Valuing nature and people to inform business decision-making (Coursera)

The course provides a comprehensive introduction to the capitals approach and to undertaking a capitals assessment, and is available for all employees and leaders, sustainability practitioners, procurement officers, accountants, human resources, auditing, strategy, risk management and finance departments. The material is covered in good depth and will require time and commitment to learning. Due to its comprehensive character, the course may be less suited to C-level management.

The course consists of four modules and its structure follows the internationally recognized Natural Capital Protocol and Social & Human Capital Protocols. The course features many business examples to demonstrate why and how other businesses have integrated natural, social & human capital impacts and dependencies into their decision-making and management practices.

The first two modules guide learners through risks and opportunities related to nature, people and society; introduce the concept of a Capitals Approach and present the business case for undertaking an integrated capitals assessment. The third and fourth modules focus specifically on natural capital and how to get started with a natural capital assessment. These modules guide learners along the scoping stage and introduce students to measuring and valuing natural capital.

By the end of the course, participants are expected to have learned about the different capitals, why it’s paramount to embed them into business decision-making, and how to get started with a capitals assessment. Future course specializations will build upon this introductory course, by providing additional content on social and human capital and allowing the learner to go more in depth with the content and application.

This course has been developed by the Capitals Coalition, supported by We Value Nature, a collaboration between ICAEW, WBCSD, IUCN & Oppla, with the support of Nature^Squared.

What You Will Learn

- Why it is important to include nature, people and society in business decision-making

- How businesses impact and depend on natural, human and social capital and how that translates into risks and opportunities.

- How to get started with a capitals assessment.

- The course helps you to understand how to drive change at the organizational level and teaches you what you can do to make a difference as individual

Syllabus

WEEK 1

The Role of Businesses in Addressing the Great Challenges of Nature Loss, Climate Change and Inequality
WEEK 2

Better Managing Risks and Opportunities by Adopting a Capitals Approach
WEEK 3

Getting Started with a Natural Capital Assessment: Defining the Objective and Determining the Appropriate Scope
WEEK 4

Measuring and Valuing Impacts and Dependencies to Integrate Natural Capital in Decision-Making