DEVC31211 : CSR & Sustainable Development Credit hours / ECTS : 1.00 Course attribute : Total Hours : 25.00 ( = 25.00 Lecture hours + ? Lab hours + ? Other) Equivalent :DEVC31210 Pre-requisite : Course Coordinator(s) : PACHE Anne-Claire Professors or adjunct lecturers’s name : Bemad LECA Language : English Campus wherethis course is or mightbetaught : Cergy Abstract The concepts of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainable Development (SD) have become central to business management The idea of social responsibility appeared at the end of the 19th century, drawing inspiration from the social movements of the 18th and 19th centuries (Fourierism, Saint-Simonianism, etc.) as well as from patemalism. It was in 1953 that the term CSR (Corporate Social Responsibilities) first appeared in Bowen's seminal work [1] The concept of CSR then evolved — under the headings of Corporate Social Responsiveness and Corporate Social Performance -, founded on the idea that , inasmuch as they are socio-economic actors endowed with a certain amount of power, agency and the ability to influence social relations and lifestyles, companies have obligations towards society, for with such power comes related responsibility. Sustainable development — defined in 1987 by the Brundtland Report as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" — is closely linked to the concept of CSR. The European Commission defines CSR as “a concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concems in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis’ (Green Paper, 2001), In summary, CSR can be considered as the adoption of SD by the company, in the sense that CSR involves an interaction betweenthe way organisations operate and the evolution of the society/economy where they belong. Since the publication of Milton Friedman 1970's controversial article,[2] which posited that the sole responsibility of the company was the maximisation of profits for its shareholders, a great deal of research has taken place, and this has culminated in the view that businesses not only have obligations towards their shareholders, but also towards all stakeholders, i.e. all social groups that interact directly or indirectly with them: employees, consumers, local residents, public authorities, associations, trade unions, ngos, etc. In short, society as a whole. Since the late 1990s, the term CSR has resurfaced and become more widespread, driven in particular by numerous scandals (Enron, Parmalat, etc.) and economic crises that highlight the fact that financial performance does not necessarily lead to social progress. As a result of regulatory and consumer Pressures, more and more companies are now engaging in dialogue with their stakeholders and taking into account the impact of their activities on their social and natural environment as well as include stakeholders in their governance. Companies are increasingly integrating CSR issues into their strategic thinking The strategic nature of sustainable development for companies has attracted the interest of the hard sciences and more recently the management sciences, which are keen to demonstrate the competitiveness of corporate approaches that address social and environmental issues.[3] Thus, more than three decades after the appearance of Michael's Porter article[4] setting out his “Five Forces Framework’ (which has since become a staple at management schools), the author has revisited the importance of sustainable development for companies in his article “Creating Shared Value”(5] In it, he presents the importance of strategically positioning a company within (and in relation to) society, as part of an ecosystem of stakeholders who, through their interdependence and interaction, may and do have a strategic interest in creating economic and societal value synergistically, then helping the corporations to achieve a sustainable advantage {1] Bowen, H. Social Responsibilities of the Businessman (1953) [2] Friedman, M. “The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits.” The New York Times Magazine (1970) {3} Hart, S. Capitalism At The Crossroads: Aligning Business, Earth, And Humanity (2007){4] Porter, M. ‘How competitive forces shape strategy.” HBR (1979) [5] Porter, M. “Creating Shared Value: How to reinvent capitalism and unleash a wave of innovation and growth.” HBR (2011) Objectives In conclusion, if CSR is considered by some companies as a trend and communication tool, opportunistic behaviour known as “greenwashing’ is becoming increasingly controversial and even harmful to companies, as it is often rejected by consumers today. Taking into account climate change, environmental issues and the problems of poverty and vulnerability are no longer regarded as obstacles, but rather as business opportunities for companies to transform their businesses. Topics Outline (Course structure) The course lasts 10 weeks and will run according to the following schedule: * 27/09: course launch in the presence of partner companies + 04/10: e-mail sent to the teaching team containing a list of the first assignments to be completed before the on- site meeting with the company + 11/10: on-site meeting with the relevant company's members © Discussion of the initial assignments © Identification of intemal and external stakeholders, including those who might be useful to contact © Sharing of all the work previously carried out internally/useful documents © Action plan up until 06/12 End product: reframing of the problem and of the company's objectives * 18/10: office hours?+ 25/10: quiz + 08/11: office hours + 15/11: on-site meeting with the company + 22/11: office hours + 06/12: Final presentations The pedagogical approach The “Business and Sustainable Development” course is based ‘on an interactive and innovative teaching strategy combining e- learning modules, practical research and group work. It aims to allow students to directly link theory and practice by getting them to work on concrete issues faced by companies in the field of CSR. The course is based on two complementary pedagogical approaches: * Online resources on Moodle, accessible from the course's Google site 1/ The fundamentals This part of the course takes place online and is divided into four modules: History and definition of the concept of sustainable development, and its analysis by economists - CSR: the concept and its implications for companies, with a focus on the circular economy, which appears to be the new frontier in the area of the environment. - The regulatory framework, which is having an increasing impact on companies’ core business activities - The key tools currently being used to help companies develop and progress in terms of CSR. 2/ The “Successful Socially and Environmentally Impactful Businesses” course, for students who have not yet taken the Responsible Leadership course + Study and analysis in groups of 4/5 students, leading to concrete recommendations in response to issues faced by large companiesGrading pattern The evaluation will also include an overall group assessment: a collective mark based on the group's performance and an individual mark based on the performance of each participant >. Students may lose up to 2 points for their group work if they do not send in their assessments of the group's, performance by Sunday 12 December at the latest The final mark may vary from one member of the ‘group to another depending on the degree of commitment shown by each individual y - Oral presentation of the report in front of the partner companies on Monday 6 December: 15-minute presentation, with all group members participating equally. Each group will prepare an oral presentation. At the end of each group presentation, the jury will have 10 minutes to ask questions. - The final written report: 30-page document (excluding appendices) in Arial 12 font, 1.5 line spacing and reasonable margins. The report must faithfully represent all the work that has been undertaken and, with regard to each issue considered, must contain the following items: ‘+ Amap featuring the stakeholders concemed by the issue in question + AFrench, a European and an international benchmark, together with a description of how the proposals relate to the existing initiatives that have been identified ‘+ Proposals that are realistic and based on convincing arguments ‘+ SWOT, Business Model Canvas or other tools should be used as appropriate ‘+ An appendix with a list of people interviewed by telephone or in person, with dates, those members of the group who attended and the length of the interview Each group must send the following items to Nawel FEKIR ([email protected]) no later than the evening of ‘Sunday 12 December - the completed written report - the overall group performance assessment The individual group performance assessment marks must also be sent to Nawel FEKIR before the same deadline BibliographyContacts from the partner companies interact with the students to: + Provide the company’s vision on the issue at hand and to share their personal perspective ‘© Suggest potential contacts and persons of interest within the company ‘+ Help to put students in contact with external stakeholders, ‘+ Respond by e-mail to specific questions from students Please note that the following persons must be cc'd on all messages sent to the company: ~ Students from the group/2 groups concerned ~ Bernard Leca and Nawel Fekir Your contacts' time is precious and the information shared by e-mail and telephone must be passed on to all the students concerned; the same applies to any meetings that may be organised if they are of potential interest to a number of groups. These interactions are meant to be educational and not advisory in nature. All questions relating to the requirements and deliverables of this course should be addressed to the teaching staff. ‘The academic team overseeing the course: = Bemard Leca, Ecological Transition Chair Professor — - Nawel Fekir, Public and Private Policy Department Teaching Assistant - fekir@essec edu Last modified: 27/07/2021 11:24 PRINT CLOSE © Groupe ESSEC, 2016