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MGX5020: Business ethics in a global environment
Essay
Preparation

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Assignment 2
• Group Assignment (groups of 4)
• Research Paper with subheadings
• Week 8 Monday September 16 4pm
> My pigeon hole Building N Level 5
• 3,000 words
• Worth 30%
• You are required to explore the ethical and business
dimensions of a chosen issue falling under one of
the topics in the assignment guide.

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Assignment 2
The group assignment provides the opportunity for
students to work together to do research and write a
paper. It aims to develop our students as critical and
creative scholars. In this assignment you are
expected to demonstrate responsible global
citizenship by providing an evidence-based,
argumentative response to an ethical issue, and by
indicating what course of action would be
recommended by a responsible global citizenship
approach to the analysed issue.

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Assignment 2
• Topics are:
> Ethics and business corruption
> Ethics and business leadership
> Ethics and human resources management
> Ethics and the natural environment
> Ethics, religion and business practices
> Any other topic that you get approval from me about

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Assignment 2
• You need to pick an ethical issue
• Tell me why it is an ethical issue
• Analyse it using theory
• Tell me what we should do about it
Okay, its harder than that…

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Introduction
• 10%
• Should be written last
• Why it is important
• Purpose of the paper
• What you will cover
– Case
– Theories

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Background
• 10%
• Should be written first
• Tell me what happened in the case (succinct)
• I need to see that it links to the topic you have
chosen
• Newspaper articles
• Journal articles (maybe)
• Company reports

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Explanation
• 20%
• Why it happened
• Presents the ethical theory
• I need to see the main theory(ies)
• I need to understand why it is relevant to the case
(but not apply it yet)
• Journal articles
• Look outside the required readings

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Analysis and Evaluation
• 30%
• Apply the theories to the case on hand
• Evaluate the different perspectives
• Have a clear position of the issue based on the
ethical theory
• Journal Articles (theory)
• Newspaper Articles (case)

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Personal Reflections /
Implications for Business Practice
• 10%
• Recommend ethical business practices from your
own experiences and those of other businesses
• Articles (journals and newspapers)
• Be specific and practical to the case

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Conclusion
• 10%
• Summarise your arguments
• Maybe an area of future research?

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Clarity and Quality of Presentation
• 10%
• English
• Referencing
• Layout
• I’ll cover this in a second

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Assignment 2
• Peer Rating Sheet
> You need to fill out a peer rating sheet for each of your group members
> A score of 0 (bad) – 10 (good) on each of the different categories
> In my pigeon hole on the same day with your name on the top
> You only need numbers – if you wish to write something that is fine too
> This is used to moderate grades

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Tips for Assignment
1. Read the essay topic carefully
– Keep topic next to you while writing.
– Make sure you address all aspects of the topic.
– Plan your answer.
– Don’t lose focus.
> Does every paragraph help address the question?
> If not, replace it with a better one.
– Follow logical structure.

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Tips for Assignment (Cont.)
2. Formatting
– Size 12 Font Times, Size 11 Calibri
– Double spaced
– Be consistent
– No headings / sub-headings
– 2 or 3 paragraphs per page
– Proof reading / editing is very important

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Tips for Assignment (Cont.)
3. Referencing
– At least 15 references
– APA style
– Only use reliable sources
> Do not rely on text books or lecture slides
– Integrate references to for arguments
– Reference list in alphabetical order
– Use Q-manual for guidance