Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) has gained increasing attention over the past few years. Today many institutional investors will only invest in those companies that provide ESG performance reporting. ESG provides a set of standards for a company’s operations that today’s socially conscious investors use to screen potential investments in terms of how a company treats the environment, manages social issues (relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities where it operates), and deals with governance issues.

This course has a three-fold focus:

  1. Provide the participant with an understanding of ESG. Here we look at what ESG is, its evolution and why it matters. We illustrate this, using examples of three ESG incidents (the Deepwater Horizon oil spill; the Volkswagen emissions scandal and the Facebook – Cambridge Analytica debacle).
  2. Show how an ESG framework supports a company’s overall risk management strategy/structure. Here we explore issues like:
    • Key ESG factors
    • Sustainable Investing
    • Corporate Pressure
    • Stakeholder Expectations
    • ESG Risks and Opportunities
    • Unique Risks in Corporate Supply Chains
    • ESG Investing Trends, and
    • Information Needs and Sources.
  3. Provide the hands-on knowledge you need to conduct more effective ESG due diligence, and to make better investment decisions. Here we present a step-by-step guide on the actions you need to take to ensure that your company becomes ESG compliant. We conclude by examining some current ESG myths.

ESG is an increasingly popular way for investors to evaluate companies in which they might want to invest. On the flipside, ESG can also help investors avoid companies that could pose a greater financial risk due to below par environmental or other practices.

ESG is relevant to analysts and investors, consumers and employees, and has become a major topic of discussion at Board meetings.

Course Key Concepts: Climate change, Diversity, Employee relations, ESG, ESG risks, Green Bonds, Governance, Human rights, Impact investment, Investment, Materiality analysis, Responsible investment, Social impact, Sustainable investing, Sustainability.

Learning Objectives
  • Explore what ESG is and its relevance to making financial decisions.
  • Identify key environmental, social, and governance issues.
  • Discover how stakeholders influence corporate ESG performance.
  • Recognize the ESG risks and opportunities.
  • Identify ESG company performance using publicly available information.
Last updated/reviewed: March 9, 2024
25 Reviews (101 ratings)

Reviews

3
Anonymous Author
The audio quality recording is brutal to listen to (has a "fuzzy" sound of a low quality microphone). Content of the course was interesting, but the audio quality is disengaging. Also would have preferred to see some examples of how a Company reports on their ESG in the real world (i.e. would like to see where/how this is reported for reference).

4
Member's Profile
overall, a very comprehensive course that covers most aspects of the ESG area, I would recommend people to go through the courses. However, actually ESG essentialls have been used as an exuse to intervain the development of many countries. How to define ESG become a politcial issue rather than a simple course that can be taught easily.

5
Anonymous Author
This topic is very important for all businesses today and is at the forefront of many conversations we hold in our day to day. Companies need to adopt an effective ESG program to have success in the future and this material highlights important aspects. Thanks for the content.

4
Anonymous Author
It was interesting to hear about some of the reasons for the increasing importance of ESG as well as opportunities for business. Would have liked to see more real world examples of companies and how their ESG ratings work.

5
Anonymous Author
very good overview of ESG and why it matters. it serves as a solid starting point for ESG learning and it at the right level of technical depth. The student will be well prepared for further courses in ESG.

4
Anonymous Author
I actually took this course after the follow up. The test questions followed the slides more logically on this one, and info provides a good overview. Sound on video unfortunately is fuzzy though.

4
Member's Profile
This course provides a technical but accessible overview of key ESG concepts useful for the financial professional on staff with companies highly concerned with ESG but fairly new to the space.

4
Anonymous Author
This is a good ESG overview. I removed a star because the pace was too slow for me. It's important to watch this on a PC or iPad so that you can watch at 1.5x speed.

2
Anonymous Author
I found the course superficial, vague, and at disorganized. The presenter’s recorded audio was not completely clear, suffering from distortion.

4
Anonymous Author
Good content - it provides a good background to understanding Environmental, Social and Governance theme. The sound is a bit bad.

5
Anonymous Author
Great overview and explanation of the importance of ESG. Discussion on the corporate concerns related to ESG was informative.

5
Anonymous Author
ESG is critical for companies therefore, understanding and adopting an ESG program is key and this course covers exactly that.

3
Member's Profile
Good knowledge on a new topic for me. However, the material could be improved further by making it easier to follow.

5
Member's Profile
Interesting overview of how ESG may be perceived by stakeholders and what it means for the organization.

4
Anonymous Author
Some interesting case studies and thoughts in the world of ESG. Overall, this course was interesting.

5
Anonymous Author
Great introduction course! PLEASE REVIEW THE COURSE FOR THE NUMBER OF CPE CREDITS. SHOULD BE 2.5?

5
Anonymous Author
Very good course to help understand ESG reporting and how it relates to companies and stakeholders.

2
Anonymous Author
This is an important topic. Should have included more than just a basic of reading the slides.

5
Member's Profile
Very good overview -- watch it at 1.5x speed as the pace of the speaker is too slow.

5
Anonymous Author
Course is to drawn out. Very long and kind of boring. I am not a big fan of ESG.

5
Anonymous Author
Good intro in the world of ESG. lots of lists with a few examples

3
Anonymous Author
The material was pretty informative, but the delivery was very dry.

5
Anonymous Author
good information. Long sections but quality over was good

5
Member's Profile
Course explains concepts well. Good learning for ESG!

4
Member's Profile
Very good course and the information is very relevant.

Prerequisites
Course Complexity: Foundational
No advanced preparation or prerequisites are required for this course.
It is recommended to take Other Segment of the series course by Stanley Epstein.
Understanding ESG in the Banking Industry

Education Provider Information
Company: Illumeo, Inc., 75 East Santa Clara St., Suite 1215, San Jose, CA 95113
Contact: For more information regarding this course, including complaint and cancellation policies, please contact our offices at (408) 400- 3993 or send an e-mail to .
Instructor for this course
Course Syllabus
INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
  Introduction to Understanding Environmental Social and Governance6:52
  ESG in a Nutshell4:16
  The Evolution of ESG4:20
  ESG Examples and Incidents6:54
ESG IMPORTANCE
  Sustainable Investing and ESG6:58
  Why Does ESG Matters?4:44
  Key ESG Factors11:14
  Key ESG Factors Cont'd13:06
CORPORATE CONCERNS
  ESG Risks and Opportunities2:46
  Corporate Pressure and Stakeholders Expectations6:04
  Demands on Corporate Supply Chain3:02
  Information for Companies and Investors17:44
  ESG and Competitive Advantage9:08
  ESG Investing Trends4:52
COURSE WRAP UP
  An ESG Checklist12:18
  Myths about ESG6:32
  Course Wrap Up9:00
CONTINUOUS PLAY
  Understanding Environmental Social and Governance (ESG)2:09:50
SUPPORTING MATERIAL
  Slides: Understanding Environmental Social and Governance (ESG)PDF
  Understanding Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) Glossary/ IndexPDF
REVIEW AND TEST
  REVIEW QUESTIONSquiz
 FINAL EXAMexam