Thursday, November 7, 2013

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS COURSE FOR NON-BUSINESS MAJORS, winter quarter

ESRM 321 is an introductory business course designed for non-business majors and has NO prerequisites. We cover the basics of finance and accounting WITH SUSTAINABILITY * (environmental and corporate social responsibility) woven throughout the course. Both the professor and TA are former stockbrokers.
 
ESRM 321, Finance & Accounting From a Sustainability Perspective
NW and I &S credit, 5 credits, SLN 14102
TU/TH, 4:30-6:50 PM
 
ESRM 321 explores sustainable business through the lens of finance and accounting and offers an opportunity to learn about the connections between businesses, society, and the environment. This course first lays a foundation by reviewing basic finance and accounting concepts and models, followed by discussions/exercises relating to the stock market and investing; money and counterfeiting deterrence; financial institutions and the US Federal Reserve Board; and financial statements. Students will learn a tool for assessing corporate environmental, social responsibility, and financial performance and explore relationships among these three dimensions of sustainability’s triple bottom line.
 
* Various definitions of sustainability have been used, but all share a common understanding that sustainability refers to integrating environmental, social responsibility, and financial/economic elements in order to meet the needs of people today without compromising Earth’s capacity to provide for future generations.