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Alberta School of Business
BUEC 564 Environmental Management: Syllabus Winter 2012
This syllabus will be revised periodically with new information. This version:
January 9 2012
Instructor: Professor Ujjayant Chakravorty (UC) Class Advisors: Chris Van Tighem and Martino Pelli Office: Tory 9-10 and 4-30L Business Building
Phone: 780 248 1374 email: [email protected], [email protected]. I prefer the latter and check it more often.
Class: Tue 630-930 pm Bus 1-10
Office Hours: TTh 2-3 (in Tory) and by appointment.
Course Overview: This course introduces the basic concepts of
environmental economics and examines their role in environmental policy and decision-making. We will adopt a managerial perspective and discuss how environmental considerations affect resource allocation and decision- making at the firm, government and global levels. The goal of the course is not to teach you environmental economics but to make sure you understand the key economic principles that drive the relationship between business and environment, and help you think analytically through some relevant issues.
Textbooks: There is one required textbook for this course. It is
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Barry Field and Nancy Olewiler, Environmental Economics, McGraw Hill Ryerson, Third Canadian Edition (1995). This book is precise and is especially suited to Canadian environmental issues.
The following book can be used for additional reading. It is more detailed especially in its discussion of the economics of pollution. I will not require its purchase.
Tom Tietenberg, Environment and Natural Resource Economics, Seventh Edition, Pearson: Addison Wesley. This book is good for a general overview of environmental economics and a discussion of specific resource and
pollution problems as well as the concepts of poverty and sustainable development, etc.
Grading: The weights are as follows:
In-class Test: 30%; Case Study: 30% Research Paper: 30%; Class Participation: 10%
The assignment of letter grades is as follows: The top third of the scale gets a plus (+), the bottom third a (-). Example, 97-100 is an A+, 94-96 is an A and 90-93 is an A-.
Letter Grade Grade Range
A 90-100
B 80-89
C 70-79
D 60-69
F <60
3 Presentations:
There will be two presentations in class: one a case study assigned by me and a research paper for which you will choose the topic and present the basic idea.
Case Study
In groups of 2 or 3, students will be assigned a case related to a particular topic in Environmental Management. Using your knowledge of class material and readings, you will prepare a 10 minute presentation on the subject.
Students are responsible for submitting their PowerPoint slides plus a 2-3 page executive summary to the instructor prior to presentation.
The points breakdown of this evaluation is:
Presentation – 40%
Slides – 30 %
Executive Summary – 20 % Written Material – 10%
Weight 30%
Research Paper
Individually, students will come up with a topic of interest on which they will produce a short 5 minute presentation. This will then be developed into a paper that is no longer than 12 pages. Appendices including figures and tables are above the 12 page limit. The case should highlight a particular environmental management challenge faced by a company or industry. Part One of the project should describe the problem and the strategic options available to the company. Part Two should include your analysis of how the company or industry did and any recommendations you might have.
The paper must be submitted in hard copy to me in BUS 4-30L by April 12 noon .
Points Breakdown:
4 Presentation – 20%
Case Description – 50 %
Analysis and Recommendations – 30 % Weight 30%
Test
In the last class of the term (April 10) students will complete a 2 hour exam that will assess your knowledge of the principles and concepts
discussed in class. It will be an in-class closed book test. Particular emphasis will be placed on the knowledge gained from the text and lecture materials as well as presentations by outside speakers. The student’s ability to
synthesize conceptual information presented in class with operational insights from presentations by speakers will be tested. In order to prepare for the test, I suggest you read the lecture notes and then supplement the reading by going through the requisite chapters form the text. The test will be short multi-part questions that require clear logical answers. There will be no essay-type questions. I will provide statements or present situations which will require your informed and analytical response. The goal is to test your knowledge of the basic economic principles that govern environmental management and ability to apply them. The questions will not be technical or require any computation. You must be able to write logically and
precisely.
Weight 30%
Classroom Participation
Marks for valuable contributions to classroom discussion and intelligent, well-researched questions for visiting presenters will be awarded to each
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student. Attendance will also be considered as it is expected that all students will attend all classes, unless there is a good reason for their absence.
Weight 10%
I will post some cases that we will study or you will prepare for your
presentations on the course website at Harvard Business Online. I suggest you buy these cases for your preparation and use in the classroom. I will post discussion questions for the cases we study in class. I expect students to be well prepared before they come to class. There will be penalties of up to 50% for any late submissions for the case studies and the term paper.
Academic Misconduct: “The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to
uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behavior (www.ualberta.ca/secretariat/appeals.htm) and avoid any behavior which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism,
misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.” (GFC 29 Sep 2003)
I will take any and all incidents of plagiarism seriously. It is your
responsibility to ensure that you are familiar with the rules that govern academic misconduct, in particular the following section:
“30.3.2 Inappropriate Academic Behavior, 30.3.2(1) Plagiarism
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No Student shall submit the words, ideas, images or data of another person as the Student’s own in any academic writing, essay, thesis, project,
assignment, presentation or poster in a course or program of study.”
(http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/gfcpolicymanual/policymanualsection30-3- 2.cfm)
More information is available at:
http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/gfcpolicymanual/content.cfm?ID_page=376 33
Important Dates
Jan 17 Group Formation and Assignment of Cases Feb 14 Case Study Presentations (10 min)
March 13 Research Paper Idea Presentations (5 min) April 10 In-class Test
April 12 Hard Copy of Paper due
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Schedule: Tentative Dates and Topics
Jan 10/17 Introduction to Environmental Economics (UC)
In this class you will be introduced to the fundamental principles of
environmental economics. An overview of what is an externality and how it fits into economic theory. The Coase Theorem. Field and Olewiler Chapters 3,4. Economics of Pollution Control: Standards, Taxes and Pollution Markets, Field and Olewiler Chapter 11,12,13
Jan 24 Regulatory tools used by governments to manage
externalities; Alberta’s Environmental Regulatory Regime - Bev Yee, Assistant Deputy Minister, Alberta Environment (Confirmed)***
Debriefing
Jan 31 Market-based Externality Tools
Carbon Cap and Trade – Matt Horne, Pembina Institute (Scheduled)***
Debriefing
Feb 7 Managing Externalities
Coal Fired Generation - Michael Smith Capital Power (Confirmed)***
Debriefing
8 Feb 14 Case Study Presentations
Feb 21 Reading Week – No Class
Feb 28 Economic Management of Natural Resources - Water
Water Trading in Alberta – Mike Kelly - Alberta Water Council (Scheduled)***
March 6 Benefit-Cost Analysis of Externalities
UC Benefit Cost Analysis Costs and Benefits
March 13 Term Paper Idea Presentations
March 20 Economic Rents from Natural Resources
Scarcity, Rents and Sustainability; Resource Curse (UC) Matthew Machielse, ADM Oilsands Division, Alberta Energy (Scheduled)*** Economic Importance of Oil Sands to Alberta
March 27 Chris Van Tighem, Alberta Energy (scheduled)***
Regulatory Challenges to Development Provincial Energy Strategy and Sustainability
April 3 Biofuels and Environmental Sustainability (UC)
Carbon Capture and Storage - Mike Fernandes - Alberta Energy**
April 10 In-Class Test and Closure
