Unit information: Principles of corporate social responsibility (Bath) in 2021/22

Unit name	Principles of corporate social responsibility (Bath)
Unit code	LAWDM0161
Credit points	15
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52)
Unit director	Professor. Pieraccini
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	N/A
Co-requisites	In taking this module you cannot take MN50456
School/department	University of Bristol Law School
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Description including Unit Aims

The unit will draw upon theory and evidence to construct a rigorous understanding of the strategic implications of CSR. It will employ informative cases to develop a practical appreciation of opportunities for, and limitations of, emerging CSR- orientated strategies. Such strategies will speak to implications for numerous stakeholder groups (employees, communities, etc.) and numerous types of issue (community-oriented, employee-related, environmental, etc.), and may encompass social enterprise, cooperatives, and green business.

Aims:

Corporate social responsibility is an increasingly important aspect of the contemporary business world. This course examines corporate social responsibility (CSR) and focuses on exploring the responsibilities of firms in respect of a range of contemporary environmental and social issues.

The unit builds upon prior knowledge of theoretical and empirical perspectives including stakeholder theory and institutional theory. The unit is designed for students with some prior experience of corporate responsibility and will enable students to practically apply this knowledge to complex, social and environmental issues that arise within today's business environment. The course aims to equip them with tools and approaches necessary for the practical application of theory.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Upon completing the unit, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate the application of different principles that constitute CSR, and how these perspectives inform various strategies, codes of conduct and self-regulatory standards for CSR that are advocated by stakeholder groups and companies.
• Understand the current and future challenges being faced by businesses as they negotiate their relationship with their physical and social environments in fast changing conditions, and the key questions these pose for corporate action, strategies and purposes.
• Propose strategies that balance conflicting business and social responsibilities and critique different managerial approaches to working with stakeholders
• Apply the theoretical and practical aspects of corporate responsibility to a range of contemporary social and environmental problems Critically and creatively assess different approaches to the management of CSR issues and evaluate the prospects and limits of different policy approaches related to these issues.

Assessment Information

This unit is assessed at the University of Bath, please refer to the unit information provided by this partner university for the current assessment information.

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. LAWDM0161).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.