You are required to write a 3,000 word board report. This coursework assignment carries 100% weighting for your overall mark in The Accountant in Business module. You will be asked to choose a company to evaluate.
Coursework assignment task
There is increasing demand from investors for ‘socially responsible’ investment products. The purpose of this coursework assignment is to evaluate the extent to which your chosen company can be considered “socially responsible” and whether it would represent a “socially responsible” investment.
You are required to prepare a report of a maximum of 3,000 words which evaluates whether your chosen company is socially responsible, and thus would constitute a socially responsible investment, by applying the ISO26000 corporate social responsibility framework. You are required to examine any 3 of the 6 core topics from clause 6 of ISO26000 (see below). The report will be used by an investor looking for a socially responsible investment.
Your conclusion should be informed by research into your chosen company, using appropriate academic and professional sources, which are attributed to their authors using the Harvard Referencing System.
NOTE: There is an underlying assumption in the assessment that evaluation of the financial performance of the organisation is contained in a separate section of the report prepared by somebody else. Your focus is solely on the social responsibility aspects of the organisation’s performance.
You should review initial research about the company you wish to study to enable you to focus on particular aspects of the core topics in Clause 6 of ISO26000. Using this review, select 3 of the 6 Social Responsibility core subjects (Illustrated in Figure 1) that you identify as most appropriate for inclusion in your report. A brief explanation of why you have selected those particular elements will strengthen your report.
Please Note: You must achieve a pass in this assignment to pass the module.
Assessment Marking Scheme (Student Version)
Marking Guide
| Topic | % of marks |
% of word count | |
| Introduction | Overview of the organisation selected for study, what you consider its key features and why you have chosen it. Explain ‘socially responsible’ investment and your selection of core topics. Outline what your report will cover. | 10% | 300 words |
| Organisational Governance (including Risk Management) | Provide a brief evaluation of the organisational governance and risk management of your chosen company, referring to any appropriate codes or frameworks and linking to socially responsible investment. | 16% | 480 words |
| Body of Document | Select 3 of 6 from the following topics – total 54% In evaluating the company’s performance in relation to your chosen 3 topics, remember to think about reliability of sources of information and the extent to which a company has to balance commercial and ethical interests. Can you relate your evaluation to ethical/CSR models encountered in your studies? |
18% x 3 | |
| Human Rights | What is meant by human rights? Rights include human freedom to speak, associate and work. For example, companies may place staff in locations where kidnapping is a potential risk and they would need to consider how to prevent this, since loss of freedom would breach human rights. Are there any risks you can identify for your selected company? Bullying and whistle blowing would also be relevant. | 18% | 540 words |
| Labour Practices | How are employees treated? Include research from press reports where appropriate. For example: Are there differences in different parts of the world? How well managed is Health & Safety? Is there a commitment to equal opportunities and diversity in the organisation? Is training and development provided? | 18% | 540 words |
| The Environment | What is the organisation’s impact on the environment? Consider aspects such as pollution prevention, sustainability, response to climate change (CO2 reduction), biodiversity and habitat restoration. | 18% | 540 words |
| Fair Operating Practices | Is there evidence that operating practices promote or support: anti-corruption; responsible political involvement; fair competition; promoting social responsibility in the value chain; respect for property rights? | 18% | 540 words |
| Consumer Issues | Are customers treated fairly? For example: unfairness – Payment Protection Insurance; many banks have subsequently been fined. Do consumers get what they expect from the transaction? Are products or services safe? Are complaints handled effectively? Is customer data adequately protected? | 18% | 540 words |
| Community Involvement | How does the organisation interact with the local community in areas in which they have a significant presence? For example: involvement in education, employment creation and skills development, technology development, wealth and income creation, and social investment. | 18% | 540 words |
| Conclusion | Make clear recommendations in relation to whether an investment in your chosen organisation could be considered ‘socially responsible’, drawing in findings from each of your topic sections. Note: 5% of this mark is awarded for making an explicit recommendation related to your findings. | 10% | 300 words |
| Structure and Referencing | You will need to put your submission into a professional business format, which would include an introduction, clearly marked sections, headings and paragraphs. There should be a conclusion at the end. All research undertaken needs to be appropriately referenced using the Harvard Referencing System. |
10% | n/a (300 words spare) |
| TOTAL | 100% |
The assessments are marked according to the Level 6 Marking Criteria contained in your programme handbook