Corporate Sustainability Reporting and Marketing Strategy

Teacher(s)

Roszkowska-Menkes Maria; Swaen Valérie;

Language

English

Prerequisites

None

Main themes

This course provides an overview of trends and best practices in corporate communications relating to sustainability, with a particular focus on global sustainability reporting frameworks and responsible marketing communications. This implies understanding the marketplace, consumers, the nature of and purpose of products and services, as well as, reporting and communication strategies.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	Understand the differences between a stand-alone report, a combined report and an integrated report, Assess the quality of a stand-alone/combined/integrated report, Reconcile multiple stakeholders’ interests (and understand the importance of doing so), into a clear, persuasive, smart action and communication plan, Recognize the risks associated to greenwashing, as well as the opportunities related to a strong communication strategy, Adopt a critical perspective on managerial communication and reporting practices related to social issues.

Content

This course is designed for those who hold/will hold positions in organizations with responsibilities for communicating the sustainability goals, challenges and achievements, as well as accurately and honestly communicating the environmental and social aspects of an organization’s products and services.
This course provides an overview of trends and best practices in reporting and corporate communications related to sustainability, with a particular focus on global sustainability reporting frameworks and responsible marketing communications.
Attitudes and behaviors around sustainable consumption will be explored, as well as, when, if, and how sustainability aspects should be communicated to consumers. Aspects of the marketing mix, such as product features, pricing, distribution, and promotions that influence consumer demand for sustainable products and services will be analyzed.

Teaching methods

• Student participation to the MOOC entitled "CSR reporting and communication";
• Interactive class discussions of concepts and company cases;
• Conferences by practitioners;
• Teamwork.

Evaluation methods

Continuous assessment (40%)

• Participation to the MOOC on CSR reporting and communication (on the edX)
  
• Preparation of course sessions and conferences by practitioners 
  
• Teamwork(s) --> Written paper(s) and/or oral presentations 
  

Individual final written exam during the first session (60%) 

Second session

• If you failed in the continuous assessment, you have to do it again (40%) (if you passed the continuous evaluation, we keep your mark)
  
• If you failed at the written exam at the first session, you have to pass a written or oral exam (depending on the number of students concerned) at the second session (if you passed the exam at the first session successfully, we keep your mark 60%)
  

Late submission policy:
Late submissions of assignments will result in a grade deduction. Please follow the policy posted on Moodle.

Free-riding:
Free-riding will result in a full grade deduction on the assignment for the student in question. Please adhere to the guidelines for reporting free-riding instances published on Moodle.

Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is a form of free-riding, where you present someone else's intellectual efforts as your own. Reusing parts of a paper written for one course in another course is also considered plagiarism.
By submitting an assignment for evaluation:

• you assert that all your sources that go beyond common knowledge are suitably attributed (please follow the referencing guidelines posted on Moodle);
  
• you assert that you have respected all specific requirements of your assigned work, in particular requirements for transparency and documentation of process, or have explained yourself where this was not possible.
  

If any of these assertions are not true, whether by intent or negligence, you have violated your commitment to academic integrity. This constitutes academic misconduct.

Use of Generative AI Policy:

• The use of generative AI for the course assessments is allowed.
  
• You bear full responsibility for what you present or submit. By submitting your assignment, you affirm that you have verified it accurately reflects the facts.
  
• If you have used AI in preparing your assignment, you must acknowledge it by clearly indicating which AI tools were used and how they assisted you, including specific functionalities or tasks. Be sure to mention the prompts used and how you applied the AI-generated output.
  
• Your submission must represent your own original work. AI tools should only be used to support your work, not to produce it entirely. Ensure that your own thoughts, analysis, and writing are evident in the final submission, so it allows the teacher to evaluate the skills and competencies acquired.
  
• Failure to disclose AI use or misuse of AI tools will be considered as fraud, as defined in articles 107-114 of the RGEE.
  

Depending on the sanitary situation, the course, assignments  and exam could be delivered on-site, on-line or via a mix of both means (comodal).

Acknowledgment:

• This course description was reviewed and refined with the assistance of ChatGPT, which helped improve clarity, grammar, and language consistency.
  

Online resources

• Moodle of the course
• MOOC on "CSR reporting and communication" on edX

Bibliography

See in Moodle

Faculty or entity

> CLSM