Corporate Social and Environmental Performance

Catalog description

This seminar-style course uses speakers from a range of stakeholder groups to highlight and discuss the performance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs in industry. The influence of government, non-profits and selected activist's groups on CSR programs will be evaluated. Recognized speakers will discuss social and environmental issues in the supply chain related to land use, farm workers, farmers, women in agriculture, youth development, climate change, food security and water rights. Speakers from industry will highlight industry topics such as corporate governance, ethics, employee engagement and public policy. Students will write weekly reviews for each topic for discussion in class. They will complete two case studies over the course of the semester to better understand how CSR goals are accomplished in industry. To determine company performance, students will work in teams to evaluate the CSR program of a company and rank their performance relative to peers.