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2014/2015  KAN-CKOMO2002U  Strategies and Practices

English Title
Strategies and Practices

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 15 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Full Degree Master
Duration One Semester
Course period Spring
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for BSc/MSc in Business Administration and Organizational Communication, MSc
Course coordinator
  • Anne Vestergaard - MSC
  • Julie Uldam - MSC
Main academic disciplines
  • Communication
Last updated on 03-07-2014
Learning objectives
Students must demonstrate
  • knowledge and comprehension of theories relating to stakeholder interaction as included in the course curriculum.
  • overall knowledge and mastery of the interactive repertoires of corporations as well as civil society actors.
  • ability to identify and apply relevant theories and perspectives to cases in order to obtain an analysis which goes beyond common sense.
  • ability to reflect on the interactions between various types of actors on the basis of a rich understanding of their agendas and room of manouvre within economical, political and cultural contexts.
  • ability to identify and obtain relevant and sufficient contextual information for the analysis of cases.
  • ability to communicate knowledge and reflections in a concise, correct and theoretically informed manner, orally as well as in writing.
Examination
Strategies and Practices:
Exam ECTS 15
Examination form Oral exam based on written product

In order to participate in the oral exam, the written product must be handed in before the oral exam; by the set deadline. The grade is based on an overall assessment of the written product and the individual oral performance.
Individual or group exam Group exam, max. 5 students in the group
Size of written product Max. 10 pages
Assignment type Synopsis
Duration
Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
30 min. per student, including examiners' discussion of grade, and informing plus explaining the grade
Grading scale 7-step scale
Examiner(s) Internal examiner and external examiner
Exam period Spring Term
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
Re-take due to illness: A student, who has attended the work of a previous handed in assignment, but is ill at the ordinary oral exam, will attend the re-take with the ordinary assignment. A student, who has not participated in the work of a previous handed in assignment, must hand in a new assignment before the oral exam. The date of the hand in is set by the Study Secretariat.

If the student did not pass the ordinary exam, he/she must make a new assignment and hand it in on a new deadline, specified by the secretariat, before the re-take.
Course content and structure
This course explores the practices of communicative interaction between corporations and stakeholders, and the strategies employed by different actors to protect and further their interests. The course examines proactive as well as reactive communication between a wide range of different types of stakeholders including local populations, activists, media (mass and social), NGOs, local government and transnational institutions of governance (UN, WTO, ILO etc). A large repertoire of corporate strategies will be explored, ranging from reporting, reputation monitoring, surveillance and lobbyism towards more participatory forms of interaction such as community hearings and multistakeholder forums. Similarly, civil society strategies will be investigated such as sponsorships, partnerships and advocacy towards more antagonistic interactions such as smear campaigns (esp. social media), corporate sabotage, brand terrorism etc.
 
The course is organized around a series of cases, which exemplify stakeholder interactions in a globalized and highly mediated reality. The context (political, economical, cultural) of the cases will be explored in depth in order to enable critical analysis and discussion of the communicative responses and strategies of relevant actors for each case.
 
The course consists of a combination of lectures and case-work. The first half of the semester is centered around common cases, for which readings provide relevant theory and empirical contextualization. The second half of the semester, groups work with self-selected cases to be developed for their exams. A synopsis describing the case, suggesting a theoretically informed analysis of it and suggesting feasible stratgic alternatives, will constitute the starting point of an individual oral exam.
Teaching methods
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Last updated on 03-07-2014