Recent Question/Assignment
Table of Contents
1 What this module is about................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.1 Module introduction ...................................................................................................... 1.2 Module aims .................................................................................................................. 1.3 Module learning outcomes ............................................................................................
1.4 Communication .............................................................................................................
2 Module schedule ..................................................................................................................
2.1 Module learning activities ......................................................................................... 15
2.2 Progress report........................................................................................................... 15
2.3 Additional sessions .................................................................................................... 15
3 Key resources to support learning........................................................................................
3.1 Additional support ..................................................................................................... 16
4 Assessment ....................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
4.1 Assessment summary ....................................................................................................
4.2 Assignment brief and submission .................................................................................
4.3 Assessment marking criteria. .................................................................................... 14
5 Feedback and results ............................................................................................................
6 Understanding your assessment responsibilities ..................................................................
6.1 Extenuating circumstances and mitigation .................................................................... 6.2 Late submission .............................................................................................................
6.3 Cheating, plagiarism and other forms of unfair practice. ..............................................
6.4 Academic integrity .................................................................................................... 18
7 Summary of module ......................................................................................................... 19
Version Description Date Author Review
1.0 Final Template 16/08/19 PRE PRE
2.0 Updated Template 19/12/20 PRE
3.0 Version 2022 29.01.22 NRP
2022 BA (Hons) Business & Management – Module Handbook
1 What this Module is About
Introduction
The Business Ethics, Governance and Social Responsibility module explores the values and principles that underpin ethical decision-making in business. These values and principles – based upon notions of e.g. ‘equal respect’, ‘justice’, and ‘human rights’ – are considered from different perspectives.
Governance sets the tone of an organization, defining how power is exerted and decisions are reached. The role of leadership is of particular importance here. Leaders are not responsible for their colleagues’ individual ethical conduct, but they are responsible for enabling their organizations to be aware of ethical meaning and to reflect on it in practical decision-making. Responsibility – considered as awareness of what a person is doing, how that fits into purpose of the organization they work for and how that affects the internal and external environment – has become a key ethical category in business ethics. This raises important questions as to who we are accountable to and what we have liability for.
Module Aims
BEGSR is intended to develop students’ abilities to identify, critically appraise and make recommendations concerning the ethical and responsibility impact of business decisions in a range of contexts.
Module Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module, students will be able to:
Learning Outcome 1: Critically assess and apply theories relating to business ethics, responsibility, governance, and ethical leadership.
Learning Outcome 2: Critically assess and develop method and practice in relation to business ethics, responsibility, governance and ethical leadership;
Learning Outcome 3: Examine and identify theory and practice in these areas of business decision-making, in response to an awareness of the context of the organization
2022 BA (Hons) Business & Management – Module Handbook 1
Communication
Module Tutor, Course Coordinator and Academic Director
These are the three individuals you will contact should you encounter any issues throughout the module, namely your Module Tutor, the Course Coordinator and/ or the Academic director, listed in the same order (along with their contact details) as follows:
Name E-mail Phone
Mr Ashween Bunwaree ashween.bunwaree@moodle.rbs.ac.mu -
Mrs Nandita Reedoy Pothegadoo nandita.reedoy-pothegadoo@rbs.ac.mu 6962671(ext.217)
Dr Priya Ramluggun-Essoo priya.ramluggun-essoo@rbs.ac.mu 6962671
2022 BA (Hons) Business & Management – Module Handbook 2
2 Module schedule
The module will be delivered over eleven-week period with classes ranging between a minimum of two hours to a maximum of three hours once per week. Additional sessions may also be conducted should your module tutor deem it necessary.
The breakdown and tentative planning and structure of your course can be found in the table below;
WEEKS TOPICS
Week 1 Introduction to Business Ethics Meaning, values and practice
Week 2 Corporate Social Responsibility
The Shareholder Perspective - The Stakeholder Perspective
Week 3 Teleological Business Ethics
The utility of the outcome determines the ethical appropriateness of business activity Deontological Business Ethics
‘Moral duty’ transcends individual gain and profit maximization.
Week 4 Ethics of Rights and Justice
Business and human rights
Descriptive Ethics
The discourse of ethics and historically contingent norms, ideas and practices
Week 5
Contemporary Ethical Theory
Virtue Ethics - Feminist Ethics - Stakeholder Theory
Week 6
Responsibility and the Ethical
Environment
Accountability and Liability - Responsibility and Power
Week 7 Government and Regulation
The regulation of business - Corporate political expression and government relations
Week 8
Leadership and Governance
Theories of leadership - Views of ethical leadership - Ethics and governance & Progress report
Week 9
Sustainability
Sustainability and Responsibility - Economization and Ecologization
Week 10
Globalization
Global Justice- Multinational corporations - Intercultural Ethics
Week 11-
Deadline
16.05.2022
Module Review & Assessment [An Ethical Analysis of a Business or Organization
(3000 words)]
An Ethical Analysis of a Business or Organization (3500 words)
Re-Assessment June 2022 An Ethical Analysis of a Business or Organization (3500 words) The student must select a different business or organization than was the subject of the first assessment
Module learning activities
Lectures will be used to introduce the basic concepts, applications and techniques associated with business ethics. Ethics is focused in practice, and differences between perspectives become particularly apparent when considering the extent, nature and focus of business and organizational ethical practice in different situations and contexts. Students will have the opportunity to apply these in practice, undertaking ‘live’ examples of companies.
2.2 Progress report
A progress report is to be carried out on week 8 of the module delivery (see table above). During this progress report, the student must have completed a minimum of half the assessment brief (assignments/coursework’s/projects/tutorials only) which should be run through their Turnitin drop boxes and sent to their respective module tutors to assess and provide feedback.
This will help the student to gain a better perspective of the progression of their assignment and help them to generate a good academic piece of work which has a consequently lower similarity index.
Feedback will be delivered to you either through your Moodle page or be given to you verbally.
2.3Additional sessions
Should you as a student or should your module tutor feel the need to have any additional classes or conduct any revision sessions, you must inform your course coordinator at least three weeks prior to the end of the module in order for arrangements to be made.
This can be done by sending an email through your class representative and thus the course coordinator will see to it that the necessary arrangements are made.
3 Key Resources to Support Learning
In order to support your learning process and provide you with the adequate resources to fully comprehend this module, a list of additional reading materials have been made available for your utilization.
Core Text
Robinson, S. & Dowson, P. (2012) Business Ethics in Practice London: Chartered Institute for Personnel Development
Supplementary Texts
? Brown, M. T. (2005) Corporate Integrity: Rethinking Organizational Ethics and Leadership New York: Cambridge University Press
? Crane, A. & Matten, D. (2010) Business Ethics: Managing Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability in the Age of Globalization 3rd Edition Oxford: Oxford University Press
? Sanford, C. (2011) The Responsible Business: Reimagining Sustainability and Success San Francisco: Jossey Bass
? Jackson, T. (2011) International Management Ethics: A Critical Cross-Cultural Perspective New York: Cambridge University Press
? Simpson, J. & Taylor, J. (2012) Corporate Governance Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility London: Jossey Bass
Articles
? Salzmann, O., Ionescu-Somers, A., & Steger, U. (2005) ‘The business case for corporate sustainability: literature review and research options’ in European Management Journal 23:1 pp.27-36.
? Scherer, A. G., & Palazzo, G. (2011) ‘The new political role of business in a globalized world:
a review of a new perspective on CSR and its implications for the firm, governance, and democracy’ in Journal of Management Studies 48:4 pp.899-931.
? Snider, J., Hill, R. P., & Martin, D. (2003) ‘Corporate social responsibility in the 21st century: a view from the worlds most successful firms’ in Journal of Business Ethics 48:2 pp.175-187.
? Solitander, M., & Solitander, N. (2010). The sharing, protection and thievery of intellectual assets: The case of the Formula 1 industry. Management Decision, 48(1), 37-57.
? Spence, L. J., Coles, A. M., & Harris, L. (2001) ‘The forgotten stakeholder? Ethics and social responsibility in relation to competitors’ in Business and Society Review 106:4 pp.331-352.
? Stoney, C., & Winstanley, D. (2001) ‘Stakeholding: confusion or utopia? Mapping the conceptual terrain’ in Journal of Management Studies 38:5 pp.603-626.
? Sweeney, L., & Coughlan, J. (2008) ‘Do different industries report corporate social responsibility differently? An investigation through the lens of stakeholder theory’ in Journal of Marketing Communications 14:2 pp.113-124. 2017/18 BEGSR Module Handbook 8
? O’Fallon, M. J., & Butterfield, K. D. (2005) ‘A review of the empirical ethical decision-making literature 1996–2003’ in Journal of Business Ethics 59:4 pp.375-413.
? Polonsky, M. J. (1995) ‘A stakeholder theory approach to designing environmental marketing strategy’ in Journal of business & Industrial Marketing 10:3 pp.29-46.
? Robinson, S. (2009) ‘The nature of responsibility in a professional setting in Journal of Business Ethics 88:1 pp.11-19.
? Van Beurden, P., & Gössling, T. (2008) ‘The worth of values: a literature review on the relation between corporate social and financial performance’ in Journal of Business Ethics 82:2 pp.407424.
Additional support
All students requiring additional support or alternative arrangements for medical or other reasons must declare and provide evidence of their disability or medical condition to the Head of Administration and Quality Assurance, Ms. Kajal Purlackee Boodhoo.
Email: kajal.purlackee-boodhoo@rbs.ac.mu Phone: 696 2671 (Ext 512).
4 Assessment
Your assessment comprises of ONE report as follows:
1. A report weighing 100% of your total marks with a word count of approximately 3500 words (+/- 10%).
4.1Assessment summary
Assessment Method: 1 Re-assessment Method: 1
Exam Length/Word
Count 3500 Exam Length/Word
Count 3500
Assessment Date and Time: 16.05.2022 at 23.59 on Turnitin dropbox Re-assessment Date and Time: June 2022
Feedback Method: Moodle Feedback Method: Moodle
Feedback Date: 5 days After moderation Feedback Date: 5 days After moderation
Re-Assessment: The assignment is the same, but you MUST chose a different company to your first sit
4.2Assignment Brief and submission
Assessment Guidance Preparing for the Assessment w/c 7 March 2022 Planning Your Ethical Analysis
The sixth week of the module is an opportunity for students to reflect on the theories, concepts, case studies and scenarios explored during the first half of the semester.
During the w/c 7 March 2022 you should:
• Decide on the topic and focus of your ethical analysis
• Undertake initial research of your chosen business or organization
• Draft a plan of the analysis (500 words). The plan should contain
1. A brief overview of the key issues of the case, and;
2. Suggest the ethical theories that prominently connect with the chosen case.
Assessment
The student is required to undertake an analysis of the ethical performance of a business or organization, either in general or in relation to a specific issue. The organization selected for analysis is the choice of the student. In concluding their analysis, the student should offer recommendations on the future development of ethical practice within the organization.
Re-Assessment
The student is required to undertake an analysis of the ethical performance of a business or organization, either in general or in relation to a specific issue. The organization selected for analysis is the choice of the student.
PLEASE NOTE: The ethical analysis must focus on a different business or organization than the one selected for the first assessment submission.
In concluding their analysis, the student should offer recommendations on the future development of ethical practice within the organization.
The assessment links with the learning outcomes by offering students the opportunity to demonstrate a broad understanding of issues regarding organisational ethics, governance and social responsibility within the modern business environment.
The student will develop an understanding of the learning outcomes by holistically appreciating ethical and social issues. This will be tested through a single written assessment, comprising of three individual components, which will require a student to develop an enhanced understanding of business ethics and the social responsibility of organisations operating within the contemporary business environment The marker will be looking for:
• Good academic practice (including but not limited to proper referencing)
• Effective capacity to provide a reasoned analysis and argument
• Understanding of the specific ethical issues
• Knowledge of the subject area
• Evidence of good research
• Ability to critically analyse – not just describe
• Inclusion of relevant theory/concepts
• Correct application of relevant theory/concepts
• Critical and analytical discussion
• Clear and analytical arguments and conclusions
• Realistic and persuasive arguments
• Clarity of arguments through good grammar
• Strength of arguments
In order to support academic rigour 10% of the overall marks will be awarded for format, bibliography, references and presentation.
Report
Your report is a written assignment which is due to start within two weeks of the introduction to the module. It must be written using font type, Times New Roman and font size 12 with a line spacing of 1.15 and referenced using the Harvard referencing system. You are also requested to include a cover page, introduction, abstract, acknowledgement and table of contents, with a reference list and a conclusion within your assignment.
Module Title Business Ethics, Governance & Social Responsibilities
Assessment Title An Ethical Analysis of a Business or Organization (3500 words)
Individual/Group Individual
Weighting 100%
Latest Hand in Date 16.05.2022
Learning Outcomes Assessed ? Critically assess and apply theories relating to business ethics, responsibility,
? governance and ethical leadership;
? Critically assess and develop method and practice in relation to business ethics,
? responsibility, governance and ethical leadership;
? Examine and identify theory and practice in these areas of business decision-making,
? in response to an awareness of the context of the organization.
Student Instructions for Submission of Coursework
Note: NO ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED THROUGH EMAIL
This module requires you to submit your work on-line through our Moodle platform
You MUST submit your work through the VLE. Receipt of your work will be recorded.
Your -Turnitin assignments- in the VLE has been set up to enable you to check your assignment yourself as you submit it. An -Originality/Similarity Report- will be made available to the student. This report will highlight any issues with your work such as uncited quotations and in the light of which you may make necessary corrections for resubmission of same before the due date.
Please note: Tutors will follow up any suspected plagiarism and unfair practice found after the submission date as per RBS policy. Late penalties will apply as per RBS regulations.
4.3Assessment marking criteria.
An in-depth breakdown of the marking criteria is provided below in order to guide the student as to where he stands with their academic work.
PASS FAIL
Criterion Learning Outcomes 90-100% 80-89% 70-79% 60-69% 50-59% 40-49% 30-39% 15-29% Less than 15%
Choice of Business or Organisation
A suitably analytical perspective in selecting an appropriate organisation based on the requirements of the assignment brief.
The chosen organisation should allow the student to satisfy the remaining criteria effectively.
10% LO1
Excellent choice of organisation.
Demonstrates a breadth and depth of substantive knowledge that is exceptional and informed by the highest level of scholarship
Excellent choice of organisation. Extensive knowledge, understanding and high degree of independent, critical discussion. Excellent choice of organisation. Thorough knowledge, understanding and insightful discussion Good choice of organisation with a
high level of understanding and a very good discussion. Appropriate choice of organisation. Reasonable level of understanding and a good discussion Suitable choice.
Basic description. Some evidence of understanding and a reasonable discussion. Organisation is largely unsuitable and poorly described.
Shows no insight. Organisation is unsuitable and inaccurately described. Lack of understanding of the assessment.
Organisation chosen is unsuitable or unclear. No understanding of the assessment.
Critical Evaluation of Ethical
Performance
Identify current issues and critically
evaluate performance in terms of ethical business practices and responsibility. Central issues include: classical and contemporary ethical theories, corporate
citizenship; governance and leadership;
sustainability; stakeholder management; the impact of a changing business environment.
60% LO1 LO2
LO3
Excellent integration of the full range of
appropriate principles, theories, evidence and techniques.
Awareness goes beyond the material displaying exceptional flair in critical evaluation. Extensive exceptional understanding issues.
Authoritative and creative critical conceptual evaluation ethical performance. Outstanding awareness. and
of
of Excellent and thorough
identification of issues. Robust and confident critical conceptual evaluation of ethical performance. Comprehensive awareness in key areas. Advanced and thorough
identification of issues, robust evaluation of performance.
Critical discussion of business ethical performance with use of conceptual tools. Moderate and
suitable identification of issues with a reasonably analytical
evaluation of ethical performance
using appropriate conceptual tools. Sound consideration of business ethical performance.
A descriptive discussion
offering little/no
identification of issues facing the organisation. Poor conceptual analysis. Some consideration of business ethical performance Poor attempt to evaluate performance in any of the methods appropriate to the module. Poor consideration of business ethical performance Little attempt to evaluate performance. Lack of understanding of module methods. Little consideration of business ethical performance. No attempt to
evaluate performance.
Unclear and confused. No
discernible
knowledge or understanding.
Recommendations to Enhance Ethical Performance and Responsibility LO4
Exceptional application of theoretical and technical knowledge to achieve creative conceptual rationalisation and Excellent identification of issues. Exceptional rationalisation and contextualisation. Authoritative use of theory.
Outstanding, Excellent identification of issues.
Comprehensive
rationalisation and
contextualisation with critical use of theory. Advanced
identification of improvements with critical discussion and good use of theory.
Recommendations
are Basic identification of improvements with some attempt to rationalise them in context with theory. Improvements listed only with basic attempts at contextualising
theory and practice. Poor identification of future developments. Inappropriate and uncritical considerations. Little attempt to identify future developments.
No attempt or inadequate consideration.
Offer a critical discussion of how the chosen organization may develop its ethical performance. Consider external environmental factors that may impact the organization in order to offer a critical analysis.
Recommendations should be: researched;
realistic;
persuasive and appropriate.
20%
contextualisation of issues. Achieving the highest level of compelling,
coherent theory and concise
argument attainable within the level of study.
convincing, plausible recommendations Excellent, convincing, plausible recommendations convincing, researched robust well and Somewhat convincing
recommendations Little conviction in
recommendations
Academic
Practice Review format, citations, references, presentation.
10% Opportunity to demonstrate
academic skills
and competences.
Exceptional professional presentation using an appropriate range of resources and reflecting professional norms. Using a full range of high-quality sources to inform but not dominate the argument Exemplary
structure and standard of presentation.
Extended range of sources inform a critical and
committed argument. Excellent referencing. Clear, integrated and focused presentation.
Comprehensive range
of literature and evidence used. Insightful and
creative analysis. Excellent referencing.
Coherent and wellorganised presentation. Breadth in literature and evidence demonstrates extended reading. Accurately and full referencing with no major omissions. Suitably-organised and reasonable presentation throughout.
Appropriate reading and sources accessed. Competent referencing and bibliography. A basic level of presentation. Limited use of basic sources. Largely accurate with spelling and grammar. Limited referencing Poor effort in presentation. Some spelling and grammatical
errors. Little or no evidence of further reading. Work
inappropriately referenced. Incoherent or
confused
presentation. Difficult to understand. Poor or inappropriate sources. Generally weak academic skills. No discernible attempt to structure or to present the review appropriately. No evidence of academic skills.
5 Feedback and results
Formative feedback will be provided actively and passively throughout the module duration. All exercises and activities have been designed to support a comprehensive feedback scenario through which students, assuming participation, will receive feedback on their development. Assignment feedback will be provided via the VLE system (using turnitin).
A mid-module review will be timetabled into your module by week 5. This is an opportunity to resolve modular issues rapidly early on in the module. In addition, you will have the opportunity to feedback formally at the end of your module. These comments will be reviewed by your course team and some may be considered at your annual course enhancement meeting. Your Course Representative will attend this and present your views to this meeting for discussion at the meeting. Should you be requesting feedback on your assignment through email, please ensure that you are copying your course coordinator in all your emails exchanged between the tutor and yourself.
Upon completion of the module and moderation of your work with our affiliate partner Leeds Beckett University, your results will be posted on your Moodle page. You will be advised to check your results by email. In the case you did not complete the module, you will be requested to retake the assessment* within the deadline set by the institution.
*This may be subjective depending on the case and gravity of the failure.
6 Understanding Your Assessment Responsibilities
Extenuating Circumstances and Mitigation
If you are experiencing problems which are adversely affecting your ability to study (called extenuating circumstances), then you will be able to apply for mitigation.
RBS operates a fit to sit/fit to submit approach to extenuating circumstances which means that students who take their assessment are automatically declaring themselves fit to do so.
Late Submission
In case no extenuating circumstances are filed, standard penalties will apply for late submission of assignment work. A penalty ranging between 5% to 100% of marks achieved will be applied depending on the number of days taken for submission.
Cheating, Plagiarism and Other Forms of Unfair Practice
Academic misconduct occurs when you yourself have not done the work that you submit. It may also include cheating, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and other forms of unfair practice. What is and what is not permitted is clearly explained in The Little Book of Cheating, Plagiarism and Unfair Practice which is available to view on Moodle.
Kindly find attached the link to access this book here,
(http://moodle.rbs.ac.mu/moodle/pluginfile.php/9742/mod_resource/content/3/Little_Book_o f_Plagiarism.pdf)
To enable students to correctly paraphrase their work, please use the link below to access the quote and unquote book.
http://moodle.rbs.ac.mu/moodle/pluginfile.php/9741/mod_resource/content/3/Quote_Unquot e.pdf
Academic integrity
You are clearly informed how your work should be correctly written, referenced and submitted. Should there be any suspected plagiarism or academic malpractices with submitted work, this will be investigated through a formal process, either internally, externally or both, and which may have severe consequences.
The Academic Integrity Process is shown below:
Category One
Applicable for Poor Academic Practice for a high similarity indexed work, investigated internally by the Academic Director of Rushmore Business School
Category Two
Applicable for any case of Academic Misdemeanour or repeat occurrence of Category One. This is investigated internally by the Academic Director of Rushmore Business School.
Category Three
Applicable for any case of Academic Misconduct. This is investigated externally by Leeds Beckett University Officials.
Category Four
Applicable for any case of Gross Academic Misconduct and this is investigated externally by Leeds Beckett University Officials.
Please see attached link for further detailed explanation regarding Academic Integrity. (http://moodle.rbs.ac.mu/moodle/mod/resource/view.php?id=9384)
7 Summary of module
SUMMARY OF OVERALL MODULE – BUSINESS ETHICS CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
ASSIGNMENT
START DATE PROGRESS TUTORIAL SUBMISSION DATE
31st Jan 2022 Week 8 TBC at 23.59 on Turnitin