Introduction to CSR

This course is taught in German. The course provides a comprehensive overview of the essential theoretical foundations of business and corporate ethics and also establishes numerous practical application references. At the beginning of the lecture, the necessity of dealing with the topic of business and corporate ethics is discussed. Challenges for business and corporate ethics arising from current developments such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine or digitalization are addressed. Important theoretical foundations of business and corporate ethics as well as corporate social responsibility (CSR) are then presented in detail. In detail, the fundamental relationship between economics and ethics is discussed, key terms are defined and a distinction is made between individual, corporate and business ethics. Building on this, particular problems of economic and business ethics in an international context are explained. In the next step, various approaches to business and corporate ethics are presented and critically discussed. The aim is to understand the special features of the approaches and to work out their differences. Business and corporate ethics will have no impact if their findings are not applied in practice. Accordingly, the lecture then focuses on the discussion of selected approaches to the concrete implementation of business and corporate ethics in international companies.

The following topics will be discussed in detail in the lecture:

1. Necessity of Business and Corporate Ethics

2. Theoretical Foundations of Business and Corporate Ethics

2.1 Relationship Between Economics and Ethics Business

2.2 History of Business and Corporate Ethics

2.3 Explanation of Key Terms

2.4 Differentiation Between Individual, Corporate and Business Ethics

2.5 The Intercultural Dilemma as a Fundamental Problem of International Business Ethics

3. Selected Approaches to Business and Corporate Ethics

3.1 Philosophical Approaches

3.2 Stakeholder Approach

3.3 Integrative Business and Corporate Ethics

3.4 Political CSR

3.5 Shared Value Approach According to Porter & Kramer

3.6 Integrative Social Contracts Theory

4. Selected Approaches to the Implementation of Business Ethics in Practice

4.1 Implementation in Companies
4.2 National and International Initiatives

The aim of the course is to give students an insight into the research field of business and corporate ethics and to sensitize them to ethical issues in international competition. Students should be able to apply the content they have learned to specific practical problems and independently reflect on the ethical behavior of companies.

The course is divided into lectures and tutorials. It is strongly recommended to attend both the lectures and the tutorials, as they complement each other in terms of content. The lectures and tutorials are held in German and explain the basic concepts and theories of business and corporate ethics with practical applications.

For the winter semester 2022/23, Universität Hamburg and the Gilbert Professorship are aiming for face-to-face teaching. This applies to both lectures and tutorials. However, in order to be able to react appropriately to changes in the pandemic situation, the Gilbert Chair will follow the Presidential Board's phased plan and move teaching to the virtual space if necessary. For up-to-date information on the implementation of teaching under pandemic conditions, please read the course description, which you can download below in the course of September (please note the status of the course description, there may be regular updates).

The exercises supplement and deepen the lecture content and prepare students for the final exam (take-home exam). The exercises are also intended to train essential academic skills. These include raising awareness of problems in business and corporate ethics, critical thinking, argumentation and reflection skills, improving general text comprehension and a better understanding of the differences between theory and practice. From a methodological point of view, PowerPoint slides are used as a framework for discussing the content to be discussed. The set of slides will be made available in German and English and can be downloaded by course participants on STiNE. The slides serve more as a visual “stimulus” and not as a substitute for a lecture manuscript. Students are therefore strongly advised to supplement the lecture and tutorial slides with their own notes.

Take Home Exam:

Time to process the exam: 1 Day, until 11:59 pm of the next day

Time frame in which the exam can be completed:

1. Exam: 09 February 2023, 3:30 pm -10 February 2023, 11:59 pm
2. Exam: 24 March 2023, 3:30 pm – 25 March 2023, 11:59 pm

The examiner of your course will provide information about the hand out of examination tasks / assignments and their submission during the course of this semester, at the earliest after the STiNE Changes and Corrections Period.