Finance for a sustainable society at Triodos Investment Management: An ESG portfolio investment decision
This case provides the opportunity to perform a real, but simplified, ESG research analysis and portfolio investment decision from the perspective of an impact investor. It was designed using Triodos Investment Management (Triodos) and three well-known (possibly controversial) companies, Yamaha Corporation, Tesla and Philip Morris International (PMI). Students, as candidates for a research analyst position at Triodos, are asked to analyze the three companies, focusing on an ESG assessment following Triodos’s investment approach. They need to provide a compelling statement about the companies’ value propositions, as well as their positive and negative impact on people and the planet. They must build a comprehensive investment case that explains the rationale for (i) investing with no reservations, (ii) investing and engaging on controversies, or (iii) excluding Tesla, Yamaha and/or PMI and describe why the companies are good, potentially good or not good for the planet and for people. Students must weigh the controversial ESG issues resulting in a decision either to invest with engagement or to exclude the companies from Triodos’s portfolio against the innovative products and future potential of the companies. Henk Jonker, Head of Research, Impact Equities & Bonds at Triodos, invites IMD MBA students to apply for a research analyst. He wants entrepreneurial and “out-of-the-box” thinkers who push the limits of traditional financial analysis. The case tests students’ affinity with Triodos’s mission and vision, their analytical and financial skills, and whether they have a results-oriented, well-organized and problem-solving attitude. It examines their ability to integrate ESG criteria in their recommendation to include the companies in Triodos’s fund or exclude them. During an interview, Jonker aims to evaluate the students’ insights about their role as sustainable investors and the impact of their decisions on people and the planet.
- Describe different ESG investment methodologies (values based, best in class, active ownership and engagement)
- Implement the ESG integration process in an investment decision
- Critically reflect on the role of financial institutions in engaging for business model transformation.
Triodos Investment Management, Finance and Insurance, Banking, Financial Services
2021
IMD retains all proprietary interests in its case studies and notes. Without prior written permission, IMD cases and notes may not be reproduced, used, translated, included in books or other publications, distributed in any form or by any means, stored in a database or in other retrieval systems. For additional copyright information related to case studies, please contact Case Services.
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
The payment processing industry in Europe had operated in largely the same way for decades. A standard system of financial processing and clearing ...
Case (B) explains the contents of the Holder report, which investigated the diversity, equity and inclusion culture at Uber and ends with Travis Ka...
Case (C) discusses the meeting that showcased the proposed actions following the Holder report recommendations and highlights the concerning respon...
This is a fascinating case about Adam Neumann’s problematic behavior, which led to the downfall of WeWork, once one of America’s most valued startu...
Case (A) recounts Travis Kalanick’s journey through the growth of Uber, highlighting instances of his problematic behavior and the board’s lack of ...
Ableist microaggressions are ubiquitous experiences for workers with an impairment, chronic illness or neurodivergence in the daily execution of th...
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
in I by IMD 24 June 2024
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
in I by IMD 21 June 2024
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
in I by IMD 20 June 2024
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
in Hitotsubashi Business Review Summer 2024, vol. 72, no. 1
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Case (C) discusses the meeting that showcased the proposed actions following the Holder report recommendations and highlights the concerning respon...
Case (A) recounts Travis Kalanick’s journey through the growth of Uber, highlighting instances of his problematic behavior and the board’s lack of ...
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Case (B) explains the contents of the Holder report, which investigated the diversity, equity and inclusion culture at Uber and ends with Travis Ka...
Case (A) recounts Travis Kalanick’s journey through the growth of Uber, highlighting instances of his problematic behavior and the board’s lack of ...
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Case (C) discusses the meeting that showcased the proposed actions following the Holder report recommendations and highlights the concerning respon...
in Disability and Society 18 June 2024, ePub before print, https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2024.2368561
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications