Dr Xi Li & Dr Julia Morley

This course offers insights into the role of sustainability reporting in helping the world achieve sustainability goals.

In the past decade, environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues have attracted enormous attention from investors, regulators, and other stakeholders. This is evidenced by the exponential growth of sustainable investing in global capital markets and the mandating of ESG-related disclosures across the world.

This course introduces the concept of sustainability reporting and responsible investing. It evaluates the potential benefits of firms disclosing ESG information, as well as significant challenges to be overcome, including the risk of greenwashing. You will learn about existing and emerging ESG regulations and frameworks for ESG performance metrics. The course also explores how key capital market participants, such as asset managers, analysts, and banks, could incorporate ESG information into their investment decisions.

Students will take away from this course a solid understanding of the foundations and evolution of corporate ESG activities, the pros and cons of ESG disclosure, and the adoption of ESG information by different market participants.