Managing Responsibly: Practicing Sustainability, Responsibility and Ethics
Offered By
Managing Responsibly: Practicing Sustainability, Responsibility and Ethics
University of Manchester
About this Course
4.5
37 ratings
Managers are increasingly confronted with issues of sustainability, responsibility and ethics. Managing responsibly is an integrative approach to sustainability, responsibility and ethics, which allows you as a manager to deal competently with such challenges. This course will facilitate your learning process to engage in changing practices to make them more sustainable, responsible, and ethically informed.
We will first introduce the context of the trend towards responsible management practices (week 1). We then explore the basics of each set of issues, sustainability (week 2), responsibility (week 3), and ethics (week 4). In week 5 you will work on your own responsible management issue/task and explore responsible management practices in an area of professional interest (e.g. strategy, entrepreneurship, innovation, organization, operations, supply chain, human resources, marketing and communication, international management, accounting and finance). In week 6 we will try to understand and experience what managing responsibly means in practice, including opportunities and challenges, and with a focus on transformative change. During these last two weeks you will work in a problem-oriented way, based on a challenging topic you have come across in your own management practice.
In the course we will form multicultural teams to learn about problems you bring forward. The course also facilitates the formation of peer networks that allow you to continue this learning experience after finishing the MOOC. The MOOC is an initiative in collaboration with the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) initiative.
Overall Learning Outcomes
1) To provide an introduction to the three constituting fields of managing responsibly: sustainability, responsibility and ethics.
2) To help apply the knowledge and insights gained from these three fields to real life problems in your own setting.
3) To identify, understand and facilitate individual action that can lead to change at the organisational and system level ...to ‘act is to move’
4) To learn to appreciate and bring together different points of view, and negotiate collective solutions to pressing problems.
Who is this MOOC for? (Recommended Background)
While this course is primarily designed for executives who want to work on particular responsible management issues and create responsible management practices, also advanced business students will find it helpful.
Suggested Readings
There are no specific required texts. However, the contents and assignments of this course have been based on the following book which might be helpful as complementary materials:
Laasch, Oliver, and R. Conway (2014). Principles of responsible management: Global sustainability, responsibility and ethics, Cengage Learning: Mason.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
1
Section
Managing Responsibly
We will explore the context and importance of managing responsibly and how it relates to sustainability, responsibility, and ethics. Adopting a systemic perspective, we will also look into what kinds of competences managers might need to develop responsible management practices.
8 videos (Total 61 min), 3 readings
8 videos
Introducing the key objectives and features of the course1m
Fiona Devine, Head of Alliance Manchester Business School3m
Interview with Jonas Haertle, Head of the PRME Secretariat3m
Ghada Soliman (Teaching Support)2m
Ema Johnson (Teaching Support)1m
Week 1 Lecture: Managing Responsibly24m
Week 1 Practitioner Interview: Rodrigo Morales20m
3 readings
Managing Responsibly LinkedIn Group10m
Week 1 Overview & Learning Objectives10m
Week 1 Assignmentm
2
Section
Sustainability
After an introduction of the roots of (un)sustainability, we will have a look at concepts of sustainability, such as social, environmental and economic dimensions, and the importance of time. We will then focus on sustainability in a business context by looking at prominent management tools, such as impact assessment, footprinting, and life-cycle management.
3 videos (Total 96 min), 3 readings
3 videos
Week 2 Lecture: Ecological Sustainability39m
Week 2 Practitioner Interview: Kene Umeasiegbu51m
3 readings
Week 2 Overview & Learning Objectives10m
Week 2 Source Materials10m
Week 2 Assignmentm
3
Section
Responsibility
We will explore the roots of responsible business practices and different approaches to responsibility in organizations, such as corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship, or corporate citizenship. We will then look at typical management applications such as stakeholder management and corporate social performance.
5 videos (Total 116 min), 3 readings
5 videos
Week 3 Lecture: Responsibility8m
Week 3 Practitioner Interview 1: Lynn Prime13m
Week 3 Practitioner Interview 2: Nick Bishop8m
Week 3 Practitioner Interview 3: Rainer Breitling10m
3 readings
Week 3 Overview & Learning Objectives10m
Week 3 Source Materials10m
Week 3 Assignmentm
4
Section
Ethics
We will look at behavioural ethics and moral philosophy as main approaches to business ethics. These will then be applied to address moral issues, and to develop practices for acting ethically in challenging situations. We will also learn how to apply common ethics management instruments, such as ethics hotlines, codes of ethics, or ethics training.
3 videos (Total 43 min), 3 readings
3 videos
Week 4 Lecture: Ethics Management14m
Week 4 Practitioner Interview: Pia Poppenreiter20m
3 readings
Week 4 Overview & Learning Objectives10m
Week 4 Source Materials10m
Week 4 Assignmentm
4.5
50%
83%
Top Reviews
By DH•Sep 20th 2017
I enjoyed this course so much! Thank you a lot! I now feel much better prepared for my current job.
Instructors
Oliver Laasch
Marie Curie Research FellowManchester Institute of Innovation Research
Dr Sally Randles
Senior Research FellowAlliance Manchester Business SChool
Prof Frank Boons
Professor of Innovation and SustainabilityAlliance Manchester Business School
About University of Manchester
Tracing its roots back to 1824, the University of Manchester is home to almost 40,000 students. The University has three Nobel laureates among its current staff – more than any other British university - and a total of 25 Nobel laureates have come from our past and present students and staff. We have three main goals: to undertake world-class research; to deliver an outstanding learning and student experience; and to be socially responsible.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
What is the refund policy?
Is financial aid available?
More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.
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