F1GD 5805 - The CSR Journey: From Responsibility to Impact

***UPDATED for 2025/26***

Traditional strategy theory holds that to be successful, a company must focus on financial performance, as against the broader influences of society which determine their longer-term success. In this course, we will discuss arguments for bringing business and society back together through the concepts of corporate social responsibility and shared value. In short, creating economic value in a way that also creates value for society by addressing its needs and challenges. After reviewing the major existing theoretical frameworks and the origins of concepts related to CSR, this course will provide an analysis of the drivers, tools, and enablers to improve corporate responsibility with a more specific focus on social and environmental challenges that companies can contribute to solve. Recent evolutions regarding companies’ reporting requirements (CSRD, CSDDD in the EU) and their practical impacts on businesses will also be discussed. Concrete examples and business cases, in developed but also in developing countries, will be discussed during this class. The course will explore various examples of strategies implemented by companies to maximize their social impact at different stages in their value chain and regarding all of their stakeholders: with their suppliers (sustainable sourcing strategies), their employees, their customers (inclusive & social business strategies) and more broadly with society and the environment. Limits and challenges of these strategies will also be discussed (greenwashing risks, real impact, relevant indicators…).

Learning Outcomes

• Theoretical approaches of CSR
• Concepts and main authors on stakeholder theory, shared value, social business, inclusive business
• Knowledge on ethical debates around CSR
• Practical knowledge: concrete business cases and best practices when it comes to creating economic value with social impact and business contribution to social challenges.

Professional Skills

• General knowledge related to CSR and business strategies (drivers for companies to engage in CSR & social innovation approaches, business strategy when it comes to CSR, business-model concepts, social marketing, etc.)
• Concrete frameworks and tools related to CSR/ social innovation: materiality matrix, impact assessment, etc.

Group presentation: rapid feedback at the end of the group presentation shared to the students in class. Within a week-time, sharing of detailed collective feedback by email to the group.

Take-home paper: detailed individual feedback shared by email to students. Students will receive their grades during the semester with detailed feedback.

Students will have two types of assessment throughout the semester:

• One group presentation presented during the session in front of the class (45% of final grade)
• One take-home paper to submit during the semester (45% of final grade)

Participation will account for 10% of final grade (attendance and in-class participation)

Students will be provided with topics and research questions for each assessment.

• In Class Presence: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Reading and Preparation for Class: 30 minutes to 1 hour per week
• Research and Preparation for Group Work: 24 hours a semester (3 days)
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 32 hours a semester (4 days)