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 business responsibilities influence their perceptions of social (sustainable) responsibility and accountability
2.	Critically review the relevance of sustainability practices and the role of managers in embracing these practices
3.	Evaluate the relevance of different frameworks identifying ways to view business/organizational social responsibility and select and apply them appropriate to business setting
4.	Professionally communicate information and recommendations to a range of stakeholders

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Anti-requisite (mutual excl)	XPD510

Alterations as a result of student feedback

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	Week 4	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO4
Assessment Task 2:	Individual/Team Project (negotiated)	Week 13	35 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Individual Assignment (Video and Written Report)	Refer to Assessment Description	35 %	LO1, LO3, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Individual Assignment

Task Description:

Identify the social responsibilities of the fictional business presented and provide a report to the Board of Directors identifying the businesses responsibilities, why they are considered ‘responsibilities’, how the identification of responsibilities might be used to influence business planning, and how and why the identified responsibilities should be prioritised by level of importance

Task Length:

2500 Words

Due Date:

Week 4

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Critically review the operations of the fictitious business to identify what the key business responsibilities are	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 the Board of Directors	LO4

Assessment Task 2: Individual/Team Project (negotiated)

Task Description:

Applying knowledge learnt during the unit, gained along the way and then applying this knowledge to the ‘fictitious’ business depicted prepare a report to the Board of Directors of the business responding to the issues the board needs to understand to choose a path to respond to sustainability practices within the business operation. You will find it useful in addressing a number of these issues to refer to an ‘accountability’ model reflecting the importance of not only taking appropriate actions but ensuring your stakeholders are aware you are addressing important issues.

Task Length:

Written Report - 4000 words maximum

Due Date:

Week 13

Weight:

35 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Present a working definition of sustainability	LO1
2	Present a plan for the implementation of sustainability practices	LO2
3	Critically review sustainable practices and impacts	LO3
4	Present an analysis adopting an accountability model exploring why a business should produce a sustainability report, what should be included, to whom and in what format.	LO3
5	Professionally communicate initiatives for improving the social and environmental performance report to management	LO4

Assessment Task 3: Individual Assignment (Video and Written Report)

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: 26th September 2025 10.00pm.

Task Length:

2500 Words, 10 minute video (maximum)

Due Date:

Refer to Assessment Description

Weight:

35 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrate knowledge of social responsibility reporting and stakeholder engagement	LO1
2	Critique and logically justify the application, and relevance of social responsibility reporting and stakeholder engagement to the ‘fictitious’ business	LO3
3	Professionally communicate your findings in a video and written report to the Board	LO4

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.