• understand and reflect on CSR as an ambiguous and contested concept
• understand how the development of CSR is related to national institutions, norms and values
• consider CSR as a global and political phenomenon that involves a variety of stakeholders, standards and modes of governance
• understand the strategic benefits of CSR as well as some of the possible shortcomings of strategic approaches to CSR

The seminar provides a broad introduction to the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR). While there has been a tendency for CSR to be discussed in very general terms based on concepts and models of Anglo-American origin, recent years have seen research increasingly addressing the national specificity of CSR, i.e. how the development of CSR is influenced by national/local norms and institutions. Meanwhile, another line of research has explored CSR at the global level with a particular focus on the regulatory aspects of the rise of the multinational enterprise and the emergence of global standards and modes of governance. In this seminar we will explore the national and the global aspects of CSR and how they are intertwined/relate to one another. Another central theme will be strategic CSR and how corporate responsibility can be a lever for economic value creation. Overall, we will, with the focus on national institutions and modes of global governance, venture beyond an instrumental understanding of CSR as a matter of dealing effectively with risks and opportunities and consider it as a social and political phenomenon in a much broader sense.

The course lasts for one week only 

All readings and other materials will be made able via the Learn platform. Slides and other items will be made available during the course, before or after lectures.

Day 1

Carroll, A.B. & Shabana, K. (2013). The Business Case for CSR: A Review of Concepts, Research and Practice. International Journal of Management Reviews, 12(1): 85-105.

Zadek, S. (2004): The Path to Corporate Social Responsibility. Harvard Business Review, December: 125-132.

Matten, D. & Moon, J. (2008): ”Implicit” and ”Explicit” CSR: A Conceptual Framework for a Comparative Understanding of Corporate Social Responsibility. Academy of Management Review, 33(4): 404-424.

Vallentin, S. (2013): Governmentalities of CSR: Danish Government Policy as a Reflection of Political Difference. Journal of Business Ethics, 27: 33-47.

Day 2

Porter, M.E. & M.R. Kramer (2011): Creating Shared Value. Harvard Business Review, January-February Issue: 62-78.

Vallentin, S. & Spence, L. (2017): Strategic CSR: Ambitions and Critiques. Chapter 3 in: Rasche, A., Morsing, M. & Moon, J. (eds.): Corporate Social Responsibility – Strategy, Communication, Governance.  Cambridge University Press.

Dyllick, T. & Hockerts, K. (2004): Beyond the Business Case for Corporate Sustainability. Business Strategy and the Environment, vol. 11(2): 130-141.

Scherer, A., Palazzo, G. & Matten, D. (2009): Introduction to the Special Issue: Globalization as a Challenge for Business Responsibilities. Business Ethics Quarterly, 19(3): 327-347.

Crane, A. (2013): Modern Slavery as a Management Practice: Exploring the Conditions and Capabilities for Human Exploitation. Academy of Management Review, 38(1): 49-69.

Day 3

Waddock, S. (2008): Creating a New Institutional Infrastructure for Corporate Responsibility. Academy of Management Perspectives, 22(3): 87-108.

Rasche, A. (2012): The United Nations and Transnational Corporations: How the UN Global Compact Has Changed the Debate. In: J. Lawrence & P. Beamish (eds.): Globally Responsible Leadership: Business According to the UN Global Compact (33-49). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Lawrence, A.T. (2010): Managing Disputes With Nonmarket Stakeholders: Wage a Fight, Withdraw, Wait, or Work it Out. California Management Review, vol. 53(1): 90-113.

Day 4

Christiansen, A.M. (2016): Greenland. In: Wisser, W. (ed.): The World Guide to Sustainable Enterprise. Vol. 3: EUROPE (pp. 118-125). Greenleaf Publishing.

Ditlev-Simonsen, C. (2014): Are Non-Financial (CSR) Reports Trustworthy? A Study of the Extent to Which Non-Financial Reports Reflect the Media’s Perception of the Company’s Behaviour. Issues in Social and Environmental Accounting, 8(2): 116-133.

Day 5

Christensen, L.T., Morsing, M. & Thyssen, O. (2013): CSR as aspirational talk. Organisation, 20(3): 1‐22.

Vallentin, S. (2015): “Instrumental and Political Currents in the CSR Debate: On the Demise and (Possible) Resurgence of ‘ethics’”. In: Pullen, A., and Rhodes, C. (eds.): The Routledge Companion to Ethics, Politics and Organizations (13-31). London: Routledge.