Class 7 – Green Growth, Innovation and Sustainable Value Creation

11 Fevereiro 2026, 08:00 • Isabel Cristina de Seixas Patrício Duarte de Almeida

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This class introduces green growth as a strategic pathway for integrating sustainability into economic policy and business management. Students analyse how investments in research, innovation and infrastructure can unlock sustainable sources of productivity and competitiveness. The CDM model (Crépon, Duguet and Mairesse) is presented to explain the relationship between R&D investment, innovation performance and productivity outcomes. The session further examines how predictable regulatory frameworks can enhance investor confidence and stimulate sustainable markets. Sustainability is framed not as a constraint on growth, but as a driver of innovation, market transformation and long-term value creation.

Class 6 – Responsible Management and the Diversity of Organisational Responses

10 Fevereiro 2026, 09:30 • Isabel Cristina de Seixas Patrício Duarte de Almeida

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This class explores the diversity of responsible management practices across organisations, sectors and managerial levels. Through comparative examples (e.g., crisis management vs cause-related marketing), students analyse how external drivers — regulation, consumer pressure, reputational risk and innovation — shape corporate responses. The session emphasises that responsible management is contingent rather than universal, varying according to context, actors and institutional pressures. Students examine the importance of accurately diagnosing external factors and aligning internal capabilities with sustainability objectives. The discussion reinforces the need to balance economic, environmental and social dimensions while navigating conflicting interests and institutional constraints.

Class 5 – Governing Within Ecological Limits: Risk, Overshoot and Systemic Responsibility

10 Fevereiro 2026, 08:00 • Isabel Cristina de Seixas Patrício Duarte de Almeida

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This class examines the evolving relationship between the economy and the environment through the lens of ecological limits and systemic risk. Building on the concept of planetary boundaries, students explore Earth Overshoot Day and footprint accounting as tools for assessing the imbalance between ecological footprint and biocapacity. The session analyses how externalities, complexity and feedback loops challenge traditional economic models and risk management approaches. Contemporary examples (pandemics, climate extremes, geopolitical crises) illustrate how sustainability risks are interconnected and cumulative. The role of boards is reframed from short-term financial oversight to anticipatory governance, integrating systemic risk, long-term ESG performance and strategic viability within ecological constraints.

Class 4 – Planetary Boundaries and the Reframing of ESG

4 Fevereiro 2026, 09:30 • Isabel Cristina de Seixas Patrício Duarte de Almeida

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The final week’s class introduces the Planetary Boundaries framework as a scientific and strategic lens for sustainability governance. Students explore the concept, its nine Earth system boundaries, and the implications of operating beyond safe ecological limits. The session critically reframes ESG, shifting from relative performance improvements to absolute environmental thresholds and long-term systemic risk. Social and governance dimensions are analysed as embedded within ecological limits, highlighting issues such as intergenerational justice, just transition, and anticipatory governance. The class concludes by challenging short-term, quarterly-driven decision-making and redefining the role of boards towards strategic viability within planetary constraints.

Class 3 – Risk, Ethics and Sustainability in a Complex World

4 Fevereiro 2026, 08:00 • Isabel Cristina de Seixas Patrício Duarte de Almeida

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This class deepens the discussion on risk by examining the ethical and governance challenges emerging from increasing uncertainty and declining global optimism. Drawing on insights from recent global risk perception surveys, students analyse how conflicts, climate extremes, social polarisation, and rapid technological change challenge existing governance mechanisms. The session highlights the limitations of traditional risk management approaches and introduces the need for systemic, interconnected, and forward-looking strategies. Organisations are encouraged to move beyond reactive responses by integrating ethics, responsibility, and sustainability into strategic decision-making under uncertainty.