FIN 456 – A CEO Perspective on ESG
General Information
This course covers the topic of ESG (environmental, social, and governance factors in corporate decision making) from the perspective of corporate managers. The aim is to tackle the E, S, and G components separately and focus on those aspects that are particularly relevant from an academic and practical perspective. The course will be co-taught by Prof. Spalt, who will provide insights into the topic from the research side, and Dr. Schroeder-Wildberg, the CEO of a large German financial company, who will provide insights from the perspective of a CEO. The course will cover ESG broadly but approach the topic from the vantage point of financial economics, i.e., we will put some emphasis on understanding how ESG contributes to the value of a firm and returns to investors. We will zoom in on selected key problems for corporate leaders who want to implement ESG considerations in their decision-making process. Students will work on a group assignment and present the results in class.
Admission to the course is limited to 25 students. Students who want to participate in the course need to (1) register via Portal2 and (2) send an application to the chair via email (yue.wu@uni-mannheim.de). Please refer to the “Registration” tab below for more details.
Further Information
Learning Outcomes
After completing this course, students will have a thorough understanding of some of the key aspects of the ESG debate from the perspective of a corporate leader. Students will get to know some of the latest academic results on ESG from the literature in finance, and they will start to develop their own view on the ESG debate in in-class discussions and in group work. Students will have analyzed, prepared a report on, and presented results on an ESG-related topic.
Prerequisites
Prerequisites:
There is no formal requirement.
This is a course with restricted attendance. Students who want to participate in the course need to both register in Portal2 and send an application to the chair. Please refer to the “Registration” tab below for more details.
Registration
Registration is via Portal2 (matriculated students only). Admission to the course is limited to 25 students. After registering via Portal2, students need to send their application to the chair via email (yue.wu@uni-mannheim.de).
The application should contain the following materais in one combined PDF document: 1) electronic transcripts of records, 2) resume, 3) a brief statement of max. 200 words indicating your motivation to take an ESG-related course and/
or related practical experience, in particular an internship or work experience in the sustainable finance or ESG field.
Contact Person
Yue Wu, M.Sc.
Business School
L 9, 1–2
L9, 1–2 – Room 203
68161 Mannheim