SLGP7109

This course is a complement to: Principles for Management of Corporate Sustainability and moves in to the context of sustainable development by considering ways in which businesses can operate in a way that is consistent with the concept of a corporation’s responsibility to society and will examine the gap between business compliance and business ethics in the face of changing societal expectations.

The course will:

• Explore approaches to business and sustainable development and evaluate how they might be implemented.
• Introduce the important concept of a corporation’s responsibility to society and its various elements such as the “social contract”.
• Discuss issues such as human rights, labour practices, fair trade and community / stakeholder engagement
• Examine international standards and conventions of the United Nations and International Labour organization (ILO) as well as voluntary standards for environmental and social responsibility
• This takes us into a discussion about the study of moral philosophies and ethics and the issues of human rights, labour practices, and community engagement. International standards and conventions of the United Nations such as International Labour Organisation (ILO), and the declaration of Human Rights will be discussed.

Topics will include: the meaning of Corporate Responsibility from the business context, the elements, and usage, of sustainable development and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Review of human rights and associated conventions including UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), a discussion of the Guidance Document on Corporate Social Responsibility ISO 26000, the up-take of the  Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), tools associated with culture change and organizational change, stakeholder engagement and accountability, management and an introduction to financial drivers that are shaping understanding of impact versus outcome.

Assessment: 100% coursework