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Université catholique de Louvain

Discovering Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Université catholique de Louvain via edX

Overview

Driven by global crises in financial, economic, and governance systems, companies all over the world devote massive resources to their corporate social responsibility (CSR). But what is CSR? What does it mean, and what does it involve? Do stakeholders really care, and if they do, how to implement a credible CSR strategy? In uncertain modern climates, CSR is a crucial driving force of a (r)evolution in business.
If you are interested in the relationship between business and society, this MOOC is for you! It is especially relevant for industry, public policy, and academic professionals working on CSR, as well as students following a traditional business curriculum who are interested in key value questions.

This MOOC therefore addresses CSR in two ways:

  • As a reflection of corporate self-awareness;
  • As a source of innovation and a means to deal with heightened competitiveness, demands for sustainable development, and shifts in international governance.

By presenting insights from CSR experts from both academia and practice, this MOOC provides a way for managers, consumers, and citizens to acquire in-depth insights and critical perspectives on companies’ CSR activities. The multi-industry case study structure of this MOOC enables participants to confront the challenges facing today’s managers as they seek to develop their CSR strategy. Dedicated discussion forums are available for participants to interact together.

To help participants manage CSR with various internal and external stakeholders, this MOOC seeks to support current and future business leaders in their efforts to make responsible leadership, sustainable production, and consumption central to their corporate vision.

Syllabus

Defining the concept and key issues of CSR

  • Purpose of a company and stakeholders
  • CSR and the sustainable development goals (SDGs)

Implementing CSR

  • Available tools and guides
  • Success factors and obstacles
  • Dialogue with stakeholders
  • Motivations and potential benefits for companies

Developing CSR in SMEs

  • Specificities of small and medium enterprises (SME) with respect to CSR strategy

Becoming a responsible leader

  • Skills and competences of a responsible leader
  • Roles of a CSR manager

Taught by

Valérie Swaen, Barbara Dupont and Jessica Lieberman

Reviews

4.6 rating, based on 5 Class Central reviews

4.5 rating at edX based on 6 ratings

Start your review of Discovering Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

  • Anonymous
    I signed up for this Mooc as my entry point level in the CSR world to teach myself about sustainable businesses and was not disappointed ! It was very well structured, required a bit of work and thinking, very well documented and it was also super nice platform, all the videos have subtitles the chapters are divided clearly. It felt really professionalising.
  • Anonymous
    What I discovered in this course opened my eyes. The different lessons allowed me to connect many areas in sustainability that were separated until now.

    There are many online courses about carbon emissions, materiality assessments… Nevertheless, very few programs address how to develop an effective CSR program from scratch.

    Definitely a must-do for any professional wanting to work in the sustainability field.
  • Anonymous
    great course, and helpful instructors.
    even in the french language, everything was clear through the text provided

  • Anonymous
    This was my first MOOC and definitely exceeded my expectations. A great course which imparted knowldge and challenged my preconceptions about CSR. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in the topic (which should really be everyone!).
  • Anonymous
    Thank you for teaching us the basics of CSR with concreat examples.
    The course is well organised and there are a lot of interviews which illustrate very well theory.
    I recommand !

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