Robert Powelson

LGST6470 - Bus and Governance of Water

Virtually every business imaginable–from oil refining to semiconductor manufacturing to cloud computing—requires copious supplies of fresh water. However, there is a fixed amount of water on earth. As climate change makes many parts of the world hotter and drier, it is increasingly important for today’s business leaders to be able to understand water challenges and to implement solutions that will enable businesses to thrive in the future. In addition to understanding and navigating water quality and quantity challenges, business leaders thinking about water operate in a highly regulated environment at the local, national, and global levels. It is therefore important to understand who the key external stakeholders—both public and private—are and how to engage with them productively. Students are not expected to have any previous experience with the water industry. This course will begin by focusing on global water risks and global, national, and local water governance. It will introduce students to how governments at many levels make and implement water policy and how business leaders need to navigate managing water risks and opportunities within that environment. It will also cover private governance and water— considering how to engage with NGOs like the World Resources Institute and the CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project) that operate on behalf of multiple stakeholders, including investors in this space. The course will examine the duties of corporate officers and directors in developing and implementing a firm’s water sustainability program, how major water projects are financed, and the business ethics issues surrounding “doing the right thing” in a module on water and ESG (environmental, social and governance factors). It will conclude with an “H2O Shark Tank” exercise where student groups pitch their best ideas for sustainable water solutions to a panel of potential funders, including investment banks, corporate executives, and foundation leaders.