OBGP 3300 - NGOs/Corporate Partnerships: virtues & limits of action

The course will examine the evolution of megatrends, organizations operations management and the development of Corporate Social Responsibility strategies with reference to both profit-making and non-profit-making organizations.
The two course leaders will seek to analyze current challenges faced by NGOs as well as those specific to companies, and will investigate ways of enabling each party's objectives to coincide in quest for business and development models compatible with planetary limits and increasing social needs. One of the key question will be: do the business models evolve fast enough to address and anticipate the world's challenges? Are they innovative and fas enough? Do they use the other party (NGO/companies) to create a positive impact the right way ?
The aptness of choices of action, how they are implemented, modes of governance and monitoring of actions will be looked at independently on the basis of practical cases, with the aim of identifying areas of convergence for NGOs and companies. The course will also consider pitfalls inherent in partnerships, dealing with resistance and issues relating to image and reputation. At the conclusion of the semester, the case work will consist in defining a partnership model for 2030 to promote the sustainable development of organizations and their environment.
Using concrete examples taken from NGOs and Companies operating internationally, this series of classes aims to provide each student with very pragmatic keys to the subject. It will include work on the translation of the SDG17 into “operational reality”.
The course will present material through interactive lectures and case studies using examples from completed or ongoing field experiments. Team work will be extremely emphasized and important in this seminar with a group project ending up into a “real life simulation” simulation that will run over 1/3rd of the semester.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the class, students should be able to:
1. Analyze per industry the evolution of the place of NGOs and how they are becoming key partners for sustainable businesses
2. Understand the evolution of NGOs in the global economic ecosystem and power balance
3. Understand the rationale underlying NGOs and Businesses when deciding to enter a partnership
4. Map the different players, prioritize, think “influence”
5. Define how to set up partnerships and how to create relationships of trust in order to build innovative sustainable models

Professional Skills
1. Understanding stakeholders, both on the NGO and business side
2. Change management
3. Team work
4. Negotiation
5. Conflict resolution
6. Critical thinking
7. Research and analysis

Christelle BITOUZET,Claire BOULANGER

Séminaire

English

• In Class Presence: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Online learning activities: 10 hours a semester
• Reading and Preparation for Class: 2 to 3 hours a week
• Research and Preparation for Group Work: 10 hours a semester
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 10 hours a semester
• Other: present a case or a knowledge management in Class – at least one per semester – 4 hours a semester

Spring 2024-2025

Students will prepare each class individually or in teams. Material will be available on Moodle. Can be readings, videos, pre-registered capsules.
In teams from Class 5, student will work on a defined case study applied to the topic of each class.
They will be evaluated on 3 elements:
• 30%: individual/team contributions during classes (knowledge management presentations, volunteering on individual cases presentation)
• 30%: a written individual assignment mid-way
• 40%: team work presentation (5 students/group) on an operational simulation, designed to make participant think about the strategic approach to partnerships and their IMPACT – each team will have to present their work during class 10 & 11.

• Courses will be split into different sessions: theoretical with presentation of a few critical concepts; practical examples to illustrate concepts and launch discussions; students researches shared with other, and a few experts may be mobilized to illustrate better some of the current situations faced by international organizations, for profit or non-profit..
• The course will be opened by the 2 Professors giving the respective perspective of non-profit and for profit organizations. Claire Boulanger will then be teaching half of the classes, Christelle Bitouzet the other half. The cases will be presented to the 2 Profs during the last classes.