Students

MMBA8068 – Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility

2024 – Term 1, In person-scheduled-intensive, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Debbie Haski-Leventhal
debbie.haski-leventhal@mq.edu.au
Tatiana Donato Trevisan
tatiana.donatotrevisan@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to MBA or GradCertMgtPostMBA or MSusDev or MSocEntre or GradCertSocEntre or GradDipMgt
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

When considering CSR, many think about corporate philanthropy and being environmentally friendly. However, strategic CSR is a holistic and long-term approach to the broad responsibilities of business, based on stakeholder integration and ethical behaviour while utilising the firm’s resources and brand to address societal and environmental issues. It implies that CSR is aligned with what the company does, its brand, and what it stands for while being embedded in every aspect of the business. In this unit, we will explore the concept of CSR and related ideas and frameworks; discuss stakeholder integration and involvement; current approaches to business ethics; examine sustainability and climate action; and shed light on responsible leadership. We will further work on measuring and reporting impact, communication and marketing, and organisational change towards sustainable and responsible business.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Integrate Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its six components into business operations
  • ULO2: Use a stakeholder integration approach in order benefit the organisation and society at large.
  • ULO3: Integrate ethical concepts, social and environmental factors into business decision-making.
  • ULO4: Demonstrate how strategic CSR can assist in delivering social, financial, and environmental value, both as an individual and as part of a group

General Assessment Information

Late Assessment Submission Penalty (written assessments) 

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of ‘0’ will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical concern.  

For any late submissions of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, students need to submit an application for Special Consideration.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Discussions, debate, analysis, and small group tasks 20% No Every class
Group Presentation 30% No Last day of the unit
CSR Analysis Report 50% No 7 days after the last day of the unit before midnight

Discussions, debate, analysis, and small group tasks

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 8 hours
Due: Every class
Weighting: 20%

 

This task requires students to contribute to in class activities that are based on content and concepts.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Integrate Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its six components into business operations
  • Integrate ethical concepts, social and environmental factors into business decision-making.

Group Presentation

Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 34 hours
Due: Last day of the unit
Weighting: 30%

 

The group presentation will be based on an analysis of a company’s strategic CSR, as defined and applied in this unit. Each group needs to find a company that has a CSR and/or sustainability program. This can be a company one of the group members works/has worked in or a well-known company. The group is required to collect data using publicly available information and/or via interviews and surveys. In the last day of this unit, each group will present for 30 minutes, with each member presenting for at least five (5) minutes on one of the four parts: 1. The company, its history, vision, and mission 2. Its current CSR and analysis of strategic CSR (all six aspects). 3. Its work towards the SDGs 4. Recommendations for improvement. The group will need to submit a draft of the slides 48 hours prior to the presentation, so that feedback can be provided, and the slides can be amended accordingly. Each group will also need to provide an executive summary of the company’s analysis with a title page with all group members’ names and students’ IDs and references according to APA7.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Integrate Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its six components into business operations
  • Use a stakeholder integration approach in order benefit the organisation and society at large.
  • Integrate ethical concepts, social and environmental factors into business decision-making.
  • Demonstrate how strategic CSR can assist in delivering social, financial, and environmental value, both as an individual and as part of a group

CSR Analysis Report

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 28 hours
Due: 7 days after the last day of the unit before midnight
Weighting: 50%

 

Based on the group work for the Group Presentation, each member will be required to submit a full individual report. The report will need to include a review of the relevant literature (either separately or embedded in the analysis), an analysis of the business and its CSR (including all six aspects). It will also include one new topic (e.g., SDGs, CSR reporting, CSR marketing, stakeholder integration or organisational change) and offer suggestions for improvement. It may also incorporate the feedback given to the group after the presentation. The reports are to be written individually and will be checked for plagiarism. You will need to include all sources and academic articles used in a reference list according to APA7.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Integrate Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its six components into business operations
  • Use a stakeholder integration approach in order benefit the organisation and society at large.
  • Integrate ethical concepts, social and environmental factors into business decision-making.
  • Demonstrate how strategic CSR can assist in delivering social, financial, and environmental value, both as an individual and as part of a group

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Please refer to iLearn 

Unit Schedule

Please refer to iLearn 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2024.03 of the Handbook