BUS1SBY/BUS2SBY Final Take Home Exam
Semester 2 2020
Instructions for Candidates
• Please read the 2 articles assigned to you on the LMS and answer the questions below.
• Use the articles, additional research, theory and concepts from the subject in your answers. Please refer to the subject reading list to assist in finding scholarly references.
• Please reference your sources using the LTU Harvard style, both in-text and in a reference list at the end.
• This exam is marked out of 40 and worth 40% of your total marks for the subject.
• Word limit 1500 words. The specific word limit for each of the questions is listed next to the question.
• Please ensure you include your student name and student ID on the paper and file name.
• Please submit through the Turnitin Submission Link provided on the LMS before the due date.
• Additional submission instructions are provided under the Turnitin link on the LMS.
• Answer BOTH questions in PART A of the Exam and TWO out of FOUR questions in PART
B.
PART A
Answer BOTH questions in this part. Please make sure you label the question numbers clearly in your answer.
1. Explain why and how the events in the Rio Tinto case are related to sustainability, and why it is important for their business. Use theory from the subject to support your answer. (500 words)
13 Marks
“If we ignore Friedman’s crystalline perception — that profits are the driving focus — then the entire mission, good will included, falls apart. When we turn the idea of profit into a callous slur, as Friedman’s laziest critics often do, we are demeaning the essential propelling force that enables all these interconnected good works to occur. – Ken Langone” (New York Times Magazine Excerpt, 2020, p.7)
2. Using the ‘business case for sustainability’ (and any other relevant theory from the subject), explain how businesses can change perceptions of profits as a ‘callous slur’ in the context of sustainability. (500 Words)
13 Marks
1
PART B
Answer TWO questions in this part out of the four. Please make sure you label the question numbers clearly in your answer.
1. You were introduced to the concept of Environmental, Social and Governance Risk (ESG Risk) in Topic 7: The Economic System.
Relate each of the three dimensions to the Rio Tinto case and explain their significance to the case. (250 Words)
7 Marks
2. Based on your reading of the New York Times Magazine Excerpt (2020), what role, if any, does business play in realising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? (250 words)
7 Marks
3. Summarise four key arguments against Friedman’s perspective from the New York Times Magazine Excerpt (2020). Link each argument to at least one concept covered in this subject. (250 Words)
Tips: You can use bullet points to answer this question. You can have more than one argument from each of the commentators in the article or a composite argument from two or more commentators as well.
7 Marks
4. “The resignation of the CEO and Senior Executives at Rio Tinto is merely symbolic - nothing will change in the organisation”.
Do you agree with this assessment? Use systems thinking to explain your answer.
(250 words)
7 Marks
2