Climate Change Brings Big Business Opportunity, U-M Executive Education and Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise Tap Nobel Peace Prize Winn

Ann Arbor, Mich. (PRWEB) October 13, 2009 -- The University of Michigan Ross School of Business Executive Education (http://execed.bus.umich.edu/) (U-M EE) has launched a new program "Climate Change: What's Your Business Strategy?" to be held May 17 -18, 2010. The program is designed to provide business leaders with a greater understanding of the risks and opportunities associated with climate change and provide critical tools to craft a forward-looking strategy for their organizations.

"The focus in recent years has been from managing risk and protecting the bottom-line, to realizing that climate change is a market shift that every organization must address," said Andrew Hoffman, the Holcim (US) Professor of Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan. "This course was created to help companies identify ways that climate strategies can add value to their business. If done well, a strategy around climate change can provide an organization a compelling competitive advantage."

"Businesses that ignore the debate over climate change do so at their peril," said Hoffman. "Climate change policies are imminent, and they will alter key aspects of business strategy, including production economics, cost competitiveness and investment decisions."

"Climate Change: What's Your Business Strategy?," presented by Andrew J. Hoffman, Thomas P. Lyon, Knute Nadelhoffer and 2007 Nobel Peace Prize co-recipient, Henry Pollack, will draw upon real-world examples from Fortune 500 companies to provide tomorrow's sustainability business leaders with strategies to both minimize bottom-line risk and begin to enhance top-line opportunities. The course is designed for multinational companies facing significant challenges to conducting business in more environmentally sustainable ways. Participates of the program will walk away with:

* A scientific basis for taking action on climate change;

* An understanding of the myriad of policies that are being considered for addressing climate change, including a cap-and-trade program (versus a tax), renewable portfolio standards, feed-in tariffs and others;

* Practical, sector-specific tools needed to set effective strategies for managing the business of climate change;

* An understanding of market implications including changes in legislation, voluntary industry initiatives, and associated market drivers;

* Strategies to gain "a seat at the table" of policy development; and

* A clear sense of the systemic risks and opportunities associated with climate change.

The program, developed in partnership with U of M's nationally-recognized Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise and the world's leading global climate change experts, is designed to help companies develop adaptation strategies that focus on climate-related changes in the market and public policy.

"It is vital that companies take the necessary steps to mitigate their impact on global warming," said Henry Pollack, program faculty member and professor of geophysics at the University of Michigan. "Reducing carbon dioxide emissions should not be seen as an economic penalty, but rather an economic opportunity that will be seized by early responders."

For more information visit: "Climate Change: What's Your Business Strategy? (http://execed.bus.umich.edu/Programs/Climate-Change-Whats-Your-Business-Strategy.aspx)"

About Executive Education at University of Michigan Ross School of Business

Through its unique model of thought leadership and action-based learning, Executive Education at University of Michigan Ross School of Business partners with leaders to co-create personalized learning experiences to help them realize meaningful results. Ross faculty includes some of the world's best known and most respected thought leaders, expert at integrating knowledge with competitive insights and practical application. A unique, results-driven approach is one reason that thousands of executives from more than 70 countries around the globe have chosen Ross for Executive Education. The University of Michigan's worldwide presence includes offices in Hong Kong, Dubai and India. Learn more about Ross Executive Education programs at http://execed.bus.umich.edu.

About the Frederick A. and Barbara M. Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise

Created in 1996, the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise is a 50-50 partnership between the School of Natural Resources and Environment and the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. The Institute fosters professional education, public outreach and scientific scholarship supportive of the transition to sustainability -- that is, meeting the fundamental needs of a growing human population in an equitable manner within the means of nature. Utilizing a collaborative approach, the Institute helps business, government and civil society organizations to achieve meaningful progress toward sustainability. Its mission is be a premier source of knowledge and leadership for the achievement of environmentally, economically and socially sustainable development and enterprise. For more information, visit http://www.erb.umich.edu/.

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