IB3K7-15 ESG Valuation and Investment
Introductory description
This module is only open to WBS undergraduate students, and some students taking joint degrees with WBS and another department. Students from other departments cannot take this module. To find detailed availability and to apply for this module, log in to my.wbs.ac.uk using your normal IT login details and apply via the my.wbs module application system. Once you’ve secured a place on my.wbs you should apply via your home department’s usual process, which usually takes place via eVision. Note that you do not require the module leader’s permission to study a WBS module, so please do not contact them to request it.
In this module, you will learn innovative techniques and concepts like ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) valuation and Social Return on Investment. Using these techniques, you will learn how to help organisations measure and communicate their broader societal impact. The module’s teaching involves interactive lectures and seminar discussions designed to spark debate and deepen understanding. Through practical exercises, you will gain the skills to develop a thorough measurement of the social and environmental added value generated by for-profit companies. Ultimately, this module aims to equip you with the analytical tools and critical mindset needed to excel in today’s rapidly evolving financial landscape.
Module aims
The module aims to expand students' knowledge and understanding about the cross-domain nature of financial institutions. In particular, the module aims to highlight the necessity of understanding the social, technological and political dimensions of financial institutions when analysing and operating in today’s economy.
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
Foundations of financial markets and introduction to the importance of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors.
Social capital and its impact on corporate performance.
Environmental disclosure, reporting standards, and the impact of governance on environmental and social value.
Social impact measurement.
Prosociality, sustainability, organisational culture and the regulation of ESG disclosures.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Analyse and evaluate the ESG (Environment, Social, and Governance) paradigm. This implies a comprehension of the components of ESG and their practical application.
- Apply ESG-based valuation techniques on financial accounts from different for-profit companies.
- Design valuation Theories of Change using the taught concepts of social and environmental capital.
- Judge the merits of key aspects in relevant valuation approaches and develop a discussion about decision-usefulness of these approaches. This discussion should develop a clear stand in relation to the assumptions that underpin these approaches.
- Evaluate critically the academic literature about social and environmental capital formation and weigh the relations between the core ideas comprising this literature and their relation to ESG valuation.
Indicative reading list
- Read, Colin. Understanding Sustainability Principles and ESG Policies: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Public and Corporate Responses to Climate Change. Springer Nature, 2023.
- Ciciretti, Roberta, Elena Dziwok, and Emiliya Gaeva. Creating Value and Improving Financial Performance: Inclusive Finance and the ESG Pr. Springer Nature Switzerland AG, 2023.
- Esty, Daniel C., and Todd Cort (Eds.). Values at Work: Sustainable Investing and ESG Reporting. Springer International Publishing/Palgrave Macmillan, 2020.
- Ben Dor, Arik, Albert Desclée, Lev Dynkin, Jingling Guan, Jay Hyman, and Simon Polbennikov. Measuring ESG Effects in Systematic Investing (The Wiley Finance Series). Wiley, 2024.
- Gaganis, Christos, Fotis Pasiouras, and Zopounidis Christos (Eds.). Sustainable Finance and ESG: Risk, Management, Reg. Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Banking and Financial Institutions, Springer Nature Switzerland AG, 2023.
- Sheth, Jagdish N., and Andrew Winston. The Sustainability Edge: How to Drive Top-Line Growth with Triple-Bottom-Line Thinking. University of Toronto Press, 2016.
- Laine, Matias, Helen Tregidga, and Jeffrey Unerman. Sustainability Accounting and Accountability. Routledge, 2022.
Subject specific skills
Analyse critically financial and ESG reports.
Evaluate the relative merits and weaknesses of qualitative and quantitative valuation techniques.
Appraise the usefulness of elements from ESG standards and assemble new valuation formation in relation to these standards.
Transferable skills
Judge the underpinning principles of qualitative and quantitative evaluative formats.
Investigate different organisational strategies in relation to generating environmental and social capital and weigh their relative implications.
Calculate ESG value-generation, draw conclusions on the basis of these results and critique these results in light of the inherent weaknesses of the taught ESG valuation perspectives.
Study time
Type | Required |
---|---|
Lectures | 10 sessions of 1 hour (7%) |
Seminars | 9 sessions of 1 hour (6%) |
Online learning (independent) | 10 sessions of 1 hour (7%) |
Private study | 47 hours (31%) |
Assessment | 74 hours (49%) |
Total | 150 hours |
Private study description
Private Study.
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You do not need to pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Assessment group A3
Weighting | Study time | Eligible for self-certification | |
---|---|---|---|
Individual Assignment (15 CATS) | 90% | 65 hours | Yes (extension) |
Participation | 10% | 9 hours | No |
Assessment group R1
Weighting | Study time | Eligible for self-certification | |
---|---|---|---|
Individual Assignment | 100% | Yes (extension) |
Feedback on assessment
Written feedback will be provided on assignment.
Courses
This module is Optional for:
-
UIBA-N20B BSc in Management
- Year 3 of N20B Management
- Year 3 of N20B Management
- Year 3 of N23K Management with Accounting
- Year 3 of N234 Management with Digital Business
- Year 3 of N235 Management with Entrepreneurship
- Year 3 of N232 Management with Finance
- Year 3 of N252 Management with Marketing
- Year 3 of N23L Management with Strategy and Organisation
- Year 3 of UIBA-N400 Undergraduate Accounting and Finance
-
UIBA-N404 Undergraduate Accounting and Finance (with Foundation Year and Placement/Undergraduate Partnership Programme)
- Year 5 of N4N7 Accounting and Finance (Foundation Year and Intercalated)
- Year 5 of N404 Accounting and Finance (Foundation Year and Placement)
- Year 5 of N405 Accounting and Finance (Foundation Year and UPP)
- Year 5 of N403 Accounting and Finance (with Foundation Year)
- Year 4 of UIBA-N403 Undergraduate Accounting and Finance (with Foundation Year)
-
UIBA-N401 Undergraduate Accounting and Finance (with Placement Year/Undergraduate Partnership Programme)
- Year 4 of N401 Accounting and Finance (Placement)
- Year 4 of N402 Accounting and Finance (Undergraduate Partnership Programme)
- Year 3 of UCSA-I1N1 Undergraduate Computer Science with Business Studies
- Year 4 of UCSA-I1NA Undergraduate Computer Science with Business Studies (with Intercalated Year)
- Year 1 of UIOA-VEU Undergraduate EU Visiting
- Year 3 of UECA-L1N2 Undergraduate Economics and Management
- Year 4 of UECA-L1N3 Undergraduate Economics and Management (with Intercalated Year)
- Year 4 of UGEA-RN21 Undergraduate German and Business Studies
- Year 3 of UIPA-L8N1 Undergraduate Global Sustainable Development and Business
- Year 4 of UIPA-L8N2 Undergraduate Global Sustainable Development and Business Studies (with Intercalated Year)
-
UIBA-N20F Undergraduate International Management
- Year 4 of N20F International Management
- Year 4 of N20F International Management
- Year 4 of N20S International Management (with Accounting)
- Year 4 of N20T International Management (with Chinese)
- Year 4 of N20P International Management (with Entrepreneurship)
- Year 4 of N20M International Management (with Finance)
- Year 4 of N20U International Management (with French)
- Year 4 of N20L International Management (with Marketing)
- Year 4 of N20V International Management (with Spanish)
- Year 4 of N20W International Management (with Strategy and Organisation)
- Year 4 of N20N International Management with Digital Business
- Year 4 of N20E Management (with Foundation Year)
- Year 4 of N234 Management with Digital Business
-
UIBA-N220 Undergraduate International Management (with Foundation Year)
- Year 5 of N220 International Management (with Foundation Year)
- Year 5 of N221 International Management with Accounting (with Foundation Year)
- Year 5 of N226 International Management with Chinese (with Foundation Year)
- Year 5 of N223 International Management with Digital Business (with Foundation Year)
- Year 5 of N224 International Management with Entrepreneurship (with Foundation Year)
- Year 5 of N222 International Management with Finance (with Foundation Year)
- Year 5 of N227 International Management with French (with Foundation Year)
- Year 5 of N225 International Management with Marketing (with Foundation Year)
- Year 5 of N228 International Management with Spanish (with Foundation Year)
- Year 5 of N229 International Management with Strategy and Organisation (with Foundation Year)
-
UIBA-N20G Undergraduate Management (with Foundation Year and Intercalated Year/Undergraduate Partnership Programme)
- Year 5 of N20G Management (Foundation Year and Intercalated)
- Year 5 of N20H Management (Foundation Year and UPP)
- Year 5 of N23B Management with Finance (with Foundation Year and Intercalated Year)
- Year 5 of N23C Management with Finance (with Foundation Year and Undergraduate Partnership Programme)
- Year 5 of N25B Management with Marketing (with Foundation Year and Intercalated Year)
- Year 5 of N25C Management with Marketing (with Foundation Year and Undergraduate Partnership Programme)
-
UIBA-N20E Undergraduate Management (with Foundation Year)
- Year 4 of N20E Management (with Foundation Year)
- Year 4 of N23N Management with Accounting (with Foundation Year and Placement Year)
- Year 4 of N23M Management with Accounting (with Foundation Year)
- Year 4 of N23E Management with Digital Business (with Foundation Year)
- Year 4 of N23F Management with Entrepreneurship (with Foundation Year)
- Year 4 of N23D Management with Finance (with Foundation Year)
- Year 4 of N252 Management with Marketing
- Year 4 of N254 Management with Marketing (with Foundation Year)
- Year 4 of N23P Management with Strategy and Organisation (with Foundation Year)
-
UIBA-N20C Undergraduate Management (with Placement Year/Undergraduate Partnership Programme)
- Year 4 of N20M International Management (with Finance)
- Year 4 of N20B Management
- Year 4 of N20D Management (Undergraduate Partnership Programme)
- Year 4 of N20C Management (with Placement Year)
- Year 4 of N20Q Management with Accounting (with Placement Year)
- Year 4 of N236 Management with Digital Business (with Placement Year)
- Year 4 of N237 Management with Entrepreneurship (with Placement Year)
- Year 4 of N232 Management with Finance
- Year 4 of N233 Management with Finance (with Placement Year)
- Year 4 of N253 Management with Marketing (with Placement Year)
- Year 4 of N23L Management with Strategy and Organisation
- Year 4 of N20R Management with Strategy and Organisation (with Placement Year)
- Year 3 of UMAA-G1NC Undergraduate Mathematics and Business Studies
- Year 4 of UMAA-G1N2 Undergraduate Mathematics and Business Studies (with Intercalated Year)
-
UIOA-VOS Undergraduate Overseas Visiting
- Year 1 of UVOS Undergraduate Overseas Visiting
- Year 1 of UVOS Undergraduate Overseas Visiting
- Year 4 of UPXA-F3ND Undergraduate Physics and Business Studies (with Intercalated Year)
- Year 3 of UPXA-F3N2 Undergraduate Physics with Business Studies
- Open to all courses external to WBS