Area of Concentration: Responsibility

Learning Objectives

Students recognise questions of social responsibility; they can apply them at different levels (for example, state, company, and individual) and with regard to a variety of problems. As future decision-makers in business and society, they reflect critically on the antecedents and consequences of acting responsibly.

Students explore disruptive changes in the global environment, as well as their social implications, and learn to develop successful strategies for solution-oriented entrepreneurial action.

Thinking about the future of society cannot be done in a meaningful manner without reflecting upon issues of social responsibility and corporate sustainability. The Responsibility area of concentration focuses on responsible leadership, corporate social responsibility, and managing social issues and the environment. In our courses, students acquire competences that extend beyond the tools of traditional economics and management and enable responsible action for sustainable development.

The curricula range from introductory and theory-oriented courses to a variety of specialised seminars on topics such as corporate and consumer responsibility, critical finance, climate change, the environmental crisis, work and ethics, intergenerational justice, postcolonial perspectives, the UN-Agenda 2030, the future of energy systems, and post-growth economics. A special feature of our courses is the integration of in-depth conceptual and ethical considerations with a strong relationship to practice. The focus on action is reflected, in particular, in a variety of teaching formats (case studies, role plays, excursions, and so on) and guest lectures by practitioners.

Overall, the Responsibility area of concentration aims at enabling reflection and action competencies to address social and ecological issues at the micro-level of the individual, the meso-level of organisations, and the macro-level of political frameworks.