Executing Sustainable and Impactful Corporate Strategy

Program Insights

What is a sustainable and impactful strategy? And how can it be implemented through a holistic business model? To answer these questions, the course discusses business models that create shared value and are particularly well positioned to tackle the world’s biggest problems. To do so, it is necessary to broaden the way we think about a business’s value, understand how to measure it and, finally, explore the ways to report and communicate how they are creating long-term value.

The course starts with an analysis of a business case to change from “business as usual” to “sustainable and impactful business” focusing on the current aspirations and expectation of governments, investors, managers and society at large. Nowadays, business organizations and their leaders are increasingly asked to be a force for good in society and regain part of public trust that has been eroded by recent episodes of corporate failures and managerial misconduct by aligning their corporate purpose to sustainable performance(s) for a variety of stakeholders.

The logics, theories and leading practices for thinking, measuring and reporting executing sustainable and impactful corporate strategy are discussed in the module by looking at several cases. The course is interactive, and students are encouraged to take an active role, including participation in group projects and presentations.

Syllabus

Day 1

Morning:

• Module Introduction;
• In search of Sustainable and Strategies: key logics and concepts;
• Connecting Sustainable Strategies with the Organization’s Management System;
• Exercises/Cases/Discussions

Afternoon:

• Group work preparation

Day 2

Morning:

• The evolution of corporate social responsibility (CSR): from Business Ethics to Accounting for Sustainability;
• Global Reporting Initiative (GRI): principles and materiality assessment;
• Exercises/Cases/Discussions

Afternoon:

• Group work preparation

Day 3

Morning:

• The role of the Investors;
• Integrated Thinking and Reporting;
• Aligning sustainable strategy with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
• Case studies

Afternoon:

• Group work preparation

Day 4

Morning:

• The concept of Impact;
• Impact and shared value;
• How the measure and report impact;
• Exercises/Cases/Discussions
• Case studies

Afternoon:

• Group work preparation

Day 5

Final TEST and course graduation