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Technical University of Munich
Technical University of Munich

Sustainability Communication and Trends in Enterprises

Description

Enterprises are persistently faced with challenging sustainability initiatives, trends, and communication expectations (and regulatory obligations) to cater to. Such changes can be both rapid and profound and often involve interactions between various processes and aspects including, but not limited to, the societal, political, economic, and technological contexts in which enterprises operate. This module serves as an introduction to different sustainability-related topics and trends facing enterprises. The following common topics will be addressed:
  • Definitions of sustainability including current challenges;
  • Closer look into sustainable development goals (SDGs);
  • Sustainability reporting including current regulatory and non-regulatory developments and governing standards and frameworks (e.g., Double Materiality; European Green Deal; Global Reporting Initiative (GRI); EU Taxonomy; among others);
  • Critical analysis of corporate sustainability reports and non-financial statements;
  • Design of corporate sustainability reporting cycle;
  • Corporate internal and external sustainability communication;
  • ESG risks and controversies including introduction to ESG ratings and investments;
  • ESG crisis management and communication;
  • Sustainability strategy (and organization);
  • Green HRM;
  • Sustainability audits including data collection and management;
  • Human Rights and Supply Chain Due Diligence.
This, as well as additional content, will also be facilitated not only through the course lecturer(s), but also through the class visits of several guest speakers working in the field of sustainability (both from the corporate world and from academia, allowing students further exchange of knowledge and a glimpse into the corporate world).

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of this module, students are able to understand, analyze, and therefore evaluate:

  • Sustainability communication including reporting, auditing, and strategy setting, and other related trends that enterprises currently face in their day-to-day business;
  • Sustainability as a current and future trend;
  • Challenges arising in the process of integrating sustainability in companies amid fast and current regulatory changes;
  • Other "hot topics" in the field of sustainability such as green Human Resource Management (HRM), Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), ESG Risks and Ratings, ESG Crisis Management, Greenwashing, and Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD).

Furthermore, the module will allow students - as potential future professionals and managers - to avoid making corporate decision-related mistakes, and rather prepare them – to a given extent – in taking decisions based on their critical thinking and analytical skills. As such, the course will support students in improving their thinking and analytical skills through:

  • getting involved in discussions and debates requiring critical analytical skills;
  • generating self-understanding of topics;
  • developing understanding of other people and different perspectives;
  • reflecting on how to act and make decisions responsibly especially in difficult and crisis situations;
  • developing integrative thinking;
  • identifying classroom research question and investigating it further.


Finally, the module will enhance awareness and understanding of emerging sustainability-related topics and initiatives for enterprises including current and upcoming regulatory changes in this regard.

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