Distributed on: Start of Term Hand in Date: TBC
Instructions on Assessment:
“Tomorrow’s business leaders need to be nimble and to incorporate all aspects of good decision making in an increasingly global and complex business environment. Ethical leadership is vital to the future of ….business. Our world is rapidly changing – and the changes affect every business, every industry and every country. The future growth and competitiveness of business is at stake. The business world eagerly awaits tomorrow’s strong and ethical leaders.”
Harold McGraw III
Chairman, Business Roundtable
During this module you have explored the ethical challenges facing businesses. As you prepare to take your place in the management and leadership of the future you are asked to evidence and reflect upon the development of your ethical awareness and reasoning and to consider the challenges that may face you in your workplace.
Requirements
Present the development of your ethical awareness and reasoning through an annotated portfolio of evidence supported by a 1500 word essay in which you first will identify an ethical dilemma in a business situation, and then suggest ethical solutions to this dilemma (see specific marking sheets at end).
Portfolio Weighting
Ethical Dilemma Essay (Part A) (1500 words) (50%)
Portfolio of Evidence (Part B) (1500 words) (50%)
Part A: Ethical Dilemma Essay (1,500 words)
Students are to identify and discuss an business-related ethical dilemma. Ideally, this choice should be relevant to your intended area of future employment. You must demonstrate both an awareness of the key issues surrounding why it is an ethical dilemma, and then propose solutions to that dilemma. A suggested format for the essay is:
Part of the learning experience of this essay is for you as the student picking and developing the dilemma yourself from either a relevant recent news event, personal professional practice experience (particularly for students who have been on placement) or similar.
You should not use an ethical dilemma that we have discussed in detail during a class1 or has been analysed in a textbook or website; this is your ethical dilemma, which you have developed, which ideally relates to your career aspirations.
Part B: Portfolio of Evidence Contents
The portfolio contents should provide evidence of your diligent engagement with the module activities including the directed learning opportunities. Your portfolio should be divided into clear sections, with the appendices clearly marked A, B, and C so that your examiner can easily find and mark your evidence. A summary of our expectations is provided below:
Appendix A The Ethical Leadership Debate (in Seminar 4) (20% of marks)
A reflective statement of 600 words which describes and critically evaluates the arguments presented in the debate on Ethical Leadership. Your argument must culminate in your opinion regarding the debate motion. We expect you to analyse the arguments (for and against) made by the teams on behalf of their characters in your seminar. We are not asking you to write an essay purely based upon the character biographies that we supplied for debate preparation.
Appendix B The Seminar Case (in Seminars 1 and 5) (20% of marks)
A reflective statement of 600 words concerning the seminar ethical dilemma case which was discussed in the Seminars One and Five. Briefly identify the ethical dilemmas in the case, and then select one for analysis using the normative ethical theories and descriptive frameworks taught on this module.
Appendix C Interpersonal and Team-working skills (10% of marks)
A reflective statement of 300 words showing how your interpersonal and team-working skills were used in this module.
Important note about ARNA regulations
The regulations specify that students must complete every assessment component contributing to the modules on their programme. This applies to all forms of assessment as defined in the module descriptor. Please note that:
This change was approved by Academic Board on 12 October 2009 in consultation with the Students’ Union. Students should consult their Programme Leader or Guidance Tutor if they have any queries. Independent advice and support is also available from the Students’ Union Advice & Representation Centre (su.advice@northumbria.ac.uk) or from a student adviser in Student Services. 1ARNA and the Student Guide to Extenuating Circumstances Affecting Assessed Work are available from http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/sd/central/ar/lts/assess/assproc/assdocstud/
Word Count
The word count is to be declared on the front page of your assignment. The word count does not include title page, contents page, glossary, tables, figures, illustrations, reference list, bibliography and appendices.
Summarising and compressing the information in your assignment into the word limit is one of the skills that students are expected to acquire, and demonstrate as part of the assignment process.
Word limits and penalties for assignments
If the assignment is within +10% of the stated word limit no penalty will apply. However, if the word limit exceeds the +10% limit, 10% of the mark provisionally awarded to the assignment will be deducted. For example: if the assignment is worth 70% but is above the word limit by more than 10%, a penalty of 7% will be imposed, giving a final mark of 63%.
Time limits and penalties for presentations
The time allocated for the presentation must be adhered to. At the end of this time, the presentation will be stopped and will be marked based on what has been delivered within the time limit.
Submission of Assessment:
All assignments must be submitted via the Blackboard Elp. Marked assignments will be returned to students via the Elp also. It is advisable to retain a copy of your assignment for you own records. Your mark will be returned via Grade Mark on the Elp.
Referencing your work
The APA method of referencing uses the author’s name and the date of the publication. In-text citations give brief details of the work you are referring to in your text. References are listed at the end of the text in alphabetical order by the author’s name. The general format of an electronic journal reference in the APA style is shown below:
Coutu, D. (2009). Why Teams Don’t Work. Harvard Business Review, 87(5), 98-105. Retrieved 29th April 2012 from EBSCO http://searchebscohost.com
Author/s name and initials are listed first, followed by year of publication in brackets. Then there is the title of article and the journal where the article appears, which is in italics. Then state the volume and issue number (in brackets) along with the pages where article can be located. Finally add the date the article was retrieved and then the name of the database, followed by the web address. Wherever possible use the homepage URL rather than the full and extended web address.
For further information on why it is important to reference accurately go to the Referencing and Plagiarism topic in Skills Plus available from the Library website:
www.northumbria.ac.uk/skillsplus
You will find other useful help guides on Skills Plus to help you with the skills involved in writing your assessments and preparing for exams.
For further information on the APA style of referencing see the Concise Rules of APA style and the APA website http://www.apastyle.org/learn
Plagiarism and Cheating
Your attention is drawn to the University’s stated position on plagiarism. THE WORK OF OTHERS, WHICH IS INCLUDED IN THE ASSIGNMENT MUST BE ATTRIBUTED TO ITS SOURCE (a full bibliography and/or a list of references must be submitted as prescribed in the assessment brief).
Please note that this is intended to be an individual piece of work. Action will be taken where a student is suspected of having cheated or engaged in any dishonest practice. Students are referred to the University regulations on plagiarism and other forms of academic irregularity. Students must not copy or collude with one another or present any information that they themselves have not generated.
For further information on Plagiarism, see the Referencing and Plagiarism topic on Skills Plus. www.northumbria.ac.uk/skillsplus
Mapping to Programme Goals and Objectives:
This assessment will contribute directly to the following Undergraduate programme goals and objectives.
Objectives:
Students will be able to:
X 3. Apply their knowledge to business and management contexts.
Objectives:
Students will be able to:
X 3. Demonstrate critical thinking skills.
X 4. Demonstrate problem solving skills.
Objectives:
Students will be able to:
X 1. Identify an ethical dilemma in a business situation
X 2. Suggest ethical solutions to this dilemma
Objectives:
Students will be able to:
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