Business Ethics and Sustainability
Business Ethics and Sustainability
This assessment brief supplements the Subject Outline information to provide detailed guidelines and requirements. Both documents must be read carefully when undertaking this assessment task.
Point of View Journal
Why?
Forming judgements and making informed ethical business decisions is increasingly significant as the business environment is global, dynamic, complex and uncertain. This is especially relevant in addressing ethical issues and opportunities associated with sustainability, such as addressing climate change, materials scarcity, population growth, rising consumerism and enabling equitable human development. Should organisations, their managers and leaders be responsible for proactive approaches to address sustainability issues? Should they be responsible and accountable for ensuring their own practices are ethical, just, sustainable and inclusive without producing negative externalities? Perhaps a focus on efficient and effective management of their own operations to enhance the economy and their own profitability is sufficient? How do managers form decisions that account for diverse and often conflicting stakeholder demands?
What?
Developing a ‘Point of View’ (PoV) to answer such multidimensional and complex questions requires critical engagement with the topic. Analysing the implicit assumptions, differing perspectives and considering alternative points of view support the development of critical reflexivepractice. Avoiding this, by jumping to quick conclusions, may expose decision makers to risks and missed opportunities. Through completing the ongoing PoV journal you will practice a technique and develop an ability to achieve an informed point of view regarding business responses to ethical dilemmas and sustainability issues.
On an individual level, this assessment develops skills and attributes that enable ‘analysis of business decisions in terms of ethical practice and social responsibility’
(PLO 4.1) and ‘to analyse sustainability principles for various stakeholders in relation to business contexts’
(PLO 4.2). How?
Through the ‘Point-Counter-Point’ technique you develop a narrative that considers alternative perspectives on a topic to obtain an informed PoV. Rather than jumping to an immediate conclusion, be informed about the topic, search for and evaluate differing points of view, and then synthesise these into your unique PoV. You are not looking for ‘an answer’, but an informed way to frame analysis of a business context or decision.
Conduct your own thought experiment, discover other points of view and reframe how you perceive and understand an ethical and/or sustainable problem/issue/context. It’s about opening yourself to different ways of seeing, thinking and doing. Being more conscious of implicit assumptions. Knowing and articulating how and why you arrived at your PoV. A prelude to forming a judgement and making an informed decision.
PoV Technique
A critical reflection topic will be introduced during the lecture and a framework will be provided to engage you with the core premise of that topic.
The following is recommended technique that will enable you to develop your PoV:
Before Class
1. Consider the problem topic or key question. Make a note of your immediate PoV.
2. Explore the prescribed learning materials (lectures, readings, videos, websites) available on
UTSOnline.
During Lectures and Workshops:
3. Attend the lecture. Identify the core premise.
4. Go further afield if you dare. Pick some associated key words and explore the media and journal databases. Locate, read and summarise at least four key information sources or theories that support and dispute the core premise.
5. Further refine your PoV.
6. Engage in structured discussions during the workshop/tutorial. Discuss your PoV and actively listen to your peers. Note any surprising insights where other PoVs may differ from your own.
Note points of support or alignment. Your tutor will be monitoring individual engagement in these class discussions so please make sure you contact your tutor if you are unable to attend a workshop.
After Class:
7. Conduct a brainstorm: Write down as many different ideas and points of view related to the topic.
8. Refine: Try to categorise the ideas into related clusters. How many alternate PoVs can you identify?
9. Reconsider your PoV in relation to these alternate PoVs. Has you PoV developed/changed or does it remain unchanged?
For the final submission of PoV assessment task:
Write it up.
You are required to write a short essay (a maximum of 500 words) for each of the PoV topics. In
total, you will write six PoV short essays. The following is provided as a suggested format to guide
your PoV short essay:
Introduction
Outline one PoV in relation to the topic
Outline at least one alternate PoV
Conclusion: on balance between the POVs create or reinstate your own PoV and justify your
perspective
You should incorporate and reference academic and other information sources appropriately to
validate and support your argument. Please use the Harvard reference style.
Assessment Task Requirements
1. Complete the six POVs short essays by following the recommended technique (outlined
above).
2. (Optional) Complete the bonus reflective piece by addressing points i. and ii (below). Be
eligible to receive up to an additional 5 bonus points. Your response should be no more than 3
typed A4 pages and should be included as an attachment to your PoV journal.
i. Synthesise the insights you have generated from completing each of the PoVs. Imagine
you had to write one critical question which summarised the central dilemma that business
managers confront when managing ethically and/or sustainably. Write the question and
justify why it is significant.
ii. Critically examine the overall process of the ‘Point-Counter-Point’ technique. What are the
benefits/limitations of adopting this technique?
3. Combine and submit essays 1-3 into one document and submit to Turnitin on UTSOnline by
the due date prior to the mid-semester break. Combine and submit essays 4-6 plus the optional
bonus question (if desired) to Turnitin on UTSOnline by the due date prior to the final lecture.
Clearly mark the beginning of a new short essay with a page break or title.
Assessment Criteria
The following criteria will be used to assess the final submission. The criteria are designed to
assure the Program Learning Objectives (PLO) 4.1 and 4.2.
Do the PoV reflections demonstrate an awareness of the complexity of ethical demands that are
placed on people in business and professional contexts? (assesses PLO 4.1) (40%)
To what extent do the reflection critically analyse sustainability principles for various stakeholders
in relation to business contexts? (assess PLO 4.2) (40%)
Are relevant support materials identified, summarised, critically analysed and synthesised? (15%)
Is the submission complete and free from errors? (5%)
