Assessment Brief:
The purpose of this assignment is for students to reflect on a business decision/practice ethical or
unethical that the student has researched whilst studying this subject.

In consideration of themselves as emergent professional practitioners and corporate citizens, each
student is to critically analyse their ethical position in relation to a business decision/practice
undertaken by an organisation and the impact of this decision on its stakeholders.
Material and Resources/ Finding a Topic:
Over the duration of the course, students should collate material and resources for this assessment.
Students should think about what they are reading each day in the newspapers with regards to CSR,
sustainability and business ethics.
Consider the following:
Since starting this course are there any topics that have been brought to your attention which may
question principles/ethics or business decisions that you have never thought about before? These
are the very concepts that you should be exploring and discussing in your self reflection report. For
example, did you watch the recommended documentary in Week 1 – The Corporation? Were there
any business practices or organisations in this documentary that made you want to research further
or challenge their business ethics?
This assessment allows you to express your personal opinion regarding a particular subject. This selfreflective assessment can be created in response to any business decision or practice that an
organisation chooses to implement.
Find a topic that you are interested in learning more about, research the facts and then develop your
standpoint. The best submissions are those whereby students show a passion for their chosen topic.
Remember that this is the only assessment in this course which allows you articulate your own wellsubstantiated opinion. Your voice should be objective recognising both sides of the issue
Preparing your report
Please see a few suggestions below which may come in useful when preparing your report.
1. You may facilitate this report in first person /point-of-view. Use statements like “I recommend”
and “it is my opinion that” to let the audience know that you are expressing your own voice and not
only stating facts.
2 Introduce the subject of your report and provide background context. For example, if you are
focusing on the issues surrounding conflict diamonds, explain what conflict diamonds are and what
is involved in the practice.
3. Outline impact of the business decision or practice on the stakeholders.
4. Identify the main issues involved in the practice/decision. How does it effect the reputation of the
organisation? Comment on the relationship between ethical branding and corporate reputation if
appropriate.

5. Identify any legislation which prohibits/supports the practice – how effective is it? If you believe it
to be ineffective, what recommendations would you put in place?
6. Outline where you believe the future lies or should lie. Include your recommendations moving
forward.
7. End your report with a summary of the topic, state your opinion regarding the
practice/issue/organisation and why you hold this belief, support your argument. Reflect on how
your belief/opinion/awareness has changed since the beginning of the course.
Marking criteria: