Bachelor
2024/2025
Sustainable Development and Corporate ESG Practices
Type:
Compulsory course (Business Informatics)
Area of studies:
Business Informatics
Delivered by:
Department of Strategic and International Management
When:
4 year, 1 module
Mode of studies:
offline
Open to:
students of one campus
Instructors:
Ekaterina Ivanova
Language:
English
ECTS credits:
3
Course Syllabus
Abstract
This course introduces key sustainable development concepts and their practical application in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices using the case-study method. It focuses on developing students’ abilities to analyze contemporary sustainability challenges by applying stakeholder theory and ethical decision-making frameworks in business contexts. Through a combination of concise theoretical lectures and active seminar discussions centered around real-world cases, students gain hands-on experience in evaluating corporate responsibility and ESG strategies appropriate for early career development stages.
Learning Objectives
- 1) Understand foundational theories of sustainable development and their relevance to ESG practices.
- 2) Explore ethical frameworks and economic rationality models as they apply to business sustainability.
- 3) Apply stakeholder theory and corporate responsibility principles to analyze ESG case studies.
- 4) Develop skills in ethical reasoning, case analysis, and solution-oriented decision-making within a sustainability context.
Expected Learning Outcomes
- 1) Critical Thinking: Critically analyze and assess the impact of various business practices on sustainability and ESG criteria.
- 2) Holistic Mindset: Formulate and propose comprehensive sustainability and ESG strategies tailored to specific industries or companies using informed decision-making.
- 3) Managerial Dashboarding: Apply tools and techniques from business informatics to collect and interpret data related to sustainability and ESG performance.
- 4) Ethical Consideration: Recognize and evaluate the ethical implications of business decisions related to sustainability and responsibility.
- 5) Collaborative Problem-Solving: Work effectively in teams to propose innovative solutions to real-world sustainability challenges, emphasizing stakeholder engagement and community impact.
Course Contents
- Module 1. Introduction to Sustainable Development and ESG
- Module 2. Future Trends in Responsible Management Practices
- Module 3. The Role of Data Management in Sustainability
- Module 4. Social and Governance: Frameworks and Practices in Sustainability
- Module 5. Environmental: Frameworks and Practices in Sustainability
Assessment Elements
- Colloquiums on team-charter, book world café, cinemalogia and collage (group)See course syllabus for the detailed instructions on these assignments.
- Project “Digital sustainability management” on the ESG-dashboards (group)See course syllabus for the detailed instructions on this assignment.
- Final exam (individual)
Interim Assessment
- 2024/2025 1st module0.2 * Colloquiums on team-charter, book world café, cinemalogia and collage (group) + 0.5 * Final exam (individual) + 0.3 * Project “Digital sustainability management” on the ESG-dashboards (group)
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- Principles of management : practicing ethics, responsibility, sustainability, Laasch, O., 2021
Recommended Additional Bibliography
- Raworth, K. (2017). Doughnut Economics : Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist. White River Junction, Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1850087
- Scharmer, O., & Kaufer, K. (2013). Leading From the Emerging Future : From Ego-System to Eco-System Economies (Vol. 1st ed). San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=591172
- The sustainability mindset principles : a guide to developing a mindset for a better world, Rimanoczy, I., 2021