The complexity of the challenges facing businesses and the world today requires us to manage financial and non-financial variables to ensure business sustainability. This course will allow you to identify these variables and learn first-hand about the business opportunities behind the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

  • Start of the course - Open

  • Recommended duration 8 weeks

  • Estimated effort - 2 hours/week

  • Language - Spanish

  • Price - Free

This course is entirely online. The different units of the course will remain open 24/7 so that each learner can complete the course at their own pace. The "Business Sustainability and SDGs" course is open to any participant profile.

Course description

In recent years, after going through one of the biggest economic and financial crises in recent history, we have witnessed a progressive loss of trust and credibility of society in institutions. Many strive to blame the markets or companies for the situation, but in reality, behind the institutions, markets and companies, there are only people.

It is often heard that globalisation is a modern concept, with consequences, if not negative, at least of dubious goodness. However, few realise that what is really new is the liquid environment surrounding what is now considered the third period of globalisation in history. Globalisation 3.0 is characterised by the globalisation of the individual and of operations which, together with the acceleration of communications and the flourishing of social networks, has volatilised corporate immunity to boycotts and public pressure.

In this new volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment, business managers need to take into account economic, social and environmental factors to ensure business sustainability and to respond to the demands of a wider, informed and co-ordinated society.

Nowadays, the management of concepts such as non-financial risk management, the creation of shared value, stakeholder management, sustainable technological innovation, circular economy, ESG reporting, Sustainable Development Goals or the generation of positive impact are essential to create competitive business models.

The Business Sustainability and SDGs course is aimed at people in executive roles and business leaders with strategic functions in an organisation, either within or outside the area of sustainability, who wish to deepen their understanding of all the concepts related to sustainable development and innovation in this area.

Course structure

Course overview

a. Globalisation, global challenges and SDGs

i. Globalisation 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0: of countries, companies and the individual

ii. Major changes in the world over the last 30 years

iii. The global challenges: environmental, social and economic

iv. Agenda 2030: The Sustainable Development Goals

v. Audio-visual campaigns introducing the SDGs

b. Evaluation M01

c. Documentation

a. Business and the SDGs

i. The company's purpose, leadership and creation of shared value

ii. Stakeholder management in the company

iii. Human rights, SDGs and business

iv. Circular economy, innovation and sustainability

b. Evaluation M02

c. Documentation

a. SDGs and the environment

i. Environmental Challenges

ii. SDGs and the environment. Private sector contribution to the SDGs. - Part I

iii. SDGs and the environment. Private sector contribution to the SDGs. - Part II

b. Evaluation M03

c. Documentation

a. SDGs and society

i. Social and geopolitical challenges - Part I.

ii. Social and Geopolitical Challenges - Part II

iii. Social and Geopolitical Challenges - Part III

iv. SDGs and society. Private sector contribution to the SDGs. - Part I

v. SDGs and society. Private sector contribution to the SDGs. - Part II

b. Evaluation M04

c. Documentation

a. SDGs and the economy

i. Economic and technological challenges - Part I

ii. Economic and technological challenges - Part II

iii. SDGs and the economy. The private sector's contribution to the SDGs. - Part I

iv. SDGs and the economy. Private sector contribution to the SDGs. - Part II

b. Evaluation M05

c. Documentation

a. SDGs and partnerships

i. Partnership challenges

ii. SDGs and partnerships

iii. Private sector contribution to SDG 17

iv. How to develop successful partnerships

b. Evaluation M06

c. Documentation

a. Managing non-financial risks and opportunities in the enterprise

i. The UN Global Compact and the 10 Principles

ii. The SDG Compass: 5 steps to maximise contribution to the SDGs

iii. ESG reporting, measuring contribution to the SDGs and measuring impact

b. Evaluation M07

c. Documentation

Academic direction of the course

  • Isabel Garro

    Isabel Garro is founding partner and CEO of 3a4b. She has dedicated most of her professional life to understanding the drivers of change in sustainable development. She was Special Advisor to the High Commissioner for the 2030 Agenda of the Government of Spain and General Director of the Spanish Network of the United Nations Global Compact for more than a decade. She started her career in the financial advisory and audit sector. Currently, she is a strategy advisor at Planner Media, coordinator and associate professor of the Master's Degree in Competitive Social Transformation at the Complutense University of Madrid and IE Business School.

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