Micro-Credit Course on Sustainable Development

The course was provided under the umbrella of the VGSoM ecosystem and was offered to both first and second-year MBA students on a first come first serve basis with a total batch size of 80 students. Taught by industry stalwart Mr. Rajesh Ray, Associate Director, IBM India, the course aimed provide our students with a holistic view on Industry and the uncertainties that sustainability will introduce and allows students to formulate their own strategies on the ways to mitigate the VUCA surrounding it. Apart from knowledge, the one credit course will be reflected on the participating students grade sheet but will not be incorporated into calculating their overall CGPA. ?

The course, over the course of two days (14th-15th October) introduced students to the concepts of ESG, Materiality, reporting frameworks, carbon footprints and deep dived into carbon life cycle assessments as well as the challenges faced by industry in solving these issues and much more. There was also an emphasizes on case studies as well as student participation which involved groups of students engaging in interactive presentations to provide their own interpretations of case study matters as well as potential positions of future development.

One of the cases discussed involved ESG initiatives to reduce emissions in the medium, small and micro enterprises within the country via the Say Yes to Sustainable Initiatives in India launched by Yes Bank. The facets included identification of MSME’s on the basis on Energy Efficiency and Occupational health and safety (OHS) and intervening at the grassroots level by developing energy efficiency projects and OHS systems which helped reduce 6000 metric tons of CO2 every year and improved MSME outcomes by aligning them more closely with global standards.

Provided below is the full course outline:

Harigaraputran, a student of VGSoM who had opted for the program suggests that it provided a strong foundation for future learning and the instruction under an industry expert helped cement their learnings along with a practical edge. Additionally, he mentioned that the instructor’s insights on ESG consulting as well his robust understanding of regulations such as GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) and the real-life applications showcasing how compliance in sustainability scenarios is enforced proved to be an excellent learning opportunity. A similar testimonial was offered by Swarnim, who asserted that the program maximized the utility of the afforded time and mentioned that it would be useful in developing insights into how sustainability initiatives could evolve over time. ?