Teaching Corporate Social Responsibility In An MBA Program

This paper discusses the topic of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and proposes that CSR should be taught in an MBA program and, more specifically, in a Managerial Accounting course of an MBA program. CSR aligns strongly with other managerial accounting topics typically taught in an MBA Program such as the balanced scorecard and triple-bottom line reporting. In putting forward this suggestion, this paper proposes a definition of CSR, reviews recent literature relating to CSR, and provides several strategies for teaching and assessing students’ understanding and appreciation of CSR. In the results section of the paper, a content analysis of student essays provides an insight into how students view CSR. The paper concludes with an overview of what is attainable by teaching CSR in a Managerial Accounting MBA course.