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Corporate Sustainability

$1,936.00 $2,200.00 Save $264.00
Corporate Sustainability

Corporate Sustainability

$1,936.00 $2,200.00 Save $264.00

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Overview

In today’s volatile, complex, and uncertain world, it is crucial for businesses to understand key environmental as well as societal risks and opportunities. Both demand successful management by business leaders in order to drive innovation, improve operational efficiency, and create value for their firm and society.

Through video lectures, live online meetups with Professor Tensie Whelan, and a hands-on project, this 14-week course provides participants with the ability to help their business be a force for change through ESG (environment, social, and governance) investing, sustainable supply chain management, employee and consumer engagement, sustainability marketing, and more. With companies facing greater demands for transparency, societal challenges such as poverty and inequity as well as natural resource constraints like less available water and a warmer climate, these skills are critical to the future of business and society. 


Course Trailer



 


Online Learning Experience

Our online certificate courses are asynchronous with optional synchronous elements. Asynchronous activities are things you do independently, like watch videos and complete assignments, and interactions with others over time via email, discussion forums, collaborative documents, and other channels. Synchronous learning includes interacting with other students and faculty in real time. Our courses are designed by educational experts from our Learning Science Lab to deliver courses that are designed with attention to user experience, learning science, and video production to build immersive digital learning environments for business school education.



Software/Technical Requirements
  • Desktop or laptop computer (This program does not support mobile devices, including tablets and iPads)
  • A webcam and headset (preferred) or microphone for online meetups
  • Broadband/high-speed Internet (1.5 Mbps minimum/3 Mbps preferred) to ensure your ability to participate fully in online meetups
  • Operating System: Mac OS 10.14 or Windows 10 or later
  • Browser: Safari 14, Chrome 88, Firefox 84, Microsoft Edge 88, or Internet Explorer 11 or later

Certificates and Credits

This course is a non-credit, pass/fail program. To pass this course, you will need a cumulative score of at least 55%. Upon successful completion of this course, participants will receive the NYU Stern Certificate in Corporate Sustainability.

Program Takeaways

During this course, participants will:

  • Issues and Research

    Become familiar with the key environmental and social issues affecting business today including the latest consumer insight research on sustainability.
  • Transformation of Corporate Response to Sustainability

    Understand the evolution of corporate response — from compliance to engagement to innovation — including innovations in finance.
  • Leadership Skills in a Volatile World

    Develop the skills required for leading in the new social and political environment and explore the efficiencies and innovations in development by corporate leaders in pursuit of sustainability.

Who Should Attend

Although there are no formal education or background requirements, this course is designed for participants who meet the criteria below. While we strongly encourage global participation, please note that all courses are taught in English. Proficiency in written and spoken English is required.

  • Years of Experience

    Participants with all levels of work experience are welcome to attend
  • Job Functions

    Ideal for any job function
  • Prerequisites

    Intended for individuals with a genuine interest in corporate sustainability; additionally, students must have a desktop or laptop computer with an internet connection

Agenda

The following agenda is a sample and subject to change.

Course Access

    In order to access the course, you will receive login credentials via email on the start date of the course. Activation instructions for your login credentials will be provided.

Readings

Green Giants: How Smart Companies Turn Sustainability into Billion-Dollar Businesses by E. Freya Williams (AMACOM) (available digitally, optional)
Basic Digital NYTimes subscription
Basic WSJ subscription

Live Online Meetups with Faculty

    Our live online meetups provide you with the opportunity to engage face-to-face with Professor Whelan. Please note that all online meetups are recorded and available for your viewing at a later time. Missing a meetup will not impact your grade, however we recommend attending all sessions.

Workload

    Please expect to invest about 8 to 10 hours of your time per week to course lessons, exercises, and assignments.

Week 1: Aug 26

  • Sustainability for Business
  • Exercise 1: Baseline Summary

Week 2: Sep 2 

  • Unsustainable Corporate Practices
  • Exercise 2: Where Do Companies Go Wrong? & Managing for the Long-Term

Week 3: Sep 9

  • Environmental and Social Trends
  • Exercise 3: Environmental and Social Trends
  • Post to Q&A Forums for Lessons 1, 2, and 3
  • Live Online Meetup 1: Sep 10 at 7:30 am ET

Week 4: Sep 16

  • Sustainability Reporting and Certification Standards
  • Exercise 4: SASB and GRI Reporting Standards: Differences and Similarities

Week 5: Sep 23

  • Materiality and Stakeholder Mapping
  • Exercise 5: Materiality and Stakeholder Mapping (Create a Stakeholder Map and Materiality Matrix for your Chosen Company)
  • Complete Peer Review for Exercise 5

Week 6: Sep 30

  • Supply Chains
  • Exercise 6: Supply Chain Management
  • Post to Q&A Forums for Lessons 4, 5, and 6
  • Live Online Meetup 2: Sep 30 at 2 pm ET

Week 7: Oct 7

  • Systems Thinking & The Circular Economy
  • Exercise 7: Applying Systems Thinking
  • Final Project Outline Due: Oct 13

Week 8: Oct 14

  • Innovation
  • Exercise 8: Lazlo Innovation Scheme

Week 9: Oct 21

  • Customers and Sustainability
  • Exercise 9: Marketing Survey
  • Complete Peer Review for Exercise 9
  • Post to Q&A Forums for Lessons 7, 8, and 9
  • Live Online Meetup 3: Oct 22 at 2 pm ET

Week 10: Oct 28

  • Employees and Sustainability
  • Exercise 10: Sustainable Employment

Week 11: Nov 4

  • Building a Business Case for Sustainability
  • Exercise 11: Monetizing the Sustainability ROI
  • Post to Q&A Forum for Lessons 10 and 11
  • Live Online Meetup 4: Nov 4 at 2 pm ET

Week 12: Nov 11

  • Mainstreaming Sustainable Finance

Week 13: Nov 18

  • Environmental, Social, & Governance (ESG) Investing
  • Exercise 13: ESG Investing Equity Analysis

Week 14: Nov 25

  • Live Online Meetup 5: Nov 25 at 1 pm ET
  • Net Positive Future

Week 15: Dec 2

  • Work on Final Project
  • Final Project Due: Dec 8

Week 16: Dec 9

  • Live Online Meetup 6: Dec 11 at 3 pm ET

Course officially ends: Dec 13

Participant Reviews

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Customer Reviews

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Corine Cohen
Best e-learning course I've ever taken

This was an incredible opportunity to gain new knowledge and skills in this major field of Corporate Sustainability, and I am truly grateful! This was the best e-learning path I've ever taken. Everything was there: the theories and fundamentals with the readings, the practice sets with the prestigious guests' interviews, the "learning by doing" philosophy with exercises, peer reviews, threads, and the final project. Most importantly, what stood our was the leadership from professor Tensie Whelan through lectures, videos with animation, and our class discussions during meet-ups.

M
Maria T. Salerno
Excellent course for relaunchers trying to break into sustainability

Professor Whelan's course is excellent and great value! As an older career relauncher who wanted to break t into Sustainability, I needed to learn about the space. However, I didn't want to spend a $30-40k on a second master's degree. The class taught me valuable tools and concepts that I was able to use successfully in job interviews. The class format -- a combination of project-based work and case studies -- is practical and engaging. I used my final project to demonstrate to potential employers that I had mastery of the subject. Finally, I appreciate that Whelan brings a combination of real-life experience (as the former Executive Director of the Rainforest Alliance) and academic research.

L
Leticia Kawanami
If you are inspired by a more sustainable future, this course will inspire you to act

The course gives a comprehensive overview of key topics within corporate sustainability and is enriched with examples in the form of case studies and video recorded interviews with leading practitioners and experts in the field.
This course is great for experienced professionals who want an overview of corporate sustainability or are looking for a career change. For those starting their careers or looking for a career change, this is a great intro step to then further explore a specific area.
Although an online course, there are plenty of opportunities to have exchanges with other students and with the professor and the team is great!

J
Jigar Shah
Sustainability course worth your time and money

I found the corporate Sustainability course at NYU Stern surprisingly good. This is because the curriculum was designed comprehensively, Prof Whelan"s on-line video meetings and recordings helped clarify concepts and enhance understanding. The exercise at the end of every lesson and final project, forum discussion and peer review were good to test the understanding. Finally, the online navigation was superb. My experience was better than anticipated for an on-line course.

R
Rita
Excellent, well-rounded approach to sustainability

I spent a bit of time researching on-line courses on Sustainability. I was looking for a course that would give me a broad understanding of the topic and NYU Stern delivered on its commitment to cover the field with good material and a stepped approach to learning about the topic. I liked that the weekly assignments built up to the final project. The content and the video interviews with experts were excellent. It was great to have people doing the course from all around the world but due to time zones I could not attend many of the forums in person but I watched all the recordings. For anyone interested in the topic but doesn't know where to start or is pigeon-holed in one area of sustainability, this course is perfect.