Abstract

This case study challenges MBA students and corporate executives to evaluate the environmental performance and governance of consumer staples firms. Through the perspective of Taylor Jackson, an investment analyst at the California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS), students will analyze corporate sustainability data from UCLA’s Open for Good Project (OFG). They will develop a methodology to identify the top three most environmentally conscious firms, focusing on transparency, performance, and governance—where transparency reflects the reliability of disclosures, performance measures environmental impact, and governance assesses sustainability commitments. By engaging with real-world data and industry standards, students will refine their ability to assess corporate sustainability, detect greenwashing, and make informed investment decisions. Additionally, an interactive dashboard (Open for Good Data Simulation) allows students to simulate different scenarios based on actual disclosure data, providing hands-on experience with sustainability metrics and decision-making.