Undergraduate Course: Economics of Corporate Social Responsibility (ECNM08018)
Course Outline
| School | School of Economics |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This is an economics course on corporate social responsibility (CSR). Unlike other courses on corporate social responsibility and business ethics that are taught in educational programs for business management, the objective of this course is not to provide students with management tools; rather, it aims to contribute to an analysis and discussion, primarily from economics, to the issues addressed. In addition to a discussion of the topics grounded in economics, the course always attempts to provide empirical motivation and evidence to the various topics addressed. |
| Course description |
This is an economics course on corporate social responsibility (CSR). Increasingly, social, environmental and ethical considerations are salient when discussing firm behaviour in capitalist and market economies. We will address its implications, from a positive as well as from a normative point of view. Thus, after showing that citizens show pro-social preferences in their market behaviour (e.g., as consumers or shareholders), we will study its effect on product market competition. When doing so, we will consider a crucial aspect with regards to the so called socially responsible firm practices, namely, the level of market transparency. CSR not only concerns consumers, but also other firm stakeholders such as employees, suppliers, shareholders and other financiers, and we will also pay attention to them in our analysis.
Then, we will discuss corporate governance in light of corporate social responsibility, as well as the interaction that CSR (sometimes also called self-regulation) has with the more traditional way society usually has dealt with firm behaviour, namely, formal regulation. Then, we will also study and discuss some industry and firm case studies, including the role of CSR in the current climate change crisis. Finally, we end with an analysis of the moral limits of the markets, discussing whether it is appropriate for certain transactions (such as kidneys exchanges) to be part of the market exchange or not.
Unlike other courses on corporate social responsibility and business ethics that are taught in educational programs for business management, the objective of this course is not to provide students with management tools; rather, it aims to contribute to an analysis and discussion, primarily from economics, to the issues addressed. In addition to a discussion of the topics grounded in economics, the course always attempts to provide empirical motivation and evidence to the various topics addressed.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | To enrol on ECNM08018, Economics of Corporate Social Responsibility, students must EITHER have completed ECNM08004, Economic Principles, AND/OR have completed or be enrolled on ECNM08013, Economics 1. |
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:
- An introductory knowledge and understanding of key concepts, issues and models of the economics of corporate social responsibility.
- Research and investigative skills such as problem framing and solving, and the ability to assemble and evaluate complex evidence and arguments.
- Communication skills in order to critique, create and communicate understanding and to collaborate with and relate to others.
- Personal effectiveness through task-management, time-management, teamwork and group interaction, dealing with uncertainty and adapting to new situations, personal and intellectual autonomy through independent learning.
- Practical/technical skills such as modelling skills (abstraction, logic, succinctness), qualitative and quantitative analysis and general IT literacy.
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Reading List
| Heal, Geoffrey, 2008, When Principles Pay: Corporate Social Responsibility and the Bottom Line, (Columbia Business School Publishing) |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | social responsibility,corporate responsibility,csr,firm behaviour |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Aleix Calveras Maristany
Tel:
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Lisa Jones
Tel: (0131 6)51 5958
Email: |
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