| Unit name | Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EFIM30012 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Gaya |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
EFIM10015 Introduction to Management; or |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None. |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Management - Business School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
Corporate Social Responsibility & Sustainability focuses on the social, ecological, and economic impacts of business and the resulting challenges faced by organisations, managers, and wider stakeholders. This is particularly important in the face of climate change and loss of biodiversity, as well as intensifying inequalities and social crises. Students are invited to develop a more nuanced perspective on the state of the world today, and to reflect critically on the ideological underpinnings and practical, political, and ethical implications of capitalism, consumerism, and globalisation.
The goal of the unit is to provide students with a basis for comparing and assessing some of the mainstream approaches to CSR alongside more radical approaches which work to challenge, resist, and transform ‘business as usual’. Albert Einstein famously stated that we cannot solve problems by using the same kind of thinking that was used when we created them. The world (encompassing humans, more-than-human beings and ecosystems, and the wider biosphere) faces tremendous challenges. We will interrogate how these can be understood and addressed by drawing on several radical lenses that go beyond more limited approaches to CSR.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit focuses on some of the most vital global challenges of our times, including those related to climate change and ecological degradation and social injustices and inequalities. This unit adds to your programme of study by adopting an explicitly decolonising approach to these issues. A commitment to decolonise involves reflecting on our assumptions about how the world is, and the legacies of Western colonialism, empire, and racial inequality on what we understand as knowledge and truth. It also involves an honest, critical assessment of whose experiences, agendas, and interests are privileged and given voice, or alternatively, silenced and marginalised. To decolonise requires us to look closely at how we are positioned as persons, learners, and management/organisational scholars and practitioners, especially in relation to others who may not share similar positions and privilege.
Decolonising how we study and learn about CSR & Sustainability (and business, management, finance, and economics more broadly) means amongst other things: understanding and interrogating power relations and existing hierarchies; seeking and including perspectives from the Global South; reflecting on our own positioning and our own experiences of privilege, power, and marginalisation; and addressing the legacies of empire, and ongoing patterns of colonialism, racism, and oppression, made manifest through hegemonic forms of capitalism and globalisation.
An overview of content
This unit engages critically with corporate social responsibility (CSR): its origins, theoretical foundations, applications, and specific challenges. These are positioned within wider planetary, cross-cultural, and multi-racial contexts, framing a decolonial approach. It critiques the ideological underpinnings and the practical and ethico-political implications of heteropatriarchal and racial capitalism, consumerism, and globalisation. Centring long-term sustainability, the unit engages critically with the theoretical lenses and practical implications of, e.g., systemic thinking, ecofeminism/feminist ethics of care, and deep ecological perspectives.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
Successful students will be creative, inquiring, and able to undertake independent research on some of the grand challenges of our times, especially relating to social justice, inequalities, and sustainability. They will have greater confidence, self-awareness and resilience in relation to these challenges. They will be able to reflect on their own practice and learn from their experiences, and better prepared to cope with change and uncertainty. They will be able to build connections with communities beyond the university (including those connected to sustainable enterprise, advocacy, and activism), building alliances and collaborating to make a positive impact in the world.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the unit, successful students will be able to:
| LO1 | Identify and describe a range of issues relevant to CSR and sustainability |
| LO2 | Explain and discuss theoretical approaches to CSR and sustainability |
| LO3 | Analyse and appraise practice through the application of relevant theory |
| LO4 | Critically evaluate the theory and practice of CSR and sustainability |
Teaching will be delivered through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous sessions including lectures, tutorials, drop-in sessions, discussion boards and other online learning opportunities.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Regular attendance in class, consistent engagement with course material and further reading, and comprehensive preparation for class will help you to learn and prepare for summative tasks.
The introductory positioning statement of the summative assessment comprises the formative assessment. See further details under the IPS section of the summative assessment below.
In addition to the formative feedback, Assignment Advice Clinics and a 2-hour session on assignment guidance will be scheduled prior to submission of your summative assignment.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative)
The summative assessment consists of two parts: a 2000-word individual assignment on a specific, original topic chosen by the student (worth 75% of the final mark) and a 500-word personal reflective summary (worth 25% of the final mark). (Please note that each student chooses a different, original topic, and that these are approved by the teaching team prior to submission of the summative assessment, to ensure distinctiveness and appropriateness of the chosen issue.)
When assessment does not go to plan
Students who have been unable to submit or pass their summative assessment will be asked to submit for re-assessment a revised piece that follows the same brief as did the original assessment. (Please note that each student chooses a different, original topic, and that these are approved by the teaching team prior to submission of the summative assessment, to ensure distinctiveness and appropriateness of the chosen issue.)
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EFIM30012).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
