executive MBA subject 08

Corporate Social Responsibility

Year 1, term C. 5.0 ECTS, about 125 hours, 6 parts. Part 1 is free.

task, condition, standard

What you will be able to do

Task, condition and standard

Task

Write an impact plan for one business unit with targets, measures and governance.

Condition

Given the unit's operations data and a list of stakeholder concerns.

Standard

Targets are measurable, linked to stakeholder concerns, and have an owner and a reporting date.

Who it is for: Managers who must balance profit with people, communities and the environment.

how this subject works

Free entry, voice and your learning style

Part 1 is free to try. Read it, listen to it and answer it before you decide. Join the programme, or this subject on its own, to open the other parts.

Listen. Every part has a Listen button that reads it aloud.
Speak or type. Answer each part by talking (press Speak) or by typing. Your answers stay on this device only.
Learn your way. Every part has a See, Hear, Do and Read-and-write route. Not sure which suits you? Take the eight-question learning-style check.

6 parts

The parts, with worked examples

Part 1 Foundations of responsible business 21 hUnderstand: explain

Responsible business means making profit in ways that do not push hidden costs onto others. It also protects the firm's licence to operate.

Legal duty is the floor, not the ceiling
Hidden costs: pollution, unsafe work, unfair pay
Trust lost is slow to win back

Worked example: Worked-example figures, in your currency. A factory saves 200,000 a year by skipping waste treatment, then pays a 1.5m fine and loses a 3m contract. The saving was a loss of 4.3m net over the period.

Activity: List three hidden costs a firm you know might push onto others.

Standard: Three real costs, each with who bears it.

Learn your way

See. Sketch "foundations of responsible business" as a picture: boxes, arrows and the key number.
Hear. Press Listen, or explain the worked example aloud to someone.
Do. Do the activity with your own work or a practice case.
Read and write. Write the idea in three lines in your own words below.

Your answer. List three hidden costs a firm you know might push onto others.

Part 2 Stakeholder theory in practice 21 hAnalyse: map

Stakeholders are people affected by or able to affect the firm. Mapping their power and interest shows whom to involve and how.

High power, high interest: manage closely
High interest, low power: keep informed
Revisit the map as things change

Worked example: Worked-example figures, in your currency. A new plant: local residents (high interest, medium power), regulator (high power), staff (high interest, high power). Plan: monthly meetings with residents, early filings with the regulator.

Activity: Map eight stakeholders for a project on a power and interest grid.

Standard: All eight placed with a reason and an action each.

Learn your way

See. Sketch "stakeholder theory in practice" as a picture: boxes, arrows and the key number.
Hear. Press Listen, or explain the worked example aloud to someone.
Do. Do the activity with your own work or a practice case.
Read and write. Write the idea in three lines in your own words below.

Your answer. Map eight stakeholders for a project on a power and interest grid.

Part 3 ESG measurement and reporting 21 hApply: measure

Environmental, social and governance measures need clear definitions, a baseline and a target, just like financial ones.

Define the measure and its unit
Set a baseline year
Report progress against the target each year

Worked example: Worked-example figures, in your currency. Emissions were 10,000 tonnes in the baseline year. Target: 30% lower in 5 years, so 7,000 tonnes. That is a cut of 600 tonnes a year on average.

Activity: Set a baseline and a five-year target for one measure.

Standard: Unit, baseline, target and yearly step all correct.

Learn your way

See. Sketch "esg measurement and reporting" as a picture: boxes, arrows and the key number.
Hear. Press Listen, or explain the worked example aloud to someone.
Do. Do the activity with your own work or a practice case.
Read and write. Write the idea in three lines in your own words below.

Your answer. Set a baseline and a five-year target for one measure.

Part 4 Ethics and governance 21 hEvaluate: judge

Ethics is choosing right when rules are silent. Governance is the system that makes good choices likely and bad ones visible.

Code of conduct with real examples
Safe way to raise concerns
Board oversight of key risks

Worked example: Worked-example figures, in your currency. A firm receives 40 concerns through its hotline in a year; 30 are resolved in 60 days. That is 75%. The target is 90%, so the board asks for more investigators.

Activity: Review a short case and say what governance step would have prevented the problem.

Standard: The gap is named and the step is practical.

Learn your way

See. Sketch "ethics and governance" as a picture: boxes, arrows and the key number.
Hear. Press Listen, or explain the worked example aloud to someone.
Do. Do the activity with your own work or a practice case.
Read and write. Write the idea in three lines in your own words below.

Your answer. Review a short case and say what governance step would have prevented the problem.

Part 5 Sustainable value chains 21 hAnalyse: trace

Most impact sits in suppliers and customers, not inside the firm. Responsible buying sets standards and helps suppliers meet them.

Map tier 1 and key tier 2 suppliers
Audit high-risk suppliers
Support improvement before ending contracts

Worked example: Worked-example figures, in your currency. Of 120 suppliers, 15 are in high-risk sectors. Auditing those 15 covers 60% of spend at a fraction of the cost of auditing all.

Activity: Rank 10 suppliers by risk and spend and choose which to audit first.

Standard: Ranking uses both risk and spend and the first three are justified.

Learn your way

See. Sketch "sustainable value chains" as a picture: boxes, arrows and the key number.
Hear. Press Listen, or explain the worked example aloud to someone.
Do. Do the activity with your own work or a practice case.
Read and write. Write the idea in three lines in your own words below.

Your answer. Rank 10 suppliers by risk and spend and choose which to audit first.

Part 6 Impact strategy 21 hCreate: plan

An impact strategy picks a few issues where the firm can make a real difference and links them to the business plan.

Pick issues that matter to stakeholders and to the business
Set two or three targets, not twenty
Fund it in the budget and name owners

Worked example: Worked-example figures, in your currency. A logistics firm picks fuel use and driver safety. Cutting fuel by 8% on a 5m fuel bill saves 400,000 a year, which pays for safety training.

Activity: Write a one-page impact plan for one business unit.

Standard: Two or three targets with owners, budget and reporting dates.

Learn your way

See. Sketch "impact strategy" as a picture: boxes, arrows and the key number.
Hear. Press Listen, or explain the worked example aloud to someone.
Do. Do the activity with your own work or a practice case.
Read and write. Write the idea in three lines in your own words below.

Your answer. Write a one-page impact plan for one business unit.

ten checks

Check yourself

Say or write your answer first, then read the model answer.

Q1. What is a hidden cost?
Model answer: A cost the firm pushes onto others, such as pollution. (Covered in part 1: Foundations of responsible business.)
Q2. Saving 200,000 vs 4.5m of fines and lost contracts. Net result?
Model answer: A loss of 4.3m. (Covered in part 1: Foundations of responsible business.)
Q3. How do you treat high power, high interest stakeholders?
Model answer: Manage them closely. (Covered in part 2: Stakeholder theory in practice.)
Q4. Why revisit the stakeholder map?
Model answer: Power and interest change over time. (Covered in part 2: Stakeholder theory in practice.)
Q5. Baseline 10,000 tonnes, 30% cut. Target?
Model answer: 7,000 tonnes. (Covered in part 3: ESG measurement and reporting.)
Q6. What three things does an ESG measure need?
Model answer: A definition with unit, a baseline and a target. (Covered in part 3: ESG measurement and reporting.)
Q7. 30 of 40 concerns resolved in time. Percentage?
Model answer: 75%. (Covered in part 4: Ethics and governance.)
Q8. Why is a safe reporting channel part of governance?
Model answer: Problems become visible early. (Covered in part 4: Ethics and governance.)
Q9. Why audit high-risk suppliers first?
Model answer: They carry most risk; it covers more for less cost. (Covered in part 5: Sustainable value chains.)
Q10. 8% fuel saving on 5m. Annual saving?
Model answer: 400,000. (Covered in part 6: Impact strategy.)

slides L1 to L7

The seven-level ladder, slide by slide

Slide 1: L1 Why responsibility. Hidden costs and trust. Speaker note: Say: put "why responsibility" in one sentence and give one example from work. Check: ask one learner to say it back in their own words. Mistake: moving on before the numbers are clear.
Slide 2: L2 Stakeholders. Who is affected. Speaker note: Say: put "stakeholders" in one sentence and give one example from work. Check: ask one learner to say it back in their own words. Mistake: moving on before the numbers are clear.
Slide 3: L3 Mapping. Power and interest. Speaker note: Say: put "mapping" in one sentence and give one example from work. Check: ask one learner to say it back in their own words. Mistake: moving on before the numbers are clear.
Slide 4: L4 Measuring. Baselines and targets. Speaker note: Say: put "measuring" in one sentence and give one example from work. Check: ask one learner to say it back in their own words. Mistake: moving on before the numbers are clear.
Slide 5: L5 Governance. Codes, channels, boards. Speaker note: Say: put "governance" in one sentence and give one example from work. Check: ask one learner to say it back in their own words. Mistake: moving on before the numbers are clear.
Slide 6: L6 Value chains. Suppliers and customers. Speaker note: Say: put "value chains" in one sentence and give one example from work. Check: ask one learner to say it back in their own words. Mistake: moving on before the numbers are clear.
Slide 7: L7 Strategy. A funded impact plan. Speaker note: Say: put "strategy" in one sentence and give one example from work. Check: ask one learner to say it back in their own words. Mistake: moving on before the numbers are clear.

how it is judged

Marking rubric

Marking rubric (Not yet, Meets, Exceeds)
Criterion	Not yet	Meets	Exceeds
Accuracy	Several figures or facts are wrong.	Main figures are correct and the working is shown.	Figures are correct and checked a second way.
Use of corporate social responsibility tools	Tools are named but not used.	The right tools are used for each step.	Tools are adapted to the case and their limits are stated.
Recommendation	No clear answer.	A clear answer backed by the analysis.	A clear answer that also says what would change it.
Communication	Hard to follow.	Answer first, clear and short.	Clear, short and persuasive under questions.

jobs this leads to

Where this takes you

Sustainability manager. Sets and reports impact targets.
ESG analyst. Measures and compares impact data.
Compliance officer. Runs codes and reporting channels.

language

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Draft for review. Not live. Credit values are aligned with the European credit system for orientation only and are not an accreditation.