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2016/2017  BA-BBLCO6001U  The Corporation in Society: Managing Beyond Markets

English Title
The Corporation in Society: Managing Beyond Markets

Course information

Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Bachelor
Duration One Semester
Start time of the course Spring
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for BSc og MSc in Business, Language and Culture, BSc
Course coordinator
  • Andreas Rasche - Department of Management, Society and Communication (MSC)
Main academic disciplines
  • CSR and sustainability
Last updated on 15-08-2016
Learning objectives
To achieve the grade 12, students should meet the following learning objectives with no or only minor mistakes or errors: At the end of the course students should be able to:
  • Describe, classify, criticize, structure, and combine the concepts, theories and methods related to the broader debate around Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
  • Describe and analyze the main contemporary challenges for business organizations vis-à-vis their different stakeholders, including the impact they have on their stakeholders.
  • Understand how social and environmental issues create problems and opportunities for corporations, and how these issues can be addressed by different corporate functions.
  • Understand how businesses interact with relevant actors in the non-market environment, including, but not limited to: governments, non-governmental organizations, business associations, and international organizations.
  • Be able to apply the concepts, theories, and frameworks discussed in class to concrete cases and examples.
Examination
The Corporation in Society: Managing Beyond Markets:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Written sit-in exam
Individual or group exam Individual exam
Assignment type Written assignment
Duration 2 hours
Grading scale 7-step scale
Examiner(s) One internal examiner
Exam period Summer
Aids allowed to bring to the exam Closed book: no aids:
  • Written sit-in-exam on CBS' computers
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
If the number of registered candidates for the make-up examination/re-take examination warrants that it may most appropriately be held as an oral examination, the programme office will inform the students that the make-up examination/re-take examination will be held as an oral examination instead.
Course content and structure

Today’s business environment has powerfully reinforced the centrality of responsible business practices. Especially when looking at the many governance gaps that persist in the global economy and the inability of transnational political actors to address them, reflections about the responsibility of corporations for social and environmental problems seem inevitable.
This course explores the changing role of business in global society by looking at how firms increasingly interact with actors in the non-market environment, including, but not limited to: governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), social movements, and international organizations. We will make extensive use of the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) which is critically reflected upon and compared with other concepts such as corporate accountability, corporate citizenship, and stakeholder management. The main aim of the course is to enable students to understand how businesses are affected by and affect many of today’s societal challenges, such as: corruption, climate change, poverty, and human rights.
The course starts with a theoretically grounded introduction of the debate around CSR and related concepts. This introduction frames the overall debate and familiarizes students with key terminology. Next, students will apply these theoretical insights to discuss corporations’ responsibilities with regard to selected issue areas (e.g. labor rights in global supply chains). Finally, students learn about how and why business firms increasingly interact with governmental and non-governmental actors (e.g. via public-private partnerships).

Teaching methods
Lectures, class discussions, cases, videos supplements, and student activity
Student workload
Lectures 36 hours
Exam 2 hours
Preparation 168 hours
Total 206 hours
Expected literature

 To be announced on Learn

Last updated on 15-08-2016