Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility

For a brighter future...

The United Kingdom is committed to the principles of Sustainable Development. The concept is not new and has been in existence since 1987 but with cost pressures, increased legislation, and a wider moral obligation to consider the interests of stakeholders, business is taking up the challenge of sustainability in greater numbers to reduce their overall impact and look for opportunities to increase the business profile. The aim of the course is to provide an introduction to the concept of Sustainability and explore how it can be applied in a business context through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Course Content

The course covers the following subjects:

* An explanation of the meaning of Corporate Social Responsibility - The definitions behind the concept
* The link between Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability - How do the principles of CSR and Sustainability align?
* The drivers for implementing a Corporate Social Responsibility strategy - Why should a business engage in CSR?
* Guidelines, Standards, and Protocols of Corporate Social Responsibility - Key documents to assist business with CSR
* The role of stakeholders in Corporate Social Responsibility - Why and how a business should engage with stakeholders in CSR
* Ideas and techniques for a Corporate Social Responsibility strategy - A discussion of possible approaches
* Planning and implementing Corporate Social Responsibility - A step by step guide
* Reporting Corporate Social Responsibility - The benefits and pitfalls of reporting

Structure

The course will be delivered by a mixture of presentations, group exercises and discussions. Assessment will be on a formative basis.