CSR School - Corporate Sustainability & Responsibility

Overview of the CSR School

The CSR School aims to provide advanced training regarding the identification of sustainability-related business opportunities and the inclusion of responsibility in the core of one’s business strategy, in order to achieve sustainable value and formulate a more resilient organization.

The training program is envisioned as a journey that will cover all major identified areas that relate to the responsible management of sustainability. Within 6 weeks, during which a minimum of 48 hours of sustainability-related knowledge and management experience will be shared, trainees will gain an up-to-date overview of major developments around the largest environmental, social and governance challenges affecting businesses nowadays.

During the 12-part Webinar series, the participants will attend lectures by distinguished academic faculty members, discuss relevant case studies, learn about best practices that have been implemented by experienced senior professionals and exchange views and thoughts around the incorporation of relevant theory into the CSR initiatives of their own organization.

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WHY ATTEND THE CSR SCHOOL

Learn from world-class experts

Work on real-case scenarios

Earn a professional certificate

Accelerate your career

Discover “how-to” through best practices

Join a broad network of professionals

Earn 10 ECTS

Learn from world-class experts

Work on real-case scenarios

Earn a professional certificate

Accelerate your career

Discover “how-to” through best practices

Join a broad network of professionals

Earn 10 ECTS

Learn More

TOPICS OF THE CSR SCHOOL

Day 1:
Setting the Frame

Corporate sustainability and responsibility in the post-pandemic business environment; Introducing sustainability and responsibility in business models and the emergence of new business models

Day 2:
Leadership

Sustainability- and responsibility-centered leadership models under high macro-uncertainty

Day 3:
Value

The corporate roadmap towards sustainable and shared value

Day 4:
Governance

Introducing sustainability- and responsibility-related issues within corporate governance structures

Day 5:
Supply Chain

The EC’s report suggesting that the due diligence concept in the supply chain might be included as mandatory in the new NFR-D

Day 6:
Environment

Business and stakeholders’ adaptation to climate change; Natural capital and reengineering towards sustainability

Day 7:
Circularity

Exploiting and managing the business case of the circular economy

Day 8:
Employees

Human capital management as a strategic sustainability and responsibility priority under high macro-uncertainty

Day 9:
Finance & Banking

Linking sustainable finance and responsible banking with corporate operations and development

Day 10:
Reporting

Combining and reporting financial and non-financial information for an overall valuation of a business to stakeholders

Day 11:
Capital Markets

Valuating corporate responsibility and sustainability in capital markets

Day 12:
Partnerships

Accelerating synergies [PPP] towards transformational changes towards the SDGs; making business unusual as the new business as-usual

LECTURES OF THE CSR SCHOOL

12:30PM - 4:30PM

Setting the Frame

By Dr. Álvaro Santos Pereira (Director of the OECD Economics Department)

Contents of the lecture

Current dimensions of globalization: Threats and opportunities.

What is the recent impact of globalization on environmental and societal sustainability.

What is the impact of current environmental and societal sustainability issues on economic growth.

Prioritization of public policies.

Coordination of public policies, e.g. environmental and/or industrial policies in accordance with health policies.

How can we avoid domino effects on the international economy due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

How can we make an opportunity out of the current crisis.

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Location: Online

12:30PM - 4:30PM

Positivity for Sustainability & Growth: The role of positive emotions in fostering resilience and well being

By Dr. Anastasios Stalikas (Professor of Psychology, Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences)

Contents of the lecture

Key concepts of Positive Psychology

Research findings in Positive Psychology

Strategies & Practices that foster sustainability, resilience and well being in organizations and in the community

Positivity, meaning making and well being

Participants will:

Be able to identify, define and describe the core concepts of Positive Psychology

Critically evaluate the relationship between resilience and positivity

Be able to apply methods, interventions and techniques that foster positivity and resilience

Make connections between positive emotions, resilience and sustainability

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Location: Online

12:30PM - 4:30PM

The ethics of responsibility and practical wisdom

By Dr. Haridimos Tsoukas (The Columbia Ship Management Professor of Strategic Management, University of Cyprus
Dean, Faculty of Economics and Management, University of Cyprus
Distinguished Research Environment Professor of Organization Studies, Warwick Business School)

Contents of the lectureOrganizational tasks, roles, and responsibility. To perform a role responsibly is to address the question ‘what is it for?’ The teleological structure of activities. The implicit nature of the ethical demand and how it is discharged. Responsible action implies good judgment. The constituents of good judgment: character, emotions, and practical wisdom.

Participants will:

appreciate the importance of responsibility across all tasks

develop their ability to frame problems, choices, and weigh what is at stake in particular contexts enhance your self-knowledge

sharpen their perceptual skills to recognize what is important

refine their judgement and sharpen their practical wisdom

develop complex capacity to handle ambiguity and complexity in challenging situations in organisations.

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Location: Online

12:30PM - 4:30PM

Sustainable Value Creation

By Dr. Constantine Manasakis (Assistant Professor, University of Crete)

Contents of the lecture

Introduction: Business as usual
The business case of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Strategic corporate responsibility and shared value towards SDGs
Identifying material issues for a strategic corporate responsibility agenda
Contents addressed for each material issue
From sustainable and shared value to responsible and sustainable business through sustainable competitive advantages

Learning objectives

Highlighting the business opportunities and benefits of sustainable development
Presenting the roadmap and the steps towards the development of a business responsibility action plan
Presenting the structure of a business responsibility action plan and its link to administrative practices
Demonstrate how business responsibility enhances corporate competitiveness

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Location: Online

12:30PM - 4:30PM

Linking Sustainability with Corporate Governance

By Dr. Alexandros Antonaras (Associate Professor and Vice President of Student Services, University of Nicosia)

Contents of the lecture

ESG and the BoD

Dealing with Sustainability at Board level

Corporate Governance and Reporting

Learning objectives- After the completion of the module, participants are expected to be able to:

Explain the relationship between Corporate Ethics, Corporate Governance and Sustainability

Understand the importance of ESG criteria

Understand the importance of dealing with Sustainability at the Board level

Be aware of the Corporate Governance requirements by the major reporting standards (GRI, SASB, IR)

Explain how ESG criteria can be linked with assessing performance

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Location: Online

12:30PM - 4:30PM

Towards true sustainability in supply chains

Dr. Anne Touboulic (Associate Professor in Sustainable Supply Chain Management at Nottingham University Business School, University of Nottingham)

Contents of the lecture

From CSR to true sustainability

Defining sustainable supply chain management

Sustainability context: the urgency of addressing ecological and social challenges

The importance of supply chain relationships for sustainability

Governance and regulation of sustainability in supply chains

Learning Objectives - Through this webinar participants will:

Gain an understanding of sustainability from both an ecological and social perspective

Explore the link between sustainability and supply chain management through theory and practical examples

Surface the key issues and debates related to sustainable supply chain management

Advance their knowledge of relevant regulatory and voluntary approaches towards sustainability in supply chains

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Location: Online

12:30PM - 4:30PM

CSR & Environment

By Dr. Michael Scoullos (Professor and Director of the Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry, University of Athens)

Learning Objectives

Climate change related risks’ against business continuity (emphasis on the most affected countries and industries).

Consumers’ responsibility and raising awareness for climate change.

Organizational changes and reengineering towards sustainability.

Sustainable Consumption and Production concept and its value globally.

Making the right choices while prioritizing adaptation options.

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Location: Online

12:30PM - 4:30PM

The road to circularity in the framework of strategy(ies) development

By Dr. Antonis Zorpas (Assistant Professor, Open University of Cyprus)

Contents of the Lecture

The background of Circular Economy.
Development of Circular Economy strategies.
Barriers related with the establishment of any waste strategy.
The evolution of the wastes’ volume.
Green entrepreneurship and SMEs.
Consumers’ willingness to pay for responsible products.

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Location: Online

12:30PM - 4:30PM

Disruption forces us to become better managers

By Dr. Nikos Mylonopoulos (Associate Professor of Digital Business, ALBA Graduate Business School at the American College of Greece)

Contents of the lecture

How technology change disrupts management

Disruptive threats & Opportunities for leaders

Building adaptive and ambidextrous organizational forms

Responsible leadership

Participants will:

Clarify the indirect path by which technological change upends long-held management practices

Understand the urgency, magnitude, and consequences of disruptive threats with examples from different industries

Learn the principles of adaptive and responsible leadership and management which have become imperative for business survival and sustainability

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Location: Online

12:30PM - 4:30PM

Disruption forces us to become better managers

By Dr. Olga Epitropaki (Professor and Director of Research of the Management & Marketing Department, Durham University Business School)

Contents of the lecture

How technology change disrupts management

Disruptive threats & Opportunities for leaders

Building adaptive and ambidextrous organizational forms

Responsible leadership

Participants will:

Clarify the indirect path by which technological change upends long-held management practices

Understand the urgency, magnitude, and consequences of disruptive threats with examples from different industries

Learn the principles of adaptive and responsible leadership and management which have become imperative for business survival and sustainability

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Location: Online

12:30PM - 04:30PM

CSR & Finance and Banking

By TO BE CONFIRMED

Learning Objectives

Current developments and trends in the area of Sustainable Finance.

Sustainable finance at the EU level as a supporting mechanism for the objectives of the European Green Deal.

Sustainability-related disclosure in the financial services sector.

Application of the EU taxonomy for sustainable activities and the EU Green Bond Standard.

Identification of business opportunities to issue green bonds and green loans.

Ways of implementation of sustainable finance mechanisms to a real-life investment case study.

The Principles for Responsible Banking.

Banking industry challenges and reengineering for the adaptation to the Principles for Responsible Banking.

Adapting business development to the Principles for Responsible Banking.

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Location: Online

12:30PM - 4:30PM

CSR Reporting & Communication

By Dr. Pavlos A. Vlachos (Associate Professor, ALBA Graduate Business School at The American College of Greece)

Contents of the lecture

An introduction to standards and methodologies for measuring and reporting Corporate Social Performance/ESG (i.e., GRI, SASB, IIRC), third-party rating systems (B labs, MSCI, Thomson/Refinitiv, Truvalue Labs) and the latest academic findings on Corporate Social Performance/ESG reporting. We will also demonstrate the Truvalue Labs™ platform. Truvalue Labs™ is an awarded Fintech that applies Artificial Intelligence to massive volumes of unstructured data and scores firms on ESG behavior that has a material impact on company value. Finally students will play the Financial Times Trade-off game and will discuss the Danone (Integrated Report) case study.

Participants will:

Describe the emerging third-party industry that rates firms’ Corporate Social Performance (CSP), and its role in rendering firms accountable for their social and environmental impact

Review prominent CSP measurement and reporting schemes and key players promoting them

Analyze how artificial intelligence facilitates CSP measurement and real-time firm accountability using behavioral data

Identify the challenges in choosing and implementing a CSP measuring and reporting system

Understand that in the domain of CSP, actions speak much louder than words; social impact reports should tell and not sell CSP and in turn not brag about (any measured) CSP leadership

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Location: Online

12:30PM - 4:30PM

Do capital markets appraise corporate responsibility & sustainability?

By Dr. Panagiotis Avramidis (Associate Professor of Finance and Quantitative Methods)

Contents of the lecture

The nuanced relationship between capital markets and CSR

What capital markets like most from CSR?

The recent shift in logics through the lenses of market mediators

Have bond and equity markets different approach to CSR?

Participants will:

Understand how financial markets view corporate responsibility & sustainability

Critically reflect on the emergence of corporate responsibility

Discuss the outcomes that different corporate responsibility actions may have on the firm’s cost of capital

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Location: Online

12:30PM - 4:30PM

CSR & Innovative Strategic Partnerships

By Dr. Djordjija Petkoski (Lecturer and Senior Fellow, Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research, The Wharton School - University of Pennsylvania)

Topics of the lecture

Why Innovative Strategic Partnerships? How to Navigate What’s Next: from Systems Change and Collective Impact to COVID and Post-COVID reality

How to align private sector interest with public sector priorities?

Partnerships that go beyond the traditional models of public-private partnerships; for example, partnerships with Competitors; Development

organizations; Donor agencies; Foundations; and NGOs

Innovative partnerships and finance: How to move from “billions” to “trillions” in investments for financing the SDGs?

Strategic Collective Action: From project based to Long-term Initiatives

The Challenge of Implementation and Leadership

Learning objectives

The participant will develop the capacity to integrate knowledge and to analyze, evaluate, and manage the different aspects of innovative strategic partnerships at an organizational, local, and global level. Based on the case studies analysis, the participants will be able to identify implementation and leadership challenges, evaluate problem-solving strategies, and develop science-based solutions.

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