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2021W ADMS 4537 Course Outline

This document outlines the details of the AP/ADMS 4537 3.00 Sustainable Investing course offered at York University during the Winter 2022 term. The course will be held online on Thursdays from 7:00 to 10:00 pm and will be directed by Walter Viguiliouk. The course focuses on sustainable and responsible investing strategies and techniques used by institutional investors. Students will learn about environmental, social and governance factors and frameworks. They will complete a group assignment analyzing a company and presenting recommendations in a mock engagement. The course aims to understand links between sustainability and financial performance and evaluate company disclosures and impacts. Assessment will include participation, midterm and final exams, assignments, and case study presentations

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63 views

2021W ADMS 4537 Course Outline

This document outlines the details of the AP/ADMS 4537 3.00 Sustainable Investing course offered at York University during the Winter 2022 term. The course will be held online on Thursdays from 7:00 to 10:00 pm and will be directed by Walter Viguiliouk. The course focuses on sustainable and responsible investing strategies and techniques used by institutional investors. Students will learn about environmental, social and governance factors and frameworks. They will complete a group assignment analyzing a company and presenting recommendations in a mock engagement. The course aims to understand links between sustainability and financial performance and evaluate company disclosures and impacts. Assessment will include participation, midterm and final exams, assignments, and case study presentations

Uploaded by

Atputhan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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York University

Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies


School of Administrative Studies
Winter 2022
AP/ADMS 4537 3.00 Sustainable Investing

DATE and TIME: Thursday, 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.

LOCATION: Online

COURSE DIRECTOR: Walter Viguiliouk [email protected]

PREREQUISITES: AP/ADMS 3531

TEXTBOOKS

Readings will be assigned by the course directors using online and other digital sources.

OPTIONAL READING:

Students will be expected to read the news on a regular basis in order to discuss current
events as they pertain to sustainable investing.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is for students who are interested in pursuing careers in the investment
profession, and specifically within the rapidly evolving area of sustainable and responsible
investing. The course is based on new strategies and techniques that institutional investors
are adopting with respect to integrating Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) and
Climate Change factors into their investment decision making. It goes further to discuss the
fundamental principles and prevailing ESG frameworks that institutional investors are
adopting to help them enhance their capital allocation decisions. The course requires
students to think critically about how ESG factors can be used to identify investment risks
and opportunities and enhance expected returns.

Students will work on complex integrated company case studies.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. To understand the link between material sustainability information and a company’s


financial performance

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2. To understand the difference between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
information and decision-useful material sustainability information for investors
3. To understand, interpret and apply Sustainable Accounting Standards Board (SASB)
Standards and the Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)
framework in full.
4. To assess and analyze company ESG disclosures and performance
5. To know the differences between the various approaches to sustainable investing (ESG
integration, Impact investing, Positive/Negative screening, Thematic ESG investing,
Shareholder engagement, etc.)
6. To understand Climate Change related investment risks
7. To know the fundamental drivers behind the growth and demand behind sustainable
investing
8. To develop communication and presentation skills needed to express your position and
opinions as a professional
9. Scrutinize corporate financial statements and other disclosures based on ESG
disclosures and performance
10. To write an informed report on the ESG performance of a company and present the
results orally as an engagement with the company

GRADING SCHEME

 Class Participation ….....10%


 Midterm Exam …………..25%
 Assignments ………………25%
 Final Exam …………………40%
 Total …………………………100%

ASSIGNMENTS/ CASE STUDIES

Students will work in groups consisting of not fewer than 3 students and not more than 4
students. Each group will select or be assigned a target company. The group will be
required to prepare for a mock engagement with the company. Specific instructions will be
provided at the time when companies will be assigned. You will be given plenty of time to
research your company, prepare your gap analysis, and develop your engagement plan.
Groups will be selected to present their mock engagements in each class. The group that
prepared the engagement plan will also run the class discussion. All engagements
presented in class will be subject to the final examination.

EXAMINATIONS

The date of the final exam will be scheduled by the registrar's office.

The midterm exam will cover all the material presented and discussed in class and the
reading assignments to the date of the midterm
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CLASS PARTICIPATION

This is an interactive class. Class discussion and participation are key. Each class will begin
with news items from the week that deal with ethical issues in business with special
emphasis on the investment industry.

COURSE OUTLINE: Please note the order of the topics and the assignment dates may be
changed during the term, depending on the progress made in class. All changes will be
announced in class. Students need to follow the directions given at the end of each class
and posted on the course website. Other case studies, readings and assignments may be
given in addition to the ones indicated below.

4537 Course Outline

Lecture Main Topic Contents Readings and


number assignments

Lecture #1 Introduction to Sustainable Investing

Lecture #2 Sustainability Accounting Standards Board


(SASB)

Lecture #3 Climate Change & the Task Force on


Climate Related Financial Disclosures
(TCFD)

Lecture #4 Active Ownership & Engagement

Lecture #5 ESG Integration into Stock Selection and


Portfolio Management

Lecture #6 Corporate Governance

Lecture #7 Midterm

Lecture #8 Social Factors

Lecture #9 Environmental Factors

Lecture #10 Mock Engagements

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Lecture #11 Impact Investing & Social Development
Goals (SDGs)

Lecture #12 Course Review and Exam Prep

Finance Area policy on DSA (Deferred Standing Agreement)


It is the policy of the Admin Studies finance area that instructors will NOT
sign a DSA form if you miss both the midterm and final exams. Students in this
situation will need to petition for deferred exam, late withdrawal, or a remedy appropriate to their
circumstances. If the midterm is missed due to illness, appropriate documentation must be provided to
the course director within two weeks of the missed work.  Do NOT hand it into the office.

RELEVANT UNIVERSITY/LA&PS/SCHOOL REGULATIONS

The regulations on many aspects of coursework that apply to you are on:
http://sas.laps.yorku.ca/students/

You are responsible for understanding and following these regulations.

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