Importance of Corporate Social Responsibility Courses

The debate about social responsibility has existed for decades now. Sockell refers to corporate social responsibility (CSR) as the responsible business activities regarding societal objectives that comprise philanthropic, economic, ethical, or legal business perspectives that super cedes what any regulations or law may need (n.d.). Corporate social responsibility is an imperative word gaining momentum for corporations and many business schools. CSR is not widely integrated into most business schools’ curriculum irrespective of increased consideration in the modern business world. However, it is time when business schools’ curriculum incorporated corporate social responsibility in the student’s studies. This is because governments and business leaders are increasingly recognizing social changes and environmental issues as the biggest threat to business survival.

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            Good corporate social responsibility usually means profitable economic growth for organizations. Consequentially, it becomes easier for companies to pull investments since the firm is reducing perceived threats by being more transparent. Business schools should prepare MBAs for this reality, and many business schools across the world have begun to react to this increased involvement with social challenges. The philosophy of introducing courses such as Mindful Manager, Responsible Leadership and Management and Ethics allows students to perceive responsible business practices from different angles. The students can become effective in personal, environmental, global, and organizational management. The focus of these schools is producing managers and leaders who behave, think, and act responsibly. Moreover, these students will put the interest of every stakeholder as a priority.

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            Modern students want to work in companies that impact the community and show high ethical standards with a perfect reputation. Therefore, Business schools play a significant role in developing tomorrow’s employees by enriching students’ potential to discover and apply values. Today, it is a norm that every business must know its obligation to maintain society and the environment. It is up to the business institutions to implement new ways of imparting contagious thinking in businesses. When business schools adopt modern corporate social responsibility strategies into their curriculum, they help students set a basis of social responsibility, values, and ethics constructed around self-discovery. With increased access to the internet, students keep a log of bad and good corporate traits they see through social media or hear about in class. This is crucial as it adds to all the subjects the students study for MBAs.

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Business schools should integrate corporate social responsibility into their curriculum as the goal will be to make ethics a primary element in the teaching and conversation in classes (Sockell n.d.). This process should begin by identifying professors who subscribe to the ideas that social responsibility, values, and ethics are fundamental topics in students’ education and having them approved to become advisers and ambassadors of ethics in the business world. Business schools are the appropriate vehicles that produce values-oriented leaders – advocators of social responsibility. The accomplishment of these aspects could be instrumental in changing the conversation about corporate social responsibility from negative to positive. Without the acceptance and implementation of such policies and practices, the world would be surprised with the increase in audacity of corporate malfeasance in the coming years. We will all be astonished by the effect on innocent individuals, the public trust frayed, and the jobs lost.

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