COURSE OUTLINE MBA 541

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Summer 2011

Professor: Martin L Martens, Phd Telephone: Office: Email: Office Hours:

753-3245, ext. 2863 B250 / R473 Martin.Martens @viu.ca Wednesdays & Fridays 12:30am - 2:00pm Or by appointment

MBA 541 (I11N71): SESSIONS: TTH. 9:00-12:00 LOCATION: Building 250, Room 210 MBA 541 (F10N70) SESSIONS: TTH. 13:00-16:00 LOCATION: Building 250, Room 210

PURPOSE OF COURSE OUTLINE:

The purpose of this course outline is to provide you with information about lecture/seminars, assignments, contacts for teaching staff, and learning resources. The aim is to provide sufficient information to enable you to study effectively, including planning the work involved in your assignments so that you have adequate time for completing the course requirements. The assignment due dates for this course may coincide with due dates for other courses, hence planning is all-important. One of the functions of this course outline is to help you plan your workload, by giving you sufficient information at the start of your studies. It is important to realize that the course outline is just one mechanism to help you with your studies and that you need to utilize the full range of support that is available at Vancouver Island University. You need to read the Student Handbook as well. Your main lines of support are as follows: Course Professor/Instructor; Director, MBA Programs; Dean, Faculty of Management

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is a critical examination of the issues facing corporate decision makers, and the wide-ranging responsibilities these executives bear towards stakeholders inside and outside the organization. Topics include the relationship between board responsibilities, corporate social responsibility and governance structures, and recent issues on corporate governance and social responsibility.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
The course will enable students to become familiar with the issues facing corporate decisionmakers; identify the responsibilities these executives have towards stakeholders inside and outside the organization; understand the relationships between board responsibilities, CSR and governance structures; and, evaluate the influential view regarding CSR. Though governments and nonprofits are crucial to a modern society, businesses are largely responsible for creating the wealth upon which the well-being of society depends. As they create that wealth, their actions impact society, which is composed of a wide variety of stakeholders. In turn, society shapes the rules and expectations by which businesses must navigate their internal and external environments. This interaction between corporations and society (in its broadest sense) is the concern of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Regardless of ones personal viewpoint about the interaction of business and society, the continued co-existence of for-profit organization is essential. This course seeks to explore the dimensions of that interaction from a multi-stakeholder perspective. That exploration is intended to be interactive, with the journey of exploration involving an analysis of CSR-related issues and case studies. Corporate social responsibility (CSR): A view of the corporation and its role in society that assumes a responsibility among firms to pursue goals in addition to profit maximization and a responsibility among a firms stakeholders to hold the firm accountable for its actions. (Werther & Chandler)
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What is a Learning Outcome?

You will note below that this course outline specifies learning outcomes. A learning outcome characterizes what it is that you are expected to have learned at the end of the course, if you have successfully completed it. You will note that the learning outcomes are specified in terms of what knowledge/understanding and skills you will have acquired. This will then tell you beforehand what the course aims to teach you, and what it is that you need to learn in order to succeed. It is important to realize that the assignments are designed to test your achievement of the stated learning outcomes.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Knowledge and Understanding Upon successful completion, students will have a knowledge and understanding of: Issues and reports on CSR and organizational governance Theories of CSR and organizational governance The range of responsibilities of corporate decision-makers The role of stakeholders and their representation in decision-making The range of views and issues related to CSR The multiple, often conflicting or differing viewpoints and trade-offs that exist around CSR and governance issues

Skills and Attributes Successful students will be able to:

Critically analyze and discuss issues of governance and CSR Explain the forces which are shaping corporate social responsibility in business Research, analyze and evaluate the governance and CSR principles and practices of organizations Analyze a business with respect to their triple bottom line

REQUIRED RESOURCES:
Course Textbook: Werther, Jr., William B. & Chandler, David. (2011). Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: Stakeholders in a Global Environment (2nd edition). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, Inc. Articles: Friedman, M. (1970). The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits, The New York Times Magazine, http://doc.cat-v.org/economics/milton_friedman/business_social_responsibility Carroll, A. (1999). Corporate Social Responsibility: Evolution of a Definitional Construct. Business & Society 38, 268-295. Carroll, A.B. & Shabana, K.M. (2010). The Business Case for Corporate Social Responsibility: A Review of Concepts, Research and Practice, International Journal of Management Reviews, 12(1), 85-105.
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Clarkson, M. (1995). A Stakeholder Framework for Analyzing and Evaluating Corporate Social Performance. The Academy of Management Review 20(1), 92-117. Freeman R.E. & McVea, J. (2001). A Stakeholder Approach to Strategic Management in M. Hitt, E. Freeman, and J. Harrison (eds.) Handbook of Strategic Management, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. Orlitzky, M, Schmidt, F.L, & Rynes, S.L. (2003). Corporate Social and Financial Performance: A Meta-analysis, Organization Studies, 24(3): 403441. Choi, J. & Wang, H. 2009. Stakeholder Relations and the Persistence of Corporate Financial Performance, Strategic Management Journal, 30: 895907. Wood, D.J. (2010). Measuring Corporate Social Performance: A Review. International Journal of Management Reviews, 12 (1), 50-84. Matev, D. et. al (2003). The Corporate Social Responsibility in Bulgaria. Revue Management & Avenir 23, 47-60. Berenbeim, R. (2005). Corporate Social Responsibility in China: Can Voluntary Codes Succeed? Executive Action 155, 1-6. Morimoto, R. et al. (2005). Corporate Social Responsibility Audit: From Theory to Practice. Journal of Business Ethics 62, 315-325. Kok, P., van der Wiele, T., McKenna, R. & Brown, A. (2001) A Corporate Social Responsibility Audit within a Quality Management Framework. Journal of Business Ethics, 31(4), 285297. Pfeffer, J. (2010). Building Sustainable Organizations: The Human Factor, 24 (1), 34 45. Husted, B. (2003). Governance choices for Corporate Responsibility: To Contribute, Collaborate or Internalize. Long Range Planning 36, 481-498. Bronn, P. & Vrioni, A. (2001). Corporate Social Responsibility and Cause Related Marketing: an Overview. International Journal of Advertising. Smith, C.N. (2007). Bounded Goodness: Marketing Implications of Drucker on Corporate Responsibility, Working Paper from the London Business School Centre for Marketing Golob, U. & Bartlett, J. (2007). Communicating about corporate social responsibility: A comparative study of CSR reporting in Australia and Slovenia. Public Relations Review 33, 1-9. Russo, M. & Fouts, P. (1997). A resource-base perspective on Corporate Environmental Performance and Profitability. The Academy of Management Journal 40(3), 534-559. Additional readings may be assigned as needed throughout the course by the instructor and students.

COURSE & CLASS STRUCTURE:

The course structure will include lectures, guest speakers, discussion periods and break-out small group session. Participation in class discussions and breakout groups is an important part of the course. You are expected to complete all required readings prior to class.

PROFESSORS EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENTS:

To complete pre-class assignment/readings thereby enabling the student to be an informed participant in class activities and discussions To attend all classes. Regular attendance and participation is expected at all sessions To ask thoughtful questions and contribute to class discussions To contribute to the shaping of class directions and the provision of a positive learning environment
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To draw upon fellow learners, the course facilitator and other available resources to effectively realize the learning objectives for this course Grades will be assigned according to the following scale. Grading Scale A+ B+ C+ D 90-100 76-79 64-67 50-54 A B C F 85-89 72-75 60-63 0-49 A- 80-84 B- 68-71 C- 55-59

ASSESSMENTS:
1) Team CSR topic report 2) Team CSR topic presentation 3) Team case study report and presentation 4) Final exam 5) Course Notes and Contribution % of Grade 10% 10% 40% 30% 10% Due Date as assigned as assigned as assigned Last class Last class

Student are expected to meet deadlines. Please note that all assignments are due AT THE START OF CLASS on the designated date.

ASSIGNMENTS: CSR Topic Report (10%) and Presentation (10%): During the semester, self-selected
student groups (3-4 per group) must select one of the lecture topics as the subject for a group presentation. Group members must research the topic using current sources beyond the material provided for the class. The report is a 1000-1500 word report (text count of body of paper, excluding title page and references) that summarizes research on the topic from the last five years. The group will present the information collected on the topic and lead the class in a discussion for at least 45 minutes. The grade will be based on the content and depth of the material presented as well as the degree to which the presentation generates questions and interest among the students in the class. Please provide the instructor with a printed ppt handout (3 per page) prior to the presentation.

Team Case Study Report and Presentation (40%) - In self-selected teams of three or
four, students will complete a CSR audit and CSR plan for a company or organization. Teams will then present their findings to the class. Students are responsible for finding the company that will be used for the audit. The course instructor will assist groups in finding and signing a contract with a company but the ultimate responsibility for this task is held by the members of the group. Details of the assignment will be outlined in a separate document handed out in class.

Final Exam (30%) A final comprehensive exam will be held at the end of the course. It will
cover material from the text, lectures, seminars, handouts, discussion and in-class cases. The exam will be short essay answer format.
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Course Notes and Contribution (10%) During classes throughout the semester, students
are expected to maintain a note journal of the readings, lectures, presentations, and course discussions. This journal should contain notes on the course readings, your ideas and thoughts on the readings, and notes from the class lectures, discussions, and presentations. Notes for any particular class must be presented in class when requested during the semester and will not be accepted prior to or after the end of that class. All assignment notes on readings must be typed in a Word document, not handwritten, and personally submitted when requested. These notes will be requested at random times during the semester. Students who fail to produce an up-to-date set of notes will receive a 1 point deduction on the assignment (the assignment is worth 10%). Notes taken during class lectures, discussions, and presentations must be typed up (in English) and submitted with the complete journal at the final exam. The assignment will be graded based on the thoroughness of the notes for the entire semester.

STANDARDS OF STUDENT CONDUCT

The MBA/MScIB Student Handbook details the standards and regulations for the program. The following additional detail applicable to this course is provided below.

Late assignments will not be accepted and may be awarded a failing grade. Assignments must be free of spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors. Grades will be lower for assignments containing such errors. Assignments must be submitted via email attachments in Word doc file and formatted according to sections 3.1 & 3.2. Assignments must not be submitted in folders. Ensure your understanding of Section 6: Academic Integrity and Misconduct.

Academic Misconduct
Academic misconduct will not be tolerated. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to: giving or receiving information during any quiz, test or exam; using unauthorized sources of information during any test or exam; and plagiarizing the work of another person. More details on this topic are set out in the Student Conduct Policy available through:

http://www.viu.ca/policies/index.asp
No electronic dictionaries will be allowed in exams / tests / quizzes. Only the following approved calculators may be used in exams / tests / quizzes. Texas Instrument Sharp Hewlett Packard BAII Plus, BAII, BA35 EL-733A 10B

Referencing
The Faculty of Management requires the Harvard style of referencing for academic papers. Please see Quote, Unquote Referencing, at: http://www.viu.ca/business/pdfs/QuoteUnquoteReferencing.pdf

Note: All references will be assessed for their quality. Scholarly peer reviewed journals or management practitioner journals are acceptable sources. Consultant, personal web pages, and Wikipedia are not considered acceptable sources and must not be used.

MBA 541 Corporate Social Responsibility Summer 2001 Course Schedule for I11N70 & I11N71
Class 1 2 TOPIC Course Introduction & Class Agreements What is CSR? -CSR concepts -historical context -toward a responsible society CSR Stakeholders CASES Student Experience Bhopal READINGS/ASSIGNMENTS Course outline and assignments Preview textbook Glossary, Preface, Chapter 1 (Werther/Chandler) Freidman 1970 Carroll 1999 Carroll. & Shabana 2010 Chapter 2 (Werther/Chandler) Clarkson 1995 Bryson 2008 Chapter 3 (Werther/Chandler) Freeman & McVea 2001 Orliztky et al. 2003 Choi & Wang - 2009 Chapter 4 (Werther/Chandler) Matev et al. 2003 Berenbeim 2005 Chapter 5 (Werther/Chandler) Wood 2010 Morimoto et al. 2005 Kok et al. 2001

Ben & Jerrys (374) NGOs (352) Profit (275) Social Entrepreneurship (193) Corporate Charters (157) Nike (282) Financial Crisis (240) Product Safety (266) ISO 26000 (313)

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The Strategic Context of CSR -does CSR matter? -vision, mission, strategy & tactics -forces propelling CSR The Strategic Context of CSR -globalization -cross cultural conflict & comparison Implementation of CSR -integration into strategy and culture -measuring CSR -CSR audit and plan Organizational issues and CSR -ethics, governance, stakeholder relations Economic issues & CSR -marketing & advertising, fair trade Societal issues & CSR -ethics, media, science and technology -globalization, cultural differences Environmental issues and CSR Group case study presentations Group case study presentations Final exam

In Class mini-cases

Starbucks (224) McDonalds (206) Citigroup (230) CNN (344) Ethics (336)

Pfeffer 2010 Husted 2003

Chapter 6 (Werther/Chandler) Bronn & Vrioni 2001 Smith 2007 Chapter 7 (Werther/Chandler) Golob & Bartlett - 2007

Sustainability Values Survey Student Cases Student Cases

Russo & Fouts - 1997

COURSE CHANGES: If, due to unforeseen circumstances, this course requires changes, students will be notified as soon as possible.