Handbook : Unit informationEdith Cowan University

Faculty of Business and Law

School: Business

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

• Unit Title

  Corporate Governance & Social Responsibility

• Unit Code

  MAN3611

• Year

  2015

• Enrolment Period

  2

• Version

  2

• Credit Points

  15

• Full Year Unit

  N

• Mode of Delivery

  On Campus
  Online

Description

The world in which we live has become more complex. Business now operates in a global economy, and with that comes the development of a world in which nations are more connected and interdependent than at any time in history. This is transforming the relationship business has with many individuals and organisations in society. There is now greater demand on business to demonstrate business practices that are environmentally, economically and socially responsible. Events such as the Global Financial Crisis, the collapse of corporations such as Enron and ecological disasters such as the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, mean there are increasing demands for corporations to act in an ethically and socially responsible manner. This unit examines the corporate governance challenges facing global operations and how this is influencing the nature of strategic decision making by business leaders.

Non Standard Timetable Requirements

This unit is a mixed-mode delivery where students will be off-campus for selected sessions to complete journals and prepare discussion questions for class activities. All lectures for the off-campus sessions will be recorded.

Equivalent Rule

Unit was previously coded MAN4601

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

1. Analyse ethical issues which occur in business and evaluate why corporations should be ethical.
2. Assess how corporations meet their economic and legal obligations while being socially responsible.
3. Assess the costs and benefits of environmental regulation.
4. Assess the responsibilities business has to its stakeholders, including; consumers, employees and the community.
5. Define global corporate citizenship and assess how corporations can work collaboratively with governments and the civil sector to address global social issues.
6. Evaluate public issues and their significance to the global corporation.
7. Examine how technological innovation has changed the way business operates and interacts with its global stakeholders.
8. Examine the role of global business in the challenges relating to sustainable development.
9. Interpret then arguments for and against business participation in the political process.
10. Recognise and understand the relationship between business and society.
11. Recognise the complex relationship between government and corporations and the influence of government regulation on business activity.
12. Recognise the ethical and social challenges of managing stakeholder privacy and security in the global environment.

Unit Content

1. Consumer protection.
2. Corporate social responsibility.
3. Ecology and sustainable development in global business.
4. Employees and the corporation.
5. Ethics and ethical reasoning.
6. Organisational ethics and the law.
7. Stakeholder rights and corporate governance.
8. Technology, organisations and society.
9. The challenges of globalisation.
10. The community and the corporation.
11. The corporation and its stakeholders.

Additional Learning Experience Information

On campus students attend a weekly 3 hour seminar. Seminars will consist of discussion and review of concepts presented in online recorded lectures, structured class discussions examining governance case studies and reflective journal writing. Online students will access the program via Blackboard. Regular online access is required. Online students will participate in online discussions based on weekly recorded lectures, case studies and reflective journal writing.

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant Board of Examiners.

Text References

• Solomon, J. (2007). Corporate governance and accountability. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
• Brink, A. (2011). Corporate governance and business ethics. Dordrecht : Springer.
• Kim, K. A. (2010). Corporate governance. Boston: Prentice-Hall.
• Zimmerli, W., Richter, K., & Holzinger, M. (2007). Corporate ethics and corporate governance. New York: Springer.
• Young, S. (2009). Contemporary issues in international corporate governance. Victoria: Tilde University Press.
• Benn, S. (2006). Corporate governance and sustainability. UK: Routledge.
• Post, J. E. (2002). Redefining the corporation: Stakeholder management and organizational wealth. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford Business Books.
• May, C. (2006). Global corporate power. Boulder, Colo.: Lynne-Rienner Publishers.
• Lower, M. (2010). Employee participation in governance: A legal and ethical analysis. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Journal References

• The Journal of Corporate Citizenship
• Corporate Governance
• Social Responsibility Journal