In Progress
Please note that this Unit Profile is still in progress. The content below is subject to change.Overview
This unit examines the interrelated topics of personal and business ethics and business sustainability. It critically reviews the socio-cultural environment in which business operates and how this can change dramatically between countries and cities. Ethical frameworks for managerial decision-making are critiqued with reference to various stakeholder groups and you will examine the debates surrounding sustainable development as they impact on organisations in their local and global contexts. The interactions between personal ethics and how ethics is managed within an organisation are also considered. Technological, societal and cultural sources of ethical challenges are reviewed and cases will be discussed outlining how various organisations might respond to these challenges.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2022
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Unit coordinator reflection
Students struggling with moral dimensions and justifying ethical practice. Relativism may explain, but should not be advanced as a defence of these difficulties.
No significant change to content or assessment is recommended. Students must demonstrate an understanding of ethics and an ability to justify decisions.
Feedback from Student evaluation
Response rate to student evaluation is too low
Engage students more effectively towards the end of term specifically relating to completion of the student evaluation survey.
- Develop an understanding of the interconnections between business ethics, morality, law, sustainability, globalisation and evaluate their impacts on business and society
- Explain the aspects of business social responsibility and sustainability, including the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals, (SDGs) and how these impact upon business strategy
- Analyse the major ethical theories and frameworks and be able to utilise these in a contemporary business setting to enhance business decision making
- Develop an understanding of the management of ethics within an organisation and explore the role of tools and concepts such as corporate social responsibility, codes of ethics and conduct, and anti bribery strategies as a means of improving business and civil society
- Demonstrate commonly accepted professional ethical standards in the work place and in your behaviour toward others.
The unit does not link to any specific external professional accreditation.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Reflective Practice Assignment - 50% | |||||
| 2 - Presentation and Written Assessment - 30% | |||||
| 3 - Take Home Exam - 20% | |||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | |||||
| 2 - Communication | |||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | |||||
| 4 - Research | |||||
| 5 - Self-management | |||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | |||||
| 7 - Leadership | |||||
| 8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| 1 - Reflective Practice Assignment - 50% | ||||||||
| 2 - Presentation and Written Assessment - 30% | ||||||||
| 3 - Take Home Exam - 20% | ||||||||
Textbooks
Business and Society: Ethics, Sustainability, and Stakeholder Management
Edition: 10 (2018)
Authors: 3. Carroll, A., Brown, J., and Buchholz, A.K.
Cengage
Stamford Stamford , USA
ISBN: 9781305959828
Binding: Hardcover
Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making & Cases,
Edition: 13th (2021)
Authors: Ferrell, Freadrich & Ferrell
Cengage
Stampford Stampford , USA
ISBN: 9780357709849
Binding: Hardcover
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)