Managing Responsibly: Practicing Sustainability, Responsibility and Ethics from Coursera

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.

Syllabus

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.

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.

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.

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.

Professions and Occupations

In this week you will self-select groups of people with similar responsible management issues and tasks to discuss coping approaches. You will also pick an area of professional interest (e.g. strategy, entrepreneurship, organization, operations, supply chain, human resources, marketing and communication, international management, accounting, finance) to further explore and to innovate responsible management practices in the professional context.

Integration 'Bringing it all together'

This last week of the course will be dedicated to the preparation for real-life challenges of managing responsibly and responsible innovation. We will learn how to critically reflect upon and challenge the status quo; to attend to systemic complexity, power struggles, paradoxes and inertia; and to translate these considerations into transformative action.

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Develops skills in managing responsibly, which is a growing area in business

Examines sustainability, responsibility, and ethics, which are critical issues in today's business landscape

Taught by instructors who are experts in the field of responsible management

Provides opportunities for learners to network and collaborate with peers

Covers a wide range of topics related to responsible management, including sustainability, responsibility, and ethics

Reviews summary

Sustainability practices and ethical leadership

learners say this highly received course largely covers corporate responsibility and sustainability, as well as the important roles of leadership and ethics in responsible organizations and society as a whole. This engaging course touches on what it means to be a responsible manager in roles such as sustainability management and CSR management. It includes many great insights and resources that can be applied to diverse professional roles and industries. Weekly assignments lead to the creation of a lasting plan of action that can be implemented in the workplace.

This course emphasizes the important role of responsible management in creating positive social change.

"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."

This course provides insight into current in-demand CSR roles as well as foundational knowledge in sustainability and ethics.

"It was a very insgighful course for me as a student, to understand what it means to work as a sustainability manager, or CSR manager."

"I gained the basic knowledge around sustainability, responsibity and ethics and I more confident to enter this career."

"Great insight on CSR."

Learners emphasize the value of interviews and input from industry experts.

"Very interesting course with a lot of real life situations and professional interviewees !"

"This course has helped to learn alot more about management and how to be responsible manager"

"The professors were brilliant and the content was relevant, sufficient and thought provoking."

Learners are satisfied with the relevance of assignments and the opportunity to connect with other professionals.

"The way of evaluation of the assignments to pass the course is also conducted very well, even it helped to build or expand our network with like-minded professionals."

"I found it very fascinating in terms of examples, interviews with practical solutions, and of course the very nice set of the beautiful city of Manchester."

"The PowerPoints and assignments were also very useful and I find it a good structure to have assignments every week that contribute to the last graded assignment."

Learners value the real-world examples provided through interviews with industry experts.

"Really really good. There is a good balance between lectures, interviews and case studies."

"and if it is only a theoretical approach of teaching then it might be boring but the approach to conveying the practicality of the topic with professionals experience in interviews is really nice."

"It was a pleasure to follow on Coursera, this course of “Managing Responsibly: Practicing Sustainability, Responsibility and Ethics” by University of Manchester. All the instructors have performed very well with valuable lectures and all the interviews to practitioners are adding great value to the course."

Some learners express that the course has difficulty due to the complexity of the topics.

"It's a very interesting course with lots of information and practicioners interviews taking place."

"It was a very insgighful course for me as a student, to understand what it means to work as a sustainability manager, or CSR manager."

"The topic has a lot of potential however, the university was not able to live upto it."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Managing Responsibly: Practicing Sustainability, Responsibility and Ethics with these activities:

Read Principles of Responsible Management

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This book provides a comprehensive overview of the concepts and frameworks covered in the course.

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Read the first three chapters to gain an introduction to the topic.
Take notes on the key concepts and ideas presented in the chapters.
Write a short summary of the main arguments and findings of each chapter.
Prepare questions to discuss during the course sessions.

Explore the UN Principles for Responsible Management Education website.

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The PRME website provides a wealth of resources and case studies on responsible management practices.

Browse courses on Sustainability

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Visit the PRME website.
Explore the different sections of the website, including resources, news, and events.
Attend a webinar or workshop on responsible management.
Read and comment on the blog post on responsible management.

Participate in a Discussion Forum on Responsible Management

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Engaging with peers in discussions will help you to deepen your understanding of the course material.

Browse courses on Sustainability

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Join the discussion forum for the course.
Post thoughtful questions and comments on the discussion topics.
Respond to the posts of your classmates.

Four other activities

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Create a Mind Map of Responsible Management Practices

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A mind map will help you visually organize and connect the different aspects of responsible management.

Browse courses on Sustainability

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Brainstorm a list of key concepts and ideas related to responsible management.
Use a mind mapping tool to create a visual representation of these concepts.
Group and connect related concepts to form a hierarchical structure.
Add examples and case studies to illustrate the connections between the concepts.
Review and refine your mind map to ensure it is clear and comprehensive.

Develop a Responsible Management Plan for an Organization

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Developing a management plan will allow you to apply the concepts learned in the course to a real-life scenario.

Browse courses on Sustainability

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Select an organization to focus on.
Identify the key sustainability, responsibility, and ethical challenges faced by the organization.
Research best practices and case studies of responsible management.
Develop a plan outlining specific actions and initiatives to address the challenges identified.
Present your plan to stakeholders and seek feedback.

Present Your Responsible Management Plan to the Class

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Presenting your plan to the class will allow you to share your knowledge and get feedback from your peers.

Browse courses on Sustainability

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Develop a presentation that outlines your responsible management plan.
Practice your presentation to ensure it is clear and concise.
Deliver your presentation to the class.
Answer questions from your classmates and the instructor.

Participate in the Responsible Management Case Competition

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Participating in the competition will allow you to test your knowledge and skills in a real-world setting.

Browse courses on Sustainability

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Form a team of 3-4 people.
Develop a project development plan
Research and develop your case study.
Prepare your presentation.
Pitch your case study to a panel of judges.

Career center

Learners who complete Managing Responsibly: Practicing Sustainability, Responsibility and Ethics will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Sustainability Consultant

A Sustainability Consultant helps organizations to develop and implement sustainability strategies. This course can help you understand the principles of sustainability and how to apply them to your work. It can also help you develop the skills you need to manage sustainability projects and initiatives. Taking this course can help you learn about the latest trends and best practices in sustainability, which can make you a more valuable asset to potential employers.

See salaries and explore the career path for Sustainability Consultant

Sustainability Strategist

A Sustainability Strategist develops and implements sustainability strategies for their organization. This course can help you understand the principles of sustainability and how to apply them to your work. It can also help you develop the skills you need to manage sustainability projects and initiatives.

See salaries and explore the career path for Sustainability Strategist

ESG Analyst

An ESG Analyst is responsible for analyzing and reporting on the environmental, social, and governance performance of their organization. This course can help you develop the skills you need to collect and analyze data on your organization's ESG performance. It can also help you develop the skills you need to write reports and communicate your findings to stakeholders.

See salaries and explore the career path for ESG Analyst

CSR Analyst

A CSR Analyst is responsible for analyzing and reporting on the social and environmental performance of their organization. This course can help you develop the skills you need to collect and analyze data on your organization's social and environmental performance. It can also help you develop the skills you need to write reports and communicate your findings to stakeholders.

See salaries and explore the career path for CSR Analyst

Sustainability Project Manager

A Sustainability Project Manager is responsible for planning and managing sustainability projects. This course can help you develop the skills you need to manage sustainability projects and initiatives. It can also help you develop the skills you need to work with stakeholders and communicate your findings.

See salaries and explore the career path for Sustainability Project Manager

Green Energy Project Manager

A Green Energy Project Manager is responsible for planning and managing green energy projects. This course can help you understand the principles of green energy and how to apply them to your work. It can also help you develop the skills you need to manage green energy projects and initiatives.

See salaries and explore the career path for Green Energy Project Manager

Ethics Officer

An Ethics Officer is responsible for developing and implementing ethics policies and procedures for their organization. This course can help you understand the principles of ethics and how to apply them to your work. It can also help you develop the skills you need to manage ethics projects and initiatives.

See salaries and explore the career path for Ethics Officer

Ethics and Compliance Officer

An Ethics and Compliance Officer is responsible for developing and implementing ethics and compliance policies and procedures for their organization. This course can help you understand the principles of ethics and compliance and how to apply them to your work. It can also help you develop the skills you need to manage ethics and compliance projects and initiatives.

See salaries and explore the career path for Ethics and Compliance Officer

Sustainability Manager

A Sustainability Manager is responsible for developing and implementing sustainability strategies for their organization. This course can help you understand the principles of sustainability and how to apply them to your work. It can also help you develop the skills you need to manage sustainability projects and initiatives.

See salaries and explore the career path for Sustainability Manager

Impact Investor

An Impact Investor invests in companies that are making a positive social or environmental impact. This course can help you understand the principles of sustainable investing and how to apply them to your work. It can also help you develop the skills you need to evaluate the social and environmental performance of companies.

See salaries and explore the career path for Impact Investor

Corporate Social Responsibility Manager

A Corporate Social Responsibility Manager is responsible for developing and implementing corporate social responsibility programs for their organization. This course can help you understand the principles of corporate social responsibility and how to apply them to your work. It can also help you develop the skills you need to manage corporate social responsibility projects and initiatives.

See salaries and explore the career path for Corporate Social Responsibility Manager

Sustainability Analyst

A Sustainability Analyst drives sustainability initiatives for their organization. The course will provide a good foundation on what drives sustainability in business, which will help you perform your job duties more effectively. It can help you understand the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability and how they can affect your organization. It can also help you develop the skills you need to assess the sustainability of your organization's operations and identify opportunities for improvement.

See salaries and explore the career path for Sustainability Analyst

Environmental Scientist

An Environmental Scientist studies the environment and its components. This course may be useful for you if you are interested in learning more about the environmental impacts of business and how to mitigate them.

See salaries and explore the career path for Environmental Scientist

Environmental Policy Analyst

An Environmental Policy Analyst analyzes environmental policies and their impacts. This course may be useful for you if you are interested in learning more about the environmental impacts of business and how to mitigate them.

See salaries and explore the career path for Environmental Policy Analyst

Environmental Consultant

An Environmental Consultant helps organizations to comply with environmental regulations and reduce their environmental impact. This course may be useful for you if you are interested in learning more about the environmental impacts of business and how to mitigate them.

See salaries and explore the career path for Environmental Consultant