This skill introduces students to evaluate and assess the impact and success of sustainable business practices from different perspectives of a company.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT METHOD(S) USED IN THIS COURSE IS WITH RESERVATION. A RE-EMERGENCE OF THE CORONAVIRUS AND NEW COUNTERMEASURES BY THE DUTCH GOVERNMENT MIGHT FORCE COORDINATORS TO CHANGE THE TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT METHODS USED. THE MOST UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ABOUT THE TEACHING/ASSESSMENT METHOD(S) WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE COURSE SYLLABUS.

The best business ideas are the best... because they have proven themselves to be exactly that. But how do you prove the success of sustainable business practices, aimed at furthering an objective (e.g., the environment, labor practices, gender equality) that does not necessarily support the firm’s bottom line? Do they achieve their objectives, and how do they contribute to that bottom line? In this skill, you will learn (i) that the correct method used to answer these questions depends very much on the type of business; (ii) that the success of sustainable business practices varies (and why); (iii) how to assess the relationship between firms’ bottom line (sales, profits, market share) and their focus on sustainability. The emphasis on the course is on real-life data cases, which cover areas such as equities, corporate debt, microfinance, charitable giving and crowdfunding.

To be announced

Exchange students need to have taken at least one introductory business course and one quantitative methods course including basic statistics and regression analysis and have an advanced level of English.