Course Syllabus

Applied Corporate Responsibility MGMT E-5015 Harvard University Extension School Course Syllabus 2016 Course (24482) Byerly Hall 013 Charles Bradford Allen, PhD. Associate Professor of Management Plymouth State University. Class times: Mondays 7:40 - 9:40 pm Jan 25th to May 14th, 2016
Office Hours: Before or after class & by appointment Phone: 603-455-1614 E-mail: callen@plymouth.edu

Course Description

This course examines the role of corporate responsibility as a strategy to improve products, profits, and brand equity. The idea of corporations as simply a wealth creating organizations with no obligations to the environment is not longer acceptable. We will examine numerous corporate initiatives that attempt to address these challenges as well as how they are being evaluated in the public eye. Globalization combined with increased transparency of corporate operations has revealed significant variations in how organizations are attempting to balance the pursuit of profits and good corporate citizenship.         Increased measurement of natural resources, pollution controls, monitoring ethical supply chains, and expanded training of employees are growing globally revealing interesting results. Stakeholder expectations have also accelerated the need to monetize these initiatives however lack of standardized methodologies and metrics has resulted in confusion within many industries hindering greater progress. Continued progress of corporate responsibility represents a significant emerging opportunity for organizations these new competitive advantages.

Textbooks & Required Reading:

1. Changing Business from the Inside Out: A Tree-Hugger's Guide to Working in Corporations Mohin, Tim (2012)
   ISBN 1609946405 or 978-1609946401
   
   
2. Course pack link: https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/access/45405095 
   
   
3. Assigned readings during the class

Course Objectives: Upon satisfactory completion of this course, a student should have the ability to analyze, discuss, describe, and demonstrate how corporate responsibility impacts the key business processes and strategies of that firm.

The key areas of study will include but are not limited to:

1. Examine and debate the potential public responsibilities of corporations within the global community.
2. To explore the how corporations are attempting to engage in issues beyond the conventional role of wealth creating entities.
3. Explore the various metrics used to measure corporate social responsibility (CSR) engagements and to review existing primary and secondary data sources of these results.
4. To debate if these initiatives are successful in value creation for the corporation. 5. To examine the impacts of externalities including a variety of stakeholders as influencing agents to CSR issues globally.
5. To examine how socially responsible initiatives are now being presented in marketing strategies in key industries such as IT and consumer products.

The course will be conducted through lectures, guest lecturers, group discussions, group projects and case analysis.

Course Requirements:

• Students are expected to read the textbook and supporting materials as assigned. Please come to class prepared to discuss this material together along with any fresh developments reported in the media.
• Two short written responses to class topics, each paper is 3-5 pages.
• Mid-term and a final exam: The midterm will consist of a mix of multiple choice and true-false questions. The final exam will be essay questions.  For students taking the class in person or who fall within the New England region you will take the exam in class.  For students taking the class as an online or distance student the university has adopted a proctoring software called Proctorio that you will use during exams.  More details will be provided as we get closer to the exam dates but please note there is no cost and nothing is installed on your device.
• Final Project: Students will prepare a benchmark research presentation that examines a variety of corporate metrics as they relate to both traditional financial performance as well as identified environmental performance.

Grading:

Class Discussion and Participation                 5%

Mid-Term Exam                                             20%

Short Written Projects                                       25%

Final Exam                                                        20%

Benchmarking Project Presentation               30%

The Benchmarking Project:

This project is a combination of strategic analysis (benchmarking) of Fortune 500 corporations using their global corporate social responsibility reports and other external data sources. Each student will complete the benchmarking process by comparing key sustainability metrics in search of specific conclusions about those organizations. Students will then select one of their selected companies to do a second phase of the project using their results to improve an existing product or service. You will evaluate and apply potential enhancements to an existing product or service attempting to improve environmental benefits across a variety of potential criteria. These results will be presented to the class where the results will be debated. Students are encouraged to engage directly with their target company to gather original data when possible and to provide supported evidence of enhanced marketing strategies as a result of identified sustainability initiatives. 

Academic Support Resources

Students are encouraged to be aware of the writing-related resources available to them during the Summer School program. You may contact the staff to arrange an appointment to review any written projects due for our class. The Writing Center can be reached via the following web site.   www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr

Student Responsibilities

All students, including those in study abroad programs, are responsible for knowing and adhering to Harvard Summer School policies and procedures outlined on this website, and in the 2016 Student Handbook. Please let me know if at anytime you have questions regarding the expectations of the course attendance, academic integrity policies, grading policies, or research expectations.

I am looking forward to meeting and working with each of you as we examine what I believe to be one of the brightest new fields of global business. Please feel free to contact me at anytime should you have any challenges or questions regarding our time together over the summer.