Teaching plan for the course unit

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General information

 

Course unit name: Corporate Social Responsibility

Course unit code: 363725

Academic year: 2025-2026

Coordinator: Juan Lazaro Marce

Department: Department of Business

Credits: 6

Single program: S

 

 

Estimated learning time

Total number of hours 150

 

Face-to-face and/or online activities

60
 

-  Lecture with practical component

Face-to-face

  

30
 

-  Group tutorial

Face-to-face

  

15
 

-  Problem-solving class

Face-to-face

  

15

Supervised project

40

Independent learning

50

 

 

Learning objectives

 

Referring to knowledge

  • Analyse and critically reflect on the criteria used to validate factors influencing decision-making.
  • Understand key theoretical frameworks and academic contributions related to business ethics.
  • Distinguish between the various foundations underpinning moral judgements.
  • Understand the sociological contexts in which decision-making takes place.

 

Referring to abilities, skills

  • Develop an applied model for making ethical judgements and validate the coherence of business decisions.
  • Reflect on and reason through the concepts raised by the need to choose between different options, critically comparing and justifying them.
  • Critique and compare practical models for the application of ethical auditing.
  • Research relevant sources.
  • Foster moral autonomy and critical thinking.
  • Strengthen conceptual, verbal and written comprehension.

 

Referring to attitudes, values and norms

The main goal is to understand what underpins ethics and social responsibility, the impact they have on organizations and how to manage them effectively.

Specifically:

  • How to use ethical criteria as a management tool and as a parameter of business quality.
  • How to explore the conditions for ethical, personal and corporate commitment.
  • How to assume specific options of ethics and applied social responsibility and to distinguish between and rationalise the choices made.

 

 

Teaching blocks

 

Ethics

E1. Business ethics

E1.1. What is business ethics?
E1.2. Ethical theories

E.2. Ethics in the workplace

E2.1. Ethics and work in the organization
E2.2. Ethics and work in senior management
E2.3. Ethics and work in middle management

E3. Ethics in decision making

E3.1. Ethics in organisations
E3.2. Decision making and ethical codes of conduct
E3.3. Decision making and ethical virtues

E.4. Ethics and human behaviour

E4.1. The individual and their ethical dimension
E4.2. Human action and ethics
E4.3. Human behaviour and its effects: ethical responsibility

Social responsibility

R2. Declaration of Human Rights, Global Compact, Agenda 2030

R2.1. Universal Declaration of Human Rights
R2.2. Global pact
R2.3. Agenda 2030
R2.4. The goals of internal development or Inner Development Goals

R3. CSR indicators and tools

R3.1. Areas of action
R3.2. Indicators
R3.3. Standards and guidelines
R3.4. Compliance
R3.5. Environmental, social and governance criteria

R1. Introduction to corporate social responsibility (CSR)

R1.1. Definition of CSR
R1.2. Evolution of the concept
R1.3. Ethical principles of CSR
R1.4. Ethical principles of socially responsible action
R1.5. Mission, values, and stakeholders
R1.6. Resources, capabilities and the value chain
R1.7. Principles of CSR
R1.8. Importance of CSR

 

 

Official assessment of learning outcomes

 

Continuous assessment

If students do not submit the corresponding waiver at least one week before the date of the final exam, it is understood that they wish to be assessed by the continuous mode of evaluation. In this mode, exercises and practical assignments are carried out both in class and outside the classroom, individually and in groups.

Regular class attendance is a requirement for continuous assessment, given that the exercises and practical tasks are not always published via the Virtual Campus. 

The activities to be carried out are explained on the first day of class. Their weighting in the final grade is as follows:

  • Individual ethical judgement task completed in class (30% of the final grade): the date of this assessment is posted on the Virtual Campus at least one month in advance.
  • Practical exercises (20% of the final grade): students must complete four exercises during the course.
  • Final exam (50% of the final grade): held on the date assigned by the Academic Board and published on the Faculty’s website. Students opting for continuous assessment student do not have to complete the ethical judgement task on the day of the final exam.


The assessment and grading regulations of the University of Barcelona (UB) apply.

Repeat assessment

If a student does not pass the continuous mode of assessment, he or she has to take the repeat assessment exam. These students are examined on the entire content of the course (but note that the marks obtained on the continuous mode of assessment cannot be carried forward). Repeat assessment takes the same format as that of the single mode of assessment.

 

Examination-based assessment

Students unable to complete the continuous mode of assessment can opt for the single mode. Single assessment consists of an examination on the entire syllabus, and is taken on the date assigned for that purpose by the Academic Council and published on the Faculty’s website. The mark obtained on this exam is the final grade for the course. Under no circumstances can this final grade be improved by submitting additional assignments or exercises.

Single assessment consists of a more comprehensive final exam than that sat by students who have opted for the continuous mode (100% of the final grade). 

The exam consists of:

  • A multiple-choice test (20%), with between 20 to 30 questions.
  • An ethical judgement task (40%).
  • Written response questions (40%). 


The final exam for both the single and continuous assessment options takes place on the same date.

The assessment and grading regulations of the University of Barcelona (UB) apply.

Repeat assessment

Students who require repeat assessment are examined on the entire content of the course. Repeat assessment takes the same format as that of the single mode of assessment.