SUSTAINABILITY COURSES AT CBS: SCANDINAVIAN SUSTAINABILITY & CSR

By Jens Asker Aarkrog Wahlgren

As the world changes around us, we too must change with it. The intricate nature of environmental issues requires interdisciplinary students, who understand how different sectors impact the environment. The business sector remains one of the biggest contributors to climate change, and this is why we at CBS Climate Club are thrilled that CBS is increasingly offering a greater array of courses in environmental studies. We encourage all students to educate themselves within this field of study, which is why we through these interview articles seek to extend CBS students’ knowledge of the different electives offered at Copenhagen Business School. This article zooms in on the course ‘Scandinavian Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility and asks exchange student, Isabel Geraldes Barba, what she thinks about it.  

What is your name, age, nationality, and study program?

My name is Isabel Geraldes Barba, I am 20 years old and I am Portuguese. I study Economics at Nova Sbe in Portugal, I am doing my exchange semester at CBS.

What is the course about?

As the name says, the course is about the Scandinavian corporates’ approach to Social Responsibility and Sustainability. CSR is being more and more present in the firms’ strategy. Profit is no longer the only goal, but also “the way they make it” – do the companies work in a sustainable and socially responsible way, caring for future generations and complying with Human Rights? In this course, we study this recently new concern and how Scandinavian companies deal with it, compared to other countries.

Why did you choose this course?

I came to the exchange in Copenhagen because I was interested in the Northern Culture in the different economic, political, and cultural aspects. In this course I looked for that Nordic approach in companies’ behavior and how they related with social responsibility and sustainability, as I had heard before it was evident here.

Whom would you recommend this course?

I would recommend this course to everyone who is interested in sustainability and social responsibility in the business sector. For the ones who are especially worried about these issues and how to govern companies with this concern.

What are your key takeaways of the course so far?

It is not only governments that are responsible for sustainability and social responsibility. Companies have a role to play, and they do it. There are many ways to perform better in regard to sustainability, and CSR matters for how well a company performs. The basis for it is worry about impact on stakeholders instead of shareholders, and cooperation. Big firms in Scandinavian countries are already taking their steps and reporting them for the world to see!

How are you hoping to use the knowledge you acquire in this course for future studies or work?

I hope I will work in the area of sustainability and social responsibility, so this knowledge will help me to have the different perspectives of ways to include it in the firm’s strategies. It has also been helping me be more aware and interested in what firms are doing to “create a better world”.