DESU Corporate Social Responsibility

The awareness of the ecological emergency has led the legislator to intensify the legal and regulatory provisions aimed at preventing environmental damage. But some economic actors have decided to go beyond the standards imposed on them by adopting a virtuous and ethical approach. Called corporate social responsibility (CSR), it is the literal translation of corporate social responsibility (CRS), which was born in the United States in the 1970s.

The European Commission's Green Paper "Promoting a European Framework for Corporate Social Responsibility" of July 2001 marked the consecration of the notion of corporate social responsibility, defining it as "a concept that designates the voluntary integration by companies of social and environmental concerns into their commercial activities and their relations with stakeholders. Being socially responsible means not only fully meeting applicable legal obligations, but also going beyond them and investing "more" in human capital, the environment and stakeholder relations. It is therefore a positive voluntary approach taken by companies seeking to go beyond the applicable legal obligations and to integrate a moral or ethical dimension in social and environmental areas.

The European Commission's communication of October 25, 2011 was an important turning point by redefining CSR as "the responsibility of companies for the effects they have on society". According to the terminology used, CSR now seems to be imposed on companies, which nevertheless retain the choice of the means they use to materialize this commitment.

For several years, civil society has been putting pressure on companies to respect the notion of sustainable development. The latter are becoming aware that taking social and environmental criteria into account is now a guarantee of profitability and a real source of profit for companies. CSR is therefore an economic response insofar as companies that integrate the approach are often the most successful. A national survey on the challenges of CSR

and Sustainable Development has just been published by Produrable and shows very well that CSR has become a new function in companies which tends to develop in a very clear way.

If the approach is sometimes only a means of communication to improve the image of the company, this concept is however not without legal effect. Indeed, it integrates both mandatory standards and voluntary rules, which implies that it is a source of responsibility in the legal sense of the term.

This new understanding of CSR invites lawyers to invest in this theme and allows us to affirm that the law has a central role to play, particularly in the examination and implementation of various codes and ethical charters. Taking into account the human and environmental consequences of corporate activity can only be achieved by taking into account the legal nature of CSR instruments.

This diploma thus aims to complete the training offered by the Faculty of Law and Political Science in the specific field of corporate social responsibility, which opens up numerous professional prospects, both in the field of consulting and litigation.

It is also intended to meet a real need among professionals by training company managers, in-house lawyers, HRDs, research and development departments, chartered accountants, auditors, etc., in the legal dimension of corporate social responsibility, as well as in the instruments that the law offers for its implementation.

ADVISORY PREREQUISITES: Commercial law, Company law, Social law, Fundamental freedoms law.

This DESU is open to Master 1 or 2 and Doctorate students from Law, Political Science, Economic Science, Management Science, Science, Environment.

It is also open to professionals (general managers, executives, corporate lawyers, HR, etc.) in continuing education.

It is also open to professionals (general managers, executives, corporate lawyers, HR, research and development departments, lawyers, accountants, auditors, etc.) wishing to learn about legal issues related to corporate social responsibility.

The admission of students is carried out after a selection on file and an interview with the director of the diploma.

124 WEEKS OF TEACHING

THE SCHEDULE OF TEACHING PERIOD OCTOBER TO SEPTEMBER

LANGUAGE OF TEACHING: French

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The course will provide knowledge on the fundamental aspects of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the instruments of CSR used by companies, the institutional framework of CSR as well as its governance, environmental and working conditions aspects. It will also enable working professionals to acquire specific knowledge on the legal tools for implementing CSR and on the risks involved.

This diploma complements the holder's theoretical training by offering him/her the opportunity to develop in-depth expertise through courses taught by academics and practitioners experienced in the field; The course also offers the opportunity to do an internship with CSR or sustainable development managers, legal departments of companies or banks, specialised law firms and local authorities. More specifically, the training should enable the trainee to learn the legal tools of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), to master its legal consequences, particularly in terms of corporate responsibility; The course is designed to enable students to develop and control the implementation of a CSR policy within a company, a group of companies, a consultancy or a local authority.