CEMS - Syllabus Corporate Sustainability

UNIVERSIDAD ADOLFO IBÁÑEZ
CEMS – Master in International

Management
Course : Corporate Sustainability in the Transition to a Low

Carbon Economy
Professor : José Luis Opazo, PhD
E-mail : jose.opazo@uai.cl
INTRODUCTION
The management challenge to integrate sustainability at the center of business

strategy involves re-conceptualizing the role of the company in society, its link
with a more diverse and broader group of stakeholders and the analysis of the
impact of the business on various dimensions, including governance, social and
environmental (ESG approach).
Corporate sustainability requires multidisciplinary and prospective approaches

to trends and scenarios. It seeks to explain the complex interactions between
human and natural systems, and their consequences at the level of the global
economy, society and the state of the environment. The transition to
sustainability is also a normative approach, since it points to a set of
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the 2030 horizon, through actions of
all social actors on a global, national and business scale. Finally, from the
entrepreneurial and business perspective, sustainability implies a management
approach to technological innovation, design of business responses and
strategies within the context of socio-technincal transitions and transformation
of long-term production and consumption patterns.
Sustainability Transitions (deep structural changes in modern society) are one

of the great challenges of the 21st century. These complex challenges involve
the development of clean, circular and efficient technologies and processes as
only one dimension of the transformation. Social, institutional, economic and
political processes interact dynamically, defining diverse trajectories of change
and with results that can generate an inclusive and sustainable future or one
where socio-environmental conflicts increase and promote development with
an ecological footprint. elevated.
The global business community has a key responsibility in achieving this

transformation. Hundreds of CEOs of leading multinational companies are
convinced of the opportunity that the transition to sustainable development
represents in terms of creating new markets, value chains and business
models; strategic anticipation of changes in production and consumption
patterns; technological, environmental and social innovation scenarios; new
areas of public-private cooperation, and business participation alongside social
actors in the governance of the transition.
OBJECTIVES
The objectives sought by the course are that participants will be able to:
• Discuss why Sustainable Development is a driving force for business in the 21 st
Century and how Innovation aligns to business strategy from a multi-disciplinary
perspective in its economic, social and environmental dimensions.
• Understand innovation models for sustainability transitions and reflect on the
complexity of socio-technical change processes and the emergence of new
technologies, practices and rules as an opportunity for new ways to satisfy latent
needs of society.
• Analyze business cases and consider how new technological options and business
models emerge in key sectors:
energy and water.
TEACHING METHOD
Classes will include lectures, and individual and group activities. Prior
preparation will be necessary for some class sessions (i.e., completing a test,
reading articles, gathering information, etc.).
The course schedule (that will be available at the course’s webpage) will
indicate the readings or other activities that must be read/done before class.
Please have in mind that your presence and participation are necessary for
everyone’s success in this course. Therefore, a portion of the final grade
depends on class attendance.
NORMS AND EXPECTED BEHAVIOUR
Students are expected to arrive for class on time, so the class may begin and end
according to schedule, and also to remain in the classroom (irrespective of its
format) for the duration of the class. If a student must depart early due to
unavoidable circumstances, the student should inform the professor before class.
Leaving and re-entering the class is not permitted except in the event of an
emergency.
EVALUATION & ATTENDANCE
Students must attend at least 75% of the sessions to comply with minimal
attendance requirement. The course evaluations will be as following:
• Final individual written assignment: 80%
• Participation & class activities: 20%
USE OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES

 Electronic devices are welcome in class when they are used to support
learning. In other words, they are allowed during class for things related to the
course. The use of electronic devices for other purposes is not allowed and may
affect the participation grade negatively. Please be mindful that electronic
devices do not serve as a distraction to you or those around you.
ABOUT YOUR PROFESSOR
José Luis Opazo, PhD, MSc:

Associate professor at the Adolfo Ibáñez Business School (UAI). From 2015 to 2020
was director of the Center for Business Sustainability (CBS-UAI) and from 2019 to
date is the academic director of the Master of Innovation (MI-UAI). José is also co-
founder at Ciudad Luz, a distributed solar energy start-up, which innovates in the field
of new models of provision and use of clean and decentralized solar electricity in Chile
and Latin America.
José is an Environmental Civil Engineer from the Catholic University of Chile, PhD in
Science and Technology Policy Studies from SPRU, University of Sussex and holds a
Master's degree in Environmental Technology from Imperial College London.
With more than 20 years of international experience his interests embrace sustainable
energy futures, sustainable system innovation, low carbon development and the
application of the human ingenuity to tackle sustainability and inclusive growth
challenges. He has researched the emergence and diffusion of radical, disruptive
innovations in energy, sustainability transitions, and social/sustainable
entrepreneurship.
UNIVERSITY CODE OF HONOR
All the students are required to abide by the Code of Honor of the
University.
https://www.uai.cl/assets/uploads/2018/03/cdigo_de_honor.pdf
COURSE SCHEDULE
SESSION 1– INTRODUCTION TO CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY
Class content/activity:
● Introduction to the course: learning goals and general overview
● What is sustainable development? – origin of the concept and its evolution.
● Corporate Sustainability and ESG in practice.
Required prior work/readings/activities:

1. Hardin, G. (1968). The Tragedy of the Commons. Science, New Series, Vol. 162,
No. 3859, pp. 1243-124
2. ONU. Sustainable Development in the 21st Century –SD21 Executive summary pp.
1-20 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/resources/sd21
3. WBCSD Vision 2050 The New Agenda for Business . World Business Council for
Sust. Development. https://www.wbcsd.org/contentwbc/download/1746/21728
4. Bland, J. & Westlake, S. (2013). Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow: a Modest
defense of futurology. NESTA. UK
SESSION 2: SUSTAINABILITY TRANSITIONS AND MANAGING

INNOVATION
Conceptual approach:
● How we navigate Sustainability Transitions?
● How do new models, technologies and practices emerge?
Practical approach:
● Transition Management, Strategic Niche Management and Social Innovation
Required reading/activities:
1. Geels, Frank W., Sovacool, Benjamin K., Schwanen, Tim and Sorrell, Steve. (2017)
Sociotechnical transitions for deep decarbonization. Science, 357 (6357), 1242-
1244.(Disponible en: http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/70398/3/Geels-et-al-Accelerating
transitions SECOND SUBMISSION FINAL.pdf;
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/broadcast/read/41743)
2. Sustainability Transitions Research: Transforming Science and Practice for Societal
Change. Loorbach, D., Frantzeskaki, N. and Avelino, F. (2017) Annu. Rev. Environ.
Resour. 42:4.1–4.28
3. Schot, J. & Geels, F. W. (2008). Strategic niche management and sustainable
innovation journeys: theory, findings, research agenda, and policy. Technology
Analysis & Strategic Management, 20, 537-554.
4. Smith, A., Stirling, A. & Berkout, F. (2005) The governance of sustainable socio-
technical transitions. Research Policy, 34, 1491-1510.
5. Videos TBD.
SESSION 3: ENERGY AND THE TRANSITION TO A LOW CARBON

ECONOMY
● Global Climate Change, energy transition and the global and local energy system
● Renewable energies as a driver of the transition
● Distributed Energy and business opportunities in a new energy scenario
● Financing of sustainable investments
Required readings/activities:
1. World Energy Transitions Outlook 2021 (available at:
https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2021/March/
IRENA_World_Energy_Transitions_Outlook_2021.pdf)
2. Energía 2050: Política Energética de Chile (available at:
https://energia.gob.cl/sites/default/files/energia_2050_-
_politica_energetica_de_chile.pdf)
3. Teaching cases to be announced
SESSION 4: SMART WATER AND BUSINESS MODEL INNOVATION
● Circular economy and the water system
● Hydrological System and adaptation to climate change
● Efficient water production, use and treatment technologies
● Teaching Case: Biofactory and applied circular economy model
Required readings/activities:
1. Strategic Summary. Radiography of Water in Chile: Gap and Water Risk in Chile
(available at: https://escenarioshidricos.cl/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/resumen-
radiografia-del-agua-1-1.pdf)
2. Strategic Summary. Water Transition: the future of water in Chile (available at:
https://escenarioshidricos.cl/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/resumen-baja-1-1-1.pdf)
3. Devenin, V. and Opazo, J. (2019). Aguas Andinas Biofactory. Teaching Case

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UNIVERSIDAD ADOLFO IBÁÑEZ

CEMS – Master in International

Course : Corporate Sustainability in the Transition to a Low

The management challenge to integrate sustainability at the center of business

Corporate sustainability requires multidisciplinary and prospective approaches

Sustainability Transitions (deep structural changes in modern society) are one

The global business community has a key responsibility in achieving this

NORMS AND EXPECTED BEHAVIOUR

EVALUATION & ATTENDANCE

USE OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES

ABOUT YOUR PROFESSOR

José Luis Opazo, PhD, MSc:

UNIVERSITY CODE OF HONOR

SESSION 1– INTRODUCTION TO CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY

Required prior work/readings/activities:

SESSION 2: SUSTAINABILITY TRANSITIONS AND MANAGING

SESSION 3: ENERGY AND THE TRANSITION TO A LOW CARBON

SESSION 4: SMART WATER AND BUSINESS MODEL INNOVATION

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