HRCI's HR Ethics Series: Corporations and Corporate Social Responsibility

Course Description

Corporations have a fiduciary responsibility to produce profits for shareholders, but people increasingly believe that corporations have other responsibilities as well. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) recognizes the company's duty to its community, customers, and the environment as well as to shareholder value. This course defines corporations and discusses CSR best practices and important laws, such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, that constrain some unethical business practices. The course focuses on how the HR department can best support CSR and sustainability.

Learning Outcomes

After completing this course, the learner should be able to:

• Define a corporation
• Identify corporate responsibility for ethical conduct
• Demonstrate an understanding of the ways ethical values benefit an organization
• Define corporate social responsibility (CSR)
• Describe CSR best practices
• Identify HR's emerging role in corporate sustainability
• Explain the role of corporate governance in directing and controlling businesses
• Identify the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), including SOX Section 406
• Describe the practices that the U.S Foreign Corrupt Practices Act prohibits, and explain how this acts applies to typical business situations
• Explain the key factors involved in whistleblowing
• Apply ethical principles to workplace scenarios