The Integration of Profit & Purpose: Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability

Catalog description

In today’s fast-changing world, the roles of business, government, and civil society actors are being redefined. Significant challenges related to climate change, inequality, populism, and technology necessitate private sector organizations to rethink their responsibilities and approaches, which provides opportunities as well as challenges. Businesses increasingly realize the importance of integrating social and environmental impact to (re-)gain legitimacy, to attract employees and customers, and to survive. The course will cover questions such as: How can organizations integrate profit and purpose, at scale? How do companies become part of tackling societal challenges, for example, related to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? How do we measure social and environmental ‘impact’? What is the role of impact investing? How do multi-stakeholder partnerships evolve that integrate local communities? How do organizations cope with the unexpected/cultivate serendipity? We will discuss the capacity of organizations to play an effective role in tackling society’s most pressing challenges, integrating concepts such as corporate social responsibility, shared value, triple bottom line, social innovation, among others. Senior executives and policymakers will be engaged as guest speakers and mentors. Learning will be interactive, and students will have the opportunity to connect with relevant companies and organizations.