Corporate Social Responsibility

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to understand:

The context within which contemporary CSR has flourished.
The different perspectives on and definitions of CSR.
The values that companies are being asked to uphold.
The main issues with which contemporary CSR is wrestling.
What is meant by the term ‘sustainable development’.
The evolution of sustainability.
The evidence provided by scientific reports into issues of climate change.
The challenges that sustainable development poses for ‘business as usual’.
New models of sustainable business.
The capital market implications of sustainable development.
The ‘social’ aspects of sustainability.
The role of business in social and economic development.
What it means for business to be an agent of development.
The circumstances under which business takes on a developmental role.
The limitations of business as a force for development.
Different meanings of globalisation.
The main areas in which globalisation has an impact.
The ways in which globalisation has altered trade, production, and investment.
How globalisation influences governance and the implications of this for CSR.
CSR as business response to the challenges of globalisation, identifying what it addresses and examining why some feel it is inadequate.
Stakeholder partnerships as a response to the aspects of globalisation.