Dr Richard Perkins

This course is available on the BA in Geography, BSc in Accounting and Finance, BSc in Economic History and Geography, BSc in Environment and Development, BSc in Environmental Policy with Economics and BSc in Geography with Economics. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. This course is available to General Course students.

This course seeks to explore and critically interrogate the governance of environmental sustainability by corporate and financial actors - commonly framed in terms of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainable and responsible investment (SRI), respectively. Drawing on a range of theoretical ideas, the emphasis of the course is on providing students with an understanding of the motives, practices and outcomes of market actors' growing involvement in sustainability. Topics covered include business ethics, strategic CSR, self-regulation, ESG (environment, social and governance) in finance, green bonds, and greenwashing.

In the Department of Geography and Environment, teaching will be delivered through a combination of classes/seminars, pre-recorded lectures, live online lectures and other supplementary interactive live activities.

This course is delivered through weekly 2-hour interactive seminars across Michaelmas Term.

This course includes a reading week in Week 6 of Michaelmas Term.

Students will be expected to produce a formative issue brief plan in the Michaelmas Term.

Rasche, A., Morsing, M. and Moon, J. (eds) (2018). Corporate Social Responsibility: Strategy, Communication. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Schoenmaker, D. and Schramade. W. (2018). Principles of Sustainable Finance. Oxford, Oxford University Press. 

Assignment (100%) in the MT.

The assignment will be an issue brief (3000 words).