Strategies for

Sustainability Management (E-105)

Semester Paper Guide

Referred to in the Course Requirements Guide

Additional information is presented in the following guides:

Case Method Guide

Midterm and Final Exercise Guide
Registration Guide
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Once your registration is complete, please refer to the

Participation in the Course Guide located in the
Introduction to the Course link here on the course website.

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Strategies for
Sustainability Management (E-105)

Semester Paper
(Graduate Credit Status Only)

Introduction
The semester paper provides an opportunity for graduate credit students to further develop their
skills by applying the content provided in this course to a local organization. This activity
furthers the development of the Action Planning approach used in this course. Ten different
organizations are presented for use in the weekly cohort group assignments. Each student taking
the course at the graduate credit level will be asked to select one of those organizations as the
focus of the semester paper.
Once the case is selected, the student will use the information in the Semester Paper Prospectus
(described below) to modify the context of the organization by virtually locating it in your own
local community or another specific community that you are familiar with (i.e. not Cambridge,
Massachusetts). As you will lean early in the course, the internal and external contexts create
threats and opportunities for the organization that must be managed within the sustainability
program that you will create.
Please remember that the course content provides the what associated with the application of
the materials to the case. In the weekly cohort group discussion, you have developed the skills to
provide how to address the sustainability challenges faced by local organizations. You will be
acting as a consultant to the virtual organization providing them with a guide to how they
can create a sustainability program that is consistent with the organization and its context as
determined by the locality where this virtual organization is sited.
A grading matrix is included in Semester Paper Prospectus. This document will be posted in
the semester paper link on the left-side toolbar on the course website home page. It serves as a
guide to make sure that you consider everything that is important given the context of the
organization that you selected.
In developing your semester paper, you should utilize the following resources:

Weekly case narrative and audiovisual presentations

Weekly cohort group postings from the online discussion board
Information from the Monday discussions
Additional research is required to address the case and its context

2013 Robert B. Pojasek, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved

Strategies for
Sustainability Management (E-105)

Semester Paper Prospectus

Preparation of a prospectus is required of all graduate credit students to ensure that students
establish a proper context for their organization and developed a working outline for their
semester paper. The prospectus must include the following information:

A proposed title
Brief (one page) description of the virtual organization and the community where it is
located
Complete the empty boxes in the matrix found in the Semester Paper Prospectus
document. This defines the information that will be included in the report
Provide an initial list of references that you plan to use (APA-style format).

The prospectus will NOT be graded. It is required to ensure that you have devoted sufficient
time and effort to describe your case and outline your approach in a timely manner that allows
you to focus on this important deliverable.
Once you submit your semester paper prospectus in the dropbox, your assigned Teaching Fellow
will provide you with feedback which either

Acknowledges that your prospectus is sufficient with comments

Notes any opportunities to improve your approach and invites further discussion.

Due Dates and Submittal Requirements

Every student taking this course graduate credit status is required to submit a Semester Paper.

Prospectus must be submitted by Saturday, 1 March 2014 at 12:00 midnight (Boston,

USA Eastern Time). There will be a dropbox established for this submission. Feedback
will be provided by your Teaching Fellow by Saturday, 15 March 2014.
Deadline for the Semester Paper is Wednesday, 23 April 2014 at 12:00 midnight
(Boston, USA Eastern Time). There will be a dropbox established for this document on
the class website.
Please plan ahead so that you are not submitting your Semester Paper very close to the
deadline. It may take some time to upload your document. Late submissions will be
penalized.

2013 Robert B. Pojasek, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved

Strategies for
Sustainability Management (E-105)

Structure of the Semester Report

It is important that you focus on one aspect of each topic covered in the course. This may be
guided by looking at one of the threads that was presented in the coverage of the cases during the
weekly discussions. Be careful to provide some consistency to the approach taken to each topic
so that the semester report reads well. Even though there are 15 pages (single-spaced) for you to
cover your consulting recommendations, you will be amazed how quickly they get filled when
addressing the topics provided in the grading rubric. You will need to focus on the key risks
associated with the organization and its context.
The requirements for the Semester Paper are as follows:

You must select a case used in the course and provide it with a location of your choice.
All semester reports must be submitted using MS WORD
Limit of 15 pages (not including title page and references)
You can use a reasonable number of tables and figures to present information outside of
the limitation of 15 pages
A context table may be included as an appendix (describes the internal and external
context)
Single-spaced with paragraphs justified to the left with double space between paragraphs
Font size #12 (Times New Roman)
Margins of 1 inch (2.5 cm.) on all sides
All in-text and reference citations in APA format
Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and appearance are important and will be taken into
consideration when grading the report.

Note: To be fair to all students, the Teaching Fellows will not read text that exceeds 15-pages. If
necessary, the teaching fellow will save the MS Word file, delete the figures and tables, and note
the ending of the 15-page text limit (noting the margins and the font size). No information that is
beyond the 15 page text limit will be read.
Deadline and Extensions
Please do not put off the work on the semester report until the deadline. It is a good practice
to start writing as you participate in the live discussion each week and prepare for the midterm
and final exercises. No extensions of time will be granted for completing the semester papers
unless there is a valid reason. If you have a circumstance that warrants the exception, you may
have to apply for a formal Extension of Time request that requires the Instructors signature
2013 Robert B. Pojasek, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved

Strategies for
Sustainability Management (E-105)

and is filed with the Harvard Extension Schools Registrars office. You should contact your
assigned teaching fellow for more information on the extension and how to apply for it. This
request would generally be granted only if you have completed both the mid-term and final
exercise on time.

Grading
We are looking for a convincing consulting report to the organization on how it can use the
information presented in this course to create a sustainability program. The information must
create value for the organization and its unique operating context. Just going through the
motions of addressing the information presented in the course will receive a grade of B even if
it is well written. You are being evaluated on your ability to make a value proposition for having
the organization consider the information provided.
Grading will be consistent with the specifications presented in the Course Requirements
Guide which is provided on the course website. The Harvard Extension School policy on
plagiarism is clearly stated in the Course Requirements Guide. Scoring of the semester paper
is provided in the grading rubric which is found in the Semester Paper Prospectus.

List of Organizations
House of Worship (any religion)
Community School (K-12)
Bank (Branch Office)
Fire Department (local government or volunteer department)
Non-Governmental Organization (NGO)
Energy Efficiency Department (or energy efficiency contractor/consultant)
Restaurant
Family (as an organization)
Biotech Company (small)
Healthcare Facility
2013 Robert B. Pojasek, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved