View Specification DocumentNavigating Corporate-Activist Conflicts MGT5504
- Academic Session: 2026-27
- School: Adam Smith Business School
- Credits: 10
- Level: Level 5 (SCQF level 11)
- Typically Offered: Semester 2
- Available to Visiting Students: No
- Collaborative Online International Learning: No
- Curriculum For Life: No
Short Description
The concentration of corporate power and rising global inequality have fuelled the growth of consumer activism as a significant, if inconsistent, disruptive force. This adversarial dynamic is characterised by mutual distrust and misinformation, as many corporations use strategic lawsuits and false ethical claims while activists leverage viral social media trends, often risking public confusion and unintended consequences.
This course is designed as an advanced introduction to the critical study of international corporate-activist conflicts. Using interdisciplinary lenses from business ethics, strategic management, and market communications, students will understand the socio-economic conditions that underpin international corporate activist conflicts, before deconstructing them individual cases to analyse the motivations and constraints of both sides. This analytical foundation will be applied through the design and defence of strategic communication campaigns, bridging critical theory with professional practice.
Timetable
A flipped classroom approach delivered through workshops rather than traditional lectures to enable active, collaborative learning:
Practical Classes and Workshops: 2hrs x 10 weeks on-campus, will be run by the lecture and one GTA. The workshops will be supplemented by offline pre and post workshop Moodle activities.
Requirements of Entry
Students must be registered on one of the associated programmes listed in this course specification.
Excluded Courses
None
Co-requisites
None
Assessment
1. Oral assessment & presentation; Group; 15 minutes; 60%; ILO 3.
2. Set exercise; Moodle activities; Completion of pre and post lecture preparation through Moodle based activities; 40%; ILOs 1-2.
Course Aims
The overarching aim of this course is to:
■ Equip students with the expertise to critically analyse international corporate-activist conflicts and develop actionable, ethically and culturally grounded communication strategies for either side.
Intended Learning Outcomes of Course
By the end of this course students will be able to:
1. Evaluate the interrelationships between the strategic management, business ethics and market communication theories that underpin international corporate-activist conflicts.
2. Analyse internationally distinct case studies of corporate-activist conflicts, to understand the socio-economic conditions that influence the outcomes of distinct situations, before deconstructing them individual cases and formulate predictive models for campaign success and vulnerability.
3. Demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively within a team to develop and justify a communication campaign for a corporation or a consumer activist group, making strategic and ethical decisions informed by evidence and theoretical frameworks.