on a small self-sufficient island. But Paradise Developments has a poor track record on cor- porate responsibility in the region, so the local community is strongly against the business coming to Paradise Island at all.
Students are allocated roles in the develop- ment company, Paradise Developments, in the bank or as members of civil society. They might be cast as marketing director of Paradise Developments, an investment banker, a local fisherman or a spokesperson for an NGO. “I’m not having the media saying this bank invests in exploitation and drug use,” says the leader of the banking team. “Your mass tourism development may be profitable, but that’s not our only criterion for lending.” The role-play exercise, which lasts around four hours, requires some 20 to 30 students to resolve the situation to the satisfaction of all three of the teams. Three or four teaching staff are on hand to offer help – as well as elements of hindrance.
Proceedings end with the bank either backing or turning down the developer’s proposal, although in some cases partnerships between Paradise Developments and local people have also emerged from discussions. The assignment also requires students to reflect on what they have learned and how companies might manage conflicting stake- holder interests in real situations. The exercise is intended to develop skills like initiative, leadership, teamwork, commu- nication and creativity, as well as critical
business skills such as negotiation and the ability to develop flexible business models that go beyond CSR. As one participant said: “It was very similar to a real-life setting in terms of the time pressure and forcing people to be decisive.”
Students also get an experience of engaging with the media, and some useful tips on how to safeguard their reputation. Midway through the exercise, a former journalist stirs things up by playing a local reporter and asking for interviews, producing live radio broadcasts – and making or damaging reputa- tions in the process. This exercise gives stu- dents an exposure to thinking about them- selves as managers and gets them used to the experience of making strategic decisions. The programme has been enthusiastically received. “Paradise Island helped me to under- stand the importance of stakeholder roles in business better, to make decisions more efficiently and to be an expert at whatever I do by doing it right and ethically,” another participant said. Tellingly, perhaps, Paradise Island has proved to be particularly popular with banks, including HSBC, as well as with NGOs such as WWF. In the corporate context, the value of Paradise Island is in achieving buy-in to (and understanding of) CSR initiatives across the enterprise.
Philippa Foster Back, director of the Institute of Business Ethics, is another fan of the concept. “The ICCSR is raising the bar
when it comes to corporate responsibility in education” she says.
“This innovative teaching tool, which uses the simple medium of role-play, not only brings academic theory to life – it helps devel- op the moral compass of future professionals. In doing so, it goes beyond CSR.” In 2010, ICCSR is extending the Paradise Island concept by building core MBA modules around it. Called Sustainable Decisions and Organisations, it builds on the success of the project and includes more substantial experiential learning exercises, including staged press conferences with real journalists and a report to a Board with real company directors.
The development of this module is partly a response to a growing demand from students. In 2008/09, some 45% of Nottingham MBAs chose to take at least one CSR module and it’s clear that today’s MBA students have a much greater awareness that corporate irresponsibil- ity has a wider impact.
The new MBA module is only the latest in a series of innovations pioneered by the ICCSR since it was established in 2002 to educate future business leaders to take a broader ethical and societal perspective on business practices and finance. The Centre was instru- mental in developing two highly regarded specialist taught programmes in CSR, an MSc in CSR and an MBA in CSR, the first of its type in the UK.
The ICCSR has also been an important catalyst for curriculum innovation. Its staff teach, lead or contribute to six specialist MBA modules at Nottingham University Business School, six specialist MSc modules and an undergraduate module. These cover subject areas such as business ethics, ethical finance, corporate governance and social accountabili- ty, corporate social responsibility, sustainable management, economics and social entrepre- neurship. And with CSR and business ethics modules now integrated into all Nottingham University Business School’s undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, it is playing an instrumental part in shaping a new generation of responsible business leaders.
In keeping with the theme of alternative learning methods as well as that of public engagement, the ICCSR organises the annual Doing the Business film Series in part- nership with the local independent Broadway Cinema. This uses film and a guest speaker to inform audience discussion on ethical issues facing business.
Professor Jeremy Moon is Professor of Corporate Social Responsibility and director of International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility
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www.nottingham.ac.uk/business/ICCSR
Sustainab le Business ❘ May 2010 31
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