TMA02 T219-20J
Structure and word-count
The report to your chosen organisation should be structured using the TMA questions, which follow the phases of the learning cycle: reflecting, connecting, modelling, doing, plus one further reflecting phase.
The TMA questions provide the structure for the report. You do not need to add any additional sections or introductory text to your report.
You do not have to repeat the question in your report, but you should make clear at every stage which question and which part of the question you are answering. A simple heading such as ‘Q1 (c)’ will suffice.
You do not have much space as many people in organisations prefer concise, brief documents. Word limits for your answers are indicated in each of the five questions, but the total for the whole TMA is 2250 words.
You should use diagrams in addition to text, but only up to a maximum of ten diagrams for the whole TMA.
Additional diagrams used will not be counted towards your marks for TMA 02. You should answer all five questions. (Note: word counts include words and numbers within tables.)
All units to be in Great British Pounds £ and temperature to in Degrees and any measurements metric.
This TMA will assess you on the following learning outcomes:
Knowledge and understanding of:
• The framing of environmental management issues in relation to sustainable development (KU1).
• A range of techniques and approaches used in ‘conventional’ environmental management (KU3).
• A range of systems concepts and techniques for use with complex environmental situations (KU4).
Skills enabling you to:
• Identify complex and ‘messy’ situations in environmental management (C1).
• Explain when to use environmental management techniques (C2).
• Select an appropriate mix of concepts and techniques for environmental management (C3).
• Assess the worldviews of stakeholders within environmental management situations (C4).
• Learn and communicate effectively about complex situations (K1).
• Gather, analyse and synthesise a variety of data to explore, analyse and make sense of complex situations (K2).
• Use some basic environmental management techniques (P2).
• Explore a range of perspectives in a situation using systems concepts and techniques (P3).
• Apply a variety of systems modelling techniques, including diagramming (P4).
• Report on a situation and make initial recommendations emphasising the use of systems concepts and techniques (P5).
Question 1: Reflecting and connecting
(This question is worth 15% of the marks for TMA 02.)
Write no more than 300 words for this question, plus any diagrams used.
• a.Briefly describe your chosen organisation. You do not need to give its name, but you should identify its type (e.g. school, corner shop, restaurant, manufacturer, bank etc.).
For your chosen organisation, summarise the situation and issues it is facing with regard to environmental management directly associated with its various activities.
Use a rich picture to illustrate your answer and provide a brief commentary on your diagram.
• b.Write a short summary of the connections your chosen organisation has to wider impacts on its environment. Use a spray diagram to illustrate your answer.
• c.Summarise the main current management systems your chosen organisation has in place for environmental management. This might include a relevant voluntary standard, for example, an ISO or environmental accreditation scheme.
It could also be a simple system relating to recycling and/or waste disposal. Comment on the possible advantages and disadvantages of using a voluntary environmental management scheme for your organisation.
Question 2: Modelling the life cycle of ICT
(This question is worth 25% of the marks for TMA 02.)
Write no more than 600 words for this question, plus any diagrams used.
• a.For your chosen organisation, provide a brief overview of its ICT system and its environmental impacts that it may need to manage. Illustrate your answer using a rich picture or a systems map.
• b.For one part of your chosen organisation’s ICT system (e.g. a particular set of ICT items used in an office):
o i.define the goal of a cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) for that set.
o ii.define the scope of the cradle-to-grave LCA. Illustrate your answer for (ii) using a systems diagram of your choice.
o iii.identify some of the key inputs and outputs of the ICT system, which would form part of the inventory analysis of a possible LCA. Illustrate your answer for (iii) using a spray diagram or an input–output model. (You are not expected to quantify or provide detailed inputs or outputs.)
• c.Briefly review the advantages and weaknesses of the LCA process, in particular drawing attention to boundary choices, assumptions, any data gaps and any socio-economic aspects that may be relevant to your chosen organisation.
• d.Identify at least three ways in which your chosen organisation might use an LCA of its ICT system to improve the organisation’s environmental performance.
Question 3: Modelling transport planning
(This question is worth 25% of the marks for TMA 02.)
Write no more than 600 words for this question, plus any diagrams used.
• a.For your chosen organisation, summarise the main transport environmental impacts that it needs to manage. Illustrate your answer with a rich picture.
• b.Identify possible influences on your organisation for managing business travel and commuter/customer/user travel (if there is not much business travel, concentrate on commuter/customer/user or other travel). Use an influence diagram to support your answer.
• c.Suggest up to three measures that could be (or have been) introduced to manage the organisation’s transport impacts. Comment on their (likely) success or failure.
• d.What are the main barriers to the effective implementation of these measures and what tools, models or methods might address these barriers?
Question 4: Doing – making changes
(This question is worth 20% of the marks for TMA 02.)
Write no more than 500 words for this question, plus any diagrams used.
Drawing on your earlier answers to Questions 2 and 3, consider the ways that your chosen organisation might make changes to improve its overall environmental management performance through the following steps.
• a.Identify the stakeholders who might be involved in the possible changes to be made. This might include stakeholders outside the organisation. Illustrate your answer with a systems diagram of your choice.
• b.Provide a brief outline of some of the different ways the organisation might be able to engage stakeholders to improve the environmental management performance of the organisation.
• c.Outline three conditions you think will be necessary for the changes to be implemented in the organisation.
Question 5: Summary and recommendations
(This question is worth 15% of the marks for TMA 02.)
Write no more than 250 words for this question. Remember that you should have no more than 2250 words and ten diagrams for the entire TMA.
Draw together all the ideas you have presented in your answers to the previous questions, giving your chosen organisation a clear summary about how its activities are connected to its environment, its current environmental management strategies, recommendations for improving its environmental management performance in ICT and transport areas, and the conditions needed for these recommendations to succeed.
