Acting in a sustainable and socially-responsible manner has become a crucial success factor for many international firms due to the highly complex, competitive, and volatile global environment in which they operate. This course explores corporate sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) as being central to the value-creating purpose of the international firm, through theoretical and practical perspectives. New ideas, contemporary knowledge, and original research to the area of sustainable and socially-responsible international business will be discussed, placing a priority on the global stakeholder influences on acting in a socially-responsible way, foreign buyer reactions to responsible business, and international market targeting to development of socially-responsible international business strategies.

Knowledge and Understanding • Understand the role of CSR for tackling grand societal challenges of the world • Comprehend the complexity of operating in a global environment, the divergent stakeholder needs and the logic behind corporate strategies that manage the risks and challenges of operating internationally Applying Knowledge and Understanding • Adopt a strategic management perspective and discuss firm survival and growth through a proactive CSR strategy lens • Develop sustainable business models for the international corporations in the twenty-first century Making Judgements • Compare the main theories and concepts on CSR • Critically discuss the main elements of CSR and its impact on firm failure versus firm survival • Evaluate the potential of digital transformation for sustainable business models Communication Skills • Develop the necessary skills to organize and write the results of an empirical analysis with firm-level data • Establish a team-working environment • Perfectionate presentation skills Learning Skills • Interpret the results of the relevant empirical studies on strategic CSR and sustainable international business models

CSR is viewed from an empowered global stakeholder and international business perspective and analyzes the resulting challenges for managers to balance the competing interests of the firm’s stakeholders in an everchanging and complex global environment. Capturing environmental, social and governance responsibilities of corporations, CSR becomes integral to its strategy and day-to-day operations and has the potential to achieve economic and social value as the basis of competitive advantage of the corporation.

• Chandler, David. Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility. Available from: VitalSource Bookshelf (6th Edition). SAGE Publications, Inc. (US), 2022. • Leonidou, L. C., Katsikeas, C. S., Samiee, S., and Leonidou, C. N. Socially Responsible International Business: Critical Issues and the Way Forward. Edward Elgar Publishing (2019).

• In-presence (on campus) • Lectures (textbook) • Paper discussions • Case studies • Presentations and assignments • Testimonials

• One paper presentation in group – (15%) • One case presentation in group – (10%) • Final group project (45%) – Report (20%), presentation (15%), coaching sessions (10%) • Individual assignments and presentations (10%) • Final written exam (20%)

• Active attendance at the course. • Quality of the proposal for the thesis.