CdLM Business Administration

Corporate Sustainability

Corporate Sustainability

Academic year 2024/2025

Sommario del corso

• Course objectives
• Results of learning outcomes
• Program
• Course delivery
• Learning assessment methods
• Suggested readings and bibliography
• Teaching tools
• Course card

Course objectives

The course aims to:

1. examine the role of businesses in integrating sustainability into their decision-making processes and monitoring their impact on society, the economy, and the environment;
2. analyse how companies embed sustainability into their core business for strategic planning, management practices, and reporting processes.

The course addresses the core concepts of sustainability (economic, social, environmental) in relation to management and reporting by analysing how a stakeholder-oriented approach can help managers to create value in a sustainable way.

Results of learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

1. Understand how the concept of sustainability can be integrated into strategic management.
2. Navigate the evolving sustainability management and reporting landscape related to managerial practices and reporting frameworks.
3. Analyse sustainability reports of listed companies with a critical perspective.
4. Apply sustainability materiality assessments for strategic planning and reporting to embed sustainability into corporate strategy.

Program

The course will cover the following topics:

• Concepts and history of sustainability
• Business in society and stakeholder theory
• Systemic thinking for developing a sustainability mindset
• Regulatory developments on sustainability reporting: from NFRD to CSRD
• Sustainability reporting standards: GRI, ESRS, IFRS Sustainability Standards
• Sustainability materiality assessment
• Sustainability reporting and assurance

Course delivery

The teaching methods consist of frontal lectures, group discussions and company presentations.

• Frontal lectures involve direct teaching by the instructors to convey essential course content. Lectures are crucial for delivering knowledge and core content efficiently. Topics covered in lectures will include fundamental theories, key concepts, and case studies on sustainability management and reporting.
• Group discussions are essential for fostering interactive learning, as they promote active engagement and critical thinking through peer interaction. These discussions will be structured in small groups around relevant case studies, and course-related topics. Expected outcomes include enhanced understanding of material, improved communication skills, and collaborative problem-solving abilities.
• Company presentations are integrated into the course to provide industry insights that bridge theory and practice. These presentations will include guest speakers from the industry who will discuss practical applications of course concepts. These presentations will enhance learning by providing real-world context and practical insights.

Learning assessment methods

The evaluation is based on understanding sustainability management practices and reporting processes and applying a critical analysis of companies’ approaches to sustainable development.

Your grade (max 30L/30) will be determined as follows:

• Proactive participation (weight 5%) during lectures.
• Project work related to a group assignment (weight 25%).
• Individual written exam with two open questions and ten multiple-choice on topics covered during the course (weight 70%).

Academic papers, videos, reports, and other resources are disseminated through Moodle and constitute part of the examination material.

• Teaching material
• Exams and finals
• Class schedule
• Go to Moodle
• Register for the course
• Enrolled students
• Invia email agli studenti registrati
• Export table