CSR practitioner

All course series are designed for Managers in Strategy and Business Development, R&D, PR, Internal and External communications, Marketing, Business Excellence and HR, as well as Health and Safety and Environment, CSR and Sustainability managers taking on sustainable development and CSR as part of their job and for those who want a broader understanding of CSR and sustainability issues within their company to start up building their own CSR and sustainability strategies, action plans and management systems.

Module A: Foundations of Sustainable Development and Corporate Social Responsibility
Module B: Stakeholder engagement – the magic of dialogue
Module C: CSR in action – designing, developing and implementing a signature CSR strategy
Module D: Measuring success – fundamentals of GRI and UNGC reporting

Module prerequisites
Modules may be taken independently, however some prior knowledge is required and we may check your understanding and experience prior to taking a particular module.

For module A: n/a
For module B: Module A
For module C: Module A, B
For module D: Module A, B, C

Module A+B+C+D will provide you with a professional CSR practitioner certificate.

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Module A: Foundations of Sustainable Development and Corporate Social Responsibility

Outline
This module covers current issues in CSR, its key drivers, current and future trends. It will provide delegates with an understanding of the relationship between CSR, sustainability and accountability as well as explain the business case for CSR through industry case studies and concrete business cases derived from your organization/industry. Starting with the company business drivers, this session will help the delegates define what responsible business practice means. Using different approaches the delegates will have a chance to think widely about the upcoming issues and the priorities and begin to develop own CSR action plan. This session will conclude with SWOT analysis of your organization’s current CSR practices and a comparison with the best in class in your industry/region.

Business outcomes:

• Non-financial risk assessment and management and evaluation of CSR value on the bottom line
• Build the business case for CSR and SD
• Tools and resource materials to develop your own CSR action plan
• Practical techniques how to communicate and highlight business benefits of corporate responsibility and gain internal buy-in

Module B: Stakeholder engagement – the magic of dialogue

Outline
This module provides delegates with the concept of the stakeholder ‘filter’. It will provide an understanding of the benefits of effective stakeholder engagement, building trust and reputation for the company including how to map stakeholders and manage the issues that are likely to be material to them. It will provide the delegates with practical networking and stakeholder engagement tools. It covers the AA1000 Stakeholder Engagement Standard, the UNEP Stakeholder Engagement Manual in detail. This module will include drafting a stakeholder map and issue sheets concrete to your organization, which can be directly integrated into your organization’s stakeholder management plans.

Business outcomes:

• ‘Best practice’ standards in stakeholder engagement
• Tools and exercises to identify, map stakeholders, and plan engagement
• Stakeholder engagement and brand reputation/license to operate
• Practical tools on how to identify, analyze and manage current and potential issues material to your stakeholders

Module C: CSR in action – designing, developing and implementing a signature CSR strategy

Outline
This module will provide the participants with a framework to conduct own review of how the company is managing and integrating corporate responsibility, and will give the opportunity to highlight strengths and weaknesses. CSR and sustainability models such as the UNGC, the Earth Charter, GRI and other models will be introduced, which provide the fundamentals of developing CSR strategy and measuring performance. This module will enable the delegates to understand and articulate the connections between the business strategy and the CSR/Sustainability agenda being one and not a separate activity from core business processes. It covers business management systems like EFQM model, ISO 26000 and SA8000. This module will include formulating and developing a concrete CSR action plan including draft CSR vision, priority issues and supporting programs and communication strategies concrete for your organization which can directly serve as a basis for developing/adjusting you organization’s CSR strategy.

Business outcomes:

• A holistic approach to integrate CSR with corporate strategy
• More effective delivery on financial, social and environmental goals
• Identifying CR related risks and opportunities
• Knowledge of global standards and management systems like ISO26000 and EFQM model
• Tools and resources to develop your organization CSR strategy

Module D: Measuring success – fundamentals of GRI and UNGC reporting

Outline
This module covers the principles of sustainability reporting, including its purpose and benefits. Participants will gain an understanding of the key principles underlying effective reporting, including materiality. The module will cover the GRI G3 guidelines and any existing sector specific supplement in detail, including practical exercises assessing the effectiveness of leading companies' reporting.

Business outcomes:

• Identify the material issues on which to report
• Tools and strategies to deliver an effective sustainability message
• Tailoring reporting solutions to meet your organization’s unique needs
• Strategies to integrate GRI reporting and KPI’s with other KPI reporting systems in your organization