Business Ethics
Assignment : Case Study
Length: 3,500 – 4,000 words (excluding title page, TOC, reference list, and appendices)
Learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Preparation: Participate in lectures and tutorial in week 1 to week 12.
Engage with the learning activities on Learnline.
Start researching and working on your assignment early and clarify any question you may have with your lecturer.
Research relevant information and sources to address the assignment task.
Presentation:
Report-style written assignment that should be presented in a professional way (no executive summary needed).
Add a title page with your student information (name, student number, study location) and the unit information (unit code and name, lecturer name, assignment number and title).
Formatting suggestion: font style Calibri or Arial, font size 12, 1.5 line spacing, justified text, margins 2.5cm each, no indents, subheadings are permitted but should not be numbered, add page numbers.
Task Details
Task :The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is the largest coral reef structure in the world and located along the east coast of Queensland, Australia. Since 1981 it is recognised as an UNESCO World Heritage Site for its natural beauty and ecological importance.
Over the last few decades, however, economic developments and some major natural events along the Queensland coast have caused a range of problems that impact on the environmental quality of the GBR. Recent reports and news articles state that the outlook for the GBR moved from already ‘poor’ to ‘very poor’, which increased the call for urgent action, especially from environmental groups.
The main task of the assignment is to analyse the situation around the GBR from a business ethics perspective and to critically discuss using the ‘tragedy of the commons’ and ethical theories.
See below task and questions that you need to address in your assignment. The case study assignment is organised into three parts, an analysis, a critical discussion, and recommendation and reflection.
The ‘tragedy of the Great Barrier Reef’?
As part of your analysis, address the following points:
Provide a brief introduction about the GBR and its importance.
What are the key stakeholder groups and their interests?
What are the key environmental issues that affect the GBR?
In your analysis, consider the different ethical theories.
As part of your critical discussion, address the following points:
What is the ‘tragedy of the commons’ theory and how does this relate to environmental ethics?
Do we have a ‘tragedy of the GBR’? Critically discuss in the context of your above analysis (stakeholders, issues, ethics) and the ‘tragedy of the commons’ theory.
Do businesses have a right to use the GBR’s finite resources or impact on its environmental assets for the sake of economic success? Use ethical theory to justify your answer.
Does the GBR and its non-human inhabitants have rights on their own? Or are the rights of the human population more important? Use ethical theory to justify your answer.
What role do environmental groups play in highlighting the environmental issues of the GBR and are these groups just anti-business? Use ethical theory to justify your answer.
As part of your recommendation and reflection, address the following points:
In your view, whose responsibility is it to act on the environmental issues to prevent a further decline of the environmental quality of the GBR? And what kind of actions you think are needed. Explain.
Which of the identified issues concerns you personally most and why? Explain.
Overall, how do you see the future of the GBR?
In this assessment, you have the opportunity to analyse and discuss a current environmental situation in Australia from a business ethics perspective. The analysis part will enable you to research and review the role of the GBR, its stakeholder groups, and the environmental issues affecting the reef.
In the critical discussion, you then will need to use the ‘tragedy of the commons’ and ethical theory to critically discuss questions regarding the GBR and environmental aspects.
In the recommendation and reflection part, you will have the opportunity to provide your personal views and reflections. Within your case study assignment, please address the above listed tasks and questions, as well as support your text with evidence.
Important specifics on the case study
For this case study, you are provided with a range of resources and are required to research and use additional appropriate academic and non-academic resources (at least 10 additional) for your discussion.
Additional credible non-academic sources can come from, for example, government or non-governmental websites, interests or stakeholder groups, or credible news organisations.
Furthermore, the textbook can be used as a reference, however, your research and focus of discussion should be based on above mentioned types of resources. Support your text with in-text citations and a reference list.
Make sure all sources are relevant and current (preferably within the last five years; however, seminal work can be older).
The general structure of a case study is a report-style assignment that includes a title page, (an executive summary is NOT needed), a table of content (please number sections), an introduction (what the reader can expect), the main body of the assignment (analysis of the case, discussion based on the questions, and recommendation and reflection), and a conclusion (what were the main aspects/findings).
You can use tables, figures or images to support your text. The reference list should follow on a new page, formatted in the CDU Harvard Referencing style. If needed, you can place additional supporting data or information in appendices.
Note, in addition to following the CDU Harvard Referencing style, you are required to add page numbers to all the in-text citations (where available in the source), as well as a working link to the online source in the reference list. If you use paper-based only sources, you may be asked to provide scanned copies of the pages used.
Case study resources Below resources provide you with initial information about the case study and associated issues. As stated above, you are required to conduct further research on suitable resources.
The Great Barrier Reef
Great Barrier Reef, Australia – by Tourism and Events Queensland
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/154/ (3:01 mins)
Pt 1: Great Barrier Reef Solutions – Behind the News (ABC program)
https://youtu.be/YvBnaBm9AqU (3:16 mins)
The biggest threats to the Great Barrier Reef
https://www.reefplan.qld.gov.au/resources/explainers/biggest-threats-to-the-gbr
At what price? The economic, social and icon value of the Great Barrier Reef
https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/au/Documents/Economics/deloitte-au-economics-great-barrier-reef-230617.pdf
What’s the economic value of the Great Barrier Reef? It’s priceless
https://theconversation.com/whats-the-economic-value-of-the-great-barrier-reef-its-priceless-80061
Great Barrier Reef outlook now ‘very poor’, Australian government review says
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/30/great-barrier-reef-outlook-now-very-poor-australian-government-review-says
Green activists killing tourism on the Great Barrier Reef
https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.cdu.edu.au/docview/2237629819/1A9A84A5CB164E2CPQ/1?accountid=10424
WWF – Great Barrier Reef
https://www.wwf.org.au/what-we-do/oceans/great-barrier-reef
The tragedy of the commons
What is the tragedy of the commons? – TedEd talk by Nicholas Amendolare
https://youtu.be/CxC161GvMPc (4:57 mins)
The tragedy of the commons – Original article by Garrett Hardin
https://cdu-edu-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/7r169d/TN_jstor_archive_291724745
Assessment criteria
Analysis of the situation and issues (25%)
Analysed and demonstrated an understanding of the current environmental situation around the GBR and identified the main stakeholders, environmental issues, considered ethical theories and based on relevant and credible academic and non-academic resources.
Discussion of the ‘tragedy of the GBR’ (35%)
Critically discussed the ‘tragedy of the commons’ theory in relation to the GBR, as well as addressed the given questions with consideration of ethical theory. Demonstrated an ability to interpret, evaluate and formulate arguments and logical conclusions. Discussion is supported with on relevant and credible academic and non-academic resources.
Recommendation and reflection (20%)
Provided personal recommendations and reflections of the situation around the GBR and business ethics and supported with credible academic and non-academic resources where needed.
Written essay (10%)
Written and presented in a professional way with correct spelling and grammar. Structure and flow supports the discussion and readability.
Referencing (10%)
Used appropriate academic journal articles, and other credible academic and non-academic resources, and referenced correctly in-text and in the reference list (CDU Harvard Referencing style + page number and link).
Penalties Late Submission
Late assignments will lose 5% of the available marks each day (or part thereof).
Plagiarism
You are to identify the sources of any ideas and words in your assignment that are not yours. Unattributed materials may not be included in the consideration of your assignment and serious cases of academic misconduct will be handled in accordance with the Student Complaints Management Process.
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