Laboratory: Socially Responsible Investing

The interest in responsible investing has steadily grown over time to such an extent that the investment community has shifted from asking whether to adopt social, environmental and governance principles in driving their investment decisions to how they should implement them concretely. The goal of the Lab is to introduce Sustainable and Responsible Investments (SRI): definition, main strategies, market size and their relevance for investors and companies. Moving from the basic concepts in finance, e.g., stocks, bonds and mutual funds, students will be confronted with the value creation opportunities related to bridging sustainability and finance. Teaching will be based on case studies and interaction with the class.

At the end of the Lab, students will be able to define sustainable and responsible investing and resonate about its boundaries. They will also understand the objectives of investing responsibly and how the integration of environmental, social and governance criteria can create opportunities and risks for investors. Finally, students will be able to analyze the sustainability profile of a company, highlighting the main risks and opportunities of its business model in relation with sustainability.