Sustainable Finance

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• articulate the role of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in sustainable finance and investment
• critically evaluate alternative sustainable investment strategies such as exclusions, best-in-class, exercising voting rights, and shareholder engagement.
• analyse financial market data and evaluate financial sustainability in banking, equity investing, bonds investing, insurance and risk management
• critically discuss the long-term value creation through sustainable finance and investment;

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• different strategies of sustainable investment.
• implications of environmental and sustainability challenges for financial systems
• different approaches to sustainable finance and its relation to financial institutions and different asset classes

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• demonstrate skills in written and oral communication regarding the analysis of issues relating to sustainable finance, through the group discussions, assignments, and examination.

The indicative syllabus of this module covers:

oIntroduction to sustainable finance

oSustainability challenges to corporates

oSustainability disclosure and integrated reporting

oLong term value creation through sustainable finance

oOverview of sustainable equity investing

oOverview of sustainable bond investing

oOverview of sustainable banking

oOverview of sustainable insurance and risk management

oCarbon risk and carbon markets

oTransition to low carbon economy and role of innovation

Teaching and learning methods

This module will involve 24 contact hours over a twelve-week period. Lectures account for 14 hours of contact time and are used to introduce individual topics.

Teaching methods include:

• Lectures
• PowerPoint
• Presentations
• Mini class exercises
• Role-playing games
• Discussion
• Case studies
• Class discussion of relevant academic papers
• Videos

Learning activities include:

• Case study
• Role-playing games
• Problem solving activities
• Class discussion
• Independent study

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

Schoenmaker, D. & Schramade, W. (2018). Principles of Sustainable Finance. Oxford University Press..

Vargas, C. (2023). Sustainable Finance Fundamentals. Taylor & Francis.

Thompson, S. (2021). Green and Sustainable Finance: Principles and Practice. Kogan Page Publishers..

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.