LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the course, the students can understand what Sustainable Development Goals are
and how they are structured and how to evaluate the business potential of an SDG target. The
students will learn about tools to evaluate net impact and stakeholder effects. The students will
learn about real life cases where companies have been successful in leveraging SDG-related
business opportunities. The students will learn tools to discover entrepreneurial opportunities in
SDGs and to map possible action steps to begin validating an SDG-related business idea.
Credits: 3
Schedule: 25.10.2023 - 13.12.2023
Teacher in charge (valid for whole curriculum period):
Teacher in charge (applies in this implementation): Lauri Järvilehto, Simo Lahdenne
Contact information for the course (applies in this implementation):
CEFR level (valid for whole curriculum period):
Language of instruction and studies (applies in this implementation):
Teaching language: English. Languages of study attainment: English
CONTENT, ASSESSMENT AND WORKLOAD
Content
valid for whole curriculum period:
The course focuses on introducing the Sustainable Development Goals from a business
opportunity point of view, emphasizing possibilities for a new venture. In the course lectures, value
formation is evaluated from the point of view of stakeholder effects in addition to financial
performance, and assessed using tools that measure the net impact of a business. Various points
of views to corporate responsibility are discussed, and SDGs are presented as viable business
opportunities where the impact and profit potential of a new venture become indistinguishable.
Lectures address also actual entrepreneurial cases and opportunities related to SDGs, in particular
in the developing world. Case studies concern real life examples of successful SDG-related
ventures. Finally, the students will work in small teams to evaluate and ideate business
opportunities for a particular SDG target using startup ideation tools and techniques.
Assessment Methods and Criteria
valid for whole curriculum period:
Written group assignment (business case for an SDG target)
Individual written assignment (theoretical paper on the themes of the course)
Workload
valid for whole curriculum period:
Lectures 8 x 3h
Independent team work 12h
Readings 8–20h
Writing 6h
Buffer 10h
DETAILS
Substitutes for Courses
valid for whole curriculum period:
Prerequisites
valid for whole curriculum period:
SDG: Sustainable Development Goals
1 No Poverty
2 Zero Hunger
3 Good Health and Well-being
4 Quality Education
5 Gender Equality
6 Clean Water and Sanitation
7 Affordable and Clean Energy
8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
10 Reduced Inequality
11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
12 Responsible Production and Consumption
13 Climate Action
14 Life Below Water
15 Life on Land
16 Peace and Justice Strong Institutions
17 Partnerships for the Goals
FURTHER INFORMATION
Further Information
valid for whole curriculum period:
Teaching Language : English
Teaching Period : 2022-2023 Autumn I - II
2023-2024 Autumn I - II