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Course 2022-2023 a.y.

20816 - SUSTAINABLE FINANCE AND ESG INVESTING

TS
Department of Finance

Course taught in English

Go to class group/s: 26

TS (6 credits - I sem. - OB  |  SECS-P/09)
Course Director:
HANNES WAGNER

Classes: 26 (I sem.)
Instructors:
Class 26: HANNES WAGNER


Class-group lessons delivered  on campus

Mission & Content Summary
MISSION

This course aims to introduce students to the sustainability issues and ethical challenges facing today's financial industry. The course leverages the joint expertise of the class to help understand the entire sustainable finance universe, from shareholder engagement to constructing innovation-driven ESG portfolios. Through lecture formats, data-driven workshops, hands-on team projects, and real case studies of innovative financial players, you will be exposed to the methods, contexts, and insights that enable providers and seekers of financing to create value.

CONTENT SUMMARY
  • Investor demand for sustainability and the many facets of sustainable finance
  • Principles of sustainable finance—financing and investment
  • Environmental, social, and governance outcomes
  • Investor engagement and activism
  • ESG portfolio construction
  • Measuring ESG performance and pricing of risks: Can investors do well by doing good?
  • ESG data and its challenges
  • Sustainability and asset classes—ESG funds, loans, green bonds, impact investing

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...

Understand and explain core investment and financing techniques concepts; understand and explain the foundations of sustainable finance

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...

Apply the key concepts of sustainable finance and critically assess the incentives and actions of firms, investors, and other stakeholders regarding ESG, as well as their outcomes.


Teaching methods
  • Face-to-face lectures
  • Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
  • Exercises (exercises, database, software etc.)
  • Case studies /Incidents (traditional, online)
  • Individual assignments
  • Group assignments
  • Interactive class activities (role playing, business game, simulation, online forum, instant polls)
DETAILS
  • Data assignments: students work on exercises in class and as take-homes.
  • Case studies: case studies are assigned to give students a sense of solving allegedly real problems facing a firm.
  • Individual assignments: students work through individual assignments throughout the course, helping students to synthesize the material.
  • Group assignments: groups of students work on group projects

Assessment methods
  Continuous assessment Partial exams General exam
  • Written individual exam (traditional/online)
  •     x
  • Individual assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)
  • x    
  • Group assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)
  • x    
  • Active class participation (virtual, attendance)
  • x    
    ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

    Course assessment is identical for attending and non-attending students. Your course grade will reflect your performance, with weights determined as follows:

    25% Class participation        

    25% Individual assignments                              

    25% Team projects

    25% Final exam

    • Class participation: Active participation in class and within the electronic learning tools used in the course will be required to be a successful participant in the course.
    • Individual assignments: There will be case and quiz assignments throughout the course. The cases are designed to give students a sense of solving allegedly real problems facing a manager. The quizzes are individually assigned to students and contain exercises aimed at synthesizing the course material and assessing students' ability to apply analytical tools and their institutional knowledge.  
    • Team projects: Team projects will be self-chosen and be presented by all teams in dedicated sessions.
    • Final exam: The final exam will cover all course material, the details are covered in class.
    • Human factor: I will be the grader, and I may make mistakes. If I screw up, bring it to my attention and I will fix it.

    Unused grade components have expiration conditions, the details are covered in class.


    Teaching materials
    ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
    • Course note packet (on Blackboard): The online course pack contains video materials, syllabus, class lecture notes, technical documents, journal articles, and data files.
    • Cases (on Blackboard): a set of cases we work through in class.
    • FAQ (on Blackboard): an up-to-date guide to Frequently Asked Questions about the course.
    • Textbook: There is no textbook for the course.
    • Pre-readings (on Blackboard): See the course notes for pre-reading to be done before the course formally begins.
    Last change 08/06/2022 10:22