The module Business and Society is concerned with the relationship between business, its key stakeholders and the ecological balance of natural systems. This assessment seeks to develop in you the student an awareness of the often contradictory nature of explanations about the role of business in society and the complexity of applying theories of ethics and sustainability to the claims and counterclaims of good practice in business. Much of what we consider to be morally acceptable is based on our socially constructed view of the world, our personal belief systems and in many cases faith. This complex interaction of these leads to questions of subjectivity and bias in how we view the actions of others. In the written work of students, in essays or reports, you are constantly asked to provide written references to substantiate argument, observations or conclusion. The question of the validity of such outcomes is often based on the authenticity and verifiability of sources of information. However, we know, that one can find written testimony that substantiates a point of view whilst at the same time others question it. The essence of critical writing involves considering evidence to make reasoned conclusions. A mistake many writers make is to use only one type of source to support their ideas (or, worse, no sources, making unsubstantiated statements). When we read or watch accounts of business and its impact on and in society often the narrator or writer will refer to some expert source to give weight to the argument. This is not sufficient where a single source is used or where the ‘expert’s’ view is expressed without substantiation. I am reminded of a news item on Fox Cable News where during the Iraqi-conflict; they produced their ‘Baghdad’ expert to comment. Subsequent investigation discovered that the ‘expert’ was in fact a weather reporter who had once visited the city for a meteorological conference. As business students it is unlikely that you will be involved in investigative journalist type activities, however, it is perfectly reasonable to expect that you will be asked to produce written work of an investigative nature whether this is for problem solving and analysis, for the purpose of PR or to defend an initiative. As business professionals you will be invited at some point to comment on current activities in your discipline often with a view to providing advice for others. This assessment, the first of two, is designed to prepare you for such an eventuality. You will produce a written piece of investigative work that will be assessed in the strength and validity of argument and sources; in effect, expert testimony. There will be a number of practical workshops which will assist you in this process and the output you produce will be narrative based.
The coursework length is 2500 words, may contain appendices and will contain hyper text links to evidence based work. Unit two The concept of greenwashing first emerged in the 1960’s when, driven by consumer and political pressure, corporations began to ‘green’ their products or give a more socially acceptable image of them. These attempts to influence opinions have been criticized as being unprincipled and in themselves unethical. Yet other organisations such as Pactics of Shanghai, have made a virtue out of being virtuous with a strong focus on fair rights at work, and environmental protection. Companies such as Sony Ericssons have gone further by producing annual reports of their approach to business from a ‘triple-bottom-line’ perspective. This leads to a question of how we recognize the rhetorical commitment to CSR and Sustainability against a crude PR driven strategy that seeks to obscure corporate activities. Task Business Outside (fictitious) is a magazine dedicated to reporting on best practice in business in relation to Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability. You have been asked to write an article for it on the extent to which ‘greenwashing’ is used to portray corporations in a ‘good light’ or whether the concept is politically motivated criticism of CSR by consumer groups in favour of more direct interventions in the way companies operate. You decide to produce a case study article on an organization that either:
1. Uses CSR PR techniques to protect public image and deflect criticism (see the defensive strategy of business ethics); the rhetoric and reality Or
2. An organization (any sector) that after investigation can be held up as demonstrating best practice in CSR and or sustainability. Your assessment and concluding remarks will be informed both by the evidence and the quality thereof, and the application of relevant theories. In some case those theories may lead to conflicting conclusions but that is perfectly reasonable. You will be provided with how to guides and instruction on the production of investigative work. Please note that whilst this may lend itself to journalistic approaches to writing it should be treated as an academic piece like any other. This is a challenging task which will require a great deal of commitment to it. The submission will adhere to proper academic standard and all evidence, arguments and conclusions should be supported by appropriate academic reading.
