CORPORATE, SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY - 2019/0
Module code: ENGM069
Module Overview
The course evaluates and discusses the way environmental and social concerns have affected organisations in the private sector, and how such organisations have affected the content, shape and direction of the public debate. Particular emphasis will be paid to corporate sustinability strategies, the distribution and organisation of roles within an organisation, the contribution of different departments, as well as the industrial perspective towards industrial ecology and sustainable consumption and other recent ideas that lie beyond the traditional boundaries of an organisation, such as product-based sustainability management.
Module provider
Centre for Environment & Sustainability
Module Leader
WEHRMEYER Walter (CES)
Number of Credits: 15
ECTS Credits: 7.5
Framework: FHEQ Level 7
Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A
Overall student workload
Independent Learning Hours: 110
Lecture Hours: 40
Module Availability
Semester 1
Prerequisites / Co-requisites
None.
Module content
Indicative content includes:
- Introduction to the Module
- Introducing CSR (Ian Christie)
- Corporate Policies and Strategies
- Cleaner Production, Materials Use and Waste Management
- Risk and The Genesis of Industrial Accidents
- Embedding Sustainability: Management Systems?
- Industrial Ecology
- Socially Responsible Investment
- Product-based Supply Chain Management
- Environmental Reporting and Stakeholder Management
- Transitions Outlook: What are companies for?
- Course Roundup
Assessment pattern
| Assessment type | Unit of assessment | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | PRE-MODULE ESSAY | 30 |
| Coursework | FINAL ESSAY | 70 |
Alternative Assessment
Different choice of essay topics for either assessment.
Assessment Strategy
The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their critical thinking and practical skills in understanding and evaluation the environmental performance of a company, as well as the ability to critically reflect on the concept and practice of CSER.
Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:
· 1000 word individual pre-module reflective essay. (30%)
· 3000 word post-module reflective essay or company report. (70%)
Formative assessment
· Lectures and class discussions (25 hours)
· Site visits (9 hours)
· Independent study (116 hours)
Feedback
Commentary and feedback on the written output, as well as the class discussions
Module aims
- To provide students with a critical understanding of contemporary corporate responsibility and environmentalism.
- To understand and conceptualise business practices towards environmental protection
- To critically assess corporate social responsibility in a practical context
Learning outcomes
| Attributes Developed | ||
| 1 | Appreciate the complex ethical, managerial, organisational and economic issues involved with sustainability in a private sector organisation; | |
| 2 | Identify and apply range of corporate strategies and control mechanisms | |
| 3 | Develop appropriate action to address a specific set of environmental issues; | |
| 4 | Know key literature and networks with which to support further study and application in this field. | |
| 5 | Be able to place specific corporate activities into the context of Corporate Social Responsibility |
Attributes Developed
C - Cognitive/analytical
K - Subject knowledge
T - Transferable skills
P - Professional/Practical skills
Methods of Teaching / Learning
The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:
The module adopts a case-based learning strategy that presents, after a lecture on the material, a case (often using videos) that offers direct application of the learnt concepts and ideas. Emphasis is given to foster opinions and ideas on the material to apply the learning material in a direct, practical and business-relevant manner.
The learning and teaching methods include: Lectures, seminar discussions, practical applications, company case studies.
The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their achievement regarding the learning outcomes. The summative assessment for this module consists of two components: the first is a short essay (about 1000 words) the topic of which can be picked from a list or agreed with the module organiser, due at the start of the module. The second is either a business improvement plan that makes a persuasive case for change towards greater sustainability in a company, or an essay picked from a selection, usually due a fortnight after the module.
Formative assessment and feedback
Feedback will be provided in detail to the assessments and in class during the discussions.
Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.
Reading list
https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: ENGM069
Programmes this module appears in
| Programme | Semester | Classification | Qualifying conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Criminology and Social Research (Corporate Crime and Corporate Responsibility) MSc | 1 | Core | Each unit of assessment must be passed at 50% to pass the module |
| Criminology (Corporate Crime and Corporate Responsibility) MSc | 1 | Core | Each unit of assessment must be passed at 50% to pass the module |
| Corporate Environmental Management MSc | 1 | Compulsory | A weighted aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the module |
| Sustainable Development MSc | 1 | Compulsory | Each unit of assessment must be passed at 50% to pass the module |
| Environmental Strategy MSc | 1 | Optional | A weighted aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the module |
Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2019/0 academic year.