their relationship to profitability; 
3. Carry out calculations using environmental and economic assessment tools; 
4. Compare current practice in environmental management and assessment in the built environment. 

Module content

An introductory lecture in Week 1 sets out key concepts related to the different business and policy approaches to environmental management. In Weeks 2 – 5, the drivers, tools and contrasting types of corporate environmental management and strategy are reviewed and discussed. Weeks 6 and 7 introduce environmental and economic assessment tools. In week 8 and 9 the ongoing debate about environmental performance versus profitability is used to introduce environmental risk management and other current practices in environmental assessment in the built environment. Week 10 will conclude with a look at practitioner’s experience in applying the economic and environmental assessment tools taught in this course. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

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Lectures each week will deliver the key concepts, methods, and debates relating to corporate environmental management and assessment. The lectures will draw on the core reading material, supplemented as necessary by further empirical research and case studies. 

Student Preparation 

As a minimum each week, students will be expected to read the core reading material prior to the lecture. The core reading material will usually be limited to a small number of book sections or journal articles to ensure students have time to prepare fully. Students are also encouraged to review the list of further readings and/or find and suggest their own reading material on the weekly topic. 

Study hours

At least 30 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.