MKTG90049 · Marketing, Society and Sustainability
Sustainable Marketing and Wicked Problems
Week 1 sets the whole subject's vocabulary: the Brundtland definition of sustainability, the three pillars / triple bottom line, wicked problems and systems thinking, the UN 2030 Agenda and 17 SDGs, and the market-driving-not-market-driven stance of sustainable marketing.
These definitions are the through-lines the exam reuses everywhere — a Section 1 short answer will ask you to define a wicked problem or apply Sheth & Parvatiyar's four corporate actions, and the individual SDG essay is built directly on framing your own consumption as a wicked problem.
What this chapter covers
- 01Sustainability (Brundtland/WCED 1987): intergenerational, interrelated, uncertain (an evolving goal, not a fixed end)
- 02Three pillars / triple bottom line — environment · economy · society — and why the hardest challenges sit at the intersections
- 03Wicked problems: multiple conflicting stakeholders, no definite formulation of causes, better/worse (not right/wrong) solutions
- 04Systems thinking: interconnectedness, circular not linear, wholes not parts; markets as complex systems (inputs → processes → outcomes → stakeholders → interactions)
- 05The UN 2030 Agenda and 17 SDGs (the individual essay uses Goals 8, 14, 16)
- 06Carvalho (2022) — the four greenwashing mistakes marketers make about climate change
- 07Sheth & Parvatiyar (2021) sustainable marketing — the 4 R's: Redesign, Promote responsible consumption, Repurpose the mix, Reorganize the function (market-driving, not market-driven)
Short answer: frame e-waste as a wicked problem and apply the 4 R's
- +4Define and classify (about 4 marks). State the wicked-problem test and map e-waste onto it: multiple stakeholders with opposing values (consumers wanting cheap upgrades, miners, recyclers, regulators, future generations), no single agreed cause, and solutions that are better-or-worse not right-or-wrong. Note it is never fully 'solved' — the aim is continual improvement.
- +3Justify the lens (about 3 marks). Explain why systems thinking fits: e-waste is interconnected and circular, not a linear one-off; treat the market as a system of inputs (rare metals, labour), processes (design, marketing, retail), outcomes (devices, exchanges) and stakeholders. Contrast with a reductive 'just recycle more' framing.
- +6Apply exactly three of the 4 R's (about 6 marks, ~2 each). Redesign: modular phones designed for repair and disassembly. Promote responsible consumption: reframe marketing away from annual upgrades toward longevity and 'keep your phone longer'. Repurpose the marketing mix: a trade-in/take-back program with recycled-material messaging. (Reorganize — a sustainability stewardship team — is a valid fourth if asked.)
- +2Flag Carvalho's error and close (about 2 marks). Note one greenwashing trap to avoid — do not reduce e-waste to individual behaviour change alone or treat it as an externality — then a one-line tie-back to the three pillars. Keep to ~300 words.
Key terms
- Wicked problem
- A complex problem that is extremely hard to solve because of incomplete, contradictory and changing requirements: multiple stakeholders with opposing values, no definite formulation of causes, and solutions that are better-or-worse rather than right-or-wrong. Sustainability issues are wicked problems.
- Systems thinking
- An orientation that sees interconnectedness (not disconnection), circular flows (not linear), emergence, wholes over parts and relationships over isolation. Applied to marketing it treats a market as a complex system of inputs, processes, outcomes, stakeholders and their interactions.
- Triple bottom line / three pillars
- Sustainability as a balance of three pillars — environment, economy and society. The hardest challenges arise at the intersections, where progress on one pillar can harm another.
- The 4 R's (Sheth & Parvatiyar 2021)
- Four sustainable-marketing imperatives that make marketing market-driving rather than market-driven: Redesign products for reuse/post-consumption; Promote responsible consumption; Repurpose the marketing mix (repackage, relabel, reposition, educate); Reorganize the marketing function for sustainability stewardship.
- Market-driving vs market-driven
- Market-driven marketing passively responds to existing consumer demand; market-driving marketing proactively reshapes markets, norms and demand toward sustainability. The subject argues sustainability requires the market-driving stance.
- Carvalho's four greenwashing mistakes (2022)
- Four errors marketing makes about climate change: (1) treating individual behaviour change as a sufficient fix; (2) promoting behaviours that legitimise a harmful status quo; (3) invoking systems thinking without genuine analysis; (4) keeping climate change as an externality.
Sustainable Marketing and Wicked Problems FAQ
Why are sustainability issues called 'wicked' problems?
Because they cannot be neatly defined or definitively solved. They involve many stakeholders with conflicting values, their causes cannot be pinned down completely, and any solution is better-or-worse rather than right-or-wrong. Climate change, plastic pollution and inequality all fit: you can improve them, but you never 'finish' them, which is why the subject frames sustainability as an evolving goal rather than an end-state.
What is the difference between market-driving and market-driven marketing?
Market-driven marketing responds to what consumers already want — it takes existing demand as given. Market-driving marketing (Sheth & Parvatiyar 2021) proactively reshapes the market: redesigning products, redirecting needs toward responsible consumption, repurposing the marketing mix and reorganising the function. The subject argues sustainability needs the market-driving stance because simply satisfying current unsustainable demand entrenches the problem.
Do I need to memorise all 17 SDGs for the exam?
You should recognise the framework and know it is the UN 2030 Agenda's 17 goals, and you should know the three the individual essay uses well — Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), Goal 14 (Life Below Water) and Goal 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). For exam short answers you typically map an example to one or two relevant SDGs rather than list all seventeen, so knowing which goals fit common issues (SDG 12 for consumption, SDG 13 for climate) matters more than rote-listing every goal.
Can AI help me with Week 1 of MKTG90049?
Yes, as a study aid. Sia can drill you on the Brundtland definition, walk through classifying an issue as a wicked problem, and check whether your application of the 4 R's gives three genuinely distinct actions. Bring a practice prompt and ask it to explain the model structure step by step. It does not write your SDG essay or exam answer, and University of Melbourne academic-integrity rules apply — use it to understand the frameworks and rehearse.
Exam move
Week 1 supplies definitions the whole subject reuses, so make them airtight now. Memorise the Brundtland definition and its three features (intergenerational, interrelated, uncertain), the three pillars, the wicked-problem test, and the 4 R's — write each on a card and recall it closed-book. Practise one move repeatedly: take any sustainability issue, classify it as a wicked problem, map the market as a system, then prescribe three of the 4 R's. Because the individual SDG essay frames your own consumption as a wicked problem, this week's framing is worth double. Rotate examples (e-waste, food waste, fast fashion) so you can transfer the frameworks. When something is unclear, ask Sia to re-explain it and set a fresh prompt; it teaches the method and never does your graded work. Confirm assessment details on Canvas.
Working through Sustainable Marketing and Wicked Problems in MKTG90049? Sia is AskSia’s AI Marketing tutor — ask any MKTG90049 Sustainable Marketing and Wicked Problems question and get a clear, step-by-step explanation grounded in how MKTG90049 is taught and assessed. Read this chapter free, then take your hardest questions to Sia.
