Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Management Topics 1
Other languages of instruction: Catalan, Spanish,
Teaching staff
You can contact Dr. Blai Pié Valls: bpie@uic.es
Introduction
Management Topics 1 is an online course that will be taught asynchronously but in a participative way. It is a requirement that students participate actively through exercises, videos, and a final research project.
This course is independent of Management Topics 2. One can take MT2 without regard to MT1 and vice versa.
ESG Topics for Management and Leadership
This course takes a dynamic approach to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations, steering away from purely theoretical descriptions of frameworks, metrics, and taxonomies.
Instead of offering ready-made solutions, our objective will be to equip individuals with essential tools and, more importantly, the right mindset for addressing ESG challenges from a perspective befitting future business leaders. Active participation in lectures and activities is essential as we delve into complex questions that often lack clear-cut, definitive answers. With this approach and a forward-thinking perspective, our aim is to empower participants to anticipate and effectively address emerging issues in ways that benefit both their organizations
and society at large.
The ultimate goal of the course is not to create ESG experts, but rather to cultivate a critical and forward-thinking mindset towards ESG topics, oriented towards a more sustainable and just future, and encouraging responsible leadership.
Objectives
1. Acquire abilities and general knowledge of Business Administration.
2. Self-manage time.
3. Ability to relate concepts from different subjects.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- 53 - To acquire the skills necessary to learn autonomously.
- 55 - To adopt good time management skills.
- 61 - To develop skills for adapting to new situations.
- 63 - To be able to analyse business related behaviour and decisions and evaluate them from an economic, social and ethical point of view.
- 65 - To acquire the ability to put knowledge into practice.
- 68 - To develop mechanisms that encourage sensitivity towards social welfare issues.
Syllabus
ESG Topics for Management and Leadership
- General introduction to ESG.
- General overview of Environmental considerations.
- Environmental crisis and climate change.
- The role of energy in today’s economy.
- Social impacts of economical systems.
- The role of companies in society.
- Selected topics of interplay between economy and society.
- Governance considerations.
- Impact of Governance on E & S.
- Governance as culture.
- Case study: Governance in banking.
- Other key aspects of Governance.
Teaching and learning activities
Online
- Active participation in lectures.
- Case studies.
- Preparation of presentations and short essays related to ESG.
Evaluation systems and criteria
Online
Evaluation:
- Visualization of videos, active participation and deliverables throughout the course: 20%
- Research project: 30%
- Final exam: 50%
Attendance and participation:
Attendance will be evaluated through the complete visualization of all videos of the course.
Participation will be evaluated through the delivery of programmed activities and exercises throughout the course. The lack of timely delivery of such activities will be considered a serious breach. Successful completion of the final exam will not guarantee passing the course.
Research project:
Each student will be required to present a research project that explores in depth a specific topic related to ESG. The project will be developed throughout the trimester, during which there may be interaction with the professor to refine de deliverable.
There will be a first submission, which will be assessed midway through the semester. Based on the results of this assessment, students will be given the opportunity to make a second submission at the end of the trimester in case of an unsatisfactory evaluation. This second submission will also be available for those students who passed the first one but wish to improve their grade base on the professor’s feedback.
Final examen:
By the end of the semester, there will be an exam covering all materials of the course, including those materials prepared by your class colleagues. These materials will be published in the Moodle with enough anticipation (this is especially relevant for the Research Projects, which will cover a significant part of the course syllabus).
The final exam will be oral and will take place via a Teams meeting. The exam schedule will be published well in advance, and each student will be assigned a specific time slot.
The final exam will qualitatively evaluate the learning of each student towards the contents of the course. It will not be required to know 100% of all covered materials, but the student will have to prove familiarity with the contents, demonstrating a good capacity to explain the most relevant contents.
Optional final project:
Optionally, those students with the maximum qualification will be offered to participate in an optional final project to achieve a qualification with distinction (“Matrícula d’honor”).
Second call:
In the event that you do not pass the final exam, there will be a second final exam. The maximum grading obtainable in this recovery exam will be 7.
Bibliography and resources
Recommended bibliography and resources will be listed in each lecture.