Course Offers
The Professorship in Sustainability Management currently offers two modules and changing seminars for MSc students. Prof. Trotter also supervises Master theses in the area of Sustainability Management. To apply for a supervision please contact him via E-Mail.
Module: Corporate Sustainability
(formally Betriebswirtschaftliche Aspekte des Sustainability Managements)
Taught in the winter semester.
Companies are key agents in global sustainability transitions, both as causes of breaching planetary boundaries, and as drivers for innovation which enable the transition towards sustainability. The course “Corporate Sustainability” offers an introduction to corporate sustainability in five components (Figure 1). The theoretical concepts and numerous case studies discussed in the course allow student to understand the implications of sustainability for businesses, to transfer corporate strategies into action, and to examine business processes and value chains for economic, ecological and social sustainability. Specifically, students first learn about definitions and drivers of corporate sustainability (component 1), before they are introduced to basic types of corporate sustainability strategies (component 2). The students learn to systematically characterise different sustainability strategies and to assess technological and business model innovations in the context of sustainability in different phases of a company. They learn organisational, qualitative and quantitative approaches for tactical-operational planning and control as well as evaluation of sustainability activities in component 3, and will be able to identify interactions with central external actors in component 4 which features legal regulations of business sustainability reporting as well as the interactions between corporate sustainability and the capital market. Finally, the students learn to apply the sustainability concepts presented to companies in different geographies, and thus to recapitulate and critically question them (component 5).
Figure 1: Concept of the Corporate Sustainability Module
Module: Entrepreneurship for Sustainability Transitions
Taught from WS2024/25.
The course "Entrepreneurship for Sustainability Transitions" equips students with a comprehensive understanding of how entrepreneurship can drive sustainability transitions and contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It explores the challenges, opportunities, and operational models of sustainable entrepreneurship, focusing on key areas like climate change, biodiversity, environmental preservation, and sustainable economic development. Students will learn key theories on the nexus between entrepreneurship and sustainability, while developing the ability to turn sustainability challenges into entrepreneurial opportunities. The course emphasizes practical experience where students form small groups and over the course of the semester simulate the process of founding their own sustainable start-up. This includes finding an opportunity for sustainable development impact, as well as creating a strategy, a business model and a pitch deck. Students will engage with design thinking and other creative methods to address socio-ecological challenges, critically apply theories of sustainable entrepreneurship, and understand the process of designing social or environmental ventures.
Seminar Debates on Climate Economics
Climate change is among the most pressing challenges of the 21st century. The complexity of climate policy arises from its deep interconnections with science, economics, ethics, and politics. As governments debate ambitious policies—especially in Europe and Germany—on how to decarbonize energy systems, it is crucial to recognize that climate change is a global phenomenon with local, national, and intergenerational consequences. It raises not only technical and economic questions, but also fundamental issues of fairness and political feasibility.
This seminar investigates the economics of climate change with a focus on how economic concepts, models, and controversies shape climate policy. We will explore how economists estimate the damages of climate change and the social cost of carbon, assess the merits and drawbacks of carbon pricing, and examine the distributional effects of these policies within and across countries. We will also engage with broader debates such as green growth versus degrowth, the employment effects of climate policy, and the economic and political feasibility of technologies like geoengineering and carbon capture. The seminar will be interactive and discussion oriented. While critical examination of the scientific literature is at the core, we will also engage with media and policy debates.
The seminar language (including seminar paper, presentation, and discussions) will be English.
The seminar will take place as a block seminar and in-person at University Wuppertal.
Registration: To register, please send an email by September 9, 2025, to sievert@rwi-essen.de. Please also send your three preferences from the list of topics ordered by priority. Topics will be assigned during the first meeting on October 27th.
