Postgraduate Course: Corporate Social Responsibility (BUST11141)
Course Outline
| School | Business School |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 10 |
| Home subject area | Business Studies |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | The course provides a general grounding in the theory and practice of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and both theoretical and applied ethics. However, the course does not proceed simply on the basis of topic related lectures, although each lecture has a specific theme. Instead, this course is designed to be integrative and to address the hypothesis: "CSR is an attainable form of ethics in business." Emphatically, this is a hypothesis and not the pre-conceived conclusion of the course's content. Whether this hypothesis is either proven or dismissed (or somewhere in between), will be the concern of each class member. There are no conclusive or definitive answers to subjects which are highly qualitative in nature and evolving in applied or empirical contexts. The interpretation of material and analysis of cases is the key to the teaching and learning process.
The course content is designed around the following components:
1) a critical analysis of the origins, objectives, range and mechanics of CSR policies
2) a review and analysis of the range of ethical theories underpinning mainstream business ethics
3) a perspective on the ethical implications of managerial activity and decision-making
4) a practical insight into the way that CSR policies can be developed
insight into applied business and organizational ethics through the analysis of case studies and audio visual material
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | For Business School PG students only, or by special permission of the School. Please contact the course secretary. |
| Additional Costs | None |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
On completing the course students will be able to
1) understand the scope and content of CSR-related policies and objectives
2) understand, and be able to articulate, the debates concerning CSR issues
3) understand the scope and content of ethical theory and its relevance for diverse institutional and operational business contexts, and individual choice and agency
4) develop insight into how CSR policies and initiatives may evolve and the actual and potential relationship between CSR and managerial ethics
5) become involved, in an informed and effective manner, in the CSR-related initiatives of one's own employer, where appropriate
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Assessment Information
The course is assessed by means of a two hour exam. A familiarity with the CSR policies of extant organizations will be one of the necessary preconditions for effective exam participation. This familiarity can be gained from access to appropriate web sites.
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Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
WEEK 1:
Introduction to the course: Business, Society and the case for CSR.
Documentary: The Corporation (Part 1)
Reading:
Bakan, J. (2008) 'The Externalising Machine,' in Burchell, J.B. (ed) The Corporate Social Responsibility Reader, Routledge: London (to be distributed).
Zadek, S. (2004) 'The Path to Corporate Responsibility,' Harvard Business Review, December. (to be distributed)
WEEK 2:
Lecture: The Corporate Social Responsibility Debate.
Documentary: The Corporation (Part 2).
Reading:
Crook, C. (2005) 'The Good Company,' The Economist. (to be distributed)
Porter, M. E. and Kramer, M. R. (2006) 'The link between competitive advantage and corporate social responsibility,' Harvard Business Review 84 (12), pp. 78-92.
Husted, B.W. and de Jesus Salazar, J. (2006), 'Taking Friedman seriously: Maximizing profits and social performance,' Journal of Management Studies, 43: 1, 75-91.
WEEK 3:
Lecture: Business Ethics and Prescriptive Models of Ethical Decision-making.
Reading:
Stark, A. (1993) 'What's The Matter With Business Ethics?' Harvard Business Review, 71 (3).
n.b. You are not expected to become knowledgeable about ethical theory. Clearly, many of the prescriptive theories summarised in the lecture are complex and difficult to comprehend quickly. However, what is important at this stage is that you can recognise influential theories, such as Utilitarianism.
WEEK 4:
Lecture: Business Ethics and the Question of Character.
Case: SDSL - Jim's Dilemma
Reading:
Hine, J.A.H.S. (2007) 'The Shadow of MacIntyre's manager in the Kingdom of Conscience constrained,' Business Ethics: A European Review, 16 (4).
WEEK 5:
Lecture: The Manager, the Corporation and Bureaucratic Rationality
Case: McCoy, B. 'The Parable of the Sadhu,' Harvard Business Review (reprint).
Reading:
Bird, F.B. & Waters, J.A. (2001) 'The Moral Muteness of Managers,' California Review, (reprint from edition Fall 1989).
Hine, J. & Preuss, Lutz. (2009) '"Society is out there, organization is in here:" On the perceptions of corporate social responsibility held by different managerial groups,' Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 88: 2.
WEEK 6:
Lecture: Governance: Principle-Agent Issues and Corporate Accountability.
Reading:
McCall, J.J. (2004) 'Assessing American executive compensation: a cautionary tale for Europeans,' Business Ethics: A European Review, 13 (4). (to be distributed).
Erturk, I. et al. (2004) 'Corporate governance and disappointment,' Review of International Political Economy, 11:4, 677-713.
WEEK 7:
Lecture: Governance and Stakeholder Strategy..
After coffee break: The British Telecom Better Business Game; http://www.btplc.com/Societyandenvironment/Businessgame/
Reading:
Royle, T. (2005) 'Realism or Idealism? Corporate Social Responsibility and the Employee Stakeholder in the Global Fast-food Industry,' Business Ethics: A European Review, Vol. 14, No. 1.
Stoney, C. & Winstanley, D. (2001) 'Stakeholding: Confusion or Utopia? Mapping the Conceptual Terrain,' Journal of Management Studies, 38:5.
Sternberg, E. (1997) 'The Defects of Stakeholder Theory,' Scholarly Research and Theory Papers, 5:1. (to be distributed).
WEEK 8:
Lecture: CSR: Corporate Strategy and Responsible Management
Reading:
Cadbury, A. (1987) 'Ethical managers make their own rules,' Harvard Business Review, (reprint - to be distributed).
Hollender, J. (2004) 'What matters Most: Corporate Values and Social Responsibility,' California Management Review, 46 (4). (to be distributed)
Husted, B. (2003 ) Governance Choices for Corporate Social Responsibility: to Contribute, Collaborate or Internalize? Long Range Planning 36, 481-498.
WEEK 9: EXAM
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| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | MBAPT CorpSocRes |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr James Hine
Tel: (0131 6)50 3805
Email: J.A.Hine@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Kate Ainsworth
Tel: (0131 6)51 3854
Email: Kate.Ainsworth@ed.ac.uk |
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