Unit Outline

BMA250

Managerial Social Responsibility

Semester 1, 2024

Mark Wickham

Tasmanian School of Business & Economics (TSBE)

College of Business and Economics

CRICOS Provider Code: 00586B

Contact Details

Unit Coordinator

Mark Wickham

Email: Mark.Wickham@utas.edu.au

Contents

What is the Unit About?.................................................................................................................................... 3

Unit Description............................................................................................................................................ 3

Intended Learning Outcomes................................................................................................................... 3

Requisites...................................................................................................................................................... 3

How will I be Assessed?................................................................................................................................... 4

Assessment schedule................................................................................................................................ 4

Assessment details..................................................................................................................................... 4

How your final result is determined........................................................................................................ 7

Submission of assignments..................................................................................................................... 7

Requests for extensions............................................................................................................................ 7

Late penalties................................................................................................................................................ 7

Review of results and appeals................................................................................................................. 7

Required Resources......................................................................................................................................... 8

Required reading materials....................................................................................................................... 8

Recommended reading materials............................................................................................................ 8

Other required resources........................................................................................................................... 8

Unit schedule...................................................................................................................................................... 9

AACSB Accreditation...................................................................................................................................... 10

Sustainability.................................................................................................................................................... 10

What is the Unit About?

Unit Description

Sound and effective management and leadership require not only financial and technical expertise but also ethical competency. This unit provides a focus on ethical decision-making, and in particular introduces a series of frameworks for discerning what is right and wrong in important areas of business practice. Ethical competency is the ability to, a) perceive the ethical implications of a situation, b) engage in sound ethical reasoning, and c) develop sustainable problem-solving strategies.

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.	Describe theories and concepts of ethical reasoning
2.	Explain the ethical issues of relevance to a business context
3.	Apply ethical reasoning to make evidence-based management decisions
4.	Communicate complex ethical analyses and judgements using a team-based approach

Requisites

REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	1 x introductory level, or higher, unit
Anti-requisite (mutual excl)	BMA350, BAA310

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:	Team Case Analyses x 2	Week 5	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 2:	Live Case Analysis	Week 10	30 %	LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 3:	Capstone Assessment	Week 13	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Team Case Analyses x 2

Task Description:

ALL Students are required to form teams of 3 – 5 people for the Team Case Analysis assessment tasks due in Weeks 5 and 7.

Students need to ensure that the team members’ names are included in each of the presentations to ensure the marks are awarded accurately.

Students who are not satisfied with their team or a team member’s performance may change teams between presentation topics – see the Team Agreement Form.

Task Length:

10 – 20 minute presentation

Due Date:

Week 5

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)

1	Define key foundational ethics theory	LO1
2	Identify relevant case facts and case issues	LO2
3	Define the ethical dilemma and punishments	LO2
4	Present a logical application of ethics theory	LO3
5	Communicate a team-based analysis and sustainable resolution(s) to the ethical dilemma	LO4
6	Demonstrate the student’s unique contribution to the team’s case analysis	LO4

Assessment Task 2: Live Case Analysis

Task Description:

The purpose of this assessment task to is to develop and assess your ability to conduct independent desk-top research concerning a recent ethical scandal, and apply the ethics analysis process to (i) identify the relevant ethical dilemma, and (ii) apply ethics theory to resolve the ethical dilemma in a sustainable and justifiable manner. See MyLO for the relevant cases and further details and instruction.

This assessment task also aligns with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 8 (i.e., Decent Work and Economic Growth) by developing the students' ability to devise and implement policies to promote sustainable human resource management practices, and Sustainable Development Goal 12 (i.e., Ensure Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns) by developing students' ability to develop, implement and monitor sustainable business strategies.

Task Length:

2500 words (maximum) – no 10% leeway

Due Date:

Week 10

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)

1	Identify relevant case facts and case issues	LO2
2	Define the ethical dilemma and punishments	LO2
3	Present a logical application of ethics theory	LO3
4	Communicate sustainable resolution(s) of the ethical dilemma	LO3
5	Present a logical academic argument using the required formatting and referencing standards	LO3

Assessment Task 3: Capstone Assessment

Task Description:

The purpose of this assessment task is to assess your ability to apply ethics theory for the purposes of identifying, defining, resolving and/or preventing ethics issues that can arise in an organisational context.

This assessment task aligns with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 8 (i.e., Decent Work and Economic Growth) by developing the students' ability to devise and implement policies to promote sustainable human resource management practices, and Sustainable Development Goal 12 (i.e., Ensure Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns) by developing students' ability to develop, implement and monitor sustainable business strategies.

You are required to select FOUR (4) cases from a choice of at least SEVEN (7) alternatives and answer a series of questions for each case. Each essay-style question has a 1000-word limit and is valued at 10 marks.

Task Length:

750 words MAXIMUM for each essay

Due Date:

Week 13

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)

1	Identify and define the relevant business ethics issue(s) in the case.	LO2
2	Explain the business ethics issue(s) using ethics theory, concepts or processes.	LO1
3	Communicate a logical application of ethics theories in the resolution or prevention of the ethical issue(s).	LO3

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.

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 prescribed text for this unit. See MyLO for access to the required readings in this unit.

Other required resources

Unit schedule

Week	Date beginning	Topic/ Module/ Focus Area	Activities	Resources/ Readings/ Further Information
1	26 February	Introduction to Ethics and Business	1-hour Introduction to the Unit 2-hour Workshop	Required Readings 1.1 to 1.3 Videos 1.1 to 1.3 Audio File 1.1
2	4 March	Utilitarianism	Self-directed Learning	Required Reading 2.1 Videos 2.1 & 2.2
3	11 March	Kantian Ethics	2-hour Workshop	Required Reading 3.1 Video 3.1
4	18 March	Ethical Rights & Distributive Justice	Self-directed Learning	Required Readings 4.1 & 4.2 Videos 4.1 & 4.2
5	25 March	Corporate Social Responsibility	2-hour Workshop	Required Readings 5.1 to 5.3 Videos 5.1 & 5.2 Audio Files 5.1 & 5.2 Lecture Case 5.1
6	1 April	Trade Secrets, Conflicts of Interest & Insider Trading	Self-directed Learning	Required Readings 6.1 to 6.4 Videos 6.1 to 6.4
7	8 April	Safety, Risk & Environmental Protection	2-hour Workshop Team Presentation #2 Due	Required Readings 7.1 to 7.6
8	15 April	Whistle-blowing	Self-directed Learning	Required Readings 8.1 & 8.2 Videos 8.1 & 8.2
9	22 April	Live Case Analysis	Live Case Analysis Preparation	Live Case Analysis resources available on MyLO
10	29 April	Marketing, Truth & Advertising	Self-directed Learning Live Case Analysis Due	Required Readings 10.1 & 10.2 Video 10.1 Audio File 10.1
11	6 May	Privacy at Work	2-hour Workshop	Required Readings 11.1 to 11.3 Videos 11.1 & 11.2
12	13 May	Discrimination & Affirmative Action	Self-directed Learning	Required Readings 12.1 & 12.2 Videos 12.1 to 12.3
13	20 May	Capstone Assignment	Capstone Assignment Preparation	Review Unit Content as per MyLO Recommendations
Capstone Assignment Due: June 2^nd
Study Period: 3 June to 7 June
Exam Period: 8 June to 25 June

AACSB Accreditation

The Tasmanian School of Business and Economics (TSBE) gained initial Business Accreditation from the AACSB International (AACSB) in July 2021 – the lead program for accrediting business schools globally. AACSB seeks to connect educators, students, and business to achieve a common goal – to create the next generation of business leaders.

AACSB is the most reputable standard in business education and TSBE is now one of an elite group of the world’s business schools. By being an AACSB accredited School, TSBE has joined a global alliance committed to improve the quality of business education around the world, and to share the latest innovations in business education.

Gaining Business Accreditation with AACSB means that we have satisfied a multi-year process involving TSBE demonstrating our performance against the 15 accreditation standards.

TSBE has joined a select community of accredited business schools, with only five percent of all business schools globally accredited with AACSB. This will further enhance the reputation of TSBE, as well as the global recognition of your qualifications. To find out more about AACSB click here.

Sustainability

The College of Business and Economics is now a PRME (Principles for Responsible Management Education) signatory. We are committed to the six PRME values of Purpose, Values, Method, Research, Partnership and Dialogue and you will see in various units how we embed sustainability values in our teaching and research and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Across all sustainable development goals, our university is ranked at 25 overall globally, and for Sustainable Development Goal 13 – Climate Action – UTAS is the number one university. For more information about PRME, click here.