COURSE NUMBER: EWMBA 292C-1

COURSE TITLE: Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility

UNITS OF CREDIT: 3 units

INSTRUCTOR: Kellie A. McElhaney; Kevin Sweeney

E-MAIL ADDRESS: kmack@haas.berkeley.edu ksween@haas.berkeley.edu

CLASS WEB PAGE LOCATION:

MEETING DAY/TIME: Wednesday, 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm

PREREQUISITE(S): None

CLASS FORMAT: Mixture of articles, cases & company memos

REQUIRED READINGS: Mixture of articles.

BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE:One team project (60%), two memos (one 15% and one 10%) and class participation (15%).

ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:
Many leading businesses understand that socially and environmentally responsible practices can be a source of competitive advantage and the means to long-term success – but they still wrestle with how to embed CSR into their day-to–day business operations.

This course covers the reasons why some companies embrace CSR, how they can best integrate CSR practices into their corporate strategies, and how they can use core competencies to create business value and positive social change. The course explores transparency and stakeholder engagement approaches, and shows how an understanding of those tools can help companies meet challenges and embrace opportunities. It explores advances companies have made in labor rights, environmental protection, and community development. The course will explore the changing expectations the public has of business and business leaders, and the changing dynamic between business, government and the social sector.

The primary graded assignment will be a semester-long CSR project based in a real company. (This is the first time the project-based version of this course is available to the EWMBA students.) Students will engage directly with company-based clients. To help develop the students’ consulting skills, several class sessions will focus on how to manage clients, and how to work through some of the specific issues being addressed in the projects.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH:
Kellie McElhaney is the John C. Whitehead Adjunct Professor and the Faculty Director of the Center for Responsible Business at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. In her six years at Haas, the Center has received global critical acclaim. The Financial Times rated Haas number one in the world in January 2008. Kellie was named a Faculty Pioneer by the Aspen Institute in 2005. Her research focus is in three areas: (1) Analyzing and developing companies’ CSR strategy and its alignment with corporate strategy, business objectives, core competencies, and business value; (2) Exploring the linkage between diversity and CSR and using CSR as a hook to re-engage women with business as employees, consumers, and investors; (3) The business value and opportunities in branding, communication and CSR, a topic on which she has a new book entitled Just Good Business The Strategic Guide to Corporate Responsibility and Brand. Kellie consults to several Global 1000 companies in developing integrated CSR strategy. Her client list includes HP, Gap, eBay, McDonalds, Ernst & Young, NVIDIA, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Kimberly-Clark, Nokia (Finland), Navigant, Volunteer Match, Ford Motor Company, Bernard Hodes Group (Great Britain), PG&E, Driscolls Berries, Triage Consulting Group, Ulster Bank (Ireland), StatoilHydro (Norway) and PG&E. She is a highly engaging and motivational public speaker in the area of CSR, and has keynoted at major conferences, leadership summits, and corporate events all over the world.

Kevin Sweeney is a consultant engaged in renewable energy development and climate change communications. He advises corporations on social and environmental issues, and helps companies with branding strategies. Clients have included Nike, Ford, HP, Chiquita, Rockefeller Family Fund, the Pew Charitable Trusts, numerous environmental NGOs, and many others. He was a senior executive at Patagonia and chief of staff at the Alliance for Climate Protection. Held senior environmental positions in the Clinton Administration, worked as a staff member in both houses of Congress, was a press secretary on a presidential campaign, and was a television reporter. See website: www.transforming.biz