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2017/2018  KAN-CKOMO2014U  Corporate Responsibility and Organization

English Title
Corporate Responsibility and Organization

Course information

Language English
Course ECTS 15 ECTS
Type Mandatory offered as elective
Level Full Degree Master
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/MSc in Business Administration and Organizational Communication, MSc
Course coordinator
  • Dennis Schoeneborn - Department of Management, Society and Communication (MSC)
Main academic disciplines
  • CSR and sustainability
  • Communication
  • Organization
Last updated on 27-06-2017

Relevant links

Learning objectives
To achieve the grade 12, students should meet the following learning objectives with no or only minor mistakes or errors: Upon completion of the course, students will be able to
  • Independently identify and delineate a relevant research question at the thematic intersection of corporate responsibility, governance, and communication
  • Examine their self-chosen research question by drawing on the pertinent academic literature and theoretical approaches to corporate responsibility, governance, and communication
  • Critically reflect the choice of theoretical perspectives and their limitations in a comparative way
  • Develop a coherent argument, a (theoretical and/or empirical) analysis, and a distinct contribution to the given literature in this field
  • Consider the broader societal and practical implications of matters of corporate responsibility, governance, and communication
  • Demonstrate good academic writing skills (clear and accurate writing style in English language, correct use of relevant terminology, coherent structure of arguments, proper use of references)
Examination
Corporate Responsibility and Organization:
Exam ECTS 15
Examination form Home assignment - written product
Individual or group exam Group exam
Please note the rules in the Programme Regulations about identification of individual contributions.
Number of people in the group 2
Size of written product Max. 30 pages
Two students write max. 30 standard pages, one student writes max. 20 standard pages. For students who choose to write their assignment in teams of two, students must annotate in the assignment who is responsible for which parts in order to allow individual grading.
Assignment type Written assignment
Duration Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
Grading scale 7-step scale
Examiner(s) One internal examiner
Exam period Summer
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
Course content and structure

This course is part of the "Corporate Responsibility, Governance & Communication" (CRGC) specialization in the Cand.merc.(kom) program - but can also be chosen as an elective course. This course is concerned with the organizational and communicative challenges that arise for corporations to handle multifold societal expectations in the era of globalization. In particular, the course will shed light on how matters of corporate social responsibility (CSR) are negotiated and institutionalized in the dynamic communicative interplay between corporations, their stakeholders, and the media (incl. social media).

 

The course will feature an introduction of main theoretical perspectives on CSR and global governance (e.g., instrumental perspectives, political theory of the firm, critical management studies, institutional theory, practice theories, and communication-centered perspectives). These theoretical perspectives will be related to various application areas of CSR (e.g., CSR standardization processes, implementation of CSR practices, CSR/stakeholder communication, or how to deal with eruptive crises and scandalizations in social media). Overall, this course represents a unique offering that closely combines CSR-related research from the fields of business ethics and management with insights from the neighboring field of corporate communication studies.
 

Students will develop an seminar thesis over the course of the semester that follows the format of academic papers. In the thesis, students will identify and tackle a relevant gap or puzzle in the given literature on corporate responsibi­l­ity, govern­ance, and communication. As part of the supervision process, the course will feature workshops that help develop seminar thesis ideas and discuss work-in-progress theses. More generally, students can bene­­fit from the supervision process as a hands-on training and preparation for their master theses.

Furthermore, the course links theoretical insights to practice via case-based workshops with leading practitioners from the field of corporate responsibility, governance, and communication. These case studies provide students with the opportunity to engage in team work, presentations, and in direct interactions with experts from practice.

Teaching methods
• Regular lectures and seminar sessions (based on course reading)
• Workshops to help develop seminar thesis ideas and to discuss work-in-progress seminar theses
• Practice case studies and group work
Feedback during the teaching period
Students will receive continuous feedback from the lecturer throughout the course, e.g. in interactive teaching formats, in-class case discussion, and in dedicated seminar thesis workshop sessions. Students are given the opportunity to hand in an outline of their seminar thesis mid-semester and will receive by the lecturer critical feedback as well as suggestions for further improvement. The lecturer will also strive for being readily available for individual or group-wise feedback in both lecture breaks and following each lecture session.
Student workload
Lectures 67 hours
Preparation 200 hours
Exam 145 hours
Total 412 hours
Last updated on 27-06-2017