Corporate Social Responsibility

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

• 5. Gender equality
• 10. Reduced inequalities
• 12. Responsible consumption and production
• 16. Peace, justice and strong institutions

Objectives

From global corporations to local businesses, companies around the world are talking about corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives to try to educate stakeholders about their contributions to society.

CSR initiatives are also a useful tool for society, improving companies perception and consequent impact on consumers, partners and other stakeholders.

Learning outcomes

• Transmit information, ideas, problems and solutions appropriately and in accordance with academic norms, orally, in writing and audiovisually, to specialists and non-specialists, with respect for linguistic, social, cultural, gender and economic diversity.
• Be able to gather and interpret relevant data (normally within one’s field of study) in order to make judgements that include reflection on relevant issues of a social, scientific or ethical nature.
• Implement a communication plan for an organisation, a brand or a product, bringing to bear relational and research abilities in order to establish fluid, expert dialogue between an organisation and the agency or consultancy.
• Exercise responsibility for the communication area of a company or institution, internally or from an external agency, through knowledge of the theory and practice of the processes and structures of public relations and communication. Carry out effective management, taking into account the evaluation of relationships with the organisation's target public internally and externally, with a proactive attitude and aptitude in the field of relationships, harnessing a constructive, open-minded approach.
• Operate in diverse computer and digital environments (multidisciplinary and complex) linked to communication disciplines in all their written, visual and audiovisual dimensions (in one's own language and in foreign languages), in addition to ways that facilitate new relationships with audiences in face-to-face, virtual and emerging environments, with a high degree of precision in use, form and content.

Content

1. Introduction to CSR principles
2. History, concepts and stakeholders
3. Reading review: types of CSR projects to impact, the triple bottom line
4. Communicating CSR and the role of PR
5. Involving external stakeholders: media, critical groups, governments and citizens
6. Involving internal stakeholders: leaders, employees, volunteers, etc.
7. Reputation: achieving objectives, techniques and tactics
8. Message, tone, channels and spokespersons
9. Reporting impact: transparency and trust
10. Transformational organisations
11. CSR and consumer perceptions and decisions
12. Collecting data, measuring and evaluating outcomes, and CSR memory
13. The Future of CSR: key trends and opportunities

Evaluation

• Assignments, case studies and readings: 30%
  • 1 reading task (individual)
  • 1 case study done in class (group)
  • 1 successful CSR case study (group)
• Final project (presentation + PPT): 50%
  • 2 presentations (groups of 4 people)
• Participation: 20%
  • Quality comments about case studies + attendance

Deadlines are important: if they are not respected the assignment will not be accepted.

Methodology

The course will combine the explanation of theoretical aspects along with practical exercises. During the semester real examples and case studies are provided and discussed in order to achieve the established learning outcomes. The lectures, materials and case studies are entirely in English.

We also learn CSR good practices from successful cases that students present in class. At the end of the course, the students have to develop and present a CSR plan for a real company.

Bibliography

Further reading

Teachers will provide complementary bibliography and compulsory reading throughout the course via the Virtual Campus.