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NTNU:TIA:REST

Department of International Business

Institutt for internasjonal forretningsdrift

Engelsk

Mer om vurdering

Faglig innhold

Læringsutbytte

Læringsformer og aktiviteter

Obligatorisk Oppgave

Sustainable Finance

Økonomi og administrasjon

Master in International Business and Marketing

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This is the first time the course was offered.

Undervisnings- og læringsaktivitetene i emnet:Through in-class sessions with a strong focus on student engagement (exercises in class and group discussions), lectures by the instructor of the course, visiting guest lectures, a Harvard Business case, a group project in collaboration with an industry partner (TAFJORD Kraft) and the final exam (an oral presentation of the group project), the students were able to achieve the following learning outcomes:  ·      Describe how finance and sustainable development (including SDGs) intersect·      Explain key concepts, models, theories, and instruments in sustainable finance·      Analyze how economic, social and environmental issues (ESG) interact with finance·      Evaluate how sustainable investing differs from impact and values-based investing·      Describe critical recent developments and key debates in sustainable finance·      Explain ESG integration and how ESG instruments and tools are used to analyze investments and assess risk·      Evaluate stewardship practices and tools·      Describe integrated reporting and challenges pertaining to ESG disclosure, reporting, and data·      Evaluate transition challenges to low-carbon and circular economy·      Appraise ESG issues of a company or investment·      Analyze, debate, and present course material orally and in writing (English) Throughout the course, the students worked on a group project, which was consisted of seven elements. As part of this group project, students conducted an ESG analysis of TAFJORD. The elements of the group project – analysis of the business model, stakeholder analysis, value chain analysis, materiality issues analysis, etc. – enabled students to apply the theoretical knowledge gained from lectures, readings, and visiting lectures to a real-life case analysis of a company. We also practiced ESG analysis in the investment context by working through the Harvard Business Case, which student groups wrote up, presented, and discussed in class with the instructor of the course and another finance expert at IIF (Andre Schlingloff). The last learning outcome was practiced during active student discussions in class and the oral exam as part of which students had to present their group projects and answer questions. I invited three leading practitioners and scholars on sustainable finance to provide students with real-life examples as well as deepen their understanding of critical recent developments and key debates. During the final reference group meeting (held on 13.12.2022), the reference group and I went through all the learning outcomes and we came to a conclusion that these learning outcomes were well-achieved. A few comments and suggestions have been made to improve the course in the future. The students really enjoyed the group project but wished for more time to work on different elements (they had deliverables every two weeks in October and November and wished for more time to work on the deliverables). In addition, the students noted that they wished the meeting with TAFJORD took place later in the course. We had it toward the beginning of the semester but students wished to have it later -- when they were further along into their group projects. The students wished for more in-class exercises that would help them prepare for different elements of the group project. The students also wished for more guidance on a few elements of the group project. Since the course met every other week and one week overlapped with the fall break (when students worked independently on their Harvard Business Cases) and there were two weeks when students had visiting lectures and there was one session that got cancelled because it coincided with a mandatory thesis seminar for master students, there was not as much class time when the students could do exercises to help them with the group project. I made it very clear that students could come to me with questions but it seemed that they would have preferred to meet in class and do the exercises in class with me present and available for questions and clarifications rather than come to office hours and meet individually (or in groups). Vurderingsformen(e) i emnet: The students had four deliverables as part of the group project and an HBS case study write-up. The students were given feedback on all four deliverables of the group project and had an opportunity to redo them, which they all did. As a result, their group reports (revised deliverables) were much stronger because they were able to integrate my feedback and work more on the deliverables, producing very solid reports at the end of the semester. The final assessment – the oral exam – took the form of a group presentation of the group project (revised deliverables). The students thought it was a fitting culmination of the group project and enjoyed the opportunity to present their findings and insights and exchange ideas with the TAFJORD representatives who came to the final presentations. One feedback was to allow for an oral presentation to be longer. The students had 15-20 min to present, and they wished to have a bit more time – 20-25 minutes. We went carefully through the grading rubric well before the presentations (it was also posted on Blackboard) to give students an opportunity to make suggestions for revisions and ask for clarification. The students were satisfied with the transparency of expectations, so they knew exactly what to expect in the oral exam/final presentation. Vurdering av læringsmiljøet i emnet: The entire course was structured to allow students to combine theory with practice – to apply theoretical insights on sustainable finance to the life-real companies and investments (different elements of the ESG assessment of TAFJORD and the HBS case). They also got to hear from leading experts and practitioners in sustainable finance who explained how they think and apply sustainable finance in their work and highlighted the latest critical developments in the field. The next time I teach this course, I will think carefully about the timing of lectures and deliverables to ensure that students have enough class time to practice exercises and work on the deliverables. This was the first time teaching this course and now I know what parts of the group projects the students found unclear or difficult and can spend more time next time explaining and practicing these parts. The students liked that they got feedback on every deliverable and had an opportunity to redo every deliverable, so this is the part that I'll definitely continue with. It was very time-consuming but it was worthwhile. I will also cut down the number of visiting lectures from 3 to 1 or 2 to maximize lectures and in-class exercises. The students also felt that the visiting lectures covered some of the same material, so cutting down on the number of the lectures may solve this issue as well as free up some time in the schedule for other activities. In addition, the students noted that they wished the meeting with TAFJORD took place later in the course, so that’s something I can do next time. The students really enjoyed working on the Harvard Business Case and going over it with me and Andre. If time allows, I will consider adding one more case or swapping a visiting lecture for a case.

Obligatoriske oppgaver

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Sustainable Finance - AE512021