Report on Business Ethics (60%):
As a final assignment, the student will be asked to carry out a study on a specific company, chosen from the FTSE100 stock index. It must be an original piece of work, which should be understood as consultancy report. The application of the concepts discussed in class to the real issues observed in the company must be shown and presented in the format of an executive report (max 1,000 words you can hand in less, but anything above will not be reviewed). This should address the following points:
1. The firms general stance: description of the position of the firm regarding ethics and corporate social responsibility.
2. The analysis of its CSR report, if published. Which points are included? How much information is provided? Is it relevant and trustworthy? Which points are missing?
3. Any scandals or unethical behavior registered in the past. Description of the event, what caused it and how the company reacted.
4. Its code of ethics, if available. How is it formulated? Offer a critical analysis.
5. Its leaders behavior. Do the leaders inspire the rest of the employees to behave ethically?
6. Recommendations for improvement.
Since this is an executive report, the information must be summarized very much. Only the essential pieces of information should be included and no unnecessary descriptions should extend the length of the text without adding value. In this sense, the capability of condensing relevant information and transmitting it fluidly will be essential. From the report, it should become evident that the student dominates the concepts discussed in the sessions and is able to confront a real business. He/She should present a report, which could easily be forwarded to the management team of the firm being analyzed and serve as a diagnosis of their position in regards to Business Ethics.
The report should list the consulted references (in APA 6th ed. style) at the end and may include some annexes. Both these sections will not compute for the final word count. Neither a title page nor an index are necessary. It is recommended that the title should read:
Executive Report on Business Ethics at Name of the Company
by Name of the Student
The text should be in Calibri, font size 11 and single spacing. Numbering of sections and structure are left to the students; however, a certain structural logic is expected.
Grading criteria will include the discussion of the items listed above in enough depth (with use of data whenever required by the argument), relation to the concepts and frameworks discussed in class, appropriate use of technical terms, capability to express in written form the most fundamental conclusions, and recommendations for improvement supported by the analysis.
