MM298: Social Responsibility in Action

Module code: MM298

Module provider: Leadership, Organisations and Behaviour; Henley Business School

Credits: 20

Level: 5

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr Irina Heim, email: irina.heim@henley.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: nA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 19 November 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

Students are expected to draw on knowledge and experience gained during the course, and to apply it to a contemporary management problem or issue related to social purpose of the business and 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. The practical actions are developed in conjunction with specific organisations and address a topic relevant to Principles for Responsible Management Education’ (PRME). PRME is a United Nations-supported initiative founded in 2007 in support of the Sustainable Development Goals and is governed by the UN and the business school accreditation bodies. Henley Business School is an advanced signatory to PRME.

The module lead at the University of Reading Malaysia is Dr Mandy Mok.

Module learning outcomes

The learning outcomes are based on QAA subject benchmark requirements and AACSB 2018 Business Standards. For further information, see the Programme Specification, which shows all of the learning outcomes of the programme.

At the end of this module, students will be able to:

1. Understand social responsibility, including sustainability, diversity and ethical behaviour in the context of approaches to management
2. Apply their knowledge of business, organisations and management to practice
3. Apply commercial acumen to real-world business problems
4. Critically reflect on their performance in the context of society

Module content

Semester 2, 6 lectures and 6 tutorials prepare students for the assessment CW1 (individual report) and the assessment CW2 (group project). The module includes self-directed work on a group project and 2 project-related seminars.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

In Semester 2, lectures and tutorials will help students to gain theoretical knowledge and prepare for their assessments and allow them to develop the skills they will need to complete the assessments focusing on the:

1. Understanding social responsibility in connection to the business
2. Developing core skills (teamwork, self-management and networking)

During the module, students are expected to work within diverse groups of 5 students throughout this part of the module, exposing them to different assumptions and approaches in practice and theory related to social responsibility. The module adopts an international outlook through the global focus of its group projects.

This module may be taught in a different Semester if you are studying at our campus in Malaysia. 

For students studying at our campus in Malaysia: This module may be taught in a different semester and the breakdown of study hours may differ to those set out in the Study Hours table (please refer to the Module Handbook for the correct breakdown). In addition, you will be required to complete an additional 40 hours of study, taking the total number of study hours to 240 for this module. This is to comply with the Malaysian Quality Agency (MQA).

Study hours

At least 20 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students must achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module. 

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Students will provide peer feedback to other members of their groups.

Reassessment

Additional costs