Corporate Social Responsibility

General

• Code: 851
• Semester: 8th
• Study Level: Undergraduate
• Course type: Special Background
• Teaching and exams language: Greek
• Teaching Methods (Hours/Week): Lectures and Practice Works (3)
• ECTS Units: 6
• Course homepage: https://elearning.cm.ihu.gr/course/view.php?id=971
• Instructors: Mantzaris Ioannis, Karagiannis Christos
• Exams Schedule:
  • 09/09/2024, 18:00 - 20:00: Παζάρσκης

Course Contents

1. CSR as a competitive advantage. The business as a responsible agent of action in a globalized environment. Structures – mechanisms of creation – origin and acquisition – of comparative competitive advantages: Market-based-View, Resources-based-View, Shareholder Value Concept, Stakeholder Value Concept.
2. Conceptual approach of Corporate Social Responsibility and its main factors. Identification, description, Form of interested parties. Stakeholder Management and the necessity of orientation to it. Analysis and evaluation of the various Stakeholders.
3. Stakeholder relationship and CSR. Stakeholder and Business sustainability. Classic vs Sustainable business development. CSR communication and its future strategies.
4. Corporate Social Responsibility in the EU and the world. Corporate Social Responsibility in Greece.
5. CSR Models: M. Friedman, Davis Keith, E. Freeman, A.B. Carroll etc. CSR and sustainable development.
6. UN’s goals for sustainable development. CSR policies for the natural environment. Circular economy. CSR and business values.
7. Sponsoring, Sponsorships, Charities, Volunteering as an expression of social responsibility.
8. Corporate Governance – Corporate Citizenship: Concept, Definitions, Objectives. Accountability and Social Accountability in Businesses, Organizations and Universities.
9. Ethical Dimension of CSR. Ethical rules and dilemmas in Management, Marketing, Logistics, etc. Codes of Ethics and Ethics: Code of Ethics, Code of Conduct, Compliance, Best Practice.
10. Environmental management and quality assurance systems in CSR. CSR Quality Standards (ISO 26000, ISO 14001, ISO 9001, EMAS, etc.). CSR and forms of its communication.
11. CSR and Social Media. CSR in the field of Journalism. Information and Misinformation in new media. Fake News.
12. Journalistic ethics and codes of conduct: Corporate Social Responsibility Indicators, Corporate Responsibility Index, etc.
13. CSR and climate crisis: The future of CSR actions: The learning business. Economic development and climate crisis issues.

Educational Goals

Social responsibility of financial entities, is a dynamic and constantly improving scientific field of research with great importance and weight in business practice. It is par excellence the subject of the branch of economic sciences (as an independent field of research now) where such issues are approached and analyzed and knowledge and formation of good practices are offered, as supplies for the economist of the future. In this course, the basic issues of shaping balanced relationships between the interested parties of an economic entity (Shareholders and Stakeholders) are studied. Also,  how through this dynamic and competitive relationship balances of relationships will be formed (economic entities – society – environment). The observance and respect of CSR principles on the part of economic  entities, is now a pool of drawing comparative competitive advantages for businesses, since in this way they gain the trust of employees, consumers and society while always respecting the environment.

After successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Understand the basic concerns of socially responsible business operationy, ethical behavior and rationality in decision-making.
• Appreciate and respect the importance of ethics in business tactics and political activity.
• Be familiar with the ethical problems of business action, but also with the discipline of business ethics, as a historical phenomenon that emerged with the gigantism of corporations.
• Appreciate the parameters of various complex problems related to business decisions or that arise in the workplace, and respond with a sense of responsibility to them.

General Skills

• Independent work.
• Team work.
• Decision making.
• Working in an international environment.
• Production of free, creative and inductive thinking.

Teaching Methods

• In the classroom, face to face.

Use of ICT means

• Basic software (windows, word, power point, the web, etc.).
• Support of learning process through the electronic platform / e-class.

Teaching Organization

Students Evaluation

Written final exams (60%) that may include:

• Judgemental questions.
• Short answer questions.
• Application exercises.
• True/false and multiple choice questions.
• Composite theoratical questions.

In each question, corresponding evaluation points are specified.
Optional assignment (Essay writing and presentation) corresponds to 40% of the final grade.

Recommended Bibliography

1. Μαντζάρης Γιάννης, Κοινωνική Ευθύνη Επιχειρήσεων και Οργανισμών: Μια στρατηγική προσέγγιση, Εκδόσεις Λογισμός, Θεσσαλονίκη 2022, ISBN 9786188496729.
2. Blowfield Michael, Murray Alan, Εταιρική Κοινωνική Ευθύνη, ISBN: 9789925588237, Εκδότης  Broken Hill Publishers Ltd, 2021.
3. Haski-Leventhal Debbie, Κωνσταντίνος Μανασάκης, Γεώργιος Θερίου (επιμέλεια), Στρατηγική Εταιρική Κοινωνική Ευθύνη, Έκδοση: 1^η, ΕΚΔΟΣΕΙΣ Α. ΤΖΙΟΛΑ & ΥΙΟΙ Α.Ε., 2018.
4. ΓΕΩΡΓΙΟΣ ΑΣΠΡΙΔΗΣ, ΕΤΑΙΡΙΚΗ ΚΟΙΝΩΝΙΚΗ ΕΥΘΥΝΗ – Η ΟΨΗ ΤΟΥ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΙΝΟΥ ΠΑΡΑΓΟΝΤΑ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΠΙΧΕΙΡΗΣΗ, Διαθέτης (Εκδότης): Ελληνικά Ακαδημαϊκά Ηλεκτρονικά Συγγράμματα και Βοηθήματα – Αποθετήριο Κάλλιπος, Έκδοση: 1/2016.

Related Research Journals

1. International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility (JCSR), Springer Verlag.
2. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, Wiley Online Library.
3. Business Ethics: A European Review.