Learning is more meaningful when you go off campus! The College of Management offers a “Corporate Communication and Social Responsibility Practice” course, under the guidance of Dean San-Yih Hwang of the Department of Information Management and Assistant Professor Chin-Chang Tsai of the Institute of Public Affairs. Breaking from traditional classroom and book learning, this course emphasizes allowing students to actually enter companies to interact with outstanding EMBA alumni and to understand how corporate management strategies and social responsibility are practiced in reality.

In the first class, Ying-Chieh Chen (EMBA-13), Executive Vice President of Bedding World, was invited to give a lecture. Through the cases of famous entrepreneurs in society, he shared the importance of corporate ethics and social responsibility, especially emphasizing originality, determination, intention, creativity, and public welfare. Next, the course arranged visits to four enterprises, namely Lasertek, ASE, China Steel Corporation (CSC), and Nanpao, and invited alumni to serve as industry lecturers to share with students the practice of corporate management and CSR.

During the visit to Lasertek, Lasertek’s Chairman Tsai-Hsing Cheng (EMBA-6) introduced the company’s recent efforts in ESG, such as organizing a dream project to help disadvantaged groups, using a circular economy approach to reduce environmental damage, protecting employees’ work environment, etc. The Chairman emphasized the importance of corporations giving back to the society.

The ASE visit began with Vice President Jen-Kuang Fang (EMBA-17) explaining how ESG and CSR are connected to all parts of the company. Next, Vice President Cheng-Chieh Li (EMBA-19) shared how ASE and NSYSU collaborated to complete a waste water transformation project. Finally, Section Chief Ping-Shuo Su (EMBA-14) explained ASE’s concept of sustainable development, giving students and professors a more comprehensive understanding of how to achieve environmental sustainability in the semiconductor industry.

At China Steel Corporation, Cheng-Tsung Shao, Head of the Environmental Protection Division, was invited to share CSC’s achievements in ESG practices with students, demonstrating the broad scope of their CSR and ESG work, which includes group governance, factory management, the surrounding environment, and the rights of stakeholders.

At the beginning of the visit to Nanpao, Commissioner Feng-Wen Hung briefly introduced the company’s practices and views on ESG indicators. General Management I-Jen Fang (EMBA-21) took students to the factory for a site visit. In addition to the reuse of waste solvents, Nanpao has also put a lot of effort into improving the working environment for employees. Students were able to gain a deeper understanding of the core values of ESG.

Students in the “Corporate Communication and Social Responsibility Practice” course came from the Department of Information Management, the Department of Finance, the Department of Business Management, and other departments. After this semester, I-Hsiang Wang, an MBA in Business Management student, said: “The practical visits allow students to understand how the industry is implementing corporate social responsibility, and to know which aspects to judge a company on when they conduct their future job search.” Hung-Yen Wu, a senior in the Department of Information Management, added: “After these visits, I could see how large companies are working towards their sustainability goals, and I learned the importance of ESG to society from a corporate perspective, so that the earth can develop sustainably!”

This course is intended to provide students with a practical understanding of how companies implement corporate social responsibility and understand the philosophy of corporate management. It is hoped that students can follow the example of the alumni to give back to the community and further develop their future career direction!

(Written by Fang-Yu Chang, Department of Information Management student/Edited by College of Management)