CBL CSRD - Corporate Social Responsibility in Developing Countries - Myth or Magic?*

Faculty
Søren Jeppesen and Guest Lecturers

Course Coordinator
Søren Jeppesen

Bachelor’s degree. Knowledge of CSR theory and practice is an advantage but not a precondition for participation.

The course presents state-of-the-art theories and methods for analyzing key themes in the field of CSR and development while drawing upon the experiences and lessons learned from CSR interventions in a variety of developing country contexts. Emphasis will be placed on introducing Southern perspectives on CSR and highlighting the voices of stakeholders such as women workers and community members which are often ”overlooked” in general CSR and development debates.

While there is a lot of rhetoric in the field about the benefits of engaging in CSR initiatives in developing countries, we are only starting to know more about the actual impacts of CSR in these contexts. Therefore, the course uses a critical perspective to understand the potential benefits and costs as well as the actual impacts of CSR initiatives in the developing world. Attention is thus paid to (i) the ideological underpinnings of CSR initiatives, (ii) the question of which actors/issues are included or excluded from consideration in CSR undertakings, (iii) whose voices are (not) heard in the debate, (iv) whether effective monitoring and compliance mechanisms exist, and (v) what the actual as opposed to the postulated effects of CSR interventions are in developing countries.

The course is divided into four parts. The first part provides an overview of the contemporary CSR and development debate. Students are encouraged to reflect on what CSR is, and what is unique about CSR in the context of developing countries. An introduction is then given to the mainstream business-oriented discourse on CSR and development that dominates much of the management-oriented literature. The first part of the course ends with a discussion of where the CSR and development debate is currently heading, focusing particularly on the themes of CSR impact assessment and participation in CSR.

The second part goes more into depth with the impact assessment of and participation in CSR initiatives. Impact assessment and participation are seen as cross-cutting themes in the sense that (a) impact assessment can help us move beyond much of the current CSR rhetoric and gain an actual understanding of how CSR initiatives affect firm profitability, workers conditions and environmental pollution in developing countries, while (b) participation in the design, execution, monitoring, and evaluation of CSR initiatives is vital to realizing their potential benefits for developing country stakeholders.

In the third part of the course, these cross-cutting themes of the course are used to analyze a range of sub-topics within the CSR and development debate such as ethical and fair trade as they play out in different contexts. We use the global value chain/global production network literatures as the theoretical basis for our analysis. A cross-country case study of global clothing industry is then employed to understand how the sourcing and CSR policies of global, branded buyers affect the competitiveness of suppliers and the conditions of workers in the developing world (in this case, three key clothing production locations in Africa – South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland). Attention is paid to the particular CSR challenges that brands, local suppliers and workers are facing in the 3 countries, and how these may be addressed, whether collectively or individually.

The course concludes with the students and the course coordinator discussing possible essay topics. A possible future research and policy agenda on CSR and development is then outlined.

The course is structured in such a way that theory and practice are closely related. Mostly, the first part of each class will be devoted to a practical, case or video-based exercise and subsequent discussion of a real-life CSR and development dilemma. The use of small group discussions is employed to promote individual learning and common points are subsequently discussed in a plenary forum. During the second part of each class this is followed by a more traditional lecture-based presentation of the potential, limits, and impacts of each CSR and development issue covered in that session. A limited number of student presentations may be included. Invited guest lecturers who are working directly with the topics covered in the course will also contribute to the students’ understanding of the real-world challenges faced by CSR and development practitioners.

By critically assessing the relevance, strengths, weaknesses and basic premises of various CSR and development approaches, the course aims at providing students with the technical knowledge and intercultural skills to work with CSR and development in private sector companies, public sector institutions, trade unions, NGOs, and intergovernmental institutions.

At the end of the course students should be able to

A max 10 pages essay, which must be based on the course literature and is graded by the course coordinator and an internal censor.

A max 10 pages essay, which must be based on the course literature and is graded by the course coordinator and an internal censor.

The course is an elective course, open to all master students and it can be taken as a credit course. It combines CSR and development theories with a practical, action-oriented, case-based approach to teaching which seeks to develop students’ ability to consider a variety of options and devise solutions to the complex ‘real-life’ dilemmas faced by corporate executives, NGO workers, trade union representatives, government policy-makers etc. that work in CSR and development related fields outside the classroom. It is therefore a good option for students wishing to combine the broader theoretical insights obtained in courses in the Business and Development Studies (CMI) programme (e.g., “Development Strategy in a Global Economy” and “Business Strategy in Developing Countries and Emerging Markets”) with a more hands-on, problem-solving oriented approach that they can use in the public, private, intergovernmental and NGO sectors as well as a variety of country contexts once they are on internships or have completed their masters degree.