Task overview. You are required to submit

Task overview. You are required to submit a proposed topic for your class essay. The proposal has the following requirements:

1/ You must be addressing a business ethics issue – e.g. it should not be on a purely social issue such as abortion or same-sex marriage. However, it can consider the business implications – for example, ‘Should for-profit abortion clinics be permitted?’; or ‘Should businesses have the right to refuse service to same-sex couples?’ Your business ethics issue must be based on an online news media article which is less than three years old.

2/ Your topic should be controversial – i.e. the answer must not be obvious. We are aiming to develop an approach to explore complex topics in ACCG 848, and therefore there is no point in writing an essay about an issue where the moral answer is clear – e.g. companies polluting in contravention of the law; companies paying their employees less then the minimum wage in the country they are operating in etc.

3/ Your topic should be specific – i.e. “sweatshops”; “child labour”; “pollution” is much too broad. To be manageable you focus on a particular issue – e.g. “Should companies in the apparel industry be required to audit the wage and safety conditions of the employees of all of their suppliers”.

4/ You should be exploring a principle, which means you shouldn’t have a company name in the title. The topic needs to be framed more generally and the specific case is used just as an illustrative example. For example, in the Moriaty reading his question was ‘Do CEOs get pad too much’ and then he gave some examples, as opposed to ‘Does the CEO of Apple get paid too much’.

Your proposal should contain:
1. The proposed title for the essay, which should be of the form “Should . . .”
2. A link to an illustrative case, e.g. an online newspaper article (which should be from the past 3 years). This article should provide a good background to your proposed title and will ideally also provide one or more arguments for and/or against the topic.
3. Arguments for and against the case. The highest marks will be awarded to students who provide two strong arguments for the case and two strong arguments against. A superior understanding of the material will also be demonstrated by students who are able to correctly identify whether the arguments are primarily utilitarian (i.e. based on consequences) or Kantian (i.e. based on duties and rights).

References should be cited using the APA 6 style and a reference list provided at the end of your assignment

Word limit including references: 500 words

Note: Even after your proposals is submitted and marked, you can still change it up until you submit Part A of the final essay. Either your marked or new proposal must be attached to Part A of the final essay, but will not be assessed.

If you are considering a change of your essay topic after the Essay Proposal is marked, you should discuss the proposed change with the Seminar Leader.

ACCG 848 – Business and Professional Ethics Session 1 2018 Assessment Guide Page 5

d. Deliverables. Discussing the prescribed materials both in open discussions and in smaller groups. e. Marking criteria. You will be marked according to the criteria below:

Grade	Essay topic (3 marks)	Illustrative case (2 marks)	Arguments for and against (4 marks)
Fail	One or more pass elements not achieved.	One or more pass elements not achieved.	One or more pass elements not achieved.
Pass	A topic that is a business ethics topic (e.g. abortion, same-sex marriage); A topic that does not include a company name (e.g. Nike etc.) A topic that is of the form “Should ___”	Case provided Case within the last 3 years	One clear argument for the topic and one clear argument against provided.
Credit	As per a Pass grade, and: A topic which is specific to a particular location, industry and/or ethical topic	As per a Pass grade, and: Case highlights a significant business ethics issue	Two clear arguments for the topic and two clear arguments against provided.
Distinction	As per a Credit grade, and: A topic which is original	As per a Credit grade, and: Case highlights arguments on both sides of the issue	As per a Credit grade, and: At least two of the arguments are correctly labelled with the type of ethical position they are (e.g. Kantian, utilitarian etc.)
High Distinction	As per a Distinction grade, and: A topic which is both highly specific and highly original.	As per Distinction grade.	As per Distinction grade, and: All of the arguments are correctly labelled with the type of ethical position they are (e.g. Kantian, utilitarian etc.)
Deductions	Poor grammar and/or spelling; poor referencing (i.e. other than APA 6 style); world limit exceeded by more than 10%	Poor grammar and/or spelling; poor referencing (i.e. other than APA 6 style); world limit exceeded by more than 10%)	Poor grammar and/or spelling; poor referencing (i.e. other than APA 6 style); world limit exceeded by more than 10%