Elective Courses

Many countries have enacted or are enacting new rules and laws to regulate corporate behaviors or investment activities. For example, investment funds must follow through their ESG labels and objectives. One of the goals of such rules and laws is to curb greenwashing. Firms need to manage their activities to comply with regulations and achieve desired ESG outcomes. This course presents major ESG regulations around the world, especially in EU, China, and US. It will also discuss how corporations and investment firms can best cope with regulations to benefit stakeholders.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has regularly released comprehensive reports on climate change, global warming and environmental crisis in the past three decades. However, there are still debates and skepticism on the current status, causes and consequences of climate change. This course covers relevant topics related to the economic, scientific, and engineering issues on climate change. Measurement and methodologies for climate change issues will be discussed, with linkage to climate finance tools. Understanding such issues help students to understand technological solutions to climate change such as carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS).

Firms and people can first and foremost manage their own behaviors on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, such as reducing their own carbon footprint. However, doing so alone is probably not enough to achieve net-zero, especially without strictly enforced government regulations. This course discusses the life cycle assessment of products and processes. It provides systematic analysis of sustainable supply chain management. Besides discussions on producers, how consumers can help rein in ESG activities by corporation is also examined.

The landscape of market practices in environmental, social and governance (ESG) is fast changing. One useful learning method to grasp ESG concepts and products is to participate in actual business scenarios, such as internships or international trips. This course allows students to gain first-hand experience and knowledge about ESG practices and developments. Students are required to submit a proposal with learning objectives for approval in order to enroll into this course. The project can be conducted locally or overseas, with an external corporation or organization. It can be in the form of internship or field study. Students will need to submit a final report, endorsed by the industry sponsor, to the programme for assessment.

The practices and research in the field of sustainable finance and ESG are fast developing. This course provides a venue to discuss current hot and important topics in the relevant areas. The content of this course will not overlap with that of other courses and can vary over time. The exact topics including potential research projects and debates will be determined by the course instructor.

This course introduces the basic principles and analysis of environmental and resource economics. It covers market developments, policies and regulations on natural resources. Basic concepts and analytical tools are illustrated, with a focus on current debates. The overall cost and benefit of environmental and resources use will be discussed. Incentives of market players and government bodies will be examined.

This course is designed to provide students an opportunity to acquire first-hand knowledge of international business environment. Experiential learning and knowledge exchange will be applied throughout the study field trip to develop students’ understanding of international business environment in a different cultural context and help them construct a global perspective. Firm visits and cultural related activities will be arranged during the study field trip to arouse students’ awareness in cultural diversity and enhance their understanding of how culture can impact international business strategy.  

Note: This course is not open to candidates who have taken or are taking MACC7025, ECON6100, MFIN7057, PMGM7016, MSBA7034 or MSMK7020.