Course Syllabus
Corporate Social Responsibility: Business or Ethics? |
|
| Semester & Location: |
Summer 2019 - DIS Copenhagen |
| Type & Credits: |
Elective Course - 3 credits |
| Major Disciplines: |
Business, Environmental Studies, Sustainability |
| Faculty Member: |
Mike Townsend |
| Program Director: |
Susanne Goul Hovmand - sgh@dis.dk |
| Program Assistant: |
Ali Cohen- aac@dis.dk |
| Time & Place: |
Monday to Friday: 10.00 - 11.30, V23-301 |
Course Description
Note: This course is aimed at both the business student and the sustainability/environmental studies student. It is also appropriate for any student simply interested in the development of sustainable businesses.
We face a perfect storm, at the intersection of climate change, a growing energy crisis, resource scarcity, and economic re-structuring. Naturally, the rules for success are changing: business-as-usual is no longer an option. While many companies have been developing more socially responsible approaches, over the last few decades – there is a growing realisation that we need to go beyond CSR.
The sheer scale of the challenge, along with the nature of emerging business opportunities (e.g. UN SDGs), mean that leading players are now adopting more transformative models – integrating sustainability principles into the heart of everything they do for long-term, sustainable business success (e.g. Unilever, IKEA).
Furthermore, a new generation of start-up enterprises are being established for the specific purpose of meeting the great challenges of our time; they are building new, more sustainable business models that are disrupting markets for good (e.g. circular economy). There are exciting times.
Through this course, we will explore the drivers, strategies, and business cases of companies that are taking a fully integrated approach to deliver sustainable business success in a rapidly changing world.
We will focus geographically on companies in Denmark, Scandinavia and elsewhere in Europe – while also conducting comparative analysis to businesses in the United States.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Understand the environmental, social, and economic drivers and risks impacting on companies – along with the major business opportunities for integrating sustainability factors within the core business strategy.
- Understand the latest big-impact topics, including how businesses can meet the Circular Economy challenge.
- Develop insights on sustainable business analysis, and strategy formulation.
- Understand and contrast the differences in strategies and context, between Europe and the United States.
- Enhance your critical thinking skills.
- Develop your professional presentation skills.
- Enhance your career potential and capabilities – towards becoming an effective business leader and/or change agent, in supporting the necessary transition towards a sustainable economy.
Required Texts
Custom readings and cases for each class are available on the DIS Canvas system.
Faculty Member: Mike Townsend
Founder & CEO, Earthshine – an international consultancy/think-tank focused on sustainable business and economic transformation. Mike has worked with a wide range of businesses, large and small, in all sectors in UK, Europe and North America, including: Aviva plc, Bloom Centre for Sustainability (Ontario), EY, IKEA, Life Technologies, LoyaltyOne, Myrtha Pools, Norsk Ombruk, Triodos Bank, and many others, including Paul Polman at Unilever.
Mike also lectures at Lund University & Copenhagen Business School, delivers inspirational keynote speeches, and serves on the EU SMART Project advisory board with University of Oslo.
Mike is author of The Quiet Revolution (Routledge, forthcoming), Editor of Reframing the Game (2015), Lead author of A Journey in Search of Capitalism 2.0 (2013). He is also a regular contributor for Huffington Post, 2-Degrees, The Guardian, Edie.net and others.
Mike holds an MBA from the University of Birmingham Business School (UK), a bachelor degree in Civil Engineering Management from the University of Wolverhampton (UK), and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (UK). With DIS since 2015.
Contact
Mike Townsend, Faculty, mtownsend@earthshinesolutions.com.
Course Format
This course is taught with varied class formats, including:
- Discussion Classes – Based on assigned readings, these classes will combine lecture with class discussion introduce new material, along with group exercises to test and embed learning.
- Student Group Sustainability Challenge Presentations – Students will collaborate in group projects culminating in team-based presentations.
In each class we will align with concepts on other sustainability courses, but will translate into our business focus – e.g. how translate planetary boundaries for business.
- Key concepts will be woven through the whole course e.g. circular economy.
- Engaging with a range of different sectors at strategic points, through the whole course.
Grading
To be eligible for a passing grade in this class, you must complete all of the assigned work. This course has no exams. Instead, student evaluation focuses on your writing of assigned papers, your presentation of your white paper project, and your engagement in this class.
Grading is broken down as follows:
| Intellectual engagement/Class participation | 25% (100 points) |
| Short paper | 25% (100 points) |
| Sustainable business blog | 25% (100 points= |
| Team Presentation of Sustainable Business Challange | 25% (100 points) |
Points Grade
93-100 A
90-93 A-
87-90 B+
83-87 B
80-83 B-
77-80 C+
73-77 C
70-73 C-
67-70 D+
63-67 D
60-63 D-
59 and below F
Evaluation
Intellectual Engagement/Class Participation (100 points):
This course depends upon robust engagement and discussion. Your ability to contribute to meaningful inquiry in a group setting is critical to your future career, regardless of your field. Strong intellectual engagement includes analyzing, questioning, and discussing the issues. The thoughtfulness and depth of your observations matter more than the quantity of your comments. You can demonstrate your engagement in the classroom, on our field studies, in working on team projects, and in other course communications. This portion of your grade is based on my qualitative assessment of your engagement with the material.
Short Paper (100 points):
An individual assignment - details to be advised.
Blog Exercise (100 points):
An individual assignement - details to be advised.
Team Presentation of Sustainable Business Challenge (100 points):
Students will collaborate on group projects culminating in team-based presentations. Each group will work on a specific sustainable business challenge - developing options and recommendations for a more sustainable model.
Your team will make a formal presentation during a class at the end of the summer course. This will include a presentation of 10-15 minutes including questions and discussion. The team is expected to utilize multimedia tools in the presentation, including PowerPoint, videos, and so on.
Academic Regulations
Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:
DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org
Policies
Arrival to Class/Lateness – Class will begin promptly at 10:00. Please arrive on time and ready to start class at 10:00. Late arrivals disrupt the flow of the class. Repeated lateness will reduce the student’s grade for Engagement/Participation.
Late Papers/Assignments – All papers and assignments have a fixed due date. If you are unable to meet a due date, you must contact Professor Townsend in advance to discuss your issue.
Use of Cell Phones: Your cell phone should be stored away in your backpack or purse during class. Any use of your cell phone is disrespectful of your professor and fellow students.
Use of Laptops or Tablets: Only allowed for note taking, and real-time research within the class. Definitely no facebook, chat, or zoning-out.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|