CSR & Employees: The role of human relations

1. Employees as instruments in CSR communication
A PEDAGOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
Pia Lappalainen Taija Townsend
Pia.Lappalainen@aalto.fi Taija.Townsend@aalto.fi

2. GENERAL BACKGROUND
Aalto University (2010)
• is a merger of three universities
• represents a new university concept which combines
expertise in business, technology and design
• is part of an extensive university reform in Finland
Pedagogical perspective
• the instigation of a curriculum revision
• the socialization of students into future working scenarios
> adaptive education
> new educational methods

3. GENERAL BACKGROUND
The philosophy and mission of our project is based on the
idea that curriculum revision can be used
1) to raise employee awareness and knowledge of CSR
2) to turn the mindsets and conducts of individual employees
into a principal organizational resource of CSR
communication

4. THE DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION PROJECT
– learning objectives
social responsibility
global responsibility
sustainability
energy + material efficiency
multicultural understanding
self-leadership and emotional intelligence
English language skills (written and oral)
communication skills
networking skills
project management skills
teamwork and cooperation skills
presentation skills

5. THE DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION PROJECT
– pedagogy
Integrated education
- content / context
Problem-based learning
- students responsible for problem definition
Reflective learning
- critical thinking

6. “When all is said and done,
the only change
that will make a difference
is the transformation
of the human heart.”
(Senge, P. et al.:2005)