A globalized business world poses numerous challenges for business leaders, decision makers, managers and employees. In particular, leading and working in a responsible manner is one of THE new 'giga challenges' organizations need to deal with. Triggered by recent developments including high-scale business scandals (e.g. BP, Enron, etc.), an ever increasing societal pressure for companies to be responsible and sustainable, and substantial differences across cultures regarding what is right and wrong, those working in organizations frequently feel massive need for guidance when it comes to simple questions like 'What does responsibility mean?', 'Why be responsible?' or 'How can I be responsible?', etc. At the same time, being able to deal with these challenges, pressures, and questions offers a wide range of opportunities for business leaders to develop sound strategies, create value, and to have a positive impact which makes a difference. 

In this course we look at responsible global leadership from many different angles in order to understand what it involves, why it matters to MNCs and their business leaders, and how it can be realized. In addition, we strongly emphasize developing your own leadership skills and competencies within the context of responsible global leadership. Thus, this course does not only imply learning about leadership in a contemporary sense and with an inclusive stakeholder perspective but also learning more about yourself.

Adopting a broad and inclusive stakeholder perspective, we aim to look at responsible global leadership from different angles in order to find out what it involves, why it matters for MNCs and their business leaders, and how it can be realized. You will be equipped with both theoretical knowledge as well as practice-oriented experience. In addition, the course aims to develop a number of leadership competencies which can support you in dealing with any questions, challenges, and opportunities related to responsible global leadership. In view of your start into professional life, you will be equipped with instruments and tools which are sought to lead you through difficult situations and contexts and which can equally help you take opportunities to make a difference and to have a positive impact. After the course, you will

• have understood why multinational companies (MNCs) and their business leaders feel pressure from various sides to act responsibly, particularly within an IB environment
  
• have learned what responsible global leadership means by looking at it from several theoretical perspectives as well as related concepts including Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), cross-cultural management, global leadership, and business ethics
• have experienced both the challenges of responsible global leadership as well as the opportunities it can provide including attendant positive effects
• have understood the importance of specific contexts and contextual influences on responsible global leadership and that "one-size-fits-all solutions" are unlikely to succeed
  

The course emphasizes the training and development of the following skills and competencies:

• Contemporary leadership skills and competencies: From the perspective of contemporary leadership you will train, develop, and practice a number of relevant skills and competencies including stakeholder dialog skills and boundary spanning capabilities.
• Analytical thinking and problem solving: You will learn to analyze complex managerial challenges and problems related to responsible global leadership and you will learn to solve these in a systematic way applying a number of different tools and techniques. In this regard you are also trained to see the opportunities and attendant positive effects sound analytical thinking and good problem solving can provide.
• Holistic and inclusive thinking: You will be trained to adopt an inclusive stakeholder perspective considering a broad range of stakeholders rich in diversity and differences in expectations towards MNCs and their business leaders.
  
• Critical and reflective thinking: You will be exposed to a number of different and opposing perspectives and opinions on responsible global leadership which require sound critical and reflective thinking on your part. In this regard you are stimulated to develop your own opinions and perspectives. Also, you are encouraged to reflect upon your own values, principles, and leadership.
  
• Presentation, discussion, and debating skills: You will practice presenting, discussing, and debating on a continuous basis in all sessions of the course.
  

Attendance is a firm requirement of this course as many of the learning experiences take place during class and through interactions with peers. The attendance requirement is met if students are present for at least 80% of the scheduled sessions. Students who fail to meet the attendance requirement are de-registered from the course. Missing sessions will affect class participation credits and may also affect other graded components realized during class.

You will learn about different views on responsible global leadership in an IB context and from several theoretical perspectives, real-life examples, video assignments, case studies, and interactive experiences. A number of activities aim to put you into the manager's seat letting you experience the realm of responsible global leadership. These activities include the UN Global Compact Game, a multiple stakeholder simulation, and up-to-date case studies on MNCs.

65% individual assessment

• 30% active class participation
• 35% reflection paper (10 pages)

35% group assessment

• 10% simulation performance
• 15% literature presentation
• 10% real-life presentation

(no written exam)

Completed IB Foundations and Applications

Dr. Christof Miska

E-mail: christof.miska@wu.ac.at
Phone: +43-1-31336-4346
Office hours: Tuesdays 08:00 - 10:00 a.m. (Building D1, 5th floor, entrance via the IIB front office on the 3rd floor)
Homepage: http://www.wu.ac.at/iib/team/faculty/miska/en/

Readings are being announced in due time and mainly include a range of selected academic articles. These are being distributed via learn@wu and/or can be downloaded from the online library resources as soon as the reading list has been announced.