The last decade has seen an increased awareness in regard to environmental and social issues that has found its way up the corporate ladder and into company boardrooms.  This course accepts that the corporate social responsibility (CSR) movement linking business, communities, and sustainability has moved past the stage of debate and is becoming more and more a part of corporate strategy.  How companies incorporate CSR programs and strategies, however, is varied.  The course will utilize reading assignments, case analysis, and company presentations to provide an overview of CSR, the frameworks and models for developing a CSR strategy, and the growing utilization of cross-sector partnerships in CSR and related innovation efforts.

This course will start with an overview of CSR and stakeholder theory.  We will investigate practices of companies that have implemented CSR strategies while maintaining and maximizing financial returns.  Particular focus will be put on cutting-edge business strategies for squaring social and environmental responsibilities with competitive demands. 

The latter part of the course will examine the role of cross-sector partnerships as a critical lever to drive CSR programs and corporate social innovation.  Cross-sector collaboration is increasingly desirable as a strategy for addressing many of society’s problems; however, research indicates that it is hardly easy.  The selected cases, readings, and speakers aim to develop an appreciation of innovative partnership models and how they link the company, society, and public interests.  A vital element to any partnership is an appreciation of the diverse viewpoints, motivations, and goals of the different actors.  Guests will bring to life the challenges and rewards of working collaboratively to implement positive social change.

Course Objectives

CONTEXT:  To provide you with a fundamental understanding of the arguments underpinning the corporate social responsibility debate and to introduce you to the frameworks of corporate social responsibility efforts in practice today. 

THEORY AND PRACTICE:  To equip you with the theoretical knowledge that underpins the CSR field and to expose you to real world tools and efforts on the ground.  While the theoretical definitions and understandings are not agreed upon, vast and robust efforts are being implemented on the ground today.

STRATEGY:  To familiarize you with cutting-edge CSR strategies and how to align efforts so they are suited to particular companies, assets, and resources. 

COMPLEXITY:  To develop a better understanding of the risks and challenges that are characteristic of cross-sector collaboration and partnerships that often underpin CSR efforts. 

OPPORTUNITY:  To raise your awareness on the existing and evolving role of business to address environmental, social, and economic challenges in the world. 

BP AND WAL-MART ANALYSIS, Groups of 5

Both BP and Wal-Mart are large multi-national organizations that have made public claims to be integrating environmental sustainability into their corporate strategy as part of their CSR efforts. 

In 2001 under the leadership of Lord John Browne BP AMOCO renames itself BP and adopts the tag-line, “Beyond Petroleum[1].”  BP’s shield logo (associated with British imperialism and might) was substituted by the Helios mark (Helios is the name of the Greek sun god).  The rebranding process was coupled with ad campaigns very much about being environmentally responsible and marked BP’s entering a partnership with the National Wildlife Federation.

For Wal-Mart in an October 2005 speech broadcast to all 1.6 million employees in all 6,000 plus stores and shared with 60,000 suppliers worldwide, CEO H. Lee Scoot announced that Wal-Mart was initiating a sweeping “business sustainability” strategy. 

These CSR efforts were similar to the degree that they were far-reaching and very public pronouncements.     What can we learn about the different implementation and execution efforts of their CSR efforts that can inform CSR in practice?

Half the groups will be assigned to BP, the other half to Wal-Mart.  For each company please answer the following questions:

• On the CSR continuum of traditional to pioneering, where was each company at the start of their efforts?
• What is making each company’s efforts succeed?  What is making those efforts fail?  Use evidence to back-up your analysis.  In conducting your analysis please consider (but not limit yourself to) each company’s leadership, degree of CSR business integration, corporate culture, stakeholder analysis, and level of resource investments targeted towards the CSR efforts. 
• Prioritize your assessment and identify the top three factors that led to success.  Prioritize the key factors that have hindered efforts.  Use evidence to back-up your claims. 

Be prepared to give an 8 minute presentation in Session 3.  A panel of experts will be joining the class to evaluate and provide feedback on the presentations.  Please refer to the course website’s project resource tab for links to articles, speeches, and reports to help start your research.  This assistance is meant to be a starting point.  You will need to conduct additional research for a thorough analysis.

CSR ANALYSIS, Groups of 5

Session one of this course will provide the CSR continuum that presents the core elements of traditional to pioneering CSR efforts.  Thus, the final project will make more sense following session one.

Select a company that exemplifies “pioneering” CSR.  Using class discussion, readings, and guest lecturer findings, provide a critique of the company’s CSR efforts.  Utilize CSR reports, annual reports, outside articles and interviews to conduct your analysis to answer the following questions:

• What makes this company a CSR pioneer in social innovation?
• How does CSR fit into its overall business strategy?
• What role has cross-sector partnerships played in their CSR efforts?
• Identify weaknesses and strengths of their strategy and implementation efforts?

Be prepared to give an 8 minute presentation on your findings the last day of class. 

Feel free to openly select any company where you feel comfortable in securing enough information to back-up your analysis.  The following resources may be helpful in your search.  Links are provided on the course website.

• CR’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens 2010
• B-Corp
• Social Venture Network

We want to ensure there is no duplication, thus companies selected will be on a first come basis.  Please e-mail your choice and team members as soon as you have selected to Kriss.