30598 - SUSTAINABILITY AND CORPORATE COMMUNICATION
Department of Accounting
Course taught in English
CLEAM (6 credits - II sem. - OP | SECS-P/07) - CLEF (6 credits - II sem. - OP | SECS-P/07) - CLEACC (6 credits - II sem. - OP | SECS-P/07) - BESS-CLES (6 credits - II sem. - OP | SECS-P/07) - WBB (6 credits - II sem. - OP | SECS-P/07) - BIEF (6 credits - II sem. - OP | SECS-P/07) - BIEM (6 credits - II sem. - OP | SECS-P/07) - BIG (6 credits - II sem. - OP | SECS-P/07) - BEMACS (6 credits - II sem. - OP | SECS-P/07) - BAI (6 credits - II sem. - OP | SECS-P/07)
Course Director:
XIAOXI WU
XIAOXI WU
Suggested background knowledge
No.
Mission & Content Summary
MISSION
Sustainability is the most important issue in the corporate world and financial markets nowadays. Corporate communication is an essential function for companies to maintain trust with stakeholders. This course will provide students with insights into sustainable corporate communication in the digital age, and stakeholder relations from a sustainability perspective. This course will equip students who are interested in ESG with skills on sustainability and corporate communication to help them become future leaders of sustainable sectors, industries or companies.
CONTENT SUMMARY
· Overview – Why are sustainability and communication crucial for companies?
· Corporate social responsibilities, sustainability, and ESG
· Sustainable corporate communication: Annual Report
· Sustainable corporate communication: Integrated reporting
· Sustainable corporate communication: Sustainability Report
· Sustainable corporate communication: Earnings Announcement
· Sustainable corporate communication: Social Media
· Sustainable corporate communication: Legal requirements & Crafting Compelling Messages
· Sustainable communication during crisis
· Sustainable communication around the globe
· Unsustainable communication: Greenwashing
· Unsustainable communication: Fraud
· Sustainability communication in the EU
· Sustainability communication in the US
· International Sustainability Standards Board & IFRS Sustainability Standards
· Sustainability communication assurance
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
Students will learn the most cutting-edge knowledge on:
- How companies engage in sustainability and sustainable communication;
- Sustainability communication around the world;
- How companies and industry leaders foster trust and relationships with stakeholders (e.g., investors, employees, customers, communities);
- The best practices in sustainability communication;
- Sustainability communication during crisis/pandemic;
- How to spot and avoid unsustainable communication.
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
Students will gain the ability to analyse and evaluate how business environment and sustainability issues affect corporate communication, how companies engage in the best practice of sustainability and corporate communication, and how companies foster stakeholder trust and relationships. Students will be able to apply the knowledge from this course to case studies to understand sustainability and corporate communication in the real life.
Teaching methods
- Face-to-face lectures
- Case studies /Incidents (traditional, online)
- Individual assignments
DETAILS
· In-class activities include mainly face-to-face lectures and case studies, which are interactive in nature.
· The course is both lecture-oriented and case-oriented, with in-class interactions among students and between students and the professor being highly encouraged.
· Teaching and learning materials include timely financial and management articles on sustainability communication, practitioner’s guide, real-life company sources, case studies, and academic opinions on sustainability and corporate communication.
Assessment methods
| Continuous assessment | Partial exams | General exam | |
|---|---|---|---|
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x | ||
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x |
ATTENDING STUDENTS
· One written general final exam, representing 21 points out of the final grade.
· One individual assignment, representing 7 points out of the final grade.
· Random case discussion preparations checks, representing 3 points out of the final grade.
NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
· One written general final exam, representing 21 points out of the final grade.
· One individual assignment, representing 7 points out of the final grade.
· Random case discussion preparations checks, representing 3 points out of the final grade.
Teaching materials
ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
· All students are expected to study all materials on BlackBoard, as well as follow all instructions and requirements on BlackBoard.
· This course also covers practical case studies, timely financial and management articles on sustainability communication, practitioner’s guide, real-life company sources, and academic opinions.
· Materials for each session will be available on BlackBoard during the week of the class.
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