Vanderbilt University, Peabody College, Human & Organizational Development (HOD)
Jeff Gowdy to guest lecture for the fourth year on the topics of serving on sustainability NGO boards and how organizational mission affects the focus on sustainability, CSR, and philanthropy.
Clemson University, Strom Thurmond Institute
This graduate level course is taught online through the Clemson University Strom Thurmond Institute of Government and Public Affairs. The course focuses on sustainability across sectors including Science, Business, and Government.
For more information, please visit the Strom Thurmond Institute website.
Vanderbilt University, Graduate School of Management
Every company, no matter its size, uses energy in a variety of ways. And every company, whether it realizes it or not, faces and will likely continue to face a growing number of environmental and business issues and opportunities around energy and carbon. This course will focus specifically on the current issues, risks, and opportunities around energy and carbon in the business world.
For more information: go to the Owen School website
Vanderbilt University, Graduate School of Management
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance metrics have traditionally been difficult to obtain in any comprehensive or consistent manner. Over the years, standardized metrics have been developed through the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). Several thousand multi-national companies now report on ESG performance using the GRI framework and Bloomberg is now making these metrics available to mainstream investors....
For more information: http://www.owen.vanderbilt.edu/vanderbilt/programs/mba/curriculum/choose-your-academic-focus/concentrations/finance.cfm
University of Auckland Business School, Graduate School of Enterprise
Effective business leadership and management in the 21st century requires a thorough understanding of the important social and environmental responsibilities and opportunities that are emerging in today's global, transparent, and natural resource-constricted market. This Short Course will help you understand how sustainability and social responsibility issues are relevant for your business, and assist you in crafting strategies that focus on creating financial, environmental, and social value for your organization.
Profession and Purpose - A Resource Guide for MBA Careers in Sustainability
by Katie Kross
pg. 65 "Until recently, sustainability consulting was a niche field of small players and was very difficult to enter. Now, many sustainability firms are hiring regularly and large firms like Deloitte and KPMG are adding sustainability and CSR services. This is still a small and competitive field, but the opportunities are growing. Jeff Gowdy, founder of J. Gowdy Consulting, advises, "Understand where you want to fit into the consulting realm. I break it out into three parts: (1) upfront strategic planning/strategy development (2) implementation and project management; and (3) marketing and communications. You can focus on one or more but really need to develop the skills in an area to have the expertise before consulting." He also emphasizes, "The environmental knowledge is the real wildcard for MBAs. You must understand the ecological aspects of the work in order to provide real consulting value to clients."