ACCG1000

ACCOUNTING IN SOCIETY

Case Study

Information pack Session 2, 2020

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Individual AssessmentDue: 11 September 2020, 5pm

ACCG1000, S2 2020

Case Study - Ethics

You are required to complete a research-based case study assignment that is worth 10% of your overall grade in ACCG1000. This will encourage you to explore ethical issues in business, using materials outside the unit texts.

Requirements

Research internet, newspapers, and business magazines for a corporate case that has attracted media attention due to ethical issues. Write an ESSAY to address the following points using the case you chose.

1. Provide an overview of the company’s background, i.e. its business operations, etc.2. What ethical issue has arisen? Clearly explain the ethical dilemma faced by the

involved parties.3. Clearly identify and evaluate the stakeholders that were impacted by the ethical issue.4. Was the decision made by the involved parties ethical? How would the business

be positively/negatively impacted by the decision? Explain your answer.5. Detail your original view on business ethics. How has your view changed after

attending lectures and completing this case study assignment? Explain the differencesand/or similarities to your original view.

The ethical issues under consideration do not necessarily have to be accounting related. You can choose either an Australian or international corporate case, but the case must be reported by the media from 2015 onwards. Do not use cases dated prior to 2015.

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Criteria and standards

The estimated workload for this assignment is 20 hours.

Your essay will be marked taking into account:

- Your ability to find out relevant materials.- Your ability to identify and explain issues.- Your ability to apply relevant concepts to analyse issues.- Your writing skills.

You should get to the point and avoid wordy repetitions (i.e. be succinct and clear). You should reference the appropriate paragraphs of relevant regulations/standards or other sources you refer to. You must avoid copying or stringing together lengthy quotes leaving little said in your own words.

Please refer to the marking rubric for specific guidance on marking criteria and standards.

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Assessment of essay

The research-based report represents 10% of your total mark for ACCG1000. Your assignment will

be marked out of 50 as shown in the Marking Rubric on page 6 of this document and will then be

converted to a mark out of 10%.

Report submission instructions

Where to submit The written report must be submitted in electronic form using Turnitin (through iLearn via the ‘Assessment / Case Study’ folder). Detailed submission instructionsare provided on iLearn. Please ensure that you are familiar with these instructions and submit before the deadline in case of technical issues.

A hardcopy submission is not required.

When to submit

How to submit

The deadline for submission is 5pm Friday 11 September, 2020.No extensions will be granted. There will be a deduction of 10% of the total available marks made from the total awarded marks for each 24 hour period or part thereof that the submission is late (for example, 25 hours late in submission will attract 20% penalty). This penalty does not apply to cases in which an application for Special Consideration is made and approved. Detailed information on how to apply for special consideration can be found at

https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration

The report can be submitted either in a PDF or word format. The filename of your report must be as follows: ACCG1000_XXXXXXX (xxx = Student ID)

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Essay Format

Before you start writing your report, it is recommended that you read the following carefully:

Structure The essay must contain the following Key Headings (in this order):

• Introduction

• Body

• Conclusion

• Reference list

• Appendix

You may use appropriate subtitles under the key headings to support your essay writing in response to the 5 key pointers that needs to be addressed.

Length Total word count limit = 1000 words.

Your word count must be included at the start of your essay.

Included in word count Excluded from word count

• Introduction

• Body

• Conclusion

• Reference list and in-text referencing

• Appendix

Penalties for exceeding the word limit are as follows:

Word count Penalty

• 1,001 – 1,100 words

• 1,101 – 1,210 words

• 1,211 or more words

• No penalty

• 10% of total marks

• 20% of total marks

Style The essay must be presented as follows:

Font: Times New Roman 12 point Spacing: 1.5 times line spacing Margins: not less than 2.5 cm

Footer Each page must have a footer containing the following:

ACCG1000 S2 2020 Your SID Page number

Referencing In text referencing is required for all sources used and a complete list of referencesmust be provided using the Harvard Referencing System.

Guidance on how to reference your assignment correctly can be found at

http://libguides.mq.edu.au/c.php?g=674324&p=4748637

Plagiarism All assignments will be manually and electronically checked for plagiarism and it is extremely important that you are familiar with the policy on Academic Honesty.

A link to the policy is available in the Unit Information tab on iLearn.

ACCG1000, S2 20205

Case Study Assignment Marking Rubric (50 marks)

Not attempted Fail Pass Credit Distinction High Distinction

Relevance - ability to find out relevant materials

5 marks

Not attempted or entirely/significantly plagiarized from other sources.

0 marks

The case chosen is not suitable for the assignment topic (i.e. the case is irrelevant or before the year 2000).

1 mark

The case chosen is relevant to the assignment topic but limited information is provided or most information is irrelevant.

2 marks

The case chosen is relevant to the assignment topic. Fairly sufficient information is provided, but some information is irrelevant or information is omitted.

3 marks

The case chosen is relevant to the assignment topic. Mostly sufficient and relevant information is provided.

4 marks

The case chosen is relevant to the assignment topic. Highly sufficient and relevant information is provided.

5 marks

Articulation - ability to identify and explain ethical issue(s)

10 marks

Not attempted or entirely/significantly plagiarized from other sources.

0 marks

Issue is not clearly identified, explanation is unclear, insufficient and/or not succinct.

3 marks

Issue is identified generally well, explanation is generally clear yet insufficient and/or not succinct.

5 marks

Issue is identified reasonably well, explanation is generally clear, fairly sufficient and/or generally succinct.

7 marks

Issue is clearly identified, explanation is mostly clear, sufficient and/or mostly succinct.

8 marks

Issue is clearly identified, explanation is clear, comprehensive and highly succinct.

10 marks

Analysis - ability to apply relevant concepts to analyse issue(s)

15 marks

Not attempted or entirely/significantly plagiarized from other sources.

0 marks

Concepts used in the analysis are insufficient, irrelevant and/or inappropriate; the exploration of the issue is unclear and/or insufficient.

5 marks

Issue is analysed using some relevant concepts to develop a generally clear and/or sufficient exploration of the issue.

8 marks

Issue is analysed using sufficient relevant concepts to develop a reasonably clear and/or sufficient exploration of the issue.

10 marks

Issue is analysed using a broad range of relevant concepts to develop a comprehensive exploration of the issue, demonstrating some original/innovative/advanced insight into the issue.

12 marks

Issue is analysed using an extensive range of relevant concepts to develop a comprehensive exploration of the issue, demonstrating significant original/innovative/advanced insight into the issue.

15 marks

Critique - ability to review your own understanding of business ethics

10 marks

Not attempted or entirely/significantly plagiarized from other sources.

0 marks

The review is inadequately undertaken and/or insufficient, irrelevant discussion is provided.

3 marks

The review is generally adequate. Generally sufficient discussion on the changes/insights in your understanding of business ethics is provided yet some discussion is irrelevant.

5 marks

The review is reasonably adequate. Fairly sufficient and relevant discussion on your changes/insights in the understanding of business ethics is provided, demonstrating good critical thinking skills.

7 marks

The review is comprehensive. Mostly sufficient and relevant discussion on your changes/insights in the understanding of business ethics is provided, demonstrating great critical thinking skills.

8 marks

The review is sophisticated and comprehensive. Highly sufficient and relevant discussion on your changes/insights in the understanding of business ethics is provided, demonstrating excellent critical thinking skills.

10 marks

Writing skills (including formatting, structure, clarity, grammar, spelling, etc.)

10 marks

Not attempted or entirely/significantly plagiarized from other sources.

0 marks

The essay is not structured in a logical way. Numerous grammatical, punctuation, and/or spelling errors/typos. Style and tone are not professional.

3 marks

The essay has some structure. Organisation of sections and paragraphs is generally clear. Several grammatical, punctuation, and/or spelling errors/typos. Style and tone are generally professional.

5 marks

The essay has a clear structure. Organisation of sections and paragraphs is clear. Occasional grammatical, punctuation, and/or spelling errors/typos. Style and tone are reasonably professional.

7 marks

The essay is well structured. Organisation of sections and paragraphs is clear. No/few grammatical, punctuation, and/or spelling errors/typos. Style and tone are mostly professional.

8 marks

The essay is well structured. Organisation of sections and paragraphs is clear with excellent flow. No/few grammatical, punctuation, and /or spelling errors/typos. Style and tone are professional.

10 marks

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Submission

The assignment is due by 5pm, Friday 11 September 2020 (Week 7). Submissions must be made electronically through Turnitin on iLearn. Turnitin will open for submission in Week 6.

Turnitin submission

Guidance on how to submit a Turnitin assignment may be accessed from http://mq.edu.au/iLearn/student_info/assignments.htm#turnitin.

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that work is submitted correctly prior to the due date. No hard copies of assessments will be accepted and only Turnitin records will be taken as records of submission. Please refer to these instructions on how to submit your assignment through Turnitin and access similarity reports and feedback provided by teaching staff. Should you have questions about Turnitin or experience issues submitting through the system, you must inform your unit convenor immediately. If the issue is technical in nature, you may also lodge OneHelp Ticket by referring to the IT help page. It is the responsibility of the student to retain a copy of any work submitted. Students must produce these documents upon request. Copies should be retained until the end of the grade appeal period each session. In the event that a student is asked to produce another copy of work submitted and is unable to do so, they may be awarded zero (0) for that particular assessment task.

Frequently asked questions

Please read this section carefully before contacting the teaching team with any queries.

1. Where can I get help to write up my essay?You can:a) Use StudyWISE provided on iLearn (In StudyWISE, you will explore the structure

of an essay, you can also look at some examples of real Macquarie students’essays. https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/index.php; or

b) Attend learning skills workshops – it is freehttps://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/skills-development/workshop-calendar; or

c) Ask our learning adviser – Library Info Desk 12-2pm, Monday – Friday.

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2. I have done something similar in my other units/previous study. Can I use myprevious work for this assignment?No. You are required to submit a new work for this assignment. Submission of a workpreviously submitted is considered as deception by the university. It is seriouslydishonest behavior and thus a mark of ZERO will be awarded.

3. Can I use the corporate cases mentioned in the lecture?Yes, you can. However, you are expected to provide more detailed information anddiscussion.

4. Can I reference the ACCG1000 lecture slides (e.g. use the definitions provided in thelecture slides)?Yes, you can.

5. Do I need a cover page for the assignment?No. You don’t need to have a cover page for your online assignment submission.

6. How do I know if my Turnitin submission is successful?A confirmation message will pop up on the screen once your assignment has beensuccessfully submitted. You will also receive a confirmation email sent to your@students.mq.edu.au email address. In addition, you will be also given an originalityreport which provides a summary of matching or similar areas of text found in yoursubmitted assignment.

7. If I found a typo/mistake in my first submission, can I resubmit my assignment?Yes.Multiple submissions are allowed BEFORE the due date. However, it takesapproximately 24 hours for the originality report to be generated. This may be afterthe due date so you should plan any resubmissions carefully.

8. Am I still able to submit my assignment after the due date?Yes. You are still allowed to submit your assignment after the due date.However, there will be a deduction of 10% of the total available marks madefrom the total awarded marks for each 24-hour period or part thereof that thesubmission is late (for example, 25 hours late in submission will attract 20% penalty).This penalty does not apply to cases in which an application for Special Considerationis made and approved.

9. Who will be marking my assignment?Your tutor will be marking your assignment based on the marking rubric provided.

10. By how much can I go over or under the number of words requirement?The number of words is 1000. However, you are allowed to go over by 10% (i.e.1100) maximum.

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11. What is the correct structure of an essay?The correct structure of an essay should contain three parts: an introduction, the mainbody, and the conclusion. In the introduction, you should provide a statement aboutthe purpose of the essay (i.e. what is this essay about, why is ethics important, whatare you going to say in the main body of the essay). In the main body of the essay, youare expected to address each of the questions in a separate paragraph. The firstsentence of each paragraph should be the topic sentence which outlines the centralidea to be developed in the paragraph. The remainder of the paragraph should provideinformation and evidence that help explain your position set out in your topicsentence. The last part of the essay is the conclusion. An effective conclusion shouldrestate the purpose of the essay, remind readers what has been discussed in the mainbody of the essay and make your final conclusion. Again, detailed guidance on how towrite an essay is provided on StudyWISE on iLearn.

Case searching Below are some suggested links for case searching. However, cases from other sources are also acceptable.

Smart Company http://www.smartcompany.com.au/

The Conversation https://theconversation.com/au

Financial Review http://www.afr.com/

In the Black https://intheblack.com/

MIT Management Sloan School Ethics Case Studies https://mitsloan.mit.edu/LearningEdge/Leadership/Pages/default.aspx

The End

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