Faculty
Prof. Peter Møllgaard (Econ)

Course Coordinator
Prof. Susse Georg

No prerequisites. The course is open to all students.

The climate for business has changed markedly over the past few years as attention to the challenges of global climate change has increased interests in moving towards a carbon free economy. For the business community this represents both a tremendous opportunity and threat as existing markets change and new ones are created. How will these changes affect business and what strategies are businesses developing to grapple with the challenges of climate change?

This course will explore answers to these questions from a multi-disciplinary perspective. Drawing upon insights from economics, law, innovation and organizational theory the course will cover a number of important issues facing businesses seeking to develop a climate strategy:

- The strategic benefits of increasing operational efficiency and developing new technologies and products as the call for reducing green house gas emissions increases

- The economics of climate change

- The challenges of anticipating and influencing regulations and the development of new markets, including markets for CO2 emissions

- The organizational and managerial challenges of developing climate strategies

- Accounting for climate initiatives as a means of improving corporate reputation and accessing new sources of capital

- Evaluating the technical, financial and political aspects of climate strategies for business

The course will focus on the strategies of established industries as well as emergent companies seeking to develop clean technologies and consider the national and international implications of the changes in business strategies.

The course will meet 10 times during the spring term. The teachers will use a variety of teaching methods: lectures, case studies, videos, and in-class exercises.

The course seeks to develop the student’s competencies with regard to inter-disciplinary studies of complex issues. The course will enhance the students’ theoretical understanding of the challenges facing business in developing climate strategies, provide them with empirical insights and develop their analytical skills.

The aim of the course is to give students an overview of how various disciplines within business administration and economics conceptualize and analyze the ways in which business address the challenges of climate change. The aim is to develop an inter-disciplinary perspective and not to make the students fully proficient in any one discipline. Students will be expected to critically assess the climate strategies of business and to suggest alternatives giving due consideration of the technological, organizational, financial and legal constraints.

The exam will be a four hour written (case) exam. Students are allowed to use their own computers.

Students at the HA programme are able to write their bachelor project in connection with this course: Yes

Hoffman, A. J. 2007. Carbon Strategies: How Leading Companies are Reducing their Climate Change Footprint. Ann Arbor: The Erb Institute, University of Michigan.

Compendium of selected articles and cases.