Course Code: ESG501
Synopsis
This course ESG501 Sustainability Management examines the evolution of corporate sustainability and how it has been shaped by societal contexts and expectations. Students will learn about the functional benefits of sustainability for companies, such as organisational resilience and risk management. However, there are constraints and trade-offs, such as how best to deal with environmental externalities that are not priced into market transactions. Students will deep-dive into the increasing focus on corporate ESG disclosures and compliance, scrutinise the ESG pillars and measure positive impact in a rigorous and transparent manner. Students will critically explore the need for growth in a market economy and how this could conflict with resource and ecological limits. To challenge the students’ thinking, the course will conclude with divergent perspectives on whether companies can save the world through addressing pressing environmental and social issues such as climate change and global inequality.
Level: 5
Credit Units: 5
Presentation Pattern: EVERY REGULAR SEMESTER
Topics
- Evolution of corporate sustainability
- Societal contexts and expectations of corporate social responsibility
- Benefits and constraints of sustainability for companies
- Doing good and going well—synergies and trade-offs
- Current corporate sustainability trends and developments
- Assessing the Environmental-Social-Governance (ESG) pillars of sustainability
- Measuring ESG impacts effectively
- Can companies grow indefinitely?
- Limits to growth
- The need for and methods of decoupling
- The case for companies saving the world
- The case against companies saving the world
Learning Outcome
- Assess the value of corporate sustainability and how it is shaped by external forces such as historical and social circumstances
- Formulate cogent arguments on how companies can benefit from developing and implementing sustainability strategies and programmes
- Evaluate limits to growth and appraise pathways for sustainable growth
- Plan the widely adopted ESG pillars of sustainability within an organisational context
- Propose ways in which companies can improve their ESG initiatives and measure the impacts
- Create and defend strategies and plans through which companies can do good and do well
Who Should Attend
- Sustainability manager/champion
- Environmental services consultant
Relevance of Course to employment/upskilling/reskilling
- The module will equip participants with the skills to DEVELOP strategies to balance between their organisation's financial success and social responsibility, PLAN ESG pillars of sustainability within their organisational context, as well as IMPROVE on existing initiatives and MEASURE the impacts.
- The module is meant for executives who have taken on sustainability as an additional responsibility, are interested to incorporate sustainability into their existing work or are planning to transition into a specialised sustainability-related role.
- Sustainability is a fast-growing body of knowledge that cuts across all sectors, particularly sectors that have a substantive environmental or social impact. This first module of SUSS's Graduate Diploma in ESG provides a foundation in core sustainability concepts such as organisational resilience, risk management and dealing with trade-offs, thus helping industry to understand and implement corporate sustainability effectively.
Admissions pre-requisite
- An undergraduate degree or an equivalent qualification from a recognised institution
- Specific courses may have additional requirements or pre-requisite (e.g. counselling courses). For more information, you may contact the Head of Programme regarding additional course requirements or pre-requisites
Subject to your eligibility and the approval of the Head of Programme, credits earned (up to a cap of 30 credit units) from the completion of Graduate CET Modular courses from the suite of Graduate Programmes may be recognised when admitted to the relevant Graduate Programmes.
Schedule
| Time | Agenda |
|---|---|
| Lesson 1 | |
| 19:00 | Course introduction |
| 19:45 | Topic 1: Evolution of corporate social responsibility |
| 21:00 | Break |
| 21:15 | Topic 2: Social contexts and expectations of CSR |
| 22:00 | End of class |
| Lesson 2 | |
| 19:00 | Q&A about grading and class assignments |
| 19:15 | Topic 3: Benefits and constraints of sustainability for companies |
| 20:30 | Break |
| 20:45 | Topic 4: Doing good and doing well – synergies and trade-offs |
| 22:00 | End of class |
| Lesson 3 | |
| 19:00 | Topic 5: Current corporate sustainability trends and developments |
| 20:30 | Break |
| 20:45 | Topic 6: Assessment of the Environment-Social-Governance (ESG) pillars of sustainability |
| 22:00 | End of class |
| Lesson 4 | |
| 19:00 | Topic 7: Measuring ESG impacts effectively |
| 20:30 | Break |
| 20:45 | Topic 8: Can companies grow indefinitely? |
| 22:00 | End of class |
| Lesson 5 | |
| 19:00 | Group-Based Assignment (GBA) presentations |
| 20:30 | Break |
| 20:45 | Group-Based Assignment (GBA) presentations |
| 22:00 | End of class |
| Lesson 6 | |
| 19:00 | Topic 9: Limits to growth Topic 10: Decoupling, balancing ESG and growth |
| 20:30 | Break |
| 20:15 | Topic 11: The case for companies saving the world Topic 12: The case against companies saving the world |
| 21:15 | In-class assessment |
| 21:45 | TRAQOM survey |
| 22:00 | End of class |
Assessments
The overall course grade is determined by
- Others
- Class participation - Group based assignment
Trainer info
| Mr. Chan Mun Wei Founder & Principal Consultant SustainableSG | Chan Mun Wei started SustainableSG in September 2018 to provide consultancy and training services on sustainability, strategy, risk management and entrepreneurship. He is an Associate Faculty at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, an Independent Board Director of BBR Holdings and a member of ESR-REIT’s Board Sustainability Committee. Mun Wei has worked in the private and public sectors for more than 20 years. Prior to starting SustainableSG, he was the Divisional Director of Corporate Planning and Sustainability Lead at Sentosa Development Corporation from April 2009 to August 2018. Mun Wei graduated from Stanford University in the United States with dual degrees – Bachelor of Arts (Distinction) in Anthropology and Master of Arts in Education – and subsequently completed an MBA at the National University of Singapore. |
Course Completion requirements
- Participants are required to achieve at least 75% attendance and pass any prescribed examinations/assessments or submit any course/project work (if any) under the course requirement.
- Participants are required to complete all surveys and feedbacks related to the course
- The course fees are reviewed annually and may be revised. The University reserves the right to adjust the course fees without prior notice.
- Singapore University of Social Sciences reserves the right to amend and/or revise the above schedule without prior notice
Course Fees, payment and refund policy
| International Participants | Singapore Citizens (below 40yrs), Permanent Residents | Singapore Citizens (40yrs and above) SkillsFuture Mid - Career Enhanced Subsidy1 | Enhanced Training Support for SMEs2 (Singaporean and PRs) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Course Fees (A) | $3,168.00 | $2,640.00 | $2,640.00 | $2,640.00 |
| SSG Grant (70%) (B) | $1,848.00 | $1,848.00 | $1,848.00 | |
| Nett Course fees (A) - (B) = (C) | $3,168.00 | $792.00 | $792.00 | $792.00 |
| 9% GST on Nett course fees (D) | $285.12 | $71.28 | $71.28 | $71.28 |
| Total nett course fees payable including GST (C) + (D) | $3,453,12 | $863.28 | $863.28 | $863.28 |
| Less additional funding if eligible under various schemes (F) | - | - | $528.00 | $528.00 |
| Total nett course fees payable including GST, after additional funding form the various schemes (E) - (f) = (H) | $3,453.12 | $863.28 | $335.28 | $335.28 |
1 Mid-Career Enhanced Subsidy: Singaporeans aged 40 and above may enjoy subsidies up to 90% of the course fees.
2 Enhanced Training Support for SMEs: SME-sponsored employees (Singapore citizens and PRs) aged 21 and above may enjoy subsidies up to 90% of the course fees.
For the various payment mode, please refer here.
For the refund policy, please refer here.
A written request for a refund must be submitted and is subject to approval.
If written notice of withdrawal is given within the cooling off period1 and before the course start date, a full refund of the fees paid less an administrative charge of $110.00 (exclusive of GST) will be given. No refund will be given for withdrawal thereafter.
1 The cooling off period is defined as 7 working days after payment of course fee.
For clarification, please contact the SUSS Academy via the following:
Telephone: +65 6248 0263
Email: [email protected]