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5 Corporate Social Responsibility Courses You Can Take For Free

There are many reasons to take a course in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). As the world progresses, organizations are increasingly being held accountable for their actions and their impact on society. This means that CSR is becoming more important than ever before.

Organizations that implement CSR strategies can see a number of benefits. These include improved reputation, increased customer loyalty, higher employee engagement, and greater financial success. In addition, CSR can help organizations address social and environmental issues, build relationships with key stakeholders, and create a competitive advantage.

Taking a course in CSR can help you learn about the concept of CSR and how to implement it within your organization. It can also give you the skills and knowledge you need to make a positive impact on society.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): A Strategic Approach

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): A Strategic Approach is a free online course offered by the University of Pennsylvania in the United States. The class is geared toward individuals who hold leadership roles in corporations and wish to learn more about corporate social responsibility. The class is taught in English and has no specific educational or work experience requirements for enrollment.

Self-paced, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): A Strategic Approach can be completed at a rate that works for each student. The instructor does suggest that students break the course down into four weekly units. With this schedule, the class can be completed with two to five hours of study time each week. By the end of the course, students will have a clear picture of what Corporate Social Responsibility is and will be ready to take the first step toward launching their own sustainability projects.

Sustainable Vikings: Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility in Scandinavia

Sustainable Vikings: Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility in Scandinavia is a free online social sciences course offered by the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. Providing an examination of how Scandinavian companies have aligned their corporate strategies with sustainability, the class is intended for individuals in leadership roles in companies who wish to learn more about how to promote sustainable and responsible business practices. Business students can also benefit from the class.

Instruction for Sustainable Vikings: Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility in Scandinavia is taught through online videos. The class lasts for six weeks, completing one video module weekly. In addition to videos, the class consists of readings and assignments that deepen students’ understanding of the course material. Students who receive passing grades on all assignments can pay for a certificate of completion at the end of the class. The six modules included in the syllabus are: Introduction to Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR); Scandinavia: An Introduction; Scandinavian Leadership & Management; Case Study of a Scandinavian Sustainability Leader: Novo Nordisk; Scandinavian Corporate Governance; and Course reflections: On Becoming a Sustainable Viking.

Global Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility: Be Sustainable

Global Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility: Be Sustainable is a free online social sciences course offered by Macquarie University in Australia. The course is idea for anyone who wishes to understand how sustainability can benefit companies as well as the planet. An introductory class, The are no prerequisites or work experience requirements.

Presented through online videos, Global Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility: Be Sustainable is broken down into six modules, completing one module per week. Most students will need to devote roughly six hours each week to watching the videos, participating in online discussions, taking quizzes and writing short assignments. Those who receive passing grades on all activities will successfully complete the course. A certificate of completion is available for a fee.

At the start of Global Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility: Be Sustainable, students will learn about the nature of sustainability, finding out where the concept came from and how it is of strategic importance for businesses in the modern age. The second unit deals with concerns with business impacts, revealing why many people mistakenly believe that sustainability is harmful or detrimental to business profitability. In the third week, students will explore three strategic responses to sustainability: business ethics, corporate social responsibility and green capitalism. During the fourth module, students will find out why companies adopt unsustainable practices and what the impacts of these decisions are. The fifth week focuses on new and emerging sustainable business strategies that maximize profits, and the sixth week discusses the future of sustainability in business.

Professional Responsibility and Ethics for Accountants

Professional Responsibility and Ethics for Accountants is a free online accounting course offered by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the United States. The class is intended for professional accountants who wish to learn how to balance the public interest of promoting a more sustainable world while keeping up with their responsibilities to their employers and clients. Accounting students may also find the class beneficial.

Lasting for four weeks, the Professional Responsibility and Ethics for Accountants is divided into four units. Each unit is made up of instructional videos and supplemented by readings and other assignments. To successfully complete the class, students must receive passing grades on all assignments. A certificate of completion is available for a fee.

Unit 1: Foundations: Professional Responsibility and Ethics for Accountants, Professional, Professions, Professional Responsibility – This module discusses why professionalism alone is not sufficient to ensure responsibility in the field of accounting. Unit 2: Foundations Part II: Values and Ethics –  In this module, students will learn about the ethical principles that guide the accounting profession and why ethical behavior is essential for accountants. Unit 3: Debate: The Purpose of Business – In this module, students will examine the debate regarding what the real purpose of business is and why that discussion is important for accounting professionals. Unit 4: Corporate Governance: Laws, Regulators, Boards of Directors, Codes of Ethics, Ethical Culture –  This module will examine how companies are regulated internally and externally and what roles accountants play in these regulations.

Managing Responsibly: Practicing Sustainability, Responsibility and Ethics

Managing Responsibly: Practicing Sustainability, Responsibility and Ethics is a free online social sciences course offered by the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. The class can benefit any manager who wishes to learn more about responsible management practices as well as for graduate students. For success in the course, upper level business classes or real world management experience are necessary.

Taught through six online video modules, Managing Responsibly: Practicing Sustainability, Responsibility and Ethics lasts for six weeks. During each week of the course, students should expect to spend three to six hours watching online videos and completing readings and assignments. The six modules are: Managing Responsibly; Sustainability; Responsibility; Ethics; Professions and Occupations; and Integration ‘Bringing it all together’. By the end of the course, students will thoroughly understand the constituting fields of responsible management. In addition, students will be ready to apply the knowledge learned in the course to real life situations that they encounter while serving in a managerial role in their own companies.