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Corporate Social Responsibility: the Quest for Business Sustainability

Unit Code: LMC701




Duration

Contact Hours

Campus

Prerequisite

Corequisite

12 Weeks or equivalent

36 Hours or equivalent

Lilydale, Online

Nil

Credit Points: 12.5 Credit Points

Related Course/s:

A unit of study in the Master of Commerce .

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Aims & Objectives:

The unit aims to help students understand evolving debates and policies concerning Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by:

1. contextualising contemporary developments at the organisational level

2. identifying the roles of key stakeholders

3. exploring implications for organisations and students' current or future roles in their own professional and industry domains

4. critiquing CSR as an increasingly significant economic, social and political response to the sustainability agenda at a global and local level

5. critiquing the response of professional groups and industry, including their own organisational role within that industry.
 
Learning Objectives
 
By the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. Conceptualise CSR from the perspective of stakeholder interests and apply this to stakeholder management in the workplace

2. Contribute to community engagement initiatives incorporating market, government, industry, joint government/industry and educational initiatives.

3. Critique CSR as a response to sustainable development from the perspective of financial, social and environmental dimensions of corporate activities, products and services and a contributing factor to strategic decision making, business planning and stakeholder management

4. Identify critical issues for commercial activity within the CSR agenda such as corporate codes of conduct, monitoring and compliance; supply chain management; training and capacity building; stakeholder engagement processes

5. Identify implications of CSR for corporate governance and ethical responsibility in response to external regulatory and broader industry practices and managing people in highly competitive and complex environments

6. Critique the merits of legal versus voluntary compliance from stakeholder perspectives

7. Research industry and organisational perspectives on CSR, identifying implications for the student’s organisational role.

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Teaching Methods:

Face to face, online and blended.
 
Online delivery is supported by a unit website, learning materials and online activities. Voluntary face-to-face workshops may also be offered.
 
 

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Assessment:

Individual assignement/report    30-50%
Case-based project                      30-50%
Group-based discussion             10-30%
 
 

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Generic Skills Outcomes:

1. Strategic competence to align organisational decision making with environmental challenges.

2. Holistic and systemic thinking across business and commerce to support decision making and risk management in complexity

3. Analytical and problem solving skills that include rational-analytical, sense making and anticipatory competencies relevant to a shifting and turbulent business environment.

4. Communication, teamwork and advocacy skills to support the building of social capital in diverse project environments.

5. Capacity to apply normative ethical standards in the context of the business/society interface.

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Content:

  • What is CSR?
  • CSR and the Triple Bottom Line
  • CSR and economic sustainability
  • CSR and social responsibility
  • CSR and environmental responsibility
  • CSR: global initiatives
  • CSR: the business case
  • The diversity in corporate community support for CSR: case studies
  • Regulatory initiatives and government controls
  • CSR and Public Private PartnershipsCSR: the case for voluntary or regulatory control
  • CSR: Tools for quality and accountability
  • CSR: your industry and your organisation
  • CSR: Organisation and Culture
  • CSR: Corporate citizenship and community engagement
  • CSR: the way forward

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Reading Materials:

Benn, S. & Bolton, D. 2011. Key Concepts in Corporate Social Responsibility Sage Publications.

Cartwright, W & Craig, JL 2006, ‘Sustainability: aligning corporate governance, strategy and operations with the planet’, Business Process Management Journal, vol. 12, no. 6, pp. 741-750

Huang, C.I. 2010. Corporate governance, corporate social responsibility and corporate governance, Journal of Management & Organization, Vol 16, No.5 pp. 641-655

Guler, A. and Crowther, D. 2009.The Durable Corporation; Strategies for Sustainable Development, Gower Publisher.

KPMG. 2009. Gearing up: business readiness for climate change, Report for The Australian Industry Group, North Sydney. July. www.kpmg.com.au/Default.aspx?TabID=1402&KPMGArticleItemID=3821. Last viewed
11/02/2011

Lee, K.H. 2009. ‘Why and how to adopt green management into business organizations?’ Management Decision Vol 47, No. 7, pp.1101-1121

Linnenluecke, K.M and Griffiths, A. 2010. ‘Corporate Sustainability and Organizational Culture’ Journal of World Business, Vol. 45, pp 357-366.

Newton, T., Deetz, S.,and Reed, M. 2011. ‘Responses to social constructionism and critical realism in organization studies’ Organization Studies, Vol 32, No. 1, pp 7-26.

Werther, WB & Chandler, D 2011. Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: Stakeholders in a Global Environment, Sage Publications

Vogel, DJ 2005 ‘Is There a Market for Virtue? The Business Case for Corporate Social Responsibility’, California Management Review, Vol 47, No 4, pp 19-45

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