Changing beliefs about the role of organizations in society in the past thirty years have increased the pressure on corporations to define how they address higher purposes beyond financial gain. Serving as a force for good at work every day is part of the job for those who work in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) field and are dedicated to helping their organizations make a positive impact on society. Therefore, the concepts of sustainability, organizational purpose and CSR are becoming more and more crucial to understanding the role of business in society.
To educate and prepare SC&I students for CSR careers, and provide them with an advantage when applying for these highly coveted positions, SC&I’s Master of Communication and Media program is offering a new “Corporate Purpose and Social Impact” specialization beginning the spring semester 2020.
According to Teaching Professor and Director of the MCM Program Richard Dool, the purpose of new specialization is to prepare students to “build a new vision of social impact based on a stakeholder framework. Whether CSR is understood as organizations taking responsibility or society holding organizations accountable, the underlying issues are about the environmental, social, and governance opportunities and risks that have emerged in today’s globalized, networked world.
“Students will learn how to leverage organizational structures and experience to undertake CSR activities that have real public benefit; the relationship between philanthropy, social impact and organizational self-interest; how organizations can assess whether they are doing good through the exploration of topics including measurement, attribution vs. contribution; and how innovative companies are creating social impact beyond traditional CSR.”
Students will also learn about the “Triple Bottom Line” of people, planet, and profit through case studies that “explore the competing demands that arise from the complex of financial, social, and environmental responsibilities faced by business, and an exploration of the ethical, legal, and business cases for CSR,” Dool said.
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