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Final Syllabus Corporate Social Responsibility: Business or Ethics?| DIS Corporate Social Responsibility: Business or Ethics? Summer Session 1, May 22 June 7, 2018 Classroom: TBA Location: Copenhagen Faculty: Anne Brandt Christensen and Nathalie Rasmussen Course description: The way Corporate Social Responsibility is approached in Europe is different from how it is dealt with in the US. It is often argued that the Scandinavian countries have a special focus on social and environmental responsibility, not least deriving from the extensive welfare states and comparatively strict environmental legislation. In this course, we will explore how Scandinavian companies and organizations are responding to the CSR agenda including human rights, environmental issues, working conditions, diversity and so on. CSR is not about ‘doing good’ in the form of philanthropy and donating money. The focus is rather how companies can make their money in a responsible way ensuring that they deal with their social and environmental footprint throughout their value chain. In other words, this is not only about a moral imperative, but about managing risks and seizing business opportunities while at the same time benefiting society. Or, to phrase it more simply - ‘doing well by doing good’. This class is focusing on CSR from a business perspective, but will also provide interesting insights for you if you are interested in politics, non-profit work, social activism, law, economics, or science. The field is highly interdisciplinary and you can focus your work to match your interests. This course focuses on how different actors address sustainability and corporate social responsibility. Our main focus will be corporations and their responses to demands and expectations from stakeholders such as governments, NGOs, investors, and consumers in regards to corporate social, environmental, and ethical performance. Also, we will look at what we can do as individuals to make companies and organisations behave responsibly. Throughout the course, we will work with various case studies and examples from Scandinavia. Please note that this is NOT your traditional environmental studies class! Learning objectives: - To explore the idea of corporate social and environmental responsibility - To understand the drivers of the sustainability agenda - To understand the CSR concept - To explore the debate about corporate social responsibility - To understand the concept of “stakeholders” and how to apply it - To learn about best practices by exploring case studies - To be able to critically analyse and understand companies’ CSR communication - To understand the central role of investors, governments, consumers, media, NGOs etc. - To understand how you can make a difference Format: The course is taught as a mixture of lectures, films, group work, and discussions. Also, guest speakers and field studies are important parts of the learning process.

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Final Syllabus

Corporate Social Responsibility: Business or Ethics?| DIS

Corporate Social Responsibility: Business or Ethics?

Summer Session 1, May 22 – June 7, 2018 Classroom: TBA

Location: Copenhagen Faculty: Anne Brandt Christensen and Nathalie Rasmussen

Course description: The way Corporate Social Responsibility is approached in Europe is different from how it is dealt with in the US. It is often argued that the Scandinavian countries have a special focus on social and environmental responsibility, not least deriving from the extensive welfare states and comparatively strict environmental legislation. In this course, we will explore how Scandinavian companies and organizations are responding to the CSR agenda including human rights, environmental issues, working conditions, diversity and so on. CSR is not about ‘doing good’ in the form of philanthropy and donating money. The focus is rather how companies can make their money in a responsible way ensuring that they deal with their social and environmental footprint throughout their value chain. In other words, this is not only about a moral imperative, but about managing risks and seizing business opportunities – while at the same time benefiting society. Or, to phrase it more simply - ‘doing well by doing good’. This class is focusing on CSR from a business perspective, but will also provide interesting insights for you if you are interested in politics, non-profit work, social activism, law, economics, or science. The field is highly interdisciplinary and you can focus your work to match your interests. This course focuses on how different actors address sustainability and corporate social responsibility. Our main focus will be corporations and their responses to demands and expectations from stakeholders such as governments, NGOs, investors, and consumers in regards to corporate social, environmental, and ethical performance. Also, we will look at what we can do as individuals to make companies and organisations behave responsibly. Throughout the course, we will work with various case studies and examples from Scandinavia. Please note that this is NOT your traditional environmental studies class! Learning objectives:

- To explore the idea of corporate social and environmental responsibility - To understand the drivers of the sustainability agenda - To understand the CSR concept - To explore the debate about corporate social responsibility - To understand the concept of “stakeholders” and how to apply it - To learn about best practices by exploring case studies - To be able to critically analyse and understand companies’ CSR communication - To understand the central role of investors, governments, consumers, media, NGOs

etc. - To understand how you can make a difference

Format: The course is taught as a mixture of lectures, films, group work, and discussions. Also, guest speakers and field studies are important parts of the learning process.

Final Syllabus

Corporate Social Responsibility: Business or Ethics?| DIS

The course heavily emphasizes your own engagement and active participation. Much of the learning in this course is dependent on how much effort you put into your own explorations and research, not least in connection with the different types of assignments. The class will be co-taught by Anne Brandt Christensen and Nathalie Rasmussen. We will teach some sessions together and others independently. Use of computers, iPhones, cell phones etc. in class: We allow computers and iPhones in class PURELY for note-taking purposes. In case of other uses such as Facebook, e-mails or internet surfing, it will have a negative impact on your participation grade. Cell phones are to be shut off during class and texting/SMS'ing etc during class will have a negative impact on your participation grade.

Classes take place daily according to the schedule indicated in this syllabus –

classroom TBA Assignments and deadlines: (see the following pages for detailed explanations)

Deadline Percentage of final grade

Active participation – including chocolate supply chain assignment

Ongoing 25%

Chocolate supply chain exercise TBA 25%

Short test TBA 25%

Mediation Exercise TBA 25%

Instructors Anne Brandt Christensen. MA in Law (University of Copenhagen, 1995) and Advokat (Danish Bar). Has worked with various aspects of CSR and Sustainability within Danish and multinational corporations in Denmark and abroad since 2000. With DIS since 2007. Email: [email protected] Nathalie Rasmussen LL.M. (Masters of Law, University of Amsterdam, 2005) and previous Dutch attorney-at-law works as Head of Business Conduct Engagement at the international consultancy firm GES for banks and pension funds. Nathalie engages with listed global companies on ESG (environmental, social and governance) issues to improve sustainability and prevent association to violation of international law and norms such as the UN Global Compact. Email: [email protected] DIS Contacts: Program Director: Susanne Hovmand, [email protected] Program Assistant: Adeline Reiser [email protected] DIS Policies Attendance: You are expected to attend all DIS classes when scheduled. If you miss two classes in a row the Director of Teaching and Learning, and the Director of Student Affairs will be notified and they will

Final Syllabus

Corporate Social Responsibility: Business or Ethics?| DIS

follow-up with you to make sure that all is well. Absences will jeopardize your grade and your standing at DIS. Allowances will be made in cases of illness, but in the case of multiple absences you will need to provide a doctor’s note. Laptop computer policy: While most students find that taking notes by hand in class is quite sufficient for review purposes, you are allowed to use a computer in class for writing lecture/discussion notes. However, you are asked not to use computers in class to write e-mails, connect to social media or other such activities, as this is quite disrespectful and distracting for the instructors and other students. Failure to show this courtesy will result in a significant reduction of your class participation grade. Academic Honesty: Plagiarism and Violating the Rules of an Assignment DIS expects that students abide by the highest standards of intellectual honesty in all academic work. DIS assumes that all students do their own work and credit all work or thought taken from others. Academic dishonesty will result in a final course grade of “F” and can result in dismissal. The students’ home universities will be notified. DIS reserves the right to request that written student assignments be turned in electronic form for submission to plagiarism detection software. See the Academic Handbook for more information, or ask your instructor if you have questions. Disability and resource statement: Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact Academic Support ([email protected]) to coordinate this. In order to receive accommodations, students should inform the instructor of approved DIS accommodations within the first two weeks of classes. Readings: There is no compendium or main text book for this course. Various articles, reports and hand outs will be distributed, uploaded on Black Board or you may be asked to download materials yourself for use in the course.

SESSIONS

Session 1 – Tuesday, May 22 at 13:30-15:15 Topic1: Introduction and aligning expectations (there are no readings for this class) TAUGHT BY: Anne Brandt Christensen and Nathalie Rasmussen Central questions:

What are your expectations for this course?

What are our expectations for this course?

What issues does this course NOT cover?

How is the course structured?

Who are we, and how do we teach/facilitate classes?

Final Syllabus

Corporate Social Responsibility: Business or Ethics?| DIS

What are the assignments for this class and how are they assessed?

Session 2 – Wednesday, May 23 – 8:30:10:00 Definitions, central concepts and debates within CSR TAUGHT BY: Anne Brandt Christensen and Nathalie Rasmussen Readings:

The Economist special report on CSR: ‘Just good business’ (January 2008)

Crane, Matten & Spence chapter 2, reading 1 – “The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits” by Milton Friedman (most important reading – will be discussed in detail in class – You are expected to have read it VERY closely)

Central questions:

What is CSR?

What are the key drivers of CSR?

What are the central concepts and frameworks?

Is CSR a good idea?

What are the different perspectives on CSR?

What are the main arguments for and against CSR?

Is CSR business or ….?

Does CSR pay of? Session 3, Thursday May 24, 9:30- 11:30: Stakeholder theory, and Government Action Plans on CSR TAUGHT BY: Anne Brandt Christensen Readings:

Crane, Matten & Spence chapter 4, reading 5

‘Corporate Social Responsibility: Reconciling Aspiration with Application. Edt. Morsing and Kakabadse’. Palgrave Macmillan. 2006. “A new Approach to CSR: Company Stakeholder Responsibility” by Freeman & Velamuri

The Danish Government’s action plan on CSR

EU Action plan

Central questions:

What is meant by ‘stakeholder’?

What is the theory behind it?

Why is the concept of stakeholder central to CSR?

What is meant by ‘stakeholder engagement’?

How could you perform an analysis of your stakeholders?

How can you work with your stakeholders? Challenges and opportunities

How does the Danish government and others address CSR issues? Friday, May 25 – Christ Ascension Day – no class Session 4: Friday May 26, 9:30 – 11:00: An introduction to the UN Global Compact TAUGHT BY: Anne Brandt Christensen

Readings:

The UN Global Compact – After the signature (download / on Black Board)

Further materials re UNGC to be found on Black Board

Final Syllabus

Central questions:

What is the idea behind the UN Global Compact?

How many companies have signed up?

Why do companies sign up to the UNGC?

What issues are covered by each of the 10 principles of UNGC? Why these?

How are Human rights and Labour rights relevant to business? Session 5: Monday May 28, 8:30 – 10:00 OECD guidelines and working with corporates on ESG TAUGHT BY: Nathalie Rasmussen Readings:

- OECD guidelines, http://www.oecd.org/corporate/mne/ - OECD Watch: http://www.oecdwatch.org/ - http://video.oecd.org/ (show small video and combine w text)

Central questions:

- What is the purpose of the OECD guidelines and who is addressed in it? - What can the OECD do that governments cannot? - Are the guidelines binding and if so, how are they enforced? - Can you give examples of complaints that have been made about companies and what

the outcome was? Session 6 – Tuesday May 29, 8:30- 10:00 Human rights and business TAUGHT BY: Anne Brandt Christensen and Nathalie Rasmussen It can be a challenge to see how human rights issues are something that companies need to address. We will examine the supply chain of shrimp to understand the linkage and legal frame work. Maybe we are all much closer to human rights issues than we realize through things we consume? Central Questions:

What human rights issues can occur in a supply chain?

What’s the frame work of human rights when it comes to supply chains?

Who is responsible for human rights violations?

Case study: Shrimp production Readings:

- Collection of Articles on BB - UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human rights

PREPARATION for TOMORROW: Movie in preparation for tomorrows session to watch at home: “The Dark Side of Chocolate”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Vfbv6hNeng (45 minutes) and group work on the supply chain.

More information will follow in class. Students receive the assignment regarding the chocolate supply chain

Final Syllabus

Session 7 – Wednesday, May 30, 8:30 -10:00 Chocolate TAUGHT BY: Anne Brandt Christensen and Nathalie Rasmussen Group assignment relating to the chocolate supply chain. Students hand in the exercise at the start of class and we discuss it in class afterwards. Session 8 – Thursday, May 31 – 8:30 -10:00 Palm oil TAUGHT BY: Nathalie Rasmussen Readings:

- RSPO principles and criteria: http://www.rspo.org/publications/download/90f321ec61fa3a2

- GreenPalm certification : http://greenpalm.org/about-palm-oil/the-rspo-sustainable-palm-oil

- Chain Reaction Research/ AidEnvironment - The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/series/palm-oil-debate

Central questions:

- Which ESG issues do you believe are most relevant in palm oil? - How does carbon relate to palm oil? - What are smallholders and how do they relate to the issue of

Session 9, Friday June 1, 9:00 – 11:00 ***TEST*** CSR Certifications & Standards - What does it all mean? TAUGHT BY: Anne Brandt Christensen We start by doing a short test in class, please be on time. More information about the test will follow in class. We will then explore the jungle of CSR certifications & standards used by businesses and various stakeholders: AA1000, GRI, ISO14000, SA8000, Fairtrade, TripleBottomLine (TBL), ISO26000, UTZ, Rainforest, FTSE4Good and more. Central Questions:

Are the standards useful and comparable?

How do companies use standards in their CSR and business efforts?

What do standards & certifications really tell us? Monday June 4 Pentacost – no class Session 10, Tuesday, June 5 - Time TBC / doubleclass The Carbon Disclosure Project TAUGHT BY: Anne Brandt Christensen GUEST LECTURE: Emmanuel Gentil (Ph.D. in environmental engineering, DTU, 2011. Independent environmental consultant. Senior Consultant at Copenhagen Resource Institute and for the European Environment Agency on waste management policy in EU. Ph.D. School Manager and Ph.D. researcher at DTU, Denmark 2006-2011. Master of business strategy and environmental management, Bradford) will talk about the Carbon Disclosure Project. Readings: Will follow

Final Syllabus

Session 11, Corruption – So what? Who cares? TAUGHT BY: Nathalie Rasmussen Why is corruption an important issue to address and how does corruption fit in with CSR? Readings:

- Convention Against Corruption https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/treaties/CAC/ - UN Global Compact/ OECD guidelines - FCPA explained:

http://www.jonesday.com/files/Publication/3325b9a8-b3b6-40ff-8bc8-0c10c119c649/Presentation/PublicationAttachment/d375c9ee-6a11-4d25-9c30-0d797661b5ff/FCPA%20Overview.pdf

Central questions:

- What is corruption? - Who are the victims of corruption? - Can you find any examples of companies that have received high fined for corruption? - What are some examples of companies that deal with the risk of corruption in a

responsible manner? Session 12, Thursday June 7 / double class Field study: TBC Mining for gold TAUGHT BY: Anne Brandt Christensen and Nathalie Rasmussen Field Study where we visit a goldsmith who is passionate about how and where gold is mined. We are awaiting confirmation of the visit. Readings:

- FairMined: http://www.communitymining.org/en/more-news/548-anna-moltke-huitfeldt-becomes-denmark-s-first-fairmined-licensed-jewellery-designer

- FairTrade: http://www.fairgold.org/

Session 13, Mediation exercise session & wrap up. Concluding lunch TAUGHT BY: Anne Brandt Christensen and Nathalie Rasmussen We will do the mediation exercise (more information will follow in class) and reflect on the semester and wrap up with a concluding lunch. Mediation exercise: A complaint is filed at the National Complaint Point (NCP) for violation of the OECD Guidelines. The class will be divided into two groups, one taking on the role of a NGO and the other a company, and argue the sides of the complaint. More information will follow in class.