Purpose: We develop students’ capabilities to be future generators of sustainable value for business and society at large and to work for an inclusive and sustainable global economy (Principle 1 - PRME)
To accomplish this mission, LSM has built a competency framework, which provides a sort of compass (--> see Competency Framework) to identify the targeted competencies envisioned for all graduates of the Masters’ in Management (120 credits) and Business Engineering (120 credits) programs, beyond their specific disciplines and the tracks selected by the students. It outlines the targets to be reached by LSM graduates at the end of their degree course, such that professors know where to focus their teaching efforts and students realize where to concentrate their learning commitments.
The Corporate citizenship capability implies that students act consciously, are aware of their responsibilities, and place human and ethical considerations at the heart of their thinking and actions. They can reach this goal by pursuing the following path:
- Demonstrate independent reasoning; look critically and consciously at acquired knowledge (both academic and common sense) and managerial practices, in light of emerging circumstances and their outcomes.
- Decide and act by incorporating ethical and humanistic values, integrity, respect for laws and conventions, solidarity and civic action, and sustainable development.
- Decide and act responsibly, taking into account the social, economic, and environmental (and sometimes antinomian) outcomes in the short, medium, and long terms, for the various stakeholders.
At LSM, all Masters’ students must complete either the Social Responsibility in Economic Life or Corporate Social Responsibility course.
Within the framework of an interdisciplinary approach and in continuous dialogue with the business world, these courses enable future managers to build and extend on existing knowledge, questions, tools, values, and behaviors, leading to a renewed perspective on the human factor within the enterprise, as well as a means to reconsider the synergy among economic, social, and environmental policies.
Since 2013, LSM has offered a new “Ethics in business” option that consists of three courses. By embracing this option, students can to improve their skills related to CSR, ethical business, and sustainable development. In addition to an « Advanced seminar in CSR », students choose two courses among the following ones: Social entrepreneurship, Public policies of sustainability in the European Union, Ethics and ICT, or Economy and society.
The Advanced seminar in CSR aims to deepen students’ knowledge about diverse issues and dimensions linked to CSR (e.g., diversity, intergenerational skill transfer, carbon management, bribery) by requiring them to apply their knowledge to concrete, real case studies proposed by actual companies. This seminar offers a site for discussion, debate, and critical thinking about concrete, real-world corporate practices.
Besides courses specifically dedicated to CSR, LSM supports broader integration of CSR and sustainability issues in all management courses such as Advanced Human Resource Management, Cross-Cultural Management, International Human Resource Management, or Ethics in finance, among others.
An example is the course "Ethics in finance" taught by Prof. Mikaël Petitjean. This course addresses the ethical challenges in finance, which includes finance theory, financial markets, financial services, and financial management. That financial activity be conducted according to moral norms is of great importance, not only because of the crucial role that finance plays in the personal, economic, political, and social realms but also because of the opportunities for large financial gains that may tempt individuals and financial institutions to act unethically and cause great harm. Many of the ethical norms in finance are embodied in law and government regulation and are enforced by the courts and regulatory bodies. Ethics plays a vital role, however, first, by guiding the formation of law and regulation and, second, by guiding conduct in areas not governed by law and regulation. The aim of this course is to understand the ethical issues that arise in the various areas of finance and to develop an ability to resolve these issues effectively and responsibly.