This module aims to:

Enable students to develop knowledge to evaluate sustainability practices and climate risk exposure of business entities;

Provide students with information on how ESG practices are reported;

Allow students to acquire the skills to be able to analyse the sustainability performance of an organisation;

Train students will be able identify how an organisation can improve its sustainability performance;

Inform students about the relevant standards issued by the GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) and SASB (Sustainability Accounting Standards Board);

Help students to understand the latest standards framework on sustainability that are being developed by the IASB (International Accounting Standards Board) and their aims;

Develop skills necessary for analysing the role of capital market and non-financial stakeholders in shaping the development of these standards.

(LO1) Students will be able to evaluate the nature and importance of sustainability information.

(LO2) Students will be able to critically analyse the relevant sustainability accounting regulation and the procedure in preparing a sustainability report.

(LO3) Students will be able to demonstrate a critical awareness of the methods of computation of greenhouse gas emissions from energy and water use, material usage, emissions to air, land and water and biodiversity.

(LO4) Students will be able to critically assess the reporting and auditing requirements related to ESG practices.

(LO5) Students will be able to evaluate the conflicts of interest and ethical issues related to carbon accounting choices.

(LO6) Students will be able to make recommendations on governance and sustainability strategies of business entities.

(S1) Ethical awareness
Students will develop ethical awareness by understanding issues related to accountability, governance and corporate social responsibility.

(S2) Problem solving
Students will work on analysing problems in published accounts.

(S3) Commercial awareness
Students will work on case studies and examples of real business operations and problems.

(S4) International awareness
Students will explore the similarities and differences in financial reporting standards and practices around the world.

(S5) Lifelong learning
Students will develop this skill through the preparation and interpretation of financial statements information.

2 hour lecture x 10 weeks
1 hour seminar x 10 weeks
120 hours self-directed learning

Lectures will include some discussion elements and the seminars will take the form of problem solving workshops that will help students to prepare for the exam component of the assessment.

Critical evaluation publicly available information on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices of companies:
Motives for disclosing ESG information, Greenwashing, and data manipulation.

Sustainability Accounting quality and its effect on decarbonisation and value:
Analysis of company sustainability reports.

The role of international standards on sustainable reporting:
Green House Gas (GHG) footprint across the value chain and the various climate related risks facing companies.

Global sustainability reporting standards and their application:
Approaches to sustainable reporting standards in the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures, the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) and the European task force on sustainability reporting.

Reporting time horizon and disclosure methods:
The difference between backward looking sustainability information in financial statements and the forward-looking information c ontained in narrative reports and sensitivity analysis.