Unit Outline

Organisations impact, and are impacted by, the societies in which they operate. That is, they are part of a broader social system. Society generally, and different groups of stakeholders specifically, expect an organisation to accept various responsibilities with respect to how it interacts with, and how it is accountable to, different stakeholders. Failure to comply with particular stakeholders’ expectations can have implications for the survival of an organisation. Employer groups, professional accounting bodies and course advisory committees have consistently highlighted the need for business students to be critical thinkers; be able to demonstrate skills that extend beyond technical competencies; and to be able to demonstrate an understanding that organisations are part of a broader social system on which they rely for organisational survival. This unit responds to this expectation, as it: Focusses on graduate self-awareness and applied technical and professional ‘soft’ skills in the following key areas:

Provides insight into identifying stakeholders and their expectations
Emphasises the relevance of sustainability to organisational success
Provides a background to enable the determination of relevant frameworks to apply in order to improve an organisation’s social and environmental performance
Provides insights into applying an accountability model to guide organisational reporting decisions

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:

1	Investigate how managers’ perceptions of organisational responsibilities influence their perceptions of accountability
2	Critically review the relevance of sustainable development to all organisations and the role of managers in promoting it
3	Evaluate the relevance of different frameworks pertaining to organisational social responsibility and select and apply them appropriate to business settings
4	Demonstrate collaboration, cooperation, and teamwork to accomplish team goals
5	Professionally communicate information and recommendations to a range of stakeholders

Alterations as a result of student feedback

To Be Determined.

Teaching arrangements

ATTENDANCE MODE	TEACHING TYPE	LEARNING ACTIVITY	CONTACT HOURS	FREQUENCY
On Campus	Workshop	Introductory 1h workshop, Week 1	1	Once only
	Lecture (On Campus)	Pre-recorded 1h lecture, once a week	1	Weekly
	Workshop	2h workshop, fortnightly, commencing in Week 2	2	Weekly
	Lecture (On Campus)	5h independent learning	5	Weekly
Online	Online Class	Introductory 1h workshop, Week 1	1	Once only
	Lecture (Online)	Pre-recorded 1h lecture, once a week	1	Weekly
	Online Class	1h workshop, weekly, commencing in Week 2	1	Weekly
	Independent Learning	5h independent learning	5	Weekly

Attendance / engagement expectations

If your unit is offered On campus, it is expected that you will attend all on-campus and onsite learning activities. This is to support your own learning and the development of a learning community within the unit. If you are unable to attend regularly, please discuss the situation with your course coordinator and/or our UConnect support team.

If your unit is offered Online or includes online activities, it is expected you will engage in all those activities as indicated in the Unit Outline or MyLO, including any self-directed learning.

If you miss a learning activity for a legitimate reason (e.g., illness, carer responsibilities) teaching staff will attempt to provide alternative activities (e.g., make up readings) where it is possible.

The Tasmanian School of Business and Economics regularly hosts Masterclasses and Industry Engagement and Employability Events, which students are encouraged to attend. Registration and details will be available via the College of Business and Economics channel on the Uni App and/or via your Unit Coordinator.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule

ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Individual Assignment	Refer to Assessment Description	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO5
Assessment Task 2:	Individual Assignment (Video)	Refer to Assessment Description	35 %	LO1, LO3, LO5
Assessment Task 3:	Individual/Team Project	Refer to Assessment Description	35 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Individual Assignment

Task Description:

Identify the social responsibilities of a fictional case organisation (provided) and provide a report to management identifying the organisation’s responsibilities, why they are considered ‘responsibilities’, how the identification of responsibilities might be used to influence managerial planning, and how and why the identified responsibilities might be prioritised by level of importance.

DUE DATE: 11th August 2024 – 10.00pm

Task Length:

2500 Words

Due Date:

Refer to Assessment Description

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)

1	Critically review the operations of the case organisation to identify what are the key organisational/managerial responsibilities	LO1
2	Logically argue why the organisation has these responsibilities and why particular stakeholders should be considered, and prioritised	LO2
3	Professionally communicate your findings in a report to management	LO5

Assessment Task 2: Individual Assignment (Video)

Task Description:

Undertake a review of relevant international CSR-related frameworks and provide a report to management of the case organisation about which frameworks are particularly appropriate to the organisation, why, and how they will be helpful in shaping future organisational practices.

DUE DATE: 15th September 2024 10.00pm.

Task Length:

2500 Words

Due Date:

Refer to Assessment Description

Weight:

35 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)

1	Demonstrate knowledge of leading international social responsibility frameworks	LO1, LO3
2	Logically justify the relevance of particular frameworks to the focal case organisation	LO3
3	Demonstrate and critique how the CSR-related frameworks could/should be applied	LO3
4	Professionally communicate your findings in a report to management	LO5

Assessment Task 3: Individual/Team Project (negotiated)

Task Description:

Applying knowledge of the case organisation, produce a video for the Board of Directors of the organisation clearly applying the ‘accountability model’ to explain:

• why the organisation should produce a sustainability report;
• to whom it should provide the report;
• what should be disclosed within the report; and
• how the information shall be disclosed

DUE DATE:13th October 2024 – loaded to MyLo – 10.00pm.

Task Length:

Video presentation - 8-10 minutes

Due Date:

Refer to Assessment Description

Weight:

35 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)

1	Work in a team to critically evaluate the workings and logic of the four-step accountability model	LO1, LO2, LO4
2	Apply the accountability model to analyse why the focal organisation should produce a report, and to which ‘stakeholders’ that report should be targeted	LO3
3	Apply the accountability model to advocate why the orgnisation should report on sustainability, what the organisation should report and how it should report	LO3
4	Work in a team to communicate initiatives for improving the social and environmental performance of an organisation	LO5

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

There is no specific textbook for this unit, however the unit contents have relied heavily on contents derived from:

Deegan, C., An Introduction to Accounting: Accounting in Organisations and Society. 2nd ed, Cengage, 2023.

Recommended reading materials

As provided online.

Other required resources