47311 - Corporate Social Responsibility

Academic Year 2021/2022

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Sciences and Management of Nature (cod. 9257)

Learning outcomes

The course aims to clarify the meaning of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), to identify its strategic implications in terms of: sustainability of business models, need for innovative managerial paradigms based on stakeholder engagement e cooperation; measurement of the economic, social and environmental impact of company activities; life cycle assessment; strategic planning of the United Nations 2030 agenda; communication and reporting methods. The course develops the aforementioned themes with applications to companies, public administrations and non-profit organizations.

Course contents

The course is divided into two parts, closely linked and integrated: the institutional part examines the theoretical and methodological bases of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), with specific references to the international framework, to documents produced by the OECD and to relationship with social innovation. The most up-to-date methodologies for the design and development of corporate CSR and Accountability systems will be examined. Particular attention will be paid to the relationship between CSR management systems, communication and the company's external relations.

The monographic part of the course will deepen the relationships between corporate CSR, environmental sustainability and consumer demand for ethical and environmentally friendly products and services. It will also present some experiences of new services related to corporate welfare and emerging concepts of territorial social responsibility. Case studies will be presented on companies with significant and innovative experiences of CSR, capable of determining managerial evolutions and organisational improvements in the company's managerial structures and in its relationship with the market. A specific area will be dedicated to the relationship between CSR, social and environmental sustainability and circular economy.

The final part of the course will be dedicated to design corporate or territorial CSR systems capable of producing effective changes in the external perception and communication of the company. The projects developed and the experiments will be carried out with the aim of developing actions in order to closely and effectively link social and environmental sustainability of companies.

Readings/Bibliography

J. Sachs, The Age of Sustainable Development, Columbia University Press, New York US, 2015.

P. Kotler, N. Lee, Corporate Social Responsability. Doing the most Good for your Company and your Cause, Hoboken NJ, Wiley, 2005.

R. E. Freeman, J.S. Harrison, A.C. Wicks, Managing for Stakeholders, New Haven, Yale University Press, 2007.

K. Raworth, Doughnut Economics, London, Random House Business, 2017.

E.U: Von Weizsacker, A. Wijkman, Come on! Capitalism, Short-Termism, Population and the Destruction of the Planet. A Report to the Club of Rome, New York, Springer-Verlag, 2017.

D. Crowther, L. M. Lauesen (eds), Accountability and Social Responsibility: International Perspectives, Emerald, Bingley UK, 2016.

L. Songini, A. Pistoni, C. Herzog, Accounting and Control for Sustainability (eds), Emerald, Bingley, UK, 2013.

A.C. Corbett, D.S. Siegel, J. A. Katz (eds), Academic Entrepreneurship: Creating An Entrepreneurial Ecosystem, Emerald, Bingley UK, 2014.

Teaching methods

There will be lectures, groupwork and discussion with the students on the topics of the course. During the course, projectworks will be realized.

Assessment methods

The final exam is written and aims to ascertain the student's level of knowledge of the discipline and his/her ability to process contents. The project work will be evaluated and considered for the final result.

Teaching tools

E-learning platform, Videoprojector, PC software, online ICT platforms, professional database.

Office hours

See the website of Marino Cavallo

SDGs

Decent work and economic growth Responsible consumption and production Climate Action

This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.