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BUGEN5930: Business Society and the Planet

Final Assessment Task – Individual Written Assignment 

1. Assessment Overview

Your final assessment task for BUGEN 5930 – Business, Society and the Planet is:

• An individual written assignment to be completed over 7 days in the Exam Period;
• Marked out of 100 and is worth 40% of your final result for this course;
• To be submitted online, in the University Exam Period;
• Completed at your home (or another safe place of your choosing).
• Available to students via the course Moodle page at 3:00pm (HKT) on Thursday 12^thNovember;
• You are required to submit your response to this task in a Word document before deadline.

This task is comprised of 3 parts:

• Part A – Resource Summary – (35 marks)
• Part B – Short answer questions – (30 marks)
• Part C – Application of theory to a case study – (35 marks)

3. Task Description:

Part A – Resource Summary – 35 marks

This course has provided many resources to support your learning. This task requires you to summarise ONE of these resources from the list below:

Your summary needs to:

• Focus on ONE of the resources from the list above;
• Introduce the author/speaker, their topics/themes and the context of the paper/presentation
• Identify the key argument or perspective being presented;
• State the key findings/points of the paper/presentation (may use dot points for emphasis);
• Briefly discuss the relevance or contribution of this paper/presentation to business management; accurately reflect what is in the report/article/website/presentation

Part B – Short Answer Questions – 30 marks

You are required to provide written responses to 3 (three) of the 4 (four) questions below. Each question is worth 10 marks.

Your response to each question should be ¾ – 1 page in length (375 – 500 words).

In preparing your responses to these questions, you may need to access additional materials (articles, videos, reports, quizzes) that are available from the course Moodle page and/or the links in the questions.

Question 1 – 10 marks

According to International Integrated Reporting Council (2013, p. 3):

All organizations depend on various forms of capital for their success. These capitals are stores of value that, in one form or another, become inputs to the organization’s business model. They are also increased, decreased or transformed through the activities of the organization in that they are enhanced, consumed, modified or otherwise affected by those activities.

One of the capitals used by our organisations is natural capital.

1. What is natural capital and how can a business’s use of these resources be measured?
2. Identify the ways in which a local restaurant would increase and decrease natural capital?

Question 2 – 10 marks

1. Describe the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility and why this is an important consideration for business.
2. Identify the two main models of corporate social responsibility and discuss how they differ from each other.

Question 3 – 10 marks

In 1999, Lovins, Lovins & Hawken introduced the concept of ‘Natural Capitalism’, suggesting business needed to make four major shifts to move to better satisfy their customers’ needs, increase profits and help solve environmental problems. One of the principles identified was that of biomimicry.

1. What is biomimicry and how can its application contribute to a more sustainable way of business operation?
2. Describe in detail an example of how biomimicry has inspired a specific design innovation.

Question 4 – 10 marks

Berrybank Farm Piggery is an example of a local business that is contributing to global progress on several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

1. Identify and briefly describe 4 (four) of the SDGs to which Berrybank Farm is making a substantial contribution;
2. Identify and briefly describe the specific actions and/or business strategies implemented by Berrybank Farm that show their impact on each of the SDGs you identified in Question 4 Part a.

Part C – Giving Voice to Values – 35 marks

This task requires you to read the (attached) scenario ‘Market Research Deception’, from Babson College, and apply the Giving Voice to Values (GVV) framework to respond to the ethical dilemma presented. To demonstrate this application, you need to respond to all of the following questions relating to the scenario. You should aim to write at least 3 pages (1500 words) in response to Part C.

Question C1 – 6 marks – 250 words

Who are the key stakeholders impacted by the ethically questionable behaviour/practice outlined in this scenario and what is at stake for these key parties?

Question C2 – 6 marks – 250 words

What are the reasons and rationalisations that may be used by those trying to justify the ethically questionable behaviour and/or business practice that is causing the main character’s ethical dilemma?

Question C3 – 6 marks – 250 words

What are the most powerful & persuasive responses (i.e. levers) the main character could use to respond to these reasons/ rationalizations? To whom should the argument be made? When? In what context? How can they be applied to enable the main character to act on his/her values, in a way that maximises the positive impact and minimises negative outcomes for all stakeholders?

Question C4 (17 marks) – 750 words

Develop a script that applies the GVV framework to this scenario. This script should begin at the point where the scenario ended. This must include dialogue of conversations with one or more key stakeholders in which the main character is able to give voice to her/his values, by using the most appropriate levers to respond to the most likely reasons and rationalisations, to achieve a more ethical outcome for all stakeholders.

Market Research Deception

Emily, an Advertising major, has just completed her junior year at a major state university and has been hired as a summer intern at a market research firm. Her first assignment is to do some research on the competitor firms of one of the agency’s major clients. The assignment has proven to be unusually tough. Emily was asked to conduct a telephone survey, but when she identified herself as a researcher for the market research firm, important sources refused to participate in the study. The deadline was quickly approaching, and Emily desperately needed the information.

When Emily conferred with her supervisor, the supervisor told her to identify herself as a “university student who was doing research for a class project.” When Emily conducted a few trial interviews using this approach, it worked like a charm. The respondents were willing to help the “student” out. Emily’s supervisor was delighted and instructed her to continue this approach so that the project could be finished on time and within the budgeted cost. However, Emily is feeling uncomfortable with this approach and wants to find another way.

• What should Emily say, to whom, when, and how?