Social issues are moving up the agenda of boardrooms and corporate managements are being asked to assess their preparedness to handle these issues. For investors, an assessment of the systemic relationships between business activities and social issues is required along with an understanding of how to apply material social factors to traditional financial and equity analysis.

The aim of this course is to understand the social issues that exist and how these social issues impact on businesses, hence on investment decisions, so that we can incorporate the assessments into our financial models.

The course will assess the key megatrends influencing social change in terms of potential impact on companies. In addition, the course addresses the various benchmarks and standards focusing on corporate human rights and labour standards.

COURSE AGENDA

Identify the relevant ESG social issues

• Human rights and labour rights
• Diversity, inclusivity and discrimination
• Consumer protection

The relationship between social issues, companies and investors

• Social factors that impact internal stakeholders
• Social factors that impact external stakeholders
• Social issues in supply chains

How social issues impact on investment decisions

• Identifying the most material social factors
• Human rights violations in the supply chain

How to incorporate social issues into financial models

• The importance of benchmarks and standards – UDHR, UNGPs, CHRB, KnowTheChain
• Adjusting discount rates in valuation models