Business Ethics and Sustainability Assessment 2 Brief
Assessment task 2: Individual Case Study Analysis and Report Objective(s): This addresses subject learning objective(s): 1, 2, 3 and 4 Weight: 50%
Due: 11:59 Sunday 25 October
Task
This task is an individual academic case study report of a current ethical and/or sustainability issue in business. This is a lengthy piece of work that has been designed to both assess your learning in the subject, as well as being a vehicle for learning itself. By selecting a case study based on events and issues that are of personal interest and relevance to you, you will be able to deeply engage with your chosen topic. This will mean that the assignment is not simply a matter of testing whether you have learned what is covered in class, but rather it is a learning experience in and of itself. Central to this learning will be your ability to develop your own perspectives, argument, and critical appreciation of ethical issues related to business; these are skills and sensitivities that can in turn guide you in your current and/or future professional practice. Please manage your time well in completing this assessment – it cannot be done at the last minute.
Instructions
The first step is to identify a case study of business ethics and/or sustainability that has been reported in the news. The idea is to select a case for which ample information is available in the public domain. The events in the case must be ongoing. There are many possible types of cases that you can choose, and it is recommended that you choose a case that is related to your own personal interests. Examples include, but are not limited to:
Corporate scandals
Corruption cases
Tax avoidance/evasion
Corporate fraud
Unfair business practises
Illegal corporate activity
Environmental disasters
Climate change and business
Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals
Waste management
Worker exploitation
Positive ethical/sustainability programs
Issues in international business ethics
Once you have selected your case, you will need to identify sources of information on which to base your report. The information you use should be from the public domain. This could include: newspaper articles (online and print) - magazine articles (online and print) - television programs (e.g. news and documentaries) All sources must be cited.
Once you are familiar with the case, you will need to analyse it using relevant academic readings. Write about the main ethical/sustainability issues that are in place. Who and what are the key stakeholders involved? How have they been affected by these issues? Are the issues mentioned organisation-specific, industry/sector-wide, or of a national or global nature?
Report structure
• Introduction ( . 500 words): Introduce the nature of the case, the ways that it relates to business ethics and/or sustainability, and summarise the main arguments that will be made.
• Case description (750-1000 words): Provide a description of the case by outlining any relevant background information, telling the story of what happened, describing which people and institutions were involved, and the effects of what happened.
• Analysis of ethical and/or sustainability issues (750-1000 words): Apply the relevant academic readings in this subject outline, textbooks, Journal of Business Ethics articles, and/or other academic articles related to business ethics to evaluate the events in the case. Assess these events in relation to who was effected (positively or negatively) and how ethical issues were or were not accounted for by the actions of the major stakeholders.
• Key learnings ( 500 words): Based on your analysis, summarise what can be learned from the case – both for the organisation and in terms of your own key take outs.
• Conclusion ( 500 words): Summarise the main points and conclusions of your report.
• Source data references: List out the sources of information you used for the case study.
• Academic References: List the academic articles and/or books that you referenced in the report.
The report should be a maximum of 3000 words, excluding references and appendices. Citations and referencing must follow the APA Style Guide. At a minimum, recommended textbooks, academic articles and/or lectures must be cited and referenced. At least five academic articles must be cited. You will also need to reference news media and other sources in order to provide information about the case. No Wikipedia or blogs should be used.
This assessment must be planned as much in advance as possible. Have a clear, time management sequence for the completion of this assessment. There will be no extensions or resubmissions allowed. A late penalty of 10%/day will apply in most circumstances excepting illness.
Assessment criteria
• Identifies core ethical and/or sustainability issues facing contemporary business/organisations.
• Applies relevant theoretical/philosophical understandings of ethics and/or sustainability to critically appraise business/organisational behaviour.
• Demonstrates an ability to develop, and clearly articulate in written text, an informed position on business ethics and/or sustainability.
• Demonstrates awareness of the implied and explicit ethical and/or sustainability positions in their own, others’ and organisations’ words and practices.
• Uses publicly available sources of information to effectively research and present a case study in business ethics.
• Uses and correctly cites academic journal articles, recommended text books, other academics resources, and/or lectures to build an effective/convincing argument.