Postgraduate Course: Corporate Social and Political Responsibility (CMSE11520)
Course Outline
| School | Business School |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 15 |
ECTS Credits | 7.5 |
| Summary | Can corporations act responsibly? To whom should they be responsible? This course goes beyond conventional notions of CSR to explore contemporary themes and topics related to corporate social and political responsibility. The course begins with an overview and understanding of the history, current trends, critique of CSR, and then moves through contemporary themes relevant for understanding corporate responsibility. The course will ask students to apply knowledge through analysis, debate and critical reflection as well as the integrated application of theories to real-world cases. The broad objective of the course is to prepare students in their journey to become aware, impactful and responsible future leaders and managers. Topics will include past and current debates in corporate social responsibility, political responsibility, law and human rights, responsible business models, global standards, stakeholder engagement, activism and social movements, as well as regulation versus voluntary initiatives. |
| Course description |
The aim of this course is to develop student knowledge about corporate responsibility, broadly speaking. In order to effectively unpack the concept, we will provide a brief but critical overview of the evolution of the concept, namely Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and from there explore contemporary approaches and theories for understanding both social and political dimensions of corporate responsibility. To do so, we will draw on a range of interdisciplinary concepts, including: the theory of the firm, stakeholder theory, social imaginaries and design thinking, activism and social movements, law and human rights. We will apply these conceptual understandings through case studies, group exercises, guest lecturers, and also reflection/thought pieces.
Content:
-Corporate Responsibility - why and for whom does it matter?
-CSR between doing good and greenwashing
-Corporate political responsibility - advocacy and innovation
-Responsible business models - social enterprise to b-corps
-Stakeholder engagement - actors and tensions
-Activism and social movements - pushing boundaries
-Law and human rights - responsibility as legal obligation
-Global standards and sustainability - regulating responsibility
-The future of corporate responsibility - imagining possibilities
Student Learning Experience:
This course is designed around a blended learning experience, with both online and in-person components, consisting of:
a) Preparatory materials. Rather than be a textbook-based course, students will be assigned a combination podcasts, videos and other multimedia content for a more engaging and curated content experience. These will complement the core weekly assigned readings, including case studies and teaching cases.
b) Seminars. Building on the concepts, theories, themes and cases covered in the preparatory materials, the seminars will be used to both cover the conceptual ideas in a more in-depth manner, providing space for their application to the analysis of case studies. This will be aided by way of engagement with expert guest speakers, both scholars and practitioners.
c) In-class engagement. Students are expected to participate in any in-class exercises, including debates, discussions, case deliberations and role-plays or simulations. These are intended to provoke students to understand corporate responsibility themes and tensions from different perspectives.
d) Reflective learning. Each student will write short reflection and/or thought pieces in relation to corporate responsibility themes. The purpose of these is to get students out of the typical 'doing' or 'analysis' mode, and instead into a creative reflexive space where they might deepen their own personal ideas and positions.
Tutorial/seminar hours represent the minimum total live hours - online or in-person - a student can expect to receive on this course. These hours may be delivered in tutorial/seminar, lecture, workshop or other interactive whole class or small group format. These live hours may be supplemented by pre-recorded lecture material for students to engage with asynchronously.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate a broad understanding of the history, current trends, and future of corporate responsibility from social and political perspectives.
- Apply knowledge and skills related to corporate responsibility, including the analysis of cases, through debate, and critical reflection.
- Apply an integrated approach to the analysis and evaluation of corporate responsibility concepts and theories in the context of case studies.
- Demonstrate thoughtful, respectful and developmental engagement in all aspects of the course, particularly during interactions with peers and in-class exercises.
- Demonstrate the ability to contemplate and communicate reflexive thinking through a thought piece in a style appropriate for general public dissemination.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Corporate responsibility,political responsibility,CSR,stakeholders,activism,social movements |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Samer Abdelnour
Tel:
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Fionna Grant
Tel: (0131 6)51 3028
Email: |
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