Launched in 2010, the Sustainable Business and Social Responsibility Course Development project has delivered a useful and practical framework to develop course materials and case studies in its respective fields. A key element of the initiative was the development of educational materials for both short courses and degree programmes, in sustainable business and social responsibility. Aligning these closely with the UN Global Compact – a strategic policy initiative of the UN for businesses committed to ten universally accepted principles in human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption – was also a major part of the project.
Throughout the three-year project a large body of course material was and will continue to be generated and refined. Among its significant outputs were:
- The development of new courses related to sustainability that also helped in launching stand-alone sustainability-focused degree programmes in business schools;
- A collection of case studies on CSR and social businesses;
- An exploration on the integration of sustainability in business curricula in the Asia-Pacific region;
- The development of a new set of courses/training materials and case studies, available for teaching as stand-alone courses or for integration into other sustainability-related courses in business education; and
- The development of specific materials covering the contemporary challenges of sustainable development, such as climate change and biodiversity strategies for the private sector.
The Asian Insitute of Technology (AIT) led this project in collaboration with Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) and Yonsei University. Shinshu University participated during the first year of the project.
All course materials and curriculum are summarised here.
Outputs
Micro Hydro Power Plant: Passion and Commitment, UGM, Case Study 1 here
Salak Pondoh Agrotourism: A Mount Merapi Green Belt, Case Study, UGM, Case Study 2 here
Building Sustainable Livelihoods, WaterHope, AIT, Case Study 1 here
Bolaven Farms and Biodiversity, Lao PDR, AIT, Case Study 2 here
Supporting Entrepreneurship in China – HP Life Program, AIT, Case Study 3 here
Karvaan Crafts: Hope for Craftswomen’s Good Fortune, AIT, Case Study 4 here
Elevyn* Empowering Communities through Trade, USM, Case Study 1 here
(*Elevyn is an online platform that empowers marginalized communities by giving them access to the global market.)
Leaderonomics, Developing Talent and Leadership, USM, Case Study 2 here
Wild Asia, Mission for Greener Environment, USM, Case Study 3 here