Andrew J. Hoffman
Holcim (US) Professor of Sustainable Enterprise
Why this course
Global Practicum Sustainable Business in Iceland offers an overview of the topic of business sustainability and then narrows its focus to Iceland and climate change. Students will meet with companies that are thinking strategically about these issues, and consider ways in which to transform perceived external threats or “externalities” into strategic opportunities. Specifically, this course will address:
• The strategic threats and opportunities created by sustainability.
• Examples of business models for tapping the strategic potential created by sustainability.
• A specific focus on the energy issues that sustainability presents, particularly around the issue of climate change and the markets for renewable energy and alternative fuel vehicles.
Given its location at the fault line between two tectonic plates, Iceland provides a unique context for exploring these issues. A key question is how Iceland can harness its unparalleled access to geo-thermal energy in a way that feeds its economy and helps it reduce its carbon footprint.
Latest Coverage
Biography
Andrew Hoffman is the Holcim (US) Professor of Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan; a position that holds joint appointments in the Stephen M. Ross School of Business and the School of Environment and Sustainability. He is also a faculty affiliate at the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise. He has published over 100 articles/book chapters, as well as 14 books, which have been translated into five languages. In this work, he focuses on the processes by which environmental issues both emerge and evolve as social, political and managerial issues. His work has been covered in numerous media outlets, including the New York Times, Scientific American, Time, Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, Atlantic and National Public Radio. He has served on numerous research committees for the National Academies of Science, the Johnson Foundation, and the Environmental Defense Fund. He received his joint PhD in management and civil/environmental engineering at MIT.
