This course on social and environmental sustainability takes place in Singapore during the spring break and focuses on aspects of sustainability across several important industries in the region such as building and construction, palm oil and other agri‑business, tourism, transport and shipping and other key sectors.

In this course, students reflect on environmental and social sustainability challenges and how these may be addressed in the context of business in the South‑East Asia region. Students explore the key challenges in the region and what these mean for business. They hear from experts and managers in the region about how sustainability challenges are being addressed by businesses and their stakeholders. This course, taught by Prof. Dr. Judith Walls, offers an opportunity to get a different view and understanding of sustainability and business than students might know from Switzerland and Europe.

Course content
 
This dynamic course provides participants with an overview and understanding of business and sustainability, challenges and solutions, in Singapore and Southeast Asia through the lenses of multiple stakeholders. In particular, the region has shown inadequate progress on environmental stewardship, and Asian countries are among the world’s most vulnerable to negative impacts of climate change. On the social side, Asia has widening inequalities, rapid and massive urbanization and changing demographics. South‑East Asian countries are impacted by natural disasters, migration, famine, and trafficking of drugs and human beings. 

Singapore is at the nexus of these challenges as a small island city‑state in the South‑East Asian region. While Singapore itself is economically developed and its citizens enjoy a high standard of living, awareness and action around sustainability are just beginning to take root, and the country is closely tied to social and environmental challenges that arise in the region. In an effort to raise corporate sustainability efforts, the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX) has made reporting on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices mandatory for all companies. Sustainability topics are rapidly gaining traction in the South-East Asian region and the excitement around the topic is evident. If you want to learn more about the region’s progress and challenges on sustainability, this course should be of interest to you.

Course structure 

After an introductory kick‑off session in St. Gallen in the beginning of the semester, the main part of the course is taught during the mid‑term break at the St. Gallen Institute of Management in Asia in Singapore.

The first part of the course provides an overview of Singapore and South‑East Asian economies through the lens of social and environmental development, highlighting the key challenges, and the relevance of geopolitical and cultural aspects as well as formal institutions. Students learn about the roles of business, supply chain management, stakeholder engagement, triple‑bottom line approaches, green governance, closed‑loop production, and other business models of sustainability. In addition to formal lectures, the course relies on discussions based on reading material, case studies, reports and media coverage, guest speakers such as experts and managers on sustainability, videos, and visits to company and other organizations. Students will also get an opportunity to conduct original research by assessing a focal company’s sustainability strategy and making recommendations going forward on how to improve its sustainability strategy. 

For further information and to find out when the next course takes place, please refer to the course information sheet on the HSG website under course directory.  

Application procedure 

The course is open to students from the MUG program of the University of St.Gallen. The course will be held during the midterm spring break in Singapore. There are a total of 20 places available, which will be assigned by a special application process (no bidding). For further information, please approach  Prof. Dr. Judith Walls directly.