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Chapter 3a: Discussion Questions & Activities

Discussion Questions

  1. What does CSR stand for? What does it mean? How does CSR impact a company’s reputation and relationship with its stakeholders?
  2. Discuss the differences between ESG and CSR reporting. How do these concepts intersect?
  3. Pick one of the certifications and share a summary to the class what it is and where it could be found. Have you seen one or more of these before? Where and when?
  4. How do the certifications help communicate an organization’s commitment to sustainability? How might they not be helpful or how could they be more effective?
  5. How do the various standards and guidelines for sustainability reporting, such as GRI, SASB, and TCFD, differ in their approach?
  6. Discuss the role of international organizations like the ISO and B Corp in promoting sustainability reporting.
  7. Does it impact the global climate if all companies are required to report their sustainability efforts? Why or why not? Consider doing extra research for more current ideas.
  8. What is greenwashing? How might greenwashing impact consumer trust and their purchasing decisions?
  9. Have you seen a product claim to be “green” and you questioned its validity? Why or why not? Why do you think some companies claim to be “greener” than they really are?
  10. Define the characteristics of a conscious leader in the context of sustainability. Look up at least one example of someone who could be considered a conscious leader (or business).
  11. What is the shareholder theory and how does it compare to the stakeholder theory? How do businesses imply either one of these values when they report their sustainability practices?
  12. Review the types of reputation damage. What is the difference between primary and secondary reputation damage? Which one applies to what happened with
  13. What is the shared value opportunity? Do your values fall more on one end of the spectrum or the other? Why do you think so?

 

Activity 1: Identify True Certificates from Misleading Ones

Objective: Analyze the criteria and effectiveness of various environmental certifications; evaluate how these certifications impact business practices and consumer perceptions; critique the role of certifications in promoting genuine sustainability versus potential greenwashing.

Instructions: This activity has two parts (A and B).

Part A

Pick one of the certifications below and summarize it to the class. Please find an example of a product/company that has been certified with this certification.

Part B

Compare the certification that you chose above to a misleading label that others may use to appear certified. Explain to the class how to tell these labels apart:

 

 

Have you seen a misleading label before? Should such labels be held accountable for being misleading? If so, how should an organization be held accountable for a misleading sustainability certificate? If not, why not?

 

 

Activity 2: Explore a Company’s CSR, ESG, or other Sustainability Report Online

Objective: develop the ability to locate and access CSR and ESG reports from various companies, assess the connection between corporate sustainability initiatives and the demonstration of stakeholder values, discover effective methods for companies to communicate their sustainability impact in relation to specific SDGs, compare and contrast how different companies address the three pillars of corporate sustainability (environment, social, governance) in their reports.

Instructions:

  1. Look up a company and find its CSR report and/or ESG report. A few examples relevant to this chapter include Coca-Cola, Nike, and Adidas.
  2. Examine the connection between corporate support for United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the demonstration of stakeholder values.
  3. How can companies effectively communicate their impact according to specific SDGs?
  4. Look up another company or have a group share theirs. Compare how each company addresses the three pillars of corporate sustainability (environment, social, governance) in their reports similarly or differently.

 

 

Activity 3: Summarize and Analyze a Real Greenwashing Example

Objective: Students will be able to analyze a greenwashing example from real life and evaluate how poorly communicating one’s business practices can impact consumer perceptions.

Instructions: Share a greenwashing controversy that you know about or pick one of the controversies from this article. Summarize what happened, what was found inaccurate and how, and how that impacted the company and/or its reputation. Present it to the class similar to how the case study was presented in this reading. You can also present it in the form of a story (see previous chapter).

 

 

Activity 4: Creating and Analyzing an Intentionally Misleading Sustainability Claim

Objective: Students will be able to: create a hypothetical misleading sustainability claim for a product; analyze the tactics used in the claim to mislead consumers; understand the ethical implications and potential consequences of misleading sustainability claims.

Instructions:

  1. 1. Choose a product that you like and are familiar with. This can be anything from a food item, drink, clothing, makeup, lotion, shampoo, or a piece of technology.
  2. Develop an intentionally misleading sustainability claim for your chosen product. The claim should sound convincing but include exaggerated or false statements about the product’s environmental benefits. Consider using tactics such as vague language, irrelevant statistics, or misleading imagery.
  3. In a 2-4 paragraph reflection, address the following:
    • Provide a detailed description of your misleading sustainability claim.
    • Identify and explain the specific tactics you used to make the claim misleading. How do these tactics exploit consumer trust and expectations about sustainability?
    • Discuss the potential impact of your misleading claim on consumer behavior and perception. How might consumers be misled by this claim? What are the possible long-term consequences for the company if the misleading claim were discovered?
    • Reflect on the ethical implications of making misleading sustainability claims. Why is it important for companies to be truthful in their sustainability claims? What are the broader societal impacts of greenwashing?
  4. Prepare a brief presentation (3-5 minutes) summarizing your essay. Highlight key points about the misleading tactics used, the potential impact on consumers, and the ethical considerations. Be prepared to answer questions and engage in a class discussion on the importance of honesty in sustainability claims.

Rubric for Creating and Analyzing an Intentionally Misleading Sustainability Claim

Criteria 5 – Excellent 4 – Good 3 – Satisfactory 2 – Needs Improvement 1 – Poor
Selection of Product Clearly describes the chosen product and provides relevant context. Describes the chosen product with some relevant context. Describes the chosen product with minimal context. Describes the chosen product with unclear context. Fails to describe the chosen product adequately.
Creation of Misleading Claim Develops a highly convincing and creative misleading sustainability claim using multiple tactics. Develops a convincing misleading sustainability claim using some tactics. Develops a somewhat convincing misleading sustainability claim using limited tactics. Develops a misleading claim that lacks conviction or creativity. Fails to develop a convincing misleading claim.
Analysis of Claim Provides a thorough analysis of the misleading claim, identifying and explaining all tactics used. Provides a good analysis, identifying and explaining most tactics used. Provides a satisfactory analysis, identifying and explaining some tactics used. Provides a limited analysis, identifying and explaining few tactics used. Provides an inadequate or incorrect analysis of the claim.
Potential Impact Thoroughly discusses the potential impact on consumers and the long-term consequences for the company. Discusses the potential impact on consumers and the long-term consequences for the company. Discusses some potential impact on consumers and the long-term consequences for the company. Minimally discusses the potential impact on consumers and the long-term consequences for the company. Fails to discuss the potential impact or long-term consequences adequately.
Ethical Implications Provides a comprehensive reflection on the ethical implications of misleading claims, demonstrating deep understanding. Provides a good reflection on the ethical implications, demonstrating some understanding. Provides a satisfactory reflection on the ethical implications, demonstrating basic understanding. Provides a limited reflection on the ethical implications, demonstrating minimal understanding. Fails to provide an adequate reflection on the ethical implications.
Presentation Delivers a clear, engaging, and well-organized presentation; effectively summarizes key points. Delivers a clear and organized presentation; summarizes key points. Delivers a somewhat clear and organized presentation; summarizes some key points. Delivers a presentation that lacks clarity or organization; summarizes few key points. Delivers an unclear or disorganized presentation; fails to summarize key points effectively.
Class Discussion Engagement Actively engages in class discussion with insightful comments and questions. Engages in class discussion with relevant comments and questions. Participates in class discussion with basic comments and questions. Minimally participates in class discussion. Does not participate in class discussion.

Grading Scale:

  • 35-31 = Excellent (A)
  • 30-26 = Good (B)
  • 25-21 = Satisfactory (C)
  • 20-16 = Needs Improvement (D)
  • 15 and below = Poor (F)

 

 

 

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Communicating Environmental Sustainability in Business for Global Audiences Copyright © by Marie Moreno. All Rights Reserved.

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