Business Organisation and Policy
Any special requirements: All work should be submitted on the Student Portal along with an acceptable Turnitin Report
Word Limit: 2000 words (+/- 10%)
Deadline date for submission: Week 7, Friday 27th March 2015 (23:59)
Learning outcomes to be examined in this assessment To successfully complete this assessment, students should be able to:
• Demonstrate the influence of environmental and behavioural factors on corporate size, structure and strategy.
• Understand the processes of business planning and policy making and the reason for change over time.
Percentage of marks awarded for module: This assignment is worth 50% of the total marks for the module
Assessment criteria Explanatory comments on the Maximum marks
assessment criteria for each section
Content, style,
relevance,
originality Clear demonstration of rigorous research from recognised authoritative sources. Audience focus. 50%
Format, referencing, bibliography Harvard 10 %
Constructive critical analysis, introduction, conclusion Demonstration of a clear understanding of the issues. Use of academic models. 40%
Candidates must clearly label their ID Number on additional separate reference, formula or answer sheets.
Assignment Task
On April 24 2013, 1134 people were killed and 2,500 were injured when the Rana Plaza building in Savar, Bangladesh collapsed on top of garment workers inside its factories. It would be known as the worst accident in the garment industry anywhere.
This happened only five months after a horrific fire at a similar facility prompted leading multinational brands to pledge to work to improve safety in the country’s booming but poorly regulated garment industry.
Labour groups, Western clothing companies, the Bangladeshi government and others have made some progress toward preventing similar tragedies, but more still needs to be done.
There was never any doubt that improving working conditions in Bangladesh, one of the world’s poorest countries, would be incredibly difficult. The collapse of Rana Plaza was just one, though by far the worst in a series of industrial accidents in
Bangladesh’s garment industry, which has become one of the biggest exporters of clothes to the United States and Europe because of its low wages.
It was later discovered that 28 brands that sourced clothes from the plaza included
Primark, Bennetton, Mango, Matalan and Bonmache, prompting public concern about the working conditions of garment factories around the world which contribute to western high street fashion stores.
Ethical consumerism encourages people to think about how the products they buy are sourced and produced which are not harmful to the environment and society. This can be evidenced through simply purchasing eggs that are free-range or boycotting goods/companies which promote child labour or unsavoury working conditions.
Ethical consumerism is a growing market. A recent report from the Co-operative Bank showed a third of UK consumers claiming to be concerned about ethical consumption, with a large number of the public willing to challenge and boycott companies which do not comply with ethical standards.
You are required to write an analytical business report that covers the following tasks:
Task 1
Discuss the ways in which companies, like the ones mentioned in the extract above, that sourced clothes from the Rana Plaza can help improve business practices to prevent recurrence of events of this nature.
Task 2
Choose any company, research and evidence how they operate ethically, taking into account their approach to consumerism, values and environmental friendliness.
ASSIGNMENT GUIDANCE
Structure of report
Your report (which must be written in business report format), should comprise of the following sections:
• An executive summary which gives a brief overview of the argument in your report including key findings and conclusions
• An introduction which explains what the report is all about and highlights on what is to be covered in the report i.e. the Ethical practices, why this is important and what needs to be done?
Task1
Discuss the ways in which companies, like the ones mentioned in the extract above, that sourced clothes from the Rana Plaza can help improve business practices to prevent recurrence of events of this nature.
• Students are required to discuss the concept of business ethics and ethical consumerism.
• Students should discuss how companies like Rana Plaza improve their practices in order to avoid reoccurrence of any similar situations. Mainly what business should do in order to enhance their CSR practices? Students can discuss the concept of accountability, responsibility, transparency, fairness, sustainability and so on.
• Such issues normally happen due to poor strategy, lack of clear vision, poor organisational culture, poor compliance, poor working environment, organisational values and so on.
Task 2
Choose any company, research and evidence how they operate ethically, taking into account their approach to consumerism, values and environmental friendliness.
In the second part, students should select any organisation that they believe to be ethically operating. You should explain how the chosen organsiation is operating ethically. Focus should be on the ethical consumerism, values and environmental
friendliness.
Ethical consumerism: Ethically produced products
Values- Employee engagement and development, fairness, positive working environment, safety, diversity, integrity, customer focus, accountability and so on.
Environmental friendliness: 3Rs concept (Reduce, reuse, recycle), eco-friendly business, sustainability, triple bottom line concept and so on.
• Conclusion which includes a critical evaluation of ethical consumerism. Students may want to give an overall critical analysis on the research which they have just undertaken.
• Recommendations to businesses that source to clothing manufacturers.
• Bibliography showing all sources of references.
MARKING TEMPLATE
Business Organisation and Policy (PM204)
Assignment
Marking Criteria % of total Marks Overall comments
Task 1 Evaluation and analysis:
How a repeat of the Rana Plaza disaster can be prevented by sourcing companies
40
Task 2
Evaluation and analysis:
Ethics, Values and environmentally friendly aspects of any chosen
company
40
Conclusion and
Recommendations
10
Structure,
Presentation and
Referencing
10
Total Marks
100
Standard marking system for use when marking coursework assignments – for all programmes at GSM London
Indicative
Grade UK% marks Characteristics.
Distinction 70%+
Very high standard of critical analysis using appropriate conceptual frameworks.
Excellent understanding and exposition of relevant issues.
Clearly structured and logically developed arguments.
Good awareness of nuances and complexities.
Substantial evidence of well-executed independent research.
Excellent evaluation and synthesis of source material.
Relevant data and examples, all properly referenced
Merit 69-60% High standard of critical analysis using appropriate conceptual frameworks.
Clear awareness and exposition of relevant issues.
Clearly structured and logically developed argument.
Awareness of nuances and complexities.
Evidence of independent research.
Good evaluation and synthesis of source material.
Relevant data and examples, all properly referenced.
Pass 59-50% Uses appropriate conceptual frameworks.
Attempts analysis but includes some errors and /or omissions.
Shows awareness of issues but no more than to be expected room attendance at classes.
Arguments reasonably clear but underdeveloped.
Insufficient evidence of independent research.
Insufficient evaluation of source material.
Some good use of relevant data and examples but incompletely referenced.
Pass 49-40% Adequate understanding of appropriate conceptual frameworks.
Answer too descriptive and or any attempt at analysis is
superficial containing errors and omission.
Shows limited awareness of issues but also some confusion.
Arguments not particularly clear.
Limited evidence of independent research and reliance on a superficial repeat of class notes.
Relatively superficial use of relevant data sources and examples and poorly referenced.
PASS MARK 40%
E 39-30% Weak understanding of appropriate conceptual frameworks. Weak analysis and several errors and omissions.
Establishes a few relevant points but superficial and confused exposition of issues.
No evidence of independent research and poor understanding of class notes or no use of relevant data, sources and examples and no references.